Comic book recap: The Walking Dead issue 172 ‘Hilltop Reborn’

What happened in issue 172 of The Walking Dead comic book series? Here is a full recap of events from the October 2017 issue titled ‘Hilltop Reborn’.

The long wait for another issue of The Walking Dead comic book series is finally over and the October 2017 installment of the story has finally been released. It is issue 172 of the series titled ‘Hilltop Reborn’.

It follows the story of the group headed to Ohio, The Hilltop being rebuilt, and the fallout from events in Alexandria, plus quite a bit more. Here is what happened in issue 172, although it is highly recommended that you either be caught up on the series to this point or be okay with reading spoilers if you continue.

***WARNING: FULL SPOILERS FOR TWD 172 BELOW***

The issue kicks off in Pennsylvania, where Princess tells the group they need to work on their sense of humor. When she’s gone, Yumiko says that she likes Princess and she will make the trip more fun for everyone, but Michonne says she’s starting to reconsider bringing her along.

After waiting for a while, Michonne says they won’t wait anymore and they aren’t going into the building. She says they should go but is stopped by Magna who sees Princess leaving the apartment building with a backpack and a polearm.

Princess says that she’s disappointed that nobody commented on her ‘rad spear’ because she found it and it looks like someone spent a lot of time on it. Yumiko says she thinks it is cool and is thanked by Princess, who asks for her gun back but is denied by Michonne.

Back in Alexandria, Annie brings two horses to the gates and talks with Rick. She says she needs to get shoes for the horses but also tells Rick that he doesn’t need to stand guard with the team they have on the lookout.

Rick says he is worried about the group they sent on to meet up with the Ohio survivors, but Annie tells him that Michonne can handle just about anything as well as protect the others and not to be so concerned.

Mikey is more than excited to see Rick. The young man is wearing his mom’s gloves, which Rick compliments him on. The two men work in the garden, as Rick shows Mikey how deep to plant the seeds.

Meanwhile, the group headed to Ohio realizes they can cut 5 miles off their trip if the ford a small water source. Eugene says they should go for it to save time and energy.

At The Hilltop, Carl is working hard. He and Earl are hauling lumber to help repair the houses. In Alexandria, Rick is kneeling before Andrea’s grave.

Dante has arrived back at The Hilltop and hands Maggie a map. A large N was written on the map to show her where Negan is now living. Maggie thanks him. In Alexandria, Jesus and Aaron are together and discussing leaving for The Hilltop.

Back with the Ohio group, Princess is upset that she didn’t get to kill a walker with her spear and Michonne had done the dirty work.

Waking up on Andrea’s grave in Alexandria, Rick is told by Aaron and Jesus that they are leaving. Meanwhile, at The Hilltop, Carl is admiring the work the group has done to rebuild the community, saying it will be better than before when they are completed.

William and his men from The Kingdom are thanked by Maggie for their work in the rebuilding process. William says it may not be long before his group needs help, which is why they need to help each other. He says he has noticed that Maggie is trouble, but she says she’s just had a lot on her mind lately.

Carl is up on a roof at The Hilltop hammering shingles on a roof. He asks another worker if he is doing it right, and he is told that he is doing a great job, a natural! The two continue to work as sweat pours down their faces.

It is lunchtime at The Hilltop and Lydia is eating alone. Carl joins her and is thanked immediately, twice. Carl asks why she thanked him, and she responds with saying that he stuck with her when others wouldn’t and it has made her feel good as well as the way he looks at her. She says the rebuild has brought out the best in them both, and she finally feels like she belongs. The two share a hug as Carl jokes about their age gap while Sophia and baby Hershel watch from a distance.

Back on the road to Ohio, Eugene and Michonne are mapping out their route. They say they will arrive in one, maybe two days. Princess and Siddiq spot a group of walkers, but as Siddiq goes to eliminate then, Eugene says they can just go because they won’t catch up.

Michonne says no, that they can’t let the group of walkers following them get too big and that it will only take a few minutes. She asks Princess to fight with her, to test her battle skills. Those two wipe out the walkers while Yumiko and Magna share an embrace on the horse.

Yumiko asks Magna if she’ll go straight if there are men in Ohio. Magna says that’s not how it works, but then is asked why she keeps hiding their relationship. Yumiko says nobody cares anymore about stuff like this, not walkers, not humans, not her parents’ ghosts. Magna says it’s not that simple.

As Michonne and Princess are done with the walker fighting, Yumiko tells them they did a good job and adds that she and Magna are gay. Michonne hesitates for a moment, then congratulates them. Both Siddiq and Eugene say that they knew. Princess is excited and says that some of her best friends before the outbreak were lesbians who threw awesome parties.

Magna says to Yumiko that what she did was not okay, but since she didn’t kick her off the horse, Yumiko thinks it couldn’t have been that bad.

Rick is seeing Aaron and Jesus off. He asks that they have Carl come back to report on the progress of the rebuild and for Maggie to make a list of supplies needed. They wish each other the best of luck as the two men exit the gate on horses.

At The Hilltop, Carl wakes up in the middle of the night and leaves his tent. He sees Sophia outside and joins her under the stars. She says she enjoys the night because it’s quiet. She spends a lot of her day with a toddler, so she enjoys this time of day.

Sophia says she misses the time she and Carl were spending together. They would talk about everything, and how he hasn’t been there to talk about anything, even the death of Andrea. Carl says that he feels weird talking to her because he’s with Lydia and he doesn’t want to mess that up.

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She says that doesn’t make sense. She just wants to talk with him, not ‘do whatever he does’ with Lydia. Carl says he’d like that. Carl says he’s going back to his tent before they wake up Maggie, but Sophia says she’s probably sleeping like a rock. But in her tent, Maggie is wide awake.

In Alexandria, Rick is talking to Andrea’s grave. He says things are almost back to normal there, but not quite so in the other communities. He says she’d be proud of how they banded together and how strong they’ve become.

With tears rolling down his face, he looks around to make sure he isn’t being watched. Collapsing on the grave with a pained expression, he says he misses her so much.

Jesus and Aaron are camping under the stars. Aaron is snuggled into a sleeping bag while Jesus takes watch by a campfire. He brushes Aaron’s face saying that this relationship is going to last.

Suddenly, Beta appears behind Jesus with both knives drawn and the issue comes to an end.

Next: The Walking Dead 174 cover analysis

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