For the better part of 16 years and over the course of 193 issues The Walking Dead has taken us from a small Kentucky town to the outskirts of Atlanta to Alexandria to Ohio. With each destination Rick, Carl, Michonne, Dwight, Eugene, Maggie, and Glenn made sacrifices to prosper in this apocalyptical world. After years of work Rick, upon getting shot, made the ultimate sacrifice in his death, which was to unite the Commonwealth with the Four Communities continuing his goal of rebuilding society. Years later we see his work starting to come into effect as the Four Communities and the Commonwealth have gone through a variety of expansions and the quality of life has improved for all citizens.
Summary:
A lot has changed in the several years since Rick was shot and killed in the Commonwealth. During that time, the Hilltop, the Commonwealth, and the other communities have gone through a variety of expansions under the leadership of President Maggie Green. Furthermore, in conjunction with the expansions Eugene has helped to develop a train system that connects the Four Communities and the Commonwealth and extends to connect to the western alliance.
One of the biggest changes in the Hilltop is with Carl as he has married Sophia and they have a daughter named Andrea. Due to the expansions Carl and Sophia have moved out to the countryside where there are less people and more land. One day a roamer appears on Carl’s property, where he quickly kills it. Carl eventually determines that the roamer belongs to Hershel, Maggie’s son, who uses them as part of his act. Carl calls Sheriff Kapoor to help him move the roamer and burn it, but is surprised when he is told it is evidence in a property destruction case. Kapoor reassures Carl he will do everything in his power to keep this incident down to a fine, based upon who Carl is. After leaving Carl and Sophia he visits their neighbor, Earl, who is aware of the situation between Carl and Hershel and makes it clear that Maggie did not raise her son properly. This makes Carl miss his dad as Earl is acting as a voice of reason and pointing out the obvious. The following day Carl is required to go in to town for a hearing about the incident and Hershel makes it clear Carl destroyed his property, while Carl counters with stating he was protecting the living. Before a verdict could be rendered Maggie asks the judge for a private minute and Carl is ordered to bring back another roamer for her son Hershel from his next trip. Carl makes it clear that having roamers around is just asking for someone to get bitten by them and that this not what Rick would have wanted. Furthermore, Sophia tells Maggie that everyone views Hershel as if he is an asshole and that if she doesn’t do something that we might have another Sebastian on our hands.
Following this Carl is getting ready to go on a trip to deliver supplies, news, letters, and information to a variety of people including Eugene, Jesus, Aaron, and Negan (possibly). Carl is in a hurry as before he left he killed the rest of Hershel’s roamers and hit the road. Eventually his delivery partner, Lydia, catches up to him and finds out what happened. Carl’s reasons for killing Hershel’s roamers are furthered confirmed as they visit Eugene who is getting closer to connecting the western alliance’s rail tracks to the Commonwealth’s rail tracks. As Carl is speaking to Eugene, Laura approaches him and makes it clear she is working out here due to the actions of Rick. Carl’s response to her acknowledges she is right in some ways, but that she and everyone else is alive today because of his father’s actions.
Eventually, Carl returns home to be met by Sophia who is angry at him for the actions he has taken. Carl makes it clear that he was protecting his daughter and would happily go to jail for it. Sheriff Kapoor shortly after arrives at Carl’s house to arrest him and transport him to appear in front of Judge Hawthorne (Michonne) who will make the final ruling on Carl’s actions. In Carl’s defense, he reminds the people of what they lived through and what sacrifices were made to achieve this type of safe living. Judge Hawthorne further adds to that stating “How many hours are in a day when you don’t spend half of them watching television? When is the last time any of is really worked to get something we wanted? How long has it been since any of us really needed something that we wanted? The world we know is gone. The world of commerce and frivolous necessity has been replaced by a world of survival and responsibility. An epidemic of apocalyptic proportions has swept the globe causing the dead to rise and feed on the living. In a matter of months society has crumbled. No government, no grocery stores, no cable TV. In a world ruled by the dead, we are forced to finally start living. Judge Hawthorne makes it clear that the dead made us live and that she prohibits the practice of displaying roamers for profit and frees Carl. When he returns home later that night Carl begins to read the story of Rick Grimes to his daughter again.
Significance:
Issue 193 of The Walking Dead provides an end point to a series that has changed the way comics are written, read, and viewed by the non-comic world. Unlike a traditional story The Walking Dead does not end with any problems being solved, rather the citizens of the Commonwealth and the Four Communities have a change in attitude about how to deal with the living dead. This is shown through a time skip that documents expansion, advancements in technology, and securing land which has allowed for greater travel and security. In the several years that have passed we have seen a number of people adapt to an ever-changing life style. Michonne, now Judge Hawthorne, has become a new person due to advancements in society, and Maggie has stepped into a new leadership role as the President of the Commonwealth. Out west Eugene and Laura have also changed as they have both lost loved ones, but they realize they must continue to work to improve their surroundings because if they don’t the lost lives would be in vain. Finally, Carl’s attitude has also changed as he has shifted jobs from being a blacksmith to being a messenger/supplier along with getting married to Sophia and having a daughter and wants to keep her safe even if it means going to jail for it. This captures how issue 193 is not an end but rather a new beginning for these characters. They have evolved, are adapting to a new world, and are finally forced to start living again due to the rising of the undead.
