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Cover of The Walking Dead Vols. 5–6: The Best Defense & This Sorrowful Life
Atlanta and the prison · issues #25–36

The Walking Dead Vols. 5–6: The Best Defense & This Sorrowful Life

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An outing leads the group to Woodbury and the Governor, the series' harshest early arc; collects issues #25–36

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Do you need to read it?

Yes. It's in the Main story, the list of only what moves the plot forward to the end of the saga.

Where it falls in the order

  • Main story3 of 16
BeforeThe Walking Dead Vols. 3–4: Safety Behind Bars & The Heart's DesireAfterThe Walking Dead Vols. 7–8: The Calm Before & Made to Suffer
Spoilers for this title

Quick recap

A helicopter goes down near the prison, and Rick, Glenn and Michonne go after it. The trail leads to Woodbury, an orderly town run by a man who calls himself the Governor. Behind the facade, he cuts off Rick's hand, locks up Glenn and tortures Michonne. With help from townspeople, including Dr. Stevens and Martinez, the trio escapes, and Michonne stays behind to take her own revenge on the Governor. Stevens dies in the escape. Near the prison, Rick kills Martinez so he can't lead Woodbury to the group. The volume ends with the Governor alive, maimed and more dangerous than ever.

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4 trivia

Trivia

  1. ReferenceThe Governor debuts in #27

    Woodbury's villain first appears in issue #27, from April 2006, created by Kirkman, Adlard and Rathburn.

    source ↗
  2. ReferenceOn TV, David Morrissey

    On the show, the Governor arrives in season 3, played by David Morrissey. Showrunner Glen Mazzara described him as a narcissist.

    source ↗
  3. ReferenceA novel origin

    The novel The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor (2011), by Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga, tells the villain's backstory and reveals his real name.

    source ↗
  4. ReferenceRick's hand

    It's in Woodbury that the Governor cuts off Rick's right hand, a mark he carries for the rest of the comic.

    source ↗
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