Comic book review of The Walking Dead issue 181: Together Strong

What were the best and worst parts from The Walking Dead issue 181? Here is our review of Together Strong which released on July 4, 2018.

Issue 181 of The Walking Dead comics came out on July 4, 2018 and continued the story of The Commonwealth’s visit to Alexandria and the surrounding communities in an effort to get to know each other better.

The issue is titled “Together Strong” and was highlighted by an intense battle against a walker horde where many human lives were put at risk after a huge mistake was made by The Commonwealth.

There were some really good things that happened in issue 181 and some things which pushed the story backward. However, it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you read the issue or the full recap of the issue before continuing to read the review.

First, let’s look at the really good things about issue 181, which include:

• Rick’s group showing off their skills. The unexpected arrival of reinforcements to deal with the walker herd put on a show for The Commonwealth and proved that these survivors are more than just people living, but individuals who can deal with big issues without needed help.
• Princess steals the show. How can an issue with a huge walker fight get outshined by an impulsive character stealing a kiss from a character many of us can relate to? Plus, who knows…maybe Mercer and Princess could become the next power duo of the zombie apocalypse!
• Elodie and Michonne’s relationship. It’s fun to watch these two bond. It seems as though Michonne may be taking Elodie to see what life is like outside The Commonwealth soon, and her taking a job as a lawyer in their community will be an interesting story to follow as we learn more about how Pamela Milton runs things.

While those things were great and made readers curious about what the future holds, there were some things that weren’t great about issue 181. Those issues include:

• Flip-flopping of Pamela Milton. The governor of The Commonwealth seemed to be a person who understood emotions and was willing to adjust to life on the fly when talking with Michonne. However, her dealings with Mercer and glares toward Maxwell show she may not be as sweet as she first seemed.
• Rick’s response to Dwight. Dwight was only doing what he thought was best to keep everyone safe, but Rick seemed unappreciative of his efforts when he scolded him for taking people off watch the trail Rick and the group as they gave The Commonwealth a tour. Considering the relationship between the two, he should have let that one slide.
• Closing the door on The Whisperers. It’s good to get some closure, but once construction is completed to rebuild the damage done by Beta and the group, it will be interesting to see if the effects of their attacks remain relevant…and what Joshua and his family could mean going forward. For now, this seems like the end of the storyline, but hopefully, that’s not the case.

As a whole, this issue didn’t move the story ahead a lot, just as I predicted before the issue. However. it was good to see a little more tension grow between Dwight and Rick, some more developments in Michonne and Elodie’s story, and a possible relationship brewing with Princess and Mercer.

ISSUE GRADE: 7.2/10

Next: Cover analysis of TWD 182

What did you think of issue 181 of The Walking Dead comics? And what did you think were the positives and negatives from “Together Strong”? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.