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The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye (The Walking Dead trade paperbacks #1)

by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore (Illustrator)

4.27 · rating details · 13,346 ratings · 797 reviews

An epidemic of apocalyptic proportions has swept the globe, causing the dead to rise and feed on the living. In a matter of months, society has crumbled: There is no government, no grocery stores, no mail delivery, no cable TV. Rick Grimes finds himself one of the few survivors in this terrifying future. A couple months ago he was a small town cop who had never fired a sho...more

Paperback, 144 pages

Published September 26th 2006 by Image Comics (first published May 26th 2004)

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May 22, 2011

Stephen rated it

Shelves: comics-graphic-novels, dead-heads, sf-apocalyptic-and-post-apocalyptic, 2000-2005, horror

4.0 stars. You can see by the ratings and the other reviews of this book that a lot of people think very highly of this series and it is certainly justified. This is the kind of excellence in both writing and art that make the graphic novel an incredibly power medium when it is done well. Here….it is done very well indeed. The writing and the art are superb and I don’t think you could ask for better.

Basically, the set up is very familiar. It is a zombie apocalypse, societ...more

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Dec 20, 2011

Lou rated it

Shelves: comic-graphic-novel, horror, zombies

We are amidst a Zombie phenomena, well they have been around since that movie Night of the Living Dead, But did not have as much coverage, there is so many novels and movies now with a zombie theme.

Some neat artwork here representing a zombie gore feast of a struggle for a band of humans against the odds for survival.
This is as most people know the genisis of the tv-series of the same name. I have watched one episode with some reservations due to the gore level and wante...more

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Jan 15, 2012

Jon rated it

Shelves: 2011-summer-reads, comics-graphicnovels, the-horror

I wanted to really like volume one of The Walking Dead. Most people do like it. They like it a lot. I didn't, which doesn't make anyone better or smarter than anyone else, we just have different tastes.

I appreciate Robert Kirkman wanting to write a social commentary and not just a horror story, but I don't know that he needs to state this in the introduction - all good zombie (and horror) stories are dealing with more than just the surface material, so Kirkman emphasizing his social ...moreI wanted to really like volume one of The Walking Dead. Most people do like it. They like it a lot. I didn't, which doesn't make anyone better or smarter than anyone else, we just have different tastes.

I appreciate Robert Kirkman wanting to write a social commentary and not just a horror story, but I don't know that he needs to state this in the introduction - all good zombie (and horror) stories are dealing with more than just the surface material, so Kirkman emphasizing his social commentary sounds more like him trying to convince everyone his stuff is smart and deserving of our attention and praise; why not let his graphic novel prove its merit on its own?

I didn't feel that the character development was that deep. The greatest transgressor here was Lori, who is very one-dimensional. She's the most incompetent woman in the whole story. To me, she is just the whining wife character who tries to frustrate Rick's chivalric heroism by not wanting him to go to the city, or she's the over-protective mother figure who doesn't want their son, Carl, to be taught how to shoot a gun (silly women, not letting their boys become men). She's helpless, submissive, and mostly just obnoxious.

I didn't feel that Kirkman explored some of the issues of survival very thoroughly. For example, gender issues and the division of labor is raised when some of the women are going to wash the clothes. But the issue is opened by Donna's shallow complaints about women doing the washing and men doing the hunting. Her argument is bland and Lori's response is equally so, she claims it "isn't about women's rights . . . it's about being realistic and doing what needs to be done." This is a convenient response to shut down Donna, who is very obviously constructed as a whining, judgmental character (we're not supposed to agree with her, but are supposed to discard her opinion as rapidly as Lori does). The problem is that if you're wanting to survive in the apocalypse (or if you just wanna be able to live in our regular supposedly non-apocalyptic life), everyone should be learning as many skills as possible. Kirkman has the opportunity to examine gender roles here, but chooses to reduce the issue to a series of bumper sticker statements that don't really say anything.

This becomes even more of a problem for me when later the women are taught how to shoot. After the argument over who washes and who hunts, it seems silly that women are expected to learn so-called "manly" skills like shooting a gun but men are allowed to remain ignorant to washing clothes. It's a man's world, zombies or no zombies. Obviously, women should learn how to shoot to protect themselves and to catch food, but domestic chores are also important for survival and the men should learn those too. Is this a small detail I'm picking at? Perhaps. But it happens so often in our culture and our stories that it really annoys the hell out of me. And I don't think this is the characters being ignorantly sexist, I think it's Kirkman being ignorantly sexist.

Another instance of cheap dramatics used to show Lori's helplessness and Kirkman's lame gender use is following the laundry washing when the women are attacked by a zombie and Dale beheads it with his axe. The zombie's head is still "alive" which logically means they have to shoot the head to kill it, even though Dale is holding his axe and we see many zombies dispatched with axes and hatchets (including right before this moment when Rick kills the zombie feeding on the deer with his hatchet). Using the gun to kill the head is a lame move, creating bland dramatics to get Rick and Shane to come running back to camp, where Lori cries on Rick's shoulder, completely beside herself with fear - "Oh, God, Rick . . . it was awful." This isn't interesting or exciting, it's an attempt to make a story exciting because the more action, the more cool the story, the more readers.

Gender studies issues aside, The Walking Dead just moves too quickly a lot of the time. A story focusing on the day-to-day challenge of surviving in a blighted landscape should dwell on the monotony of survival, at least some of the time. Kirkman wants the story to drag along and take its time, but it just felt rushed to me. It's like he wanted to have dead time where not much was happening, but then got bored with it and just rushed us on to the next zombie scene where we can be thrilled by Tony Moore's grisly art - mundane chores doesn't sell stories, but violence does.

Moore's art is pretty good, especially the zombies. But this is an emphasis again on grotesque body horror and violence. There are lots of close-ups of heads getting hacked at and shot. The gore abounds and while that isn't always a bad thing because we are reading a fantasy and zombie stories are a violent, nasty subject, I wonder if Moore was a bit too enamored with killing things.

As I said, I wanted to like this graphic novel, but in the end it was just okay. It coulda, shoulda been brilliant and there are nice moments and signs of real quality. But the effort to make it stellar proved too difficult, so Kirkman and co. chose the much easier, safer route of superficiality.(less)

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Aug 01, 2011

Anthony Chavez rated it

Shelves: graphic-novel-manga

Kirkman does an amazing job with setting up this story. I can see why this series has gotten so much acclaim and had such success. I did however, watch the first season of the show before I knew it was a graphic novel. And once I started reading I finished this volume in a couple hours without putting it down.

The zombies! They are amazing, and he wrote them so well, you really feel for them, they aren't your crazed psycho zombies, or your fast constantly hunting zombies, no, they loung...more

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Oct 05, 2008

An rated it

Recommends it for: survivalists - and people dead inside

Recommended to An by: un-friends, probably feasting on brains right now

A completely inappropriate birthday gift for someone with necrofobia - or pseudonecrofobia - or hemi-necrofobia - or pauci-animafobia.

Well written. Vividly, horrifically, (in my opinion poorly) illustrated with images that stalk and haunt my waking dreams.

I vote - NO.

I have tried to destroy, give away and recycle this book but it keeps showing up on my shelf. It will not die.

I store a copy of the Zombie Survival Guide next to it and it seems to ...more

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Apr 28, 2009

Steve rated it

Shelves: horror, graphic-novels-comics

Standard zombie fare elevated by some excellent character development. The black and white drawings give The Walking Dead a retro look, which had me recalling the original Romero Dead movie, but also a few other end of the world type flicks, such as the old Ray Milland movie, Panic in the Year Zero,, and The Last Man on Earth (Vincent Price version). Oh, there’s some blatant 28 Days Later borrowing as well (waking up from a coma – and Wow have things changed!), but it’s entirely secondary nu...more

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Mar 22, 2009

Jason rated it

Shelves: graphic-novels-comic-books

I absolutely loved this series! Once I started reading, I couldn't stop! Kirkman does an amazing job in setting up a realistic portrayal of what one might experience going through a zombie apocalypse across the earth. I appreciated the sound character development, the twists and turns of the plot, the glimmers of how religion and psychology might play in to people's attitudes, and the fact that the story does not end after each turn of events as you might expect it to. Kirkman even alludes to th...more

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Jul 24, 2008

Allison rated it

Recommends it for: zombie fans, horror fans

I was originally introduced to this series when I read reviews of Kirkman's work on Marvel Zombies. Then, Kirkman took a swing at the new Ultimate X-Men. Impressed with his work, and coming down from the excellent high of Max Brooks' World War Z, I picked up TWD.

Flabbergasted isn't the right word, but it'll do for now. Kirkman's The Walking Dead is a masterpiece, an obvious step from Romero's original work in the realm of non-supernatural zombie fiction. There are no heroes in this ...more

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Feb 15, 2008

Joe rated it

i'm typically not a fan of the horror genre... but it would be unfair to call this a 'zombie book'... when the first issues were coming out, it was a big deal at the shop i was working at. i read the first issue, maybe the second, i can't even remember... but i kept thinking it wasn't for me and didn't give it much of a chance... it opens in a typical zombie-book fashion. main character wakes up in an abandoned hospital from a coma to discover that zombies rule the earth, etc. etc. this also cam...more

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Mar 23, 2009

Evan rated it

Shelves: graphic-novel

Spending the day with Stef has me on a zombie kick! ;)

I raced right through this in one sitting, flipping each page with a sense of dread. I've always been creeped out by zombies, so why I read this before going to bed is beyond me!

This volume sets everything up nicely for all the subsequent volumes to come. We're given a cast (which suffers some casualties by the end of the opening volume) and dueling ideologies on how to best tackle the zombie threat.

I just ...more

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May 13, 2008

Justin rated it

Shelves: comics

I like zombie movies but all too often they're pretty crappy. Night Of The Living Dead remains my favorite and Robert Kirkman's series, The Walking Dead, reminds me of that film. Kirkman set out to tell a story about people and how they deal with adversity. I think that's what makes The Walking Dead so great. Rick Grimes (an awsome character) and his fellow survivors battle zombies, of course, but they end up struggling with each other and with themselves, as well. The character development...more

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Jan 04, 2009

kevin rated it

Recommends it for: Romero fans, horror geeks, Post-apocalyptic sf nerds, 28 Days Later apologists

Recommended to kevin by: Joshua Diaz

Shelves: sciencefiction

Another take in the growing canon of contemporary zombie fiction. The first book in The Walking Dead begins with the eerie loneliness of a sparsely populated rural town in Kentucky and slowly takes the reader through the process of gradual realization and urgent horror that Romero fans will surely recognize. Tony Moore frequently plays with the elasticity of time on his black and white pages as he stretches a fleeting moment into several distinct agonizing panels. The final act suggests further ...more

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Oct 30, 2009

Chili Public rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: adults-comics, adults-scary, adults-vampires-and-other-beasts

Let me start out by saying WOW. This is an intense piece of work. I read this a while ago, but it is still pretty vivid in my mind.
Before going any further, I should let you know a couple of things:

1. It is VERY violent
2. There is some sexual tension, that is eventually… released.

Knowing this, I probably definately wouldn’t suggest it to school libraries. I have the series in my teen collection, but it has a big OT (older teen) sticker on it, so that people don’t “accidentally” come upon i...moreLet me start out by saying WOW. This is an intense piece of work. I read this a while ago, but it is still pretty vivid in my mind.
Before going any further, I should let you know a couple of things:

1. It is VERY violent
2. There is some sexual tension, that is eventually… released.

Knowing this, I probably definately wouldn’t suggest it to school libraries. I have the series in my teen collection, but it has a big OT (older teen) sticker on it, so that people don’t “accidentally” come upon it and read it.
In all honesty, I think it is probably meant for adult collections. However, besides the sex and gore it still really holds up on its own.

A big reason that I knew that this series was going to be really good was due to the dedication on the first few pages. The author dedicates the book to George A. Romero, who is a god among horror purists (or I think that he should be). I won’t wax poetic about Mr. Romero for too long, but one of the reasons that his movies are so amazing, is because while there may be a lot of violence and gore, his movies also make you THINK. Not possible? I beg to differ.

I will use Romero’s original movie, Night of the Living Dead as an example. The movie was made in 1968, the year that Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. There were obvious tensions in the air because of civil rights and equal rights for African Americans. So what does George Romero do? He casts Duane Jones, an African American as the lead. According to IMDB, “This was the first time a black actor was cast in a lead role of a major motion picture that did not specify the part had to be played by a black actor.” I would say that this is not small potatoes.

He also used the opportunity that flesh eating zombies gave him to show how society can break down quickly without order. It breaks down even more when you are running for your life from flesh eating zombies.

Take all of this into consideration when you read the review and when (because you really should) read this series.(less)

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Jan 13, 2012

Sarah rated it

Shelves: comics-and-gns

So my introduction to The Walking Dead was one of the most recent issues. I got it at the comic book store because I was curious and wanted to buy something. I read it, and decided that I liked the art and dialogue (and the overall arc of that one issue) well enough to start the series from the beginning. So I got this from the library today, and I wasn't expecting TOO much....

But I was WOWED. The beginning annoyed me, since it opens in almost the exact same way as 28 Days Later (which...more

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Dec 22, 2011

Anna (Genre Reviews) rated it

Shelves: anna

The Walking Dead series is very character-driven. It's not the tale of humans uprising over the forces oppressing them, this is the story of one man and the people around him trying to survive in an otherwise dead world. As might be expected, they've all seen a number of tragedies, and in some ways those are more dangerous than the zombies: the man who watched his wife and children eaten alive hasn't got much reason to keep fighting.

It's not all bleak, there are a few sweet moments, bu...more

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Dec 07, 2011

Creature rated it

Hello Fellow Readers of all things ZOMBIE:
I predicted the success of this book when it first came out on a blog I was writing for an online fanzine. This book just had the feel of something different then the average zombie fare. I predicted big things early on and...well, the book has become a huge success.
This is a really different vision of a world gone mad, a world overrun with the walking dead, all looking to feed upon those still alive. Even though The Walking D...more

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Dec 07, 2011

Rebecca rated it

I've only seen a couple of episodes of the show, but so far where the show has weakness, the books are strong. And vice versa.

Everybody talks about the shows snail-like pace. That isn't an issue for me, but the books are definitely faster paced. It seems like every other page is a few days later. This was actually a little frustrating at first, because the author doesn't put a "Three days later..." type of signpost, you are just expected to figure it out. I appreciate not ...more

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Dec 03, 2011

Mary added it

from the "Introduction" by creator & writer Robert Kirkman

"To me, the best zombie movies aren't the splatter fests of gore and violence with goofy characters and tongue in cheek antics. Good zombie movies show us how messed up we are, they make us question our station in society... and our society's station in the world. They show us gore and violence and all that cool stuff too... but there's always an undercurrent of social commentary and thoughtfulness.

"...more

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Nov 16, 2011

Karen Harding rated it

Recommends it for: Zombie fans

Recommended to Karen by: I saw the show first, then discovered the graphic novel for myself

I really loved this book. I am a huge fan of the telly show 'The Walking Dead' and this graphic novel just set in my mind what a great job the casting directors did on getting the characters right from the get-go. There are a few differences between this and the show as you might expect - some characters you see walking and talking in the show actually died pretty early on in the GN version, however I think they did it justice. For reading the novel after seeing the show, I already had their bac...more

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Oct 26, 2011

Raquel Leite rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to Raquel by: Vania Silva

Shelves: banda-desenhada

Uma das primeiras bandas desenhadas que li. Gostei bastante da história, aliás dá muito que pensar realmente. Mas principalmente adorei os desenhos e o facto de ser a preto e branco excelente.
Mas mais sobre a história, Rick acorda de um tempo em coma, grita por ajuda mas ninguém aparece para o ajudar a levantar. Então decide fazer ele mesmo isso, mesmo com alguma dificuldade.
O corredor está deserto, ninguém o ouve, decide então ir para outro andar e apanhar o elevador. Ao início pen...more

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Sep 25, 2011

Ina rated it

OK, I admit it - I have read my first graphic novel. You know what? It was actually enjoyable. My oldest son discovered this series and he suggested I give it a try, he thought I might enjoy it. Rising to that challenge, I did pick it up and start to read it - with all my prejudices glowing brightly. This is a post-apocalyptic-zombie story, which followed a small group of humans camped outside of Atlanta waiting for the government to rescue them. If that wasn't enough of a turn-off the fir...more

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Sep 21, 2011

Jon Purkis rated it

Shelves: graphic-novels

I was hoping for so much more. Given the incredible popularity of this series I was expecting much more. A solid premise and some good artwork is let down by non-existent characterization and despairingly clichéd dialogue.

Every character is the same. They all talk in the same clunky, cliche-riddled way that no-one in the real world has ever spoken like. They all resort to mushy sentiment at the first opportunity. I was amazed that a series praised for grittiness has the hackneyed dialo...more

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Sep 12, 2011

T.w. Brown rated it

Robert Kirkman is the new King of the Zombie genre. I could care less if it angers the hardcore legions who cling to the flag planted by George A Romero over thirty years ago. In no way does that diminish Romero or his importance any more than the Beatles to Elvis or Lady Gaga to Madonna. I am simply stating that the crown and scepter have been passed.

I’ve been accused of having a “man-crush” on Kirkman. Don’t care. From the moment I cracked open The Walking Dead, I felt I was see...moreRobert Kirkman is the new King of the Zombie genre. I could care less if it angers the hardcore legions who cling to the flag planted by George A Romero over thirty years ago. In no way does that diminish Romero or his importance any more than the Beatles to Elvis or Lady Gaga to Madonna. I am simply stating that the crown and scepter have been passed.

I’ve been accused of having a “man-crush” on Kirkman. Don’t care. From the moment I cracked open The Walking Dead, I felt I was seeing something special. It was a feeling that hasn’t been replicated since that chilly September afternoon in 1979 when I walked into Tanasbourne Mall and took my aisle seat for a double feature (back when theaters showed two movies together). The headliner was actually Beyond the Door, followed by Dawn of the Dead.
For those of you who wait for the comic book run to finish and get compiled into a single volume graphic novel (like me), I will be reviewing all of the Kirkman series. That said, let’s start with Volume One: Days Gone Bye.

The story begins very reminiscent of 28 Days Later. Our central protagonist, Rick Grimes, is a policeman shot in the line of duty. He wakes up in the hospital to a world quite different from before. After finding his wife and son gone, he heads to Atlanta thinking that they might’ve gone to the city on government advice and that is where his wife’s family live.
Things only get worse for Rick as he discovers that the zombie problem is far beyond epidemic stage. Shortly after reaching Atlanta, he meets up with a band of survivors camped outside of town. It just so happens that his partner, wife, and son are in this group.

The rest of the story serves as a well-crafted introduction to the cast of characters. There are some distinct personalities in the group and some nicely placed underlying tension. Enough cannot be said about Charlie Adlard, and Cliff Rathburn’s artwork. He renders an assortment of facial expressions that truly help to convey a range of emotions from smoldering jealousy to snarky disapproval. You really get a vibe from the group as well as the individuals.

Episode 1 leaves the reader in shock. The conclusion is so startling and, when you take the time to ponder it, viscerally upsetting. By the last page, it is clear that you, the reader, are witnessing something special. Day’s Gone Bye is a wonderful gateway in a world that Robert Kirkman has masterfully crafted. He does not earn the title King from one entry, but since this is a series of reviews, I will act as spoiler only in saying that by the time I reach episode 5, I’d made up my mind. All hail the new King of Zombie horror.
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Jul 20, 2011

Kaia rated it

Shelves: zomgbies, heroines-without-spines, ineffectual-zomgbies, offensive, pseudo-feminism, son-i-am-disappoint, what-is-this-i-dont-even, what-the-actual-f-ck, you-fail-research-forever

Yesterday my husband and I sat down and watched the entire first season of The Walking Dead (not difficult, it was only 6 episodes). I shouldn't have to tell you that we really enjoyed it, I think, since we watched all 6 episodes in a day.

So today while we stopped at the bookstore to pick up his copy of Ghost Story, I figured I'd grab the first volume of The Walking Dead. I'd heard it's quite different from the show, but I figured some things would be intact. Weeeeeellllllllllllllll....more

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Jul 10, 2011

Amber Tucker rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: don-t-look-at-me, novels-but-with-graphics, post-apocalyptic-awesomeness, summer-2011

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. On this lonely Sunday evening, I plucked The Walking Dead: Vol. 1 from the stack atop my bed's built-in shelves and ~~devoured~~ read it cover-to-cover. Funny, you know – I bought this purely on impulse when I had some giftcards to fritter away at the bookstore, and it was the last line on the back cover that grabbed my attention: "In a world ruled by the dead, we are forced to finally start living." As someone who certainly doesn't always feel alive, I'm a big fan of ideas that propose we...moreOn this lonely Sunday evening, I plucked The Walking Dead: Vol. 1 from the stack atop my bed's built-in shelves and ~~devoured~~ read it cover-to-cover. Funny, you know – I bought this purely on impulse when I had some giftcards to fritter away at the bookstore, and it was the last line on the back cover that grabbed my attention: "In a world ruled by the dead, we are forced to finally start living." As someone who certainly doesn't always feel alive, I'm a big fan of ideas that propose we get people to finally start living.

Later, I felt sheepish doubts that I'd misspent my twelve-fifty. But that was last Christmas; since then I've kept glancing at the spine with interest, and now that I've finally read the thing, all doubts have been transmuted into a zombie-esque hunger for more. I knew as soon as I read Kirkman's introduction that this was the right zombie lit for me. And I quote, again: "To me, the best zombie movies aren't the splatter fests of gore and violence with goofy characters and tongue in cheek antics. Good zombie movies show us how messed up we are, they make us question our station in society ... and our society's station in the world. […] The Walking Dead will be the zombie movie that never ends." Don't turn to this graphic novel if you don't want to read, or think, further than the glorious gore of most post-apocalyptica. Kirkman takes his characters and their relationships just as seriously as he promises to.

I was impressed, for example, by his attention to the gender dynamic in the survivors' camp. Rick's attitude is recognizably sexist at times, such as after a near-fatal attack: "Nobody was prepared for this, Shane. You think those girls know how to fight?" The thing is, almost none of them know how to fight. Rick and Shane are cops, and Jim is trigger-happy. All the others, male or female, appear quite lacking in fight skills. Also, in Rick's analysis of Donna: that she's "just an old housewife who doesn't have soap operas to keep her small mind occupied." I don't find Donna an appealing character – say, in her Victorian disapproval of Dale's "living with" two young girls (more below), but on the other side of the gender line, there's her fury about the women being stuck with laundry duty "while they go off and hunt. When things get back to normal I wonder if we'll still be allowed to vote." She's a bit of an inconsistent figure that way, but she's strong if nothing else. Besides, its revelation of human hypocrisy is key to the novel's excellence.

One of my favourite elements is old Dale's fatherly care for Andrea and Amy. The recently-made widower has welcomed them to sleep in his camper, and instantly for some characters – and readers – Scandal Must Be Suspected. Because that's how we think. As minor a detail as this is right now, though, I can't help trusting Dale completely. He's simply a big-hearted man who isn't willing to let an insidious taboo stop him from offering kindness to a pair of orphans, when their world has gone insane. The page of four panels showing Dale trying to comfort Andrea will guarantee heart-ache.

There is, of course, the lurking unfaithfulness of Rick's wife and police partner. AAAND in Volume Two, will Rick (and the ~~drooling~~ eager reader) find out WHAT exactly the short-lived bond was between Shane and Lori? And will Lori's resentment of Rick, for turning their son into a sharp-shooter, grow into a more serious rift as her buried feelings for Shane broil toward the surface? The plot ~~congeals~~ thickens.

I can't leave out the appropriateness of the graphics. Everything is black-and-white, only nothing is black-and-white anymore. And you realize as you read that even outside the book nothing is black-and-white, nor was it ever meant to be. At its deepest, this story succeeds in scrutinizing who we all are and why we live (or fail at living) like we do. This volume ends with a death for which the zombie epidemic is blameless, a death at the hands of a terrified seven-year-old protecting his father from Shane's murderous jealousy. "It's not the same as killing the dead ones, Daddy!" he weeps, in the arms of a father who can no longer shelter him. And the truth staggers into view.

The end of what we optimistically call 'civilization' doesn't start with the zombies. Quite by itself, that madness is alive and well in us.

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Jul 06, 2011

Sara Thompson rated it

I picked up the first three books of this graphic novel series because I enjoyed the television show so much. I knew the show deviated from the books because the writers and creators wanted to offer something new - other possibilities.
The start of this book was quite similar - Rick wakes in the hospital to find that everything and everyone he knew had changed. The area was over run by zombies and his family was gone. He goes to Atlanta to find the city is a waste land. He is saved by a you...more

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Jun 22, 2011

Hannah rated it

The first volume in Kirkman's celebrated 'Walking Dead' series explores how our protagonist, Rick Grimes, copes after waking from a coma to a zombie apocalypse.

The images within this graphic novel are artfully and brilliantly drawn; the zombies are compelling, I just wanted to see more and more. However, as Kirkman explains in the introduction, 'Days Gone Bye' is more than about "...watching zombies pop around the corner and scare you". This is a book about surviving; the ta...more

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Jun 05, 2011

Jordan rated it

Recommends it for: zombie fans

Shelves: zombies, graphic-novels, post-apocalyptic, own

A zombie story... with character development! Even the zombies themselves felt more developed than your typically simple eating/killing machines of popular zombie lore. At points the zombies even felt pitiable. Of course if you let your pity get in your way they'll kill you just as quickly as all those other zombies. As for the character development for our band of survivors, most of it focused around the main character and his family and old police partner, but the other characters weren't negl...more

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Mar 03, 2011

Jerry Dazzlepants rated it

Shelves: graphic-novels, horror, zombies, utopia-dystopia, comics, apocalypse

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I'm no expert when it comes to graphic novels or comic books, so I'm just going to offer my basic opinions on the artwork, storyline and dialogue. I've also recapped the plot for each issue below.

Issue #1: Much like the beginning of any zombie movie, Rick wakes from a coma to find the hospital deserted and the world overrun with zombies. He makes his way home in the hopes of finding his wife and son, only to be greeted by a random man and his son squatting in the neighbour's house. T...more

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Feb 23, 2011

Charles David rated it

The Walking Dead, a black-and-white comic book written and created by author Robert Kirkman, premiered in 2003. Since then, the series has spawned over 80 issues, 13 trade paperback collections, t-shirts, an upcoming video game adaptation, and a television series on AMC. Not bad for a comic book, something that many people believe only children should read.

The comic follows the story of Rick Grimes, a police officer from rural Kentucky, who wakes from a coma (trite, I know!) to disco...moreThe Walking Dead, a black-and-white comic book written and created by author Robert Kirkman, premiered in 2003. Since then, the series has spawned over 80 issues, 13 trade paperback collections, t-shirts, an upcoming video game adaptation, and a television series on AMC. Not bad for a comic book, something that many people believe only children should read.

The comic follows the story of Rick Grimes, a police officer from rural Kentucky, who wakes from a coma (trite, I know!) to discover himself one of the few survivors of a zombie apocalypse. Chaos ensues. Society has collapsed. Electricity, running water, cellphones, and the Internet have failed. The way of life Rick (and the readers) knew is gone.

Sound familiar? It should. In recent years, Hollywood has produced a number of zombie apocalypse-type films including Zombieland, Quarantine, The Crazies, a remade Dawn of the Dead, and many others. Even Britain has gotten involved, offering the 28 Days Later franchise and the humorous (believe it) Shaun of the Dead.

What makes The Walking Dead different is that it isn’t just about the initial zombie outbreak. That time has past. It is now time for the human survivors to band together and forge a new future, one they never envisioned or expected in their wildest nightmares. Where will they find food? How will they keep warm during the winter months? Can they find the antibiotics necessary to cure an illness we would otherwise consider trivial?

The Walking Dead, you see, isn’t so much about the living dead, called “Walkers,” preying upon survivors (though horror fans will not be disappointed). The story is about life and how precious it is, about how all of us can take technology, safety, and our loved ones for granted. As the comic claims, “In a world ruled by the dead, we are forced to finally start living.”

Like my post on Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend, I encourage skeptical readers and those who do not read comics or the horror genre to give The Walking Dead a fair try. Start with the trade paperback Days Gone Bye (artwork featured), a collection of the first six issues of the comic series. You could be thrilled to discover something you never expected to enjoy.

Note: Do not be mislead by the fact that this is a comic book. It is NOT for children. Very adult content abounds.
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About Robert Kirkman

Robert Kirkman is an American comic book writer best known for his work on The Walking Dead, Invincible for Image Comics, as well as Ultimate X-Men and Marvel Zombies for Marvel Comics. He has also collaborated with Image Comics co-founder Todd McFarlane on the series Haunt. He is one of the five partners of Image Comics, and the only one of the five who was not one of the original co-founders of ...more

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Books by Robert Kirkman

The Walking Dead, Vol. 2: Miles Behind Us

The Walking Dead, Vol. 3: Safety Behind Bars

The Walking Dead, Vol. 4: The Heart's Desire

The Walking Dead, Vol. 5: The Best Defense

The Walking Dead, Vol. 8: Made to Suffer

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“To me, the best zombie movies aren’t the splatter fests of gore and violence with goofy characters and tongue in cheek antics. Good zombie movies show us how messed up we are, they make us question our station in society… and our society’s station in the world. They show us gore and violence and all that cool stuff too… but there’s always an undercurrent of social commentary and thoughtfulness.” — 3 people liked it

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The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye (The Walking Dead trade paperbacks #1)

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