Zeb Larson reviews The Walking Dead #142…

A Gathering.

The long-discussed fair has finally arrived, but the organizer of the proceedings has much bigger things to be worrying about right now. On the one hand, this issue is a monument to the peace that Rick Grimes has managed to create for his fellow survivors. After 142 issues of danger, death and misery, Rick has managed to put on a fair for people that could be mistaken for a normal farmer’s market. On the other hand, this peace is incredibly fragile, and the balance it rests upon could be upset by several different people, Rick included. I will be discussing spoilers in this issue, so consider yourself forewarned.

Maggie makes a speech to the other residents of the Hilltop justifying her actions and asking the others to stand with her, though their loyalty is uncertain. Andrea wakes up and supervises the final touches of the fair, while Rick finally gets a chance to speak with Maggie. While Carl grills Alpha about the violence Lydia endures, she brushes off his questions and wants to know more about Rick’s people. She lets him know that Carl has gone missing, and he eventually calms down after he learns about the problems she’s had with Gregory (though crucially, his execution is not mentioned). Rick gathers Andrea, Dante and Michonne to go and look for Carl. Unbeknownst to everybody, Alpha has infiltrated the fair as a simple visitor.

Given that the peace between the Roamers and Rick’s people is a fragile one at best, it’s easy to imagine that Rick’s attempt to find his son will provoke a war. Alpha’s absence will probably make the situation worse. She at least seems willing to explore a modus vivendi with Rick’s people and is curious about them, but without her around it seems likely that a conflict will break out once Rick rides into town. And I can’t help but suspect that the omission of Gregory’s death is going to be a problem later. It’s hard to say from Maggie’s speech whether or the other residents will stand with her. More to the point, it’s Rick who made the rule that humans don’t kill each other anymore, and now that rule has been broken.

It’s hard to see how conflict will be averted, especially given that Rick is thinking emotionally and not rationally. That gives the issue a certain feeling of tragedy, because what we have here is a genuine sense of community at the fair. We know that life has gotten better for most of the survivors, but it’s a safe bet that they haven’t seen this since before the collapse of civilization. There’s still a chance for this fragile peace to remain: Alpha genuinely doesn’t want conflict. But if there’s any hostility on Rick’s part, this could begin to unravel.

We’ve got another two issues until the finale. After a long introduction to this new world, we may yet get to watch it fall to pieces. Rick’s a good leader, but most people’s judgment becomes impaired once their children become involved, and this may be no different.

Zeb Larson