Walking Corpses & Conscious Plants: Possibilist Ecologies in ...

Bingham 47
margins. Unlike the four halved panels in the grid's center, it is the same size as the first
(Figure 4). Marking the climax of the confrontation, it shows the criminal's success as a
bullet rips through Rick while his back is turned toward us. By showing Rick facing the
gunman when he is shot, the artist calls up associations of bravery, honor, and valor. Rick
is facing down danger, so the audience doesn't perceive him as a coward. As the
narrative progresses and Rick's enemies become undead rather than unlawful, this sense
of righteousness is maintained. Regardless of this moral stance, though, Rick is no less
vulnerable or protected from harm. This scenario also emphasizes the separation between
actuality and possible worlds by highlighting our inability to alter what is happening
within the world we are shown.
The line which would complete Rick's torso near his right shoulder is absent. A
tiny black arrow indicates the black spots representing torn pieces of his flesh are being
pushed out of his body by the trajectory of the bullet. This deliberately implicates the
reader as an agent responsible for interpreting the impact of violence; the symbol requires
an acknowledgment of the ways in which the hostile force extends outwardly and affects
individuals beyond those directly targeted. This detail secures an authorial awareness of
audience with specific attention to violence and is critical to my reading of the narrative
in its entirety.
In this panel the four lightly drawn circles above the squad car appear again; and
they've been affected as well. At first the only circles that intersect are the two large ones
above the officers with an obvious connection. Yet as the confrontation escalates and the
gunman's bullets reach his intended targets, new connections and gaps begin to appear.
In the last panel, only the small circle farthest right and closest to the gunman is