As The Walking Dead progresses as friends and foes become more challenging to determine. Issue 171 of The Walking Dead tests this very philosophy as Eugene and Siddiq test their friendship. At the same time, the only living person in Pittsburgh, Juanita Sanchez, emerges to greet the group traveling to Ohio. In both of these cases the group is forced to think about who their friends and foes are, which determine their actions going forward.
The Good:
The comic begins by Siddiq revealing and apologizing to Eugene for having an affair with Rosita, which resulted in him being the father of what would have been her child. Rather than attacking or yelling, Eugene calmly speaks with him defusing the situation by remembering the good things about Rosita. By doing this we are seeing a calm rational. Eugene realizes that she is gone and there is no point in fighting over her. Rather, he needs to move on and maintain the friendships and allies he has, as his current mission needs all of his focus in order to properly establish a relationship with the new group in Ohio. Following this, as the group is leaving Pittsburgh, Michonne chooses to yell out to see if anybody is in the city. This results in Juanita revealing herself holding a gun, which immediately forces the group to go on the defensive. Once Michonne and Juanita begin to talk it is revealed, according to her, that she has been living alone in the city for over a year, which begins to disarm Michonne. Yet, Michonne becomes alarmed when Juanita, also known as Princess, aggressively insists on joining her group to come to Ohio. After talking to her, Michonne agrees to let her join them on their journey to Ohio. But before they leave Princess asks that they allow her to go to her home to pick up some items. Once they arrive Princess reveals that she might be a liability to the group as she screams “Look Alive Boys! I Brought us some Horses” implying that it was a trap. With that Michonne raises Princess’s gun and makes it clear that she will kill her if anybody moves. Princess reveals she was joking. As a result, we see Princess’s personality emerge and how it can create a dangerous situation for Michonne’s group as they are planning on making contact with a new group for the first time.
The Bad:
The comic falls short with Eugene and Siddiq and how quick they resolve their issues over Rosita. The comic rushes a resolution that results in Eugene forgiving Siddiq for what had happened to her. Yet, by doing this the comic does not form a connection or allow for a reader to feel the pain that both men are feeling for their loss and involvement. Furthermore, by resolving this issue it ends any further character development that come out of this as the comic has moved on from this event. The second short-fall is the flip flopping of Michonne trusting and not trusting Princess. This seems out of character for any of residents of the Safe Zone considering that they have gone through various wars that have been caused by mistrusting people.
The Verdict:
The Walking Dead, issue 171, is one of those issues that you love and hate. It is loved because it introduces a new character Juanita Sanchez/ Princess who is going to make the comic a hell of a lot more interesting for Michonne’s group. Yet, the comic has significant problems as it resolves the conflict between Eugene and Siddiq too fast. It is also inconsistent with actions Michonne has displayed in the past. The comic moves the story along by introducing a new character that creates a dilemma for the existing characters to face as they make their way to Ohio.
