Let me get this out of the way from the start.

Rick losing a hand?

D-U-M dumb!

Lose an eye?

Fine.

Scars?

Cool.

Heck, a LEG, not a big deal.

But a hand?

It just cuts down too dramatically on the amount of things you can have Rick do from now on. It just doesn't have that much dramatic potential.

So I don't like that.

Beyond that, though, this was a strong issue of Walking Dead that demonstrates how rape can be handled in comics without seeming stupid and offensive.

The bad guy in the comic, "The Governor," is a sick and sadistic fellow. Therefore, let's be frank, if he captures a female prisoner, the things that happen in this comic are fairly predictable and reasonable.

The dude, in his apartment, has a wall filled with the heads of people preserved in aquariums!!!!! The dude is psycho! And, in a great plot twist, his own daughter has become a zombie, but he keeps her in his apartment. He chains her up and feeds her daily. It's a very clever twist.

Likewise, we get some nicely written exposition by the doctor treating Rick (for his hand getting cut off).

What's good is that Robert Kirkman has developed these characters so much that he can pretty much place them in a certain situation and we KNOW how they will react. We know how Michonne will handle the terrible things happening to her and we know how Glenn will handle the terrible things happening to Michonne.

Meanwhile, the cliffhanger of the issue sets up what should be a very nice longterm storyline. The bad guys make for a very interesting future enemy for our crew at the prison.

Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn produce their typical excellent art and grey tones.

I would recommend this comic with the reservation that Rick losing his hand is just lame.