Part 3 synopsis (holy crap, it gets bumpy from here):

 

Hey thanks for the synopses! This is getting good. And could it be, that Negan showed some emotion and a little compassion, even if it was too little too late? Oh and leave it to Negan to find someone

 

I don't excuse his horndog nature, by any means.

But he seems pretty genuinely upset, guilt-ridden, and grief-stricken throughout this segment. Negan feels and feels deeply, he's just mostly selfish and self-centered with it. I have a feeling that between this and the ZA going down is when and why we'll see his already low empathy level go crashing down into basically non-existent levels like how he is presently in TWD.

 

Oh, and Lucille STILL hasn't been identified by name anywhere yet.

 

Reading the synopses (which is the only way i have read the last 2) it really is hard to believe it's only 4 pages lol.

 

Yes. His hair is combed to the left side instead of slicked back and down, so it looks fuller... and appears a little fuller in the front, too. His widow's peak is less pronounced in the backstory.

Or, rather, his soon-to-be widower's peak.

Too soon, Negan?

He's also got a little bit of married man/civilized life chubby going on in his cheeks and neck. Even though he's still big and cut like an athlete, he's got some noticeable pudge that is no longer there once everyone gets more desperate for rations and has to run for their lives for a while. That'll tone you up real quick.

Oh, and going back to the last panel on Part 2 - can I just express my extreme appreciation of that man's collarbone dips? Holy cow. Someone pour some alcohol in those and let me lap it up like a cat at a saucer bowl, please and thank you.

 

I am enjoying it so far. Also, I think Alpha being bald reminds him of his wife.

 

oooooo

 

The push-ups on Page 4. I'm dying... LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOO

 

So, Part 4 releases this Wednesday.

Who wants to place bets that his wife dies in that hospital room, turns, and poor Negan is forced to make his first Walker kill be her?

Because if I were Kirkman, that's the sort of horrible thing I'd do. Here, Negan, have some MOAR GUILT. *cue evil laughter*

 

Part 4 synopsis:

 

I just saw both of these posts together - nice prediction!

Interesting that he and Rick both began the ZA in a hospital for different reasons...and both lost their wives.

 

Been saying Rick and Negan are two sides of the same coin. Some of the resemblances are quite interesting and this just made it even more fascinating.

The two of them make me think of an old Native American story about how we all have two wolves inside us. The white wolf is all of our caring, thoughtfulness, goodness. The black wolf is all of our desperation, jealousy, greed, bad traits. The two wolves are always constantly battling. When the young child asks the storyteller which wolf wins, he answers, "The one you feed."

Rick's mostly fed the white wolf. And Negan fed the black wolf.

 

Ohhh i like that a lot! And it's so true.

Negan did show some more harsh character traits pre-ZA than Rick did so they are definitely different people to begin with...but even so, they both came from similar scenarios. Speaking of flipping a coin, their situations were sort of flipped as well. Rick started his journey from the hospital alone, with hope that his wife & child were out there somewhere. Even after losing Lori he had Carl & Judith (and the rest of the group) to live for and keep him grounded emotionally and ethically. Negan on the other hand started with his wife dead and had to leave the hospital alone without that hope driving him. So it looks like he was driven by survival only. I'm very curious now what happens once he leaves the hospital, where he finds "Lucille" and ultimately how he forms the Sanctuary. They need to put these out more quickly!

 

Oh, I don't mean to imply that Rick and Negan were totally the same. What I mean by being two sides of the same coin is that both are charismatic leader personalities that have naturally drawn people to them and have sought to keep those people alive. Rick fed the white wolf and has been trying to keep the group alive by scavenging and foraging for themselves. Negan fed the black wolf and kept his people alive by subjugating others and taking from them. Rick, from the start, showed strong morals. Negan, from the start, has shown himself to be a shady little SOB.

Great point about how they leave the hospital. Rick had hope. Negan has nothing. That had to play a large role in shaping the harsh creature he turns into, and already being a little dark from the start, the situation can only nurture that darkness more.

 

I am so glad they are doing this. And you were right. You called it. Consider yourself lucky. I called (with abject fear) that cliffhanger back in the beginning of March (before any spoiler about it came out) and everyone assured me that I was afraid for nothing and that it could and would never happen. Look how that turned out. Your call was dead on and I think that THIS, his wife dying and turning, and inevitably having to put her down, is perfect to humanize him in our eyes. Because he needs to be.

To add to this: In the comics, there are times you just don't know how to take him. We WANT and DO hate him for what he's done, but at times he shows compassion and honesty that you just have to like him and you have no clue where he's going and what he's going to do. I would think there are going to be many conflicting opinions on Negan and I cant wait because I seriously think JDM will pull it off.