i may be in the minority,
but Carl dying is good...the show & the comic shouldn't run parallel to each other.
whats in the graphic novel isn't translating to compelling TV anymore and hasn't for awhile.
the previous showrunners (Darabont, Mazzara) followed the comic "loosely" and improvised around it.
this gave us characters like Daryl, Merle etc...Carol became who she is bc she outlived her comic-counterpart.
Negan + All Out War is the peak of the graphic novel and it's been lackluster on screen.
not following the comic 1:1 will give the writers a chance to improvise and take risks again.
Chandler was horrible anyway.