The Walking Dead #105
The Walking Dead #105 is one of the most structurally revealing issues of the entire 'All Out War' build-up, functioning as the reader's first true guided tour of the Sanctuary and Negan's totalitarian social order — the points economy, the 'wives' arrangement, and the iron punishment — all shown through Carl's captive eyes. It delivers the definitive origin explanation for Dwight's disfigured face, a detail that had been deliberately withheld across multiple prior issues, transforming him from a threatening henchman into a figure with genuine tragic backstory and the seeds of his eventual defection. The issue also marks the comics' first-ever look at Carl Grimes's unobscured gunshot wound, a panel that generated significant reader reaction and was faithfully adapted by AMC. As the source text behind the television episode 'Sing Me a Song' (Season 7, Episode 7), it stands as one of the most directly adapted single issues in the series.
ComicBooks.com Value
This exact issue on ebay
Raw — VF/NM ▾ $3.99–$11.99 5 listings
Raw / ungraded ▾ $3.21–$2,950 18 listings
Read it digitally
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
Published on December 12, 2012 by Image Comics/Skybound Entertainment, the issue was written by Robert Kirkman, penciled and inked by Charlie Adlard, with gray tones by Cliff Rathburn and lettering by Rus Wooton; Sean Mackiewicz served as editor. It is the third chapter of Volume 18: What Comes After, an arc that follows the devastating fallout of Negan killing Glenn and places Rick's group firmly under Savior subjugation. Notably, the Walking Dead Wiki records that Kirkman originally scripted Negan undressing to his boxers while Carl sang — a deliberate misdirect to imply something sinister before the real purpose (removing clothes for the ironing ceremony) became clear — a piece of editorial sleight-of-hand that Kirkman quietly pulled before publication.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published December 12, 2012 (Image Comics/Skybound); cover-titled 'Sing Me a Song'; written by Robert Kirkman, art by Charlie Adlard, tones by Cliff Rathburn, letters by Rus Wooton, edited by Sean Mackiewicz.
- First appearance of Sherry (Negan's wife and Dwight's ex-wife), Amber (another of Negan's wives), Carson (a Savior), and Mark (a Savior punished by the iron) — four debut characters in a single issue.
- The issue provides the first in-story explanation for Dwight's burned face: Sherry had become one of Negan's wives, and when Dwight acted against Negan over it, he received the iron — the same punishment witnessed on-page in this issue when Negan brands Mark's face for a similar infraction with Amber.
- Carl Grimes removes his bandage and hat at Negan's insistence, revealing for the first time in the series the full extent of his gunshot wound — the exposed eye socket and skull — a moment that reduces Carl to tears despite his fierce persona throughout the arc.
- Carl sings 'You Are My Sunshine' (originally recorded by the Pine Ridge Boys) to Negan and Lucille under duress, a scene that gives the issue and its AMC adaptation their shared title.
- The Sanctuary's internal economy is fleshed out here: medicine and resources are allocated through a 'points' system, Negan's followers kneel at his arrival, and his 'wives' live in a separate and privileged wing — the most complete picture of the Saviors' social structure presented to that point in the run.
- Rick Grimes does not appear in this issue — only the third issue in the series in which his character is entirely absent.
- The issue was partially adapted as The Walking Dead Season 7, Episode 7 ('Sing Me a Song'), with numerous scenes translated nearly beat-for-beat to television, including Negan's tour of his quarters, the Amber/Mark confrontation, the ironing, and the forced song.
Cast · 5 characters
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in The Walking Dead #18 (2013), The Walking Dead #9 (2013), Walking Dead #18 (2014), The Walking Dead Deluxe #105 (2025), The Walking Dead Deluxe #105 (2025)
Key issues in The Walking Dead
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.