The Walking Dead's New Villain

I'm a huge fan of The Walking Dead, both the comic series and the show. I think the characters in both versions are, for the most part, extremely well developed and even lovable. Proof of just how strong they are is how large of a reaction there was to this photo:

Now, before you freak, this picture has since been identified as a set photo from the film Pandorum. Still, before the truth was known, the whole community went up in arms, saying things like "If Daryl dies, we riot." So people care about the characters.

Obviously, I'm a sucker (or biter) for anything zombie, but most attempts at zombie-centered stories fall flat to me. It's because they're just that--zombie-centered, focusing on the gore and violence that comes with the zombie craze. With a show and comic series like The Walking Dead, they're more about the people than the zombies, which is why I think they're so popular. But something has me worried lately.

While we wait for the new season, I've been working on getting caught up with the comic series, which is totally different from the show at this point, especially after a certain character died in season 3 on the show. Some people don't like that, but I do. It allows me to read ahead and not worry about spoiling anything on the show. But I'm getting off topic.

Just this past week, I was finally able to find all the issues I needed to catch up, and I'm certainly still hooked, but...

If you're a little behind, as in, you have no idea who Negan is, wait until you get caught up. There are no plot spoilers, but you may want to meet Negan without my opinion. 

Negan. He's an interesting character. I like him because he's unpredictable and how challenging he is to Rick and the gang--more formidable than the Governor even--but his personality bugs me.

Credit: The Weekly-Crisis

He just doesn't feel as "real" as the other characters. Even Ezekiel, who has an interesting and somewhat unlikely companion and pretends to be a king, is more real to me after a "grounding" conversation with Michonne.

What do I mean by real? Well, a character who's real is believable, consistent in dealing with people and situations (or always inconsistent) and original; even in similar genres and stories, no two characters should be exactly alike, or even similar enough that you stop reading/watching and think, "boy, they're a lot like this other character." Tp put it plainly, if a character takes you out of the story, something's wrong.

My problem with Negan is that he feels contrived and over-the-top, aka unbelievable. The main trait that makes me feel this way is the amount of swearing he does. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely people who speak like he does, but it just doesn't feel right with him. Maybe that's Kirkman's point, and we'll eventually see Negan crack and become "normal." But as of right now, I think Kirkman's trying too hard to have a badass villain that's crazy, even a psychopath. People can be insane and be eloquent, though, and I personally would find that more frightening. They also don't need to have a special relationship with their weapon. Negan comes off more as a bad action movie villain that a person who would still be alive in The Walking Dead universe. Basically, Negan just seems like a cliché right now, in my opinion.

I think most of it is personal preference. There's a good chance I don't like Negan, simple as that. We're not supposed to like Negan, of course, since he's the current antagonist, but that title doesn't stop people from liking other villains, like Darth Vader, Magneto, The Joker, and the Terminator, to name a few. Perhaps with more backstory, there could be some sympathy for Negan, like there is for Vader and Magneto. The Joker's literally insane, and the Terminator is ruthless to another level. Negan is just, well, vulgar. I'm worried that future characters are going to fall into the same "eh" category.

Feel free to leave a comment if you agree or disagree.

Now, if we want to talk about a real badass...

Cover art on issue #114. Photo credit: dailydead.com

But that'll be another time. Stay tuned for a review of The Star Wars sometime tomorrow.

Here's the source for the Daryl photo and information about the "scandal," if you're curious.