Everything is on fire in the Commonwealth. Before resuming her practice Michonne has chosen to take a trip with her daughter to Greenville an outer community of the Commonwealth. During this trip, she realizes despite the advancements and safety the Commonwealth provides there are people who are still hungry and without proper items. This is further compounded on her return as she witnesses and stops a man being beaten by officers. Much like a wild fire the news of the man’s beating had spread throughout the community, which has forced Lance to require Michonne defend the officers who conducted the attack. But before she can do that the people of the Commonwealth have decided to riot due to the man’s beating that has led to his death.
The Good:
Michonne for most of The Walking Dead has not had the opportunity to achieve any level of happiness. In the Commonwealth, she is not only allowed to spend time with her daughter, but is granted several privileges to do so. These included her having a private escort, instead of having to go in a group to Greenville. Once there instead of staying in a normal, and slightly rowdy, place they are given a quite reserved cabin. The two on their way back are granted a variety of expensive foods in case they get hungry. These privileges are not granted to the rest of the members of the Commonwealth, in fact it is just the contrary, as most members of the are barely making it. This shows that the Commonwealth divides people based upon skill. The people who have skills valuable to its leaders are in the haves while those with less desirable skills are in the have nots. On Michonne’s return trip this becomes further compounded as she stops a man from being beaten by several officers. The man, Anthony Keith, was yelling at an officer for having an affair with his wife, which than turned into an attack. Following this Lance tells Michonne that Anthony has died and that he needs her to defend the officers who killed him. This puts Michonne in a difficult position as she is realizing that her privileges in the Commonwealth come at a price. This price includes her moral, legal, and personal beliefs and the respect of her fellow citizens who they are questioning her and what she stands for. Before she can make a decision on how she will proceed the citizens of the Commonwealth have decided to riot when they learn Anthony has died. This shows that the citizens of the Commonwealth are tired of being treated unfairly and have had enough of their leaders abusing their rights. Furthermore, it demonstrates how little control the Commonwealth has over its citizens despite having a large army as they have failed to quell the uprising.
The Bad:
The issue tends to rush through certain events. Michonne and Elodie vacation to Greenville. They arrive there and on the next page they are leaving. We get very little understanding what Greenville is, how far it is from the main area of the Commonwealth, who the people are, and how it works when people want to go there. Rather the comic only uses it to push forward a point about the systemic problems that already exist in the Commonwealth, which have already been documented in a variety of ways in the last several issues. The second problem with the issue is that it jumps too quickly to Rick and Pamela’s group returning to the Commonwealth to see it on fire. This in many ways spoils what could happen with Michonne, Elodie, and the citizens of the Commonwealth as one of two outcomes could now exist. By doing this the comic limited the possibilities of what happens in the next few issues.
The Verdict:
The issue has both positive and negative points. It highlighted the inequality and the problems between the people who have skills and the people who do not have skills and the way they are treated. Furthermore, the issue showed that every person and group has a point of how much inequality and injustice they can take before they begin to take actions such as rioting. Yet the issue also rushed some elements including the peaceful time that Michonne was having with her daughter Elodie. The issue also spoiled the outcome of the riot by showing Rick and Pamela seeing the Commonwealth in flames thus giving the readers an idea as to what has happened. Due to all of this the issue is an average read as the story has taken a plot twist, but also seems rushed and a bit sloppy on the writing.
