2017 has been an awesome year for The Walking Dead comic series and there was many great moments that came out from the issues. Today i will rank the top 15 moments of 2017 from The Walking Dead comic series. If you have not caught up to issues 162-174 or volumes 27-29, there are major spoilers below.
15. The Debut of The Princess (#171: Fear The Princess)
New character introductions in the universe of The Walking Dead can be a hit or miss but this one is obviously a mix bag. While some members were traveling to Ohio, they reached Philadelphia to see it empty but to only find this character. The Princess claimed that she has not seen a living person in one year and she comes off as very talkative and jittery. I can see why since i would most likely snap if i did not see one person for a year. I would love to see Rick’s reaction once he sees her in the future.
14. Beta’s unexpected return (#172: Hilltop Reborn)
Everyone has wondered what has happened to Beta after The Whisperer War ended earlier this year and when would he return. He returned on the end of this issue in a jump scare moment that even caught me off guard. While Jesus and Aaron were setting camp for the night, Beta sneakily approaches Jesus from behind as he is ready to attack.
13. Siddiq’s Confession (#170: On The Road)
Since Rosita was killed back in issue #144, there was speculation that Eugene’s baby was not his. By the end of this issue, Siddiq admitted that he fell in love with her before she died. This enraged Eugene as he did not think that she cheated on him before she died and this caused a rift between Siddiq and Eugene in the next issue.
12: Sherry’s Death (#166: No Surrender)
Rick and Sherry had a debate about Rick’s leadership and their state with The Saviors ever since Negan was dethroned. Things got heated during the debate and then Sherry attacked Rick. Rick then pushed her back into the table which caused her neck to be snapped as she died right after. You can tell that Dwight will not be happy about this.
11: The Saviors’ attempted uprising (#165: Opportunity)
While everyone in Alexandria were steering the megaherd away from their community, The Saviors showed up (lead by Sherry) to announce that they will no longer be part of the connection with other communities. Dwight tried to convince his ex-wife and The Saviors to stand down, but a fight between him and John happened. This was a good moment because The Saviors have been mostly out of the spotlight since All Out War Part 2 ended a few years ago.
10: Empty Pittsburg (#170: On The Road)
Eugene and a few others decided to go to Ohio to see Stephanie who they have had contact through the radio for the last 15 or so issues. Their first pit stop was at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. We have not seen another state in quite a while in the universe of The Walking Dead so this was a treat for the readers. As soon as they arrived, they noticed that there is not one person there as it was a ghost town.
9: Mega Herd invades Alexandria again (#163: Conquered)
The ending of The Whisperer War showed us that Beta and the rest of The Whisperers released the mega herd that Alpha showed Rick back in issue #143. When Dwight and the rest return to Alexandria, Rick told them that there were not hundreds, but thousands of Walkers that will approach. This made me question why Rick did not tell his group about this before the war started. The mega herd invades alexandria and it is much worse this time than it is last time. Rick, Negan and the rest fought many of them while Michonne, Dwight, Andrea and others redirected many of them out of Alexandria.
8. Beta’s Death and identity along with The Whisperers (#173: Final Fight)
Many can argue that this should have happened earlier this year but i am happy that it has happened this way. After Beta tried to stab Jesus, they have a fight and Beta is shot by Aaron. When they unmasked him, it was revealed that he used to be a famous basket ball player and actor before the outbreak happened as both Jesus and Aaron recognized him. This explains why he was very tall and very quick whenever he fought someone. Also, the last remaining Whisperers finally met their demise.
7. Andrea has a walker bite (#165: Opportunity)
This happened at the same time as The Saviors’ attempted uprising as Andrea and the rest were still getting the mega herd away from Alexandria so you can imagine how chaotic it was to see it happen. While she was saving Eugene who was about to meet his demise as he was surrounded by the undead, Andrea saves him but during the scuffle, she somehow got bitten. Nobody knew it until the end of the issue as it remains one of the most shocking moments in The Walking Dead history.
6: Rick and Negan’s conversation (#164: A Fallen House)
Right when the mega herd invaded Alexandria, Negan and Rick went into one of the houses to shelter themselves while the Walkers were flooding the community. It is there where they both decided to have a conversation about their pasts. Negan brings up his ex wife and how he left her there to die and Negan has showed Rick that he is a changed man and that locking him up in a cell for a few years really taught him a lesson.
5. Maggie and Dante’s kiss (#174: A Solitary Life)
Ever since Dante was introduced, many readers thought that him and Maggie would get together. It took a few volumes but it has finally happened. It took Maggie years to move on from Glenn and she is finally able to trust another man. Lets see how this relationship goes in the future.
4. Stopped in Ohio (#173: Final Fight)
The group has traveled all the way from Washington, D.C and now they have finally arrived in Ohio. Eugene has been in contact with Stephanie for some time and we do not know if their group (called The Commonwealth) is good or bad. They were stopped by solders in this community and we will find out more about them when issue #175 New World Order begins in January.
3. Negan Stops The Saviors (#168: The Road’s End)
Right during The Saviors’ attempted uprising and after Sherry’s death, Negan steps in to set them straight. He also asks if they would like to go back to the old ways and only mark kneeled down and when he did, Negan punched him and gave all of The Saviors a speech about why they will never go back to the old ways along with making mention that because of Rick and everyone in all of the communities, they are still alive and trade supplies. This speech made the reader think that he has fully ditched his old ways.
2. Maggie and Negan’s closure (#174: A Solitary Life)
This is the moment i have been waiting for ever since Negan killed Glenn back in issue #100 back in 2012 so this is five years in the making. While Negan is alone and trying to make another bat with barbed wire (Lucille 2.0), Maggie stops him. They have a conversation about their former lovers and Negan apologizes for what he has done and all the pain he has caused her. Negan even wanted Maggie to kill him right there but she refused to do it as she wanted him to live knowing that she will never forget what happened and that she does not want to give what he wants.
1. Andrea’s Death (#167: A Certain Doom)
This is the biggest TWD comic character death since Glenn and this entire issue was an emotional roller coaster. After Andrea revealed the bite to Rick, everyone said their goodbyes to her as everyone was heartbroken this entire issue. Even Negan said his goodbye too. Rick was the last person to see Andrea alive as they both had a conversation before she died and reanimated into a Walker. Rick also had to be the one to put her down as it was hard for him to do it. This issue was so sad that Robert Kirkman did a tribute to her character at the end of the issue instead of the normal letter hacks.