5 Things We Do and Don’t Know After #127

SPOILERS FOR ISSUE #127 in this great article by The Intern, Mr. Stephan. Now we’re gonna let him take it away…

The Walking Dead #127 was the first issue of the new arc, A New Beginning, and it sure is the start of a new era in The Walking Dead universe! It picks up 2 years after All Out War, and we see the progress Rick Grimes has made building a peaceful society. His community isn’t just surviving, it’s thriving in the conditions that once posed a deadly threat.

#127 is definitely a milestone for the series. Here are five important things we learned in the issue, and five unanswered questions the issue left us with:

Five Things We Learned:

1. The Survivors are still alive and well: Rick, Andrea, Carl, Rosita, Eugene and Maggie are living in safety. In fact, they have grown really quickly! Rick is looking like a version of Douglas Monroe, Carl has hit his Weezer-loving teen years, and Andrea…well, she looks the same. Maybe more badass? Definitely more badass.

2. Three Communities are still in existence: the Hilltop, the Kingdom and Alexandria. They’re still working together to better themselves and, even more importantly, they’re having a Fair!

3. Rick is in charge, and doing it well: Rick might look like Monroe, but he sure is running Alexandria a whole lot better! People seem generally happy and content, unlike his predecessor. To be fair, though, Paul set the bar pretty low with sexual harassment and protection.

4. Zombies are a manageable threat: I have to say, since Eugene first said he could manufacture bullets, I was impressed, but now, as Rick stated, he is invaluable! Not only does he have a full-fledged factory working on ammunition, he also has a bread mill running. And, of course, he has perfect a system that they use now to maneuver herds away from the communities!

5. Public Enemy #1 is still alive: Negan! This is surprising in many different ways and is actually maybe the most interesting point of issue 127. We know he’s alive and that he didn’t escape, but most importantly we find out he’s talking to Carl about girl problems! And Rick is none the wiser about these candle-lit pow-wows. It was an unexpected direction, and will likely set up a lot of interesting conflict in the future.

Five Things We Don’t Know:

1. Where is Michonne? And where is Ezekiel? We see Jesus with what looks like her sword, but why would he have Michonne’s katana? Has she given up fighting to start a life with Ezekiel? And are they off at the Kingdom, or somewhere else?

2. Are the Saviors still around? Last we heard, Dwight was taking charge and going to make a treaty with the other communities. It’s possible the group may have disbanded or perhaps killed each other. Though, since Dwight had murderers for followers, maybe we should lean toward number 2.

3. Is Maggie and Glenn’s child alive? Their child should be at least a toddler by now. That is, if the child survived. After all, children in The Walking Dead universe don’t have the best track record when it comes to survival.

4. What does Rosita need to talk to Eugene about? Andrea asks Rosita if she has spoken to Eugene after dealing with the herd, and suggests she should before it’s “too late.” Is Eugene getting married? Was there more to Rick wanting to keep Eugene close? Smells like a scandal…

5. Who is this new group, led by Magna? Something The Walking Dead has always proven is nothing is exactly as it seems. Though this new group seems friendly enough, alternative motives may be lurking beneath the surface. What does Magna really want for her group, and how will they get along with the Survivors?

We have so many questions, and The Walking Dead #128 seems so far away! At least that leaves plenty of time to discuss #127. What do you think about the new leap forward and the new relationships that have been built between characters? What do you think will happen next? Let us know in the comments!