THE WALKING DEAD issue #171 is out NOW! After waiting for months, fans were finally able to MEET THE PRINCESS. So, what did you think of this personable new character? Do you trust her or should Michonne and the crew bail? Let us know your reaction to Issue 171 in the comments below for a chance to win a Robert Kirkman-signed copy!
UPDATE: The winner for this discussion is cherrysplice! We’re stoked you’re into The Princess and we agree seeing her and Negan together would be amazing. Check your email so we can send you stuff. For everyone else, keep commenting in future posts and and maybe YOU could win next time.
PREVIOUSLY: Tensions between Rick and Dwight remain as Alexandria recovers from the Whisperer War. Negan makes his way into isolation, only to be followed by Dante. Michonne’s caravan arrives in scenic Pittsburgh, which seems to be totally empty – dead or alive. There, Siddiq makes a teary confession to Eugene: he was the father of Rosita’s baby.
This issue was epic!
You have shockingly low criteria for “epic”.
I bet she’ll be the one who bring back the Rick’s group ( i hope so) T.T I really love the team of Rick . and I’ll be hoping that shell be the one who kick’s the arse of neggan xD ahahaha!! just kiddin but i hope this character saves the ricks team . Expecting her to be a bad ass woohhoo i have i new fav. character of TWD if she’s a bad ass gal <3 <3 Excited to the next season woohhooo 😀 !!
A bit weaker issue for me, to be honest. Eugene was reasonable, the time of mourning has already passed. Magna is Greek? Interesting. Miss Princess, slow down with your crazy jokes and minority babbling, it’s quite tedious to discuss this in a world where humans are the minority heavily overwhelmed by flesh eaters. Hyping myself up for 173 and Beta’s showdown.
Agreed. I was rolling my eyes the entire time. The pontificating was pointless and excessive.
I wish they focused on Eugene more and how the news was broken. They could have really used that to build all the charachters there more.
Interesting introduction for the new character. She seems like she will be a great asset to the group. She has a sort of odd humor like Negan, so I’d be interested to see princess and Negan meet. ?
I really want her and Negan to have a talk. It would be epic
last two or so issues have been kinda meh in my opinion, but i got to be honest this issue was funny and really well written, good job guys.
I’m really digging this chick A LOT. People may say she’s over the top but I think she’s the crazy gal we need. Plus I would absolutely love to see her and negan meet. I think she would be good for him, he would be good for her. We’ll see! Either way, I missed the days when the issues covered one story and one group of people. The past issues have been great but this is a nice change of pace.
Please film in Pittsburgh…thanks.
I’m sorry. I made an account only to write this comment, in hopes that Kirkman will see. Would be surprised if this would not get deleted.
This issue was garbage. Scum. The worst one yet. The character that makes up for Rosita is an excuse. The story so far has gone horribly wrong. And now The Walking Dead is politically corect? We’ve had children die, now, “these minorities” are all “oh, so heavenly”. How fucking dare you?
I totally get what you are saying. Don’t know that I would voice it as you have. If you haven’t noticed, Walking Dead is fairly progressive. Do you really think there would be this many gay/lesbian couples in a post apocalyptic world? I highly doubt it. And yes, I somewhat cringed at the “minority” part of this issue. BUT… I’m not the writer. And while I don’t consider myself a progressive, and I imagine Kirkman probably is. He’s trying to appeal to a wide audience. I get that. That doesn’t bother me. Why? I can let this slide, because it’s pure fantasy. Not only that, the graphic novel and T.V. show has given me a large amount of enjoyment over the past decade.
So really there are two options… ignore it and drive on, or stop reading and drive on.
Not totally down with the character, but interested to see where it leads.
Let me caveat that… who the hell knows if there would be that many LGBT couples? Maybe society would change even more base don the circumstances. Don’t know do we?
Bottom line, can;t let a comic book offend you. It;s the writer’s world view mostly. Either read it or don’t.
Yep, it’s the writer who decides. Still, I’d love to keep this stuff as it used to be. Ohio meeting group was adequately multiracial etc., and it was fine, there was no need to talk about it and emphasize it by words. The apocalypse started in late 2003, and I can barely judge how heavily was PC cancer affecting USA at that time, as I was attending primary school, had no Internet access and knew little English. So maybe SJWs wouldn’t even exist in TWD?
I think we have a girlfriend for Negan. Actually, I think he’d probably kill her.
She reminds me of Stephen from Braveheart. The most wanted man on his Island. Only, she’s not on her island. Hahaaaa.
Had no idea this character was being introduced, but I have to say that Princess is a GREAT addition. She does have a fun side to her character from what I’ve seen so far, but she looks like she may be a badass too. Like others have commented she reminded me too of Negan. When Negan was leading the Saviors he did have A LOT of “girlfriends”…maybe he had a lot of girlfriends on the side outside his marriage before the walker apocalypse….maybe one of those girlfriends might have been his Mexican baby-momma ; ) .Princess is Negan’s daughter…..
I kind of wanted to punch her in the face, to be honest.
I really liked this lady.
Not really impressed with the Princess….just seems like a desperate way to bring left wing propaganda into the comics….
This is an interesting character and I find her lots of fun. I think her using a few buzzwords here and there have deluded some people into thinking she’s supposed to be some kind of “serious” symbol of political ideology. I mean, did you guys even read anything she said? She’s unhinged and half crazy. Let her be fun and don’t take it so seriously because a minority character dared mention the term “minority.”
It felt like this issue was a little short and not as informative as we thought it would be. That said I think that Princess is a little hard to read and could be a big twist to the story at some point. Maybe she is a scout for the Ohio group and this way it looks like she is a loan wolf but is not at all…. Only time will tell.
So I am thinking they walked right into an ambush. Or is the Princess really Stephanie? She made me smile, we need some new characters and she is certainly a character. Love the hair.
I’ve been with TWD since the beginning, and I can honestly say that this issue is, up to this point, the absolute worst issue of the entire series for me. When “Princess” was first revealed a few months ago in the cover previews, my immediate thought was that she was the most absurd, ridiculous character they’ve introduced into the comic yet. Her actual first appearance shocked the hell out of me by being even worse than I originally anticipated. The social justice commentary that was shoved down our throats was eye-roll inducing and excessive, and she had some of the most irritating dialog of any character in the series. This is another first for me in that I absolutely cannot stand this character at all. It’s going to take a while for her to grow on me, and I doubt she ever will. I’m hoping she doesn’t stick around long…this issue just felt like filler/time waster that could’ve been better spent on more serious events such as Dante tailing Negan or Beta’s counterattack.
There was one thing, and only one thing about this issue, that I really liked – the very appropriate nod of respect to Romero and the callback to Day of the Dead’s opening.
“shoved down our throats.”
Riiiiight.
I would call several panels worth of “thank god there isn’t many white people” talk being the equivalent of being shoved down our throats, yes. It was heavy handed and unnecessary.
I think a lot of people are missing the point of the minority talk. This character is borderline insane. Everything out of her mouth is rambling nonsense. No one in their right mind would joke about ambushing someone while they have a gun to your head. Its popular in lots of fiction right now to make political and social statements even when it makes no sense. The new season of AHS being a prime example. I personally feel like Kirkman is mocking that by having this nutjob character talking about minorities in the middle of the zombie apocalypse while everyone looks at her like she’s crazy. You are all entitled to your opinion, but I really feel the minority talk was a demonstration of the new characters craziness and not a social statement by Kirkman.
So let’s get this straight. People are absolutely fine with a guy having a pet tiger in the apocalypse, a guy carrying around a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire is fine (not criticizing these characters, love Negan and Ezakiel) but a woman with crazy hair is ridiculous?? Seriously guys? And you say her minority rant is strange… But you’re fine with a guy ranting about FOOT FUCKIN, and at the beginning of the comic the governor forces his tongue down his zombified daughters throat. But no, a small talk about minorities is OH MY GOD! WHAT IS THIS?! A PERSON? TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE GASP!
Grow up guys. If you don’t like the character, that’s absolutely fine. No one is forcing you to like her. But if you’re fine with Negan ranting about wrappin barbed wire around his dick and naming it Lucille 2, then you can calm down about a girl being excited about seeing a variety of people.
this issue shows how much TWD is becoming boring. another issue of blabbering and unintersting dialogues. there is an urgent need for a violent change in the status quo. i hoped that the whisperers would provide that, but in the end they didn’t. maybe i’m developing a fatigue for the series after 10 years, but I still pick up every issue wanting for more, only to get dissapointed.
I understand Kirkman is trying to develop an entire world, but there are just way to many characters walking around that aren’t interesting enough or haven’t been developed enough. who cares if there are interracial or gay couples going on if you don’t care for the separate characters from the start? there are just too many of them and too few stand out as interesting.
Even Rick has become such a boring character. taking away his leg feels like cutting off his balls. he doesn’t feel dangerous at all anymore. frankly I’m starting to hope he gets killed off. the story used to be about surviving, now it’s about nationbuilding which just isn’t that much fun to read. it’s time a platoon of crazy soldiers decimate Alexandria and we continue the storyline with a smaller band of survivors again.
also this Princess chick better becomes interesting fast because right now it feels like Kirkman is just setting her up to be his Harley Queen. hoping that she gets picked up by female readers and cosplayers to expand the fanbase. in the end he’ll only lose fans if he continues to bullshit us like this.
man, do I miss Dale, Tyrese and Abraham now…
That feel when someone goes down the entire comment section and downvotes anyone with a positive opinion of this issue. I really enjoyed it, and am interested to see how the Princess develops. Also; this is a great way to weed out any racist fans Robert, seeing as they’re the only ones throwing a hissy fit over a few lines of dialogue. Keep up the great work!
I wasn’t a huge fan of this issue, TBH. I found the Princess obnoxious, but she could grow on me, who knows? I remember wanting Negan dead so bad (though he had great dialogue and the Princess doesn’t really have that special way with words, being more funny crazy than funny haha. I’m also not sure if she’s a kid or just short, but I digress) and now he’s one of my favorite characters.
And I’d love to think Kirkman was intentionally provocative, but when I saw the comments I was surprised
[hey Flagg, leaving most of this comment up because it’s good, but editing out this part because it’s just going to invite more inflammatory comments. -brian]
She’s a villain. Her shouting, “look alive boys” was signalling someone inside that building even though she played it off like it was a joke. Or perhaps her group has been watching them since their arrival. She’s very good at acting and has had plenty of time to get her lines down pat. We’ll see her darker side soon. I think Michonne and the others may be held captive and questioned about the nature of their mission… If so we, and Stephanie’s group, may be in for a surprize
I don’t know, man. I don’t think so. I think she’s just legitimately unhinged. And tbh, that would be a lot more fun than ANOTHER villain hiding in the forgotten ruins of the world. I like the idea of this lone survivor who is just so lonely from survival all on her own that she’s just trying to be lively with people around but she has no idea how to function appropriately. Like , it’s pretty clear that Michonne and her crew are a legitimate danger. But the moment Michonne pulled that gun on Princess for shouting to her supposed “boys” Princess looked surprised and genuinely sad like she didn’t expect or even understand their reaction. I think she genuinely meant it as a “joke” but she just doesn’t know what is and is not appropriate.
Princess is Unikitty from the Lego Movie.
Yea you could be right, I’d rather it be another villain. I’m just craving something wild and bat shit like another governor or the whisperers. Something that interrupts the group’s main mission and leaves Rick talking to Stephanie back and forth wondering where they are. I see a lot of potential with that idea.. But maybe you’re right she’s some oddball eccentric but I can’t see what she could add to the group or how she could help them (?) If anything she’ll probably just be a nuisance especially if she’s really out there…
Wow, all this amiable chit chat reminds me of Washington these days 🙂 The Princess is getting reactions to her little antics similar to those experienced by readers and watchers when Negan was new and fresh. Sadly to me Negan is becoming old hat and his humor is wearing thin. So voila! A new weirdo to take his place! Nice how that worked out.
Negan’s dialogue in the comic lately has been honestly kind of… too out there lately. If that makes sense? I still love him to death but I feel like those times where he talks about foot vaginas or barbie doll crotch are too out there even for his ridiculousness.
Amazing clothing choices for a zombie apocalypse and a great sense of humor? I think I’m in love
I put a note in the post above, but just to reiterate, this should be a place to discuss the issue and Princess—like them or not. It’s not a place to call each other names and attack each other’s world views. If we feel like comments are getting out of hand, or spiraling off-topic, we’ll delete them.
I’m indifferent to whether or not you do. But some people might call moderating an internet discussion post “censorship.” Regardless, you’re right.
Thank you
Princess seems pretty awesome, but I don’t trust her. Being along for so long could have made her go insane. Who knows what she’s capable of?
I really like all the unknowns of this issue , come on …there is a lot hidden arcs here ready to be developed , people focused in race and how she looks like but… she is going to give us a lot of surprises and a lot of fun , expecially when she start killing….
I don’t know if anyone else ever visits The Walking Dead wiki (the community is garbage, don’t) but holy shit, you think it caused a storm here? People over lose their fucking minds over everything the comic does and this one has shaken some of them to the core. I know this is random but holy shit, it makes me glad I’m in this community regardless of my disagreements with anyone here. TWD Wiki is hot garbagefire and I have NEVER seen a community so hateful and loathing of the supposed material they’ve come together to enjoy.
Yeah, the wiki pisses me off to no end. Though I hate to say it, TWD has developed a kinda shitty fandom in general over the past few years.
Awesome! Looking forward to seeing how this is adapted for the show!
Princess has so much potential as a character and I’m really excited to see more of her. Also, it was really nice to see Siddiq and Eugene work out their situation regarding Rosita. This issue was great 🙂
dont trust. ditch her before she screws them over
I think theres more to her then meets the eye. I dont think were getting all of the Princess yet. She’s smarter than you think.
Her outlandish humor at the end is hard to buy. Would someone really pull a prank like that on absolute strangers? It kind of contradicts what she said earlier about not having a death wish, don’t you think? She doesn’t act like someone who hasn’t seen people for a year, which is why I assumed she was lying, but it’s not looking like she is.. Waiting to see what happens but her behavior totally confuses me… she acts like a cartoon character.
I enjoyed it & I really look forward to seeing more issues with Princess in them. I haven’t laughed so hard reading the TWD until this issue
Didnt understand the extra pages of more story in only some of the books. What’s with the gimmicks?
I’m not sure what to make of this new character just yet… I think I have to side with the looks of anger and irritation that we see from Michonne for now and hope for the best. No matter what though, I don’t think Kirkman would introduce such a colorful character without some nail biting plots ahead. ?
I hope Michonne chops her head off with her katana….
I loved this edition, I expected the new community to be presented and even if the princess was a part of it, I loved the new character, very good humor, as well as her eccentric clothes and the mania of speaking damais. I really enjoyed your speech about minorities and other ethnicities, Kirkman is excellent at making each character have his particularity of speech and thought. I confess I was tense with the end of this issue, happy to be just a joke of the princess! And I think she’s trustworthy, but after that joke I think it will cost to gain Mich’s confidence.
I liked the issue! I Just wish the issue was longer or more substantial.