The Walking Dead #187: The Road Back

*SPOILERS*

After the explosive last issue that saw Rick shooting the one-time leader of Alexandria’s military, Dwight in the head, The Walking Dead #187 explores the impact of his death and the rising tensions in Commonwealth.

Starting with a public spectacle from Governor Milton declaring Rick as her personal savior, we see Rick addressing the people of Commonwealth and inspiring more than he could imagine. This is an interesting reoccurring aspect of his character, and it is perfectly defined when Rick tells Michonne that he already feels the weight of Commonwealth on his shoulders.

The issue relies primarily on these types of character development, exploring primarily the various relationships in both communities, and how the actions of their leaders impact them. Although the story focuses on the interactions of these characters, they all contribute to setting up clashing perspectives that Rick and Governor Milton will seem to ultimately spearhead.

Of all the developments in this issue, Mercer’s is undoubtedly the most shocking. After building up his displeasure with the current leadership over the last issues, his attempts at inspiring an insurrection within the ranks could be the spark that ignites a greater conflict. The cliffhanger of him being caught red handed worked particularly well after so much character drama, and it definitely helps to build excitement for the next issue.

Due to the nature of the issue, the artwork seemed to be business as usual. With interesting character interactions and a few solid zombie-killing panels, the visuals remain consistently high quality. Rus Wooton is the star of this issue though, delivering great lettering that is truly the core of the issue.

Overall, The Walking Dead #187 favors character driven drama over straight-forward action to build tension for the coming conflict. The issue explores Alexandria and Commonwealth’s clashing perspectives through the unique conflicts within their citizen’s relationships. These character relations are undoubtedly the core of the series, and this issue manages to handle the many different moving pieces very well.