Like others I hadn't realized the comic suddenly ended. I caught up on the last year of issues or so, and don't really have much to add.
Rick's death was kind of lame because nobody cares about Sebastian, he's just some one-dimensional douche. It should've had more impact. Even knowing that the comic was ending on 193 I still didn't think he was going to die in 191 because it would've been so stupid. But it happened... oh well, at least he knew it was a good choice to end it shortly after.
Anyway for the most part the last arc felt pretty fresh but I can't say I was super-engaged through the last half of the series because of the amount of breaks I took. I did like the last issue but agree the conflict felt forced. But it was still nice to see that society had moved beyond walkers. Kirkman's original ending definitely felt way too cynical for me but I can't help but think that the comic would be remembered as much phenomenally stronger had it ended in the 70s. I'm not trying to whine too much though, I just think most people would agree that there was nothing quite like the first 70 issues.
I loved everything about Kirkman's letter, it felt very much like him to end the series suddenly and unexpectedly. I loved his insight and it's clear how much he loves the series he's worked on for most of his professional career. And while I've read the comic for almost 8 years I definitely have fonder memories of the time I spent on this site with everyone to the point where this was the first place I checked when it was all said and done. It's goddamn tragic to see the state of this place now but hey, it happens.
I appreciate the shout-out Officer_Friendly and don't know if you'll see this, but you were great. My fondest memories of this site are the creative, insightful, and hilarious ways people broke down just how terrible the TV show was. Also crazy how unimportant that all ended up being in the grand scheme of things lmao. There are so many users I want to thank for just being awesome dudes but their names are escaping me unfortunately. Definitely big shout-outs to D_Piece and RickRhymes who I do remember. I doubt you guys will see this but I do remember you!
Imagine a group of a hundred motorcycles driving down a freeway. Eventually, they hit a junction. One road goes northwest and the other goes northeast. So one guy, we'll call him S, says, "Let's go northwest!" A mile past the intersection, a semi careens into the group and kills ninety of them. Ten are wounded, but they survive and keep going. Eventually, they hit 10,000 miles. S suddenly has his consciousness thrown into his past body right before the junction. Now, he says, "Let's go northeast!" All 100 bikers survive. Happily ever after, right? But what about the ten, no nine, who went northwest and survived? What happens to the reality they were living? Does it just disappear now that S has changed the past? It's not like only bad things happened on that 10,000 mile journey. Maybe one of them fell in love with a gas station attendant and got her pregnant or maybe one adopted a homeless kid that joined the adventure. That 10,000 mile journey would be full of stories. Romances, farewells, friendships...the loss of those ninety lives is horrible and unfortunate, but what would rewriting their history mean? The nine who survived lived full lives and did the best they could with the hand they were dealt. How could it be right to just erase all that? Isn't that worth something? Is there a point to a world where everything is happy? Are people who struggle for a better life just idiots? Being human is about fighting even when it seems hopeless and finding happiness in a world that hates it. Are you saying that's worthless?