LIBRARY JOURNAL -- Negan is a big-time jerk.Hyperaggressive, he bullies and dominates the kids he is entrusted with as acoach. He's also cheating on his wife, who is dying of cancer. When she finallysuccumbs after her long battle, Negan is confronted with an unprecedentedsituation when she crawls off her death bed as a member of the living dead. Infact, a major zombie outbreak occurs simultaneously with her death, leaving himwith no option but to fight his way out of the hospital against rampaging undeadhordes. Negan discovers, however, that while the very self-centered and violentnature of his personality was problematic for navigating the rules of normalsociety, the very same qualities might just allow him to thrive amid the ruinsof humanity's few living survivors. The creative team of Kirkman(Invincible), Charlie Adlard (Codeflesh), Cliff Rathburn (SuperDinosaur), and Dave Stewart (Hellboy) supply fans of the venerablehorror series with character development for the repugnant leader who has runroughshod over Rick Grimes, Michonne, and the other survivors in both the comicsand TV series.Verdict While it doesn'tcontain many of the main characters fans know and love, this stand-alone volumedoes offer the oddly compelling origin story of the most hated man of any zombieapocalypse.-Douglas Rednour, Georgia State Univ. Libs.,Atlanta
