Issue 29

Issue 29 is the twenty-ninth issue of Image Comics' The Walking Dead and part five of Volume 5: The Best Defense.

Plot Synopsis
Rick has woken up in the Woodbury clinic. He collapses and a young nurse, called Alice, calls Dr. Stevens to help her get him back onto the bed. Dr. Stevens says he should have been asleep for a couple more hours, and they try to bring him back to the bed. Suddenly, Rick punches Dr. Stevens in the face, and asks who he is, threatening to kill him in the process. Dr. Stevens tells Alice to get a sedative, and she injects it into Rick. Dr. Stevens tells her to get someone to help move Rick back to his bed.

The Governor has raped Michonne, who is weeping. He says that he enjoyed every minute of it and that she had the right to cry as much as she wanted. Michonne says she's not crying for herself, she's crying for The Governor. She says that all of the things she's going to do to the Governor scare her. The Governor calls her statement cute. Bruce Cooper opens the cell door and lets The Governor out. He says that Michonne should rest for when he comes back and he's about to rest himself.

In the town of Woodbury, The Governor is a completely different person; he helps a mother to get her unruly children to behave and he tells local town drunk, Bob, to get some food. He arrives at his house, and says to an unseen person that he's a little bit late. He is talking to his undead niece, Penny, who tries to attack him. The Governor slaps her in the face and says that she should behave herself. He apologizes about shouting and asks what's wrong. Penny has kicked over her food bucket, and The Governor brings it back to her. He says it's not good to do that because then she won't be able to eat. Penny spits out the raw flesh and The Governor says that that is what she gets for kicking it away because the food is now spoiled. He says he'd get her more food, but that he's too tired at the moment. The Governor then proceeds to go sit in his chair. Gabe knocks on his door, and gives him Rick's hand, and a couple of human heads. The Governor throws Rick's hand to his daughter, and puts the heads in an aquarium. He makes a joke about "fifty-seven channels and nothings on...", sitting in front of a series of aquariums filled with human heads and arranged like a large bank of televisions.

In Glenn's cell, Glenn is crouched down and talking to himself about going home. Gabe comes in and tells him that Woodbury is his home now. He tells Glenn to get up, but Glenn refuses, so Gabe calls him a coward and drags him out of his cell to talk to the Governor. The Governor wants to ask Glenn some questions. Glenn doesn't pay attention, so The Governor punches him. Glenn asks him, "Why are you doing this?" The Governor replies with, "The same reason anybody does anything. To get something I want." The Governor says that he's going to visit Michonne next door, in case he couldn't recognize the screams. He assures Glenn that no matter what he hears, Michonne won't be killed. He asks Bruce Cooper if she is ready, and he answers probably not. The Governor is pleased by that and walks in for "round two". As the screams proceed, Glenn becomes more and more horrified. Glenn starts to cry.

Back in the clinic, Rick wakes up, he asks Dr. Stevens if he is the one who patched him up. Rick says it feels like it's infected, and Dr. Stevens says it's not and it's normal. He also asks if Rick is going to attack him again, but he promises he won't. Rick asks for The Governor's real name, and Dr. Stevens reveals that his real name is Philip. He also says that he hasn't always been so mean, but he can't do anything to challenge him because he knows what would happen to him if he tried to rebel. Suddenly, The Governor arrives, states that what the doctor said was correct, and Dr. Stevens asks what he wants.

The Governor says that he told him to come here so he could change the bandage on his ear. The Governor then asks if Rick is healing nicely. Rick asks when he's going to torture him, but The Governor says no. He informs him that he wants Rick to be an arena fighter, that he has raped Michonne, and has let Glenn go. He says that he knows everything about The Prison, and if Glenn is stupid enough, he'll lead them there.

Credits

 * Rick Grimes
 * Michonne
 * Glenn
 * Brian Blake
 * Bruce Allan Cooper
 * Gabe
 * Dr. Stevens
 * Alice
 * Bob Stookey
 * Penny Blake (Zombified)
 * Scott Moon (Zombified)
 * Christina Haben (Zombified)
 * Mike (Zombified)
 * Woodbury Citizens

Deaths

 * None

Trivia

 * First appearance of Alice.
 * First appearance of Bob Stookey.
 * First appearance of Penny Blake. (Zombified)
 * First appearance of Scott Moon. (Zombified)
 * First appearance of Mike (Zombified).
 * First appearance of Christina Haben (Zombified).
 * First appearance of The Governor's Unnamed Victims. (Zombified)
 * The entire issue takes place away from the prison.
 * Mike, who died in the crash, and Christina, who was chopped up in the last issue were added to The Governor's zombified head collection.

Goofs/Errors

 * When The Governor is holding Rick's hand, it is a left hand instead of a right in one panel.


 * Despite having just dragged Glenn out of his cell, the next panels show the Governor and Gabe talking outside the cell with the door closed, looking in at Glenn. The rest of the scene takes place as though Glenn was never removed from his cell. (Kindle location 107 and 108 of 141)