Ya know, I was actually a bit compelled to write up a seperate discussion defending Hershel given all the hate he's been getting lately, but I think that FictionRaider summed it up in a much better way than I would've done. GG there mate.

Carl really soured their relationship with the first punch and everything it looked like, big change from the guy saving him from a burning building as a baby.

I also agree with the fact that with Maggie as prez and everything, Glenn really should be a guy who's more immortalized, maybe not with statues of his own but at least with a solid prescence within the community. They could've named a school after him or something and recount in their history how he saved the person everyone built a statue for in the first place.

Although in all honesty the guy didn't do much noteworthy past that point aside from, er revealing to the Governor where the prison was and having said Hershel.

It was a disservice to Maggie too ya know, but yeah I agree. I was actually fine with Herschel being a spoiled little shit, and Maggie not disciplining too hard because of the resemblance to Glenn, but there was never a point where a lesson was learned. Maggie it doesn't seem took to the time it educate Herschel on the kind of man that Glenn was, nor did Carl attempt to impart this wisdom. Would have been nice to see Carl and Glenn's son bond over that - I had always imagined Herschel would be like a little bro to Carl when he got older since comic Judith Grimes never made it. Ah well, story's over now, and there's no point in worrying about how things could have been different. 

I think Sophia is Glenn's true legacy, at least by the way she choose to live her life. I always thought the perfrect Gleggie-ending would have been with Maggie and Glenn living on a farm with their children, near a big settlement of survivors led by thd Grimes'.

In way that came to be with Carl's and Sophia's ending.

That sounds really nice, I got a little emotional reading that. Wish we could have gotten that. 

Yeah, I anyway would refer to Sophia (and to an extent Carl) as the true legacy of Glenn. They really seem to have beaten the apocalypse and live a happily ever after.

I don't think actually Maggie got that of a happy ending. I mean she's in charge, and likely a good leader, but lost her best qualities as a person. I mean she has a bad relationship with both her children.

Maggie & Hershel definitely have similarities to Pamela & Sebastian. I reckon it was intentional.

I mean, Maggie didn't seem too bad either. I don't think it portrays her as cold, she just gave Hershel everything he asked for. Also, she takes time out of her busy schedule to show up to Carl's trial in person and get him out of paying a fine that would have financially crippled his family. She's just a woman trying her hardest. Perhaps the events of the issue will lead to her having a serious talk with Hershel. I do however agree that Glenn being forgotten seems quite upsetting. I suppose Maggie's attempts to move on with her life might have been the cause of that somewhat and not be reminded in history books and by giant statues of her loss, but I don't know. I don't think Glenn would've minded having a giant statue of himself in the middle of a town square somewhere. I'd also guess that given Hershel's motivation is trying to reconnect to the father he never knew and Maggie's is moving on with her life, that the disconnect in their relationship probably stems from that.

Also, I can totally get her having issues with her family and perhaps being a tad distant. It's easy to forget, but Maggie's family was gigantic when the comic started and she quickly became the final survivor. The rest were all bitten, decapitated by serial killers or murdered by the Governor. Sure, she's moving forward with a new family but that amount of loss has to be playing out in the back of your mind a lot and the fear of getting too close and having it happen again.

On an unrelated note I just realised that Maggie's son lived up to his namesake a lot more closely than I first realised. When we first meet Hershel he has been collecting walkers and storing them in his barn, a Grimes points out this is dangerous & suicidal but Hershel thinks otherwise until the walkers break out. Herhsel Jr. collects walkers and stores them in his wagon, a Grimes points out this is dangerous & suicidal but Hershel thinks otherwise. Only this time, the Grimes kills all the walkers before they can break out.

I think Hershel Jr.'s story in the final issue is perhaps one of the most important in the entire series and is one of the best creative choices Kirkman has made in a long time. Let me explain -

The walking dead, ultimately, is a story about death and the legacy of those we lose have on future generations. To have a character introduced in issue 2 and die in issue 100's absence define a character 93 issues later, that's a huge feat of storytelling and one that hammers home the themes of the story. Glenn was killed, and not being there for his son has meant he never was raised properly. 

On the other side to that equation is Maggie being absent too. I ultimately thinks this makes her character more complex, as she had a choice to stay a mother at the Hilltop, or to fill the void Pamela left behind in the name of Rick, even if it meant not being there for her kid. She chose the hard choice, and it makes her a stronger character. Kirkman is trying to show us the effects of the world and the hard choices people had to make having conciquences. Had everything been happy and utopian it would have felt cheesy and fake, and showing that the rebuilt world was built on death and pain was a really nice touch. 

Finally there's the idea of reputation, in that Glenn is not given the legacy he deserves. It's a painful thought, but there are many characters probably forgotten by the masses, every person who survived must have hundreds of friends and family who died who they believe should live on, but don't. The monument to Rick and the mission to rebuild society in his name is a lie. Sure, he did all these great things, but he wasn't alone, and definatley wasn't perfect. But Rick is the symbol the people needed to believe in, and a lot of the characters knew that, hense why they made hard choices and gave up the people they were to become the people they needed to be - Maggie, Michonne, even Negan respected it. And I think that is a pretty powerful message to tie up everything they've been through. 

There was no point in a truly happy ending, but representing the pain, loss and grief in that way is about as close to perfect you can get while still staying truthful to the themes of the story

It was still weird that we didn't see Maggie mention her true love in any form in the final issue, and I had hoped that we would have seen the fallen characters in some form in the end, watching over this new world.

My hope still was that she would lived a good life, having Glenn always in her heart, like she said to Dante in Issue 160.