The Walking Dead 100th issue is coming out in less than three weeks and Image Comics are doing a great job promoting it. The success of the show has not hurt it either. But the comic was first; so let’s give credit where credit is due. But do we really know what to expect from this milestone? People are saying this is the Avatar of comics, and will smash sales records. But what are we to expect?
Well first, what are Image Comics doing to promote this milestone? First, this issue is getting released the day of comic con. An event that over 100,000 people attend. That right there is a good move and everybody at SDCC will be talking about it and it will be a must have. The next thing is, is it getting released at comic con but it’s getting 10, yes that is correct 10 different covers. So any collector, like myself, will need to get all 10. This reminds me of when CDs were popular and an artist would have 3 different versions of their cover art. Did they really sell a million records to a million people or did their hardcore fans pick up all 3?
The next thing, besides the comics, is the events and exclusives they are doing for The Walking Dead. Also let’s not forget the panels that people will spend hours waiting for. We all have been in, or at a minimum been too afraid to enter, a haunted house. But how about a zombie filled stadium? The Walking Dead is taking over PetCo Park and turning it into a zombie course. Not often can you participate as a survivor and try to escape the 55-minute track, but you can also pay and be a zombie. They will have real make-up artist on site. Then lets not forget about the exclusives that are the must haves. There are watches, figures and a compendium book that for any fan will be a must.
Now the real reason why I wrote this. What to expect from issue 100.
1) Death – Death has always been a major factor in The Walking Dead. The hope of living in a world where people look out for each 
other is gone. With a fight looming, like the one in prison, people will die. But can we figure out who will die? The prison held no barriers and all were not safe. A few got away and Rick was left protecting Carl for a bit. Well my big prediction here is Carl will finally die.
This is my reasoning behind this, there were the comic book Walking Dead fans but with the popularity of the show the pool got larger. And for the most part TV followers seemed to dislike Carl. Carl is always going missing or doing something he shouldn’t be. And he has been doing that a lot recently in the comics. The TV and comics don’t always match up but there is still a long future for the TV show and how much longer can they have Carl as a kid? So last page Rick will turn and see Carl dead. This will send Rick into complete madness, setting up for a few good issues.
2) New Character – We have seen before that The Walking Dead is not afraid to kill people off. With the fight coming up between Negan’s Saviors and Ricks group, we know death is upon us. This also means that the comic book will need new people for Rick and what is left to interact with.
Image Comics teased us this week with a picture saying,”Lucille is coming”. Now who is Lucille? We will find out soon enough but I don’t see her lasting. I think that the fight will show the area is unsafe and Rick will ask people to leave. The Hilltop people will follow Rick into the next chapter of this comic.
3) The Sadness of Humanity – The great thing I always enjoyed about this comic is that this is how I always envisioned how I would see a zombie apocalypse. There is no Red Cross left and no big TV fundraiser to help the victims. At this point we know there are very few survivors and it’s getting less by the day. But are people trying to rebuild anymore? Are they trying to find a cure? Or even work together to try to create a safe haven for the remaining survivors? No, none of this is happening.
Here in this town we have three groups of people. The Hilltop people who just want to feel protected and be able to live in peace. They currently have that, but they are paying Negan’s Saviors for protection. Negan’s Saviors are a wild bunch of survivors that are using fear to get what they want. Would they be better off living inside the Hilltop? And this brings us to Ricks group. Rick has stopped at nothing to bring safety to this group and has he struggled with becoming the leader. Have all of his choices been best for the group? No, but he will do anything to bring food and protection to them and they enjoy that.
Will all of my predictions come true or have I completely been misunderstanding things in The Walking Dead universe? We will find out on July 11, 2012.
