The Walking Dead #173

FINAL FIGHT

Written by Robert Kirkman
Penciled by Charlie Adlard
Cover by Charlie Adlard
Published Nov 1 2017

   Beta approaches Jesus and Aaron with blades drawn, but Jesus ducks just in time. He gets his gun up but Beta knocks it away, discharging it and waking Aaron in the process. Beta swipes the knife and cuts his arm. While they fight, Aaron takes out the walkers that have been drawn by the sound. Finally Beta gets Jesus down and is just about to stab him when Aaron fires. He takes out Beta while Jesus returns fire to save him from walkers. They recognize the mask wearing attacker as a former basketball player. He leaps up and tells them he has no name, and just as quick, falls dead.

...And.. Scene.

   Meanwhile Maggie stares at the Negan map, not even hearing Dante behind her. And at Hilltop, Carl enjoys his lunchbreak with Lydia, stirring her jealousy when he helps Sophia. Elsewhere Michonne's group continues their trek towards Ohio, but growing more weary in the process. 

She may actually just be tired of Robert Kirkman changing subject groups every page.

   Jesus and Aaron spot a campfire and draw closer to the group of Whisperers. A father seems to be having trouble getting his children to wear the signature flesh masks when they're infiltrated. Jesus takes them all out and introduces himself and Aaron to the family. They give them an invitation into their group.

Just wear the skin mask, Josh. It's cool.

   Back home, Rick again tearfully tells Andrea's grave goodnight. From afar, Dwight and Laura watch, eventually getting into an argument over how Dwight seems to still be hung up on his dead wife. The issue wraps with Michonne's group arriving at the Rendez-Vous point that Eugene set up with Stephanie. The only problem is that nobody is there. That is, until the unnamed group demans they put their weapons down and their hands in the air. What will happen next? We'll have to wait as this issue is left to be continued.

Not good.

   Without as much adspace as many other comic publishers, Image books need a few other pages of content. That's cool until Robert Kirkman realizes he needs to address his 500 individual timelines that are occurring simultaneously throughout this title. But unlike say, Justice League, he doesn't get as wordy as he could. As a guy who reads lots of titles each month, I appreciate that. My only complaint was that the Whisperers, which had such an impact in this title previously, seemed to go down with a whimper... pardon the pun. Either way, it was a good read. I give it a 7/10.

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