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The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye

(The Walking Dead (Collected Editions) #1)

Robert Kirkman,

Tony Moore (Illustrator),

Andreas Mergenthaler,

Frank Darabont (Teleplay),

Charles Adlard,

Sina Grace (Goodreads Author) (Editor),

Hardy Hellstern (Editor),

Charlie Adlard (Illustrator),

more…

4.27 · Rating details · 207,807 ratings · 4,221 reviews

The world we knew is gone. The world of commerce and frivolous necessity has been replaced by a world of survival and responsibility. 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: no government, no grocery stores, no mail delivery, no cable TV. In a world ruled by the ...more

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Paperback, 144 pages

Published February 19th 2013 by Image Comics (first published May 1st 2004)

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· 207,807 ratings · 4,221 reviews

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Jun 03, 2016 Nat rated it liked it

Shelves: graphic-novels

This review contains *spoilers* for both the tv show (season 1 &2) and the graphic novel.

I absolutely loved the first two seasons of The Walking Dead, so I decided why not give the comic books a chance. And I was not disappointed.

This volume brought back so many memories of the show for me and reminded me of just how much I loved it— even with the jump scares.

But The Walking Dead doesn’t only focus on the gore of killing zombies, it also explores how people deal with extreme situations ...more

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Dec 21, 2010 Anne rated it really liked it

Shelves: braaaaaains-zombies, graphic-novels, read-in-2014

Kudos to Image Comics for saving all that money on a colorist (better, Erica?)!

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I get it, I get it!
I'm frugal, too. In fact, (view spoiler) ...more

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Apr 02, 2011 Stephen rated it really liked it

Shelves: comics-graphic-novels, 2000-2005, dead-heads, sf-apocalyptic-and-post-apocalyptic, 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, society has broken down an ...more

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Jul 15, 2011 Jon rated it it was ok

Shelves: horror-gothic, comics-graphicnovels-manga, 2011-summer-reads

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 commentary s 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 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 don'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. ...more

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Jan 23, 2019 Tina Haigler rated it really liked it

Shelves: graphic-novel

Honestly, I'm probably the one person on the planet that hasn't watched much of the TV show but I was surprised at how much more quickly things in the comic happen. I feel like season one was probably Vol. 1 and 2 combined. Rule number one for reading this: Do not get attached to any of the characters! At least one person dies in each one, at least they do in the first three volumes, and in most cases it's 2 or more deaths per volume. You can like or dislike characters but do not get attached. A ...more

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Feb 12, 2017 Alejandro rated it it was amazing

Shelves: comic-book, horror, dystopia, paranormal

The days won't be same anymore!

This is the first volume of the softcover editions of "The Walking Dead", collecting the comic book issues from #1 to #6.

Creative Team:

Writer: Robert Kirkman

Illustrators: Tony Moore

Additional gray tones to inking: Tony Moore

Chapter One

DAYS GONE BYE

Rick... Officer Rick Grimes at your service.

This chapter is the epic beginning of the mega popular franchise of The Walking Dead that first was comic books, then expanded to a TV series and now there are eve ...more

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Jan 27, 2016 Sean Barrs rated it really liked it

Shelves: comic-graphic-novel, darkness-horror-gothic, 4-star-reads

Whether you’re a comic book fan or a television buff, one thing remains certain: Rick Grimes is a badass.

description

He’s resourceful too, a real survivor. When other members of the fledgling group are panicking and running around like headless chickens, he acts. When they argue about the next move they should take or which option is safest, Rick, again, acts. He doesn’t mess about. You’ve got to give it to the small town sheriff, he quickly realises what he must do to keep his family alive. And it isn’t pretty. Surviving a zombie apocalypse is no glamorous business. In this first volume, he covers himself with zombie remains to avoid detection in the vast hoard of the undead. By doing so he demonstrates how far he is willing to go protect his family. Guns are everything in this new world, and walking incognito through the hoards is worth the risk if it means a few more firearms around camp.

description

A lot can be said about Rick from these early issues. From the way he handles the unhinged Shane; to the way he allows his seven year old sun to carry a handgun. He realised very early on how bad things were going to get, and he knew how to respond. Everyone else is still clutching to old world ideas; they are trying to live in the past and use the same set of customs. But, the world’s gone to hell. And, at this point, it seems Rick’s the only one fully aware of this fact. Without him, the group would collapse. The man knows what’s on the horizon. I think his encounter with Shane is pivotal because through it he learns what could happen to him, and what is likely to happen to everyone if they’re not careful.

It’s a perfect foreshadowing of a possible rise in character insanity. I think because of it Rick has to up his game. He takes charge and begins to make the necessary decisions. More importantly, though, for the rest of the group, he dons the face of optimism. He becomes their source of strength. I think I’m going to really enjoy reading through these; it will be interesting to see how it compares to the television show. Already I’m noticing how sanity, and an ability to cope, is being explored much more in these earlier parts of the story. The show picks the idea up much later. Dale is also a much more established character in these comics. This is going to be a fun reading experience.

More Walking Dead Reviews to come!
...more

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Oct 05, 2018 Carol rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, graphic-novel, 100, post-apocalyptic, read-2018, series

Oh yeah......I'm in. "The world we knew was gone."

As it begins, the gunslinging Officer Rick Grimes, hurt in the line of duty, wakes up alone....well almost alone in the hospital. No wife and no best friend-partner watching over him; no nurse or anyone answers his call, and then he finds some of them and realizes the world is not the same.

THE WALKING DEAD comic graphic novel was a quick way to introduce me to the story that family and friends have recommended to me for years....and now I'm ho

...more

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Jan 10, 2019 Warda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

We all know about the show. I never enjoyed the show.
But this.
Now, this I liked a lot.

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Sep 26, 2012 Delee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: horror, zombies, adventure, apocalyptic-or-post-apocalyptic, graphic-novel

Ohhhhhhhhhh Yeah- I'm hooked! ...more

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Oct 22, 2019 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it

Shelves: 21th-century, horror, fiction, arts, united-states, sequential, comics, graphic

The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye (The Walking Dead (Collected Editions) #1), Robert Kirkman
The Walking Dead is an American post-apocalyptic comic book series created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore.
Volume 1: Days Gone Bye (Issues 1–6): Rick Grimes, a sheriff's deputy from Kentucky, is wounded in the line of duty and emerges from a coma to find the world overrun by the undead. He is then led in to a small camp of survivors; among them are Rick's wife Lori, his son Carl, and The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye (The Walking Dead (Collected Editions) #1), Robert Kirkman
The Walking Dead is an American post-apocalyptic comic book series created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore.
Volume 1: Days Gone Bye (Issues 1–6): Rick Grimes, a sheriff's deputy from Kentucky, is wounded in the line of duty and emerges from a coma to find the world overrun by the undead. He is then led in to a small camp of survivors; among them are Rick's wife Lori, his son Carl, and his police partner Shane. Following a fatal zombie attack, Shane tries to murder Rick, having had a one-night stand and become obsessed with Lori. Carl then shoots Shane to protect his father.

تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز بیست و سوم ماه اکتبر سال 2018 میلادی
عنوان: مردگان متحرک؛ نویسنده: رابرت کریکمن، تونی مور؛ مترجم: عباس خالقی؛ شهرستان بانه: انتشارات ناجی، ‏ ‫1396؛ در 19 جلد؛‬ مصور، بخشی رنگی؛ شابک دوره: 9786009961603؛ شابک جلد 1: 9786009961610؛ شابک جلد 2: 9786009961627؛ شابک جلد 3: 9786009961634؛ شابک جلد 4: 9786009961641؛ شابک جلد 5: 9786009961658؛ شابک جلد 6: 9786009961665؛ شابک جلد 7: 9786009961672؛ شابک جلد 8: 9786009961689؛ شابک جلد 9: 9786009961696؛ شابک جلد 10: 9786009962402؛ شابک جلد 11: 9786009962419؛ شابک جلد 12: 9786009962426؛ شابک جلد 13: 9786009962433؛ شابک جلد 14: 9786009962440؛ شابک جلد 15: 9786009962457؛ شابک جلد 16: 9786009962464؛ شابک جلد 17: 9786009962471؛ شابک جلد 18: 9786009962488؛ شابک جلد 19: 9786009962495؛ موضوع: زامبی‌ها - داستان‌ها، مجله‌ها، و فکاهیات تصویری از نویسندگان آمریکایی - سده 21 م

مردگان متحرک عنوان کتاب مصور سیاه و سفیدی؛ نوشته ی: «رابرت کرکمن»، و هنرمندی به نام: «تونی مور» است. داستان بر روی شخصیت «ریک گریمز»، افسر پلیسی متمرکز است، که در هنگام انجام وظیفه مجروح شده، و به کما فرو رفته‌ است. او در هنگام فروپاشی زندگی، در حضور زامبی‌ها، و در حالی به هوش می‌آید، که «جورجیا» در قرنطینه است. «ریک» موفق می‌شود همسر و فرزندش را، به همراه سایر نجات یافتگان پیدا کند، و به تدریج رهبری گروهی را که بعدها، به یک جامعه ی کوچک تبدیل می‌شود را، بر عهده بگیرد. هشدار: اگر این سری را میخواهید خود بخوانید، از خوانش ادامه ی این ریویو، لطفا خودداری فرمایید؛ فصل اول: روزهای رفته خداحافظ (قسمت یک تا قسمت هفت): ریک گریمز افسر پلیسی از کنتاکی که ساکن شهر کوچکی به نام سینتیانا است، در هنگام انجام‌ وظیفه مجروح شده و زمانی به هوش می‌آید که شهر توسط زامبی‌ها یا مرده‌ های متحرک تسخیرشده، و انگار هیچ‌کس به‌ جز او زنده نیست...؛ او با کمک «مورگان» و پسر نوجوانش هنگامی‌که به خانه می‌رسد، درمیابد که خانه‌ اش غارت شده، و همسر و فرزندش آنجا را ترک کرده‌ اند. «ریک» برای پیدا کردن خانواده‌ اش به «آتلانتا» و محل حفاظت‌ شده ارتش می‌رود، اما درمیابد که «آتلانتا» هم به تسخیر زامبی‌ها درآمده‌ است. او با کمک «گلن ری» از کشته شدن به دست زامبی‌ها نجات پیدا می‌کند، و به گروه کوچکی که در فروشگاهی در شهر «آتلانتا» گرفتارشده‌ اند می‌پیوندد. «ریک» به‌ محض مسلط شدن به اوضاع ابتکار عمل را به‌ دست می‌گیرد، و به همراه آن‌ها موفق به ترک شهر می‌شود. در جریان فرار از شهر موفق می‌شود، همسرش «لوری» و پسرش «کارل» را که توسط «شین»، همکار و دوست «ریک» نجات پیدا کرده‌ اند در کنار سایر نجات‌ یافتگان در خارج از شهر پیدا کند. هجوم زامبی‌ها به کمپ خارج شهر باعث کشته شدن تعدادی از اعضای گروه میشود. گروه تصمیم به ترک آتلانتا گرفته، و به‌ سوی مرکز تحقیقات علمی آتلانتا به راه می‌افتد. اما در سی‌.دی‌.سی. تنها دکتر «جنر» زنده مانده‌ است ... همچنان مشغول کار بر روی این میکروب ناشناخته است که عامل به وجود آمدن مرده‌ های متحرک است. ریک به همراه دوستان و خانواده‌ اش با از دست رفتن سی‌.دی‌.سی. دوباره راهی تعقیب و گریز می‌شوند. ا. شربیانی ...more

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Oct 30, 2015 Annie rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2015, comics

I have to believe that readers of dystopian fiction or apocalyptic fiction harbour the belief that the world bound by the printer’s ink is definitely looming; would one day come true. Or at the very least hope it does. I myself cannot stop from venturing into the implications of the dawn of the walking dead. (see what I did there? Too obvious? :/ ) What would I do first? Ah the possibilities! Of course the romance would strip away if such a dawn actually arrives...tut tut tut. I would possibly f

The first thing that I noticed was that the artwork was black and white. For some reason this seemed natural, like before I had actually read this I had expected, even wanted this to be monochromatic. The lack of the distractions otherwise afforded by the convergence of colour provide a very clean slate for the characters to exist and the story to proceed. Indeed, the grittiness of the story would have come apart at the seams if we were to keep getting distracted by the rainbow consorts popping up.

When I started watching the Tv series, or rather let it fester in my lappie for days before I finally got down to it, sans the popcorn obviously, I was expecting it to be a zombie centric series, and it is. But the zombies, more than anything, provide the driving force and are then littered here and there. The nature of the media of course requires it to be more graphic, but in the graphic novels the zombies are relegated further into the background and the characters are pulled more into prominence. The struggle for survival is nigh!

Apparently, the world apocalypse does nothing for the division of labour, such that women still end up washing clothes and the men are out hunting. And only one woman among the group ends up mastering the gun. Pfft!

So, the apocalyptic world of Kirkman still harbours some prejudices, but it still makes for a great read. Having religiously followed the TV series since after the rocky start, and having only picked up the graphic novels to fill the void left between the EPISODES of the latest season, I was surprised to find the comics much better than the TV version. Which is saying something considering that the TV series us really, really good. And incredibly fast paced. At my snail pace too, I might end up years ahead of the series within a month! Yet to decide whether it is a good thing or a bad one. But for now Rouaugh! Ruh! Uh! Gak! will have to suffice!

...more

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Dec 15, 2011 Lou rated it it was amazing

Shelves: horror, comic-graphic-novel, 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 wanted to read the graphic ...more

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Nov 01, 2010 Meredith Holley rated it liked it

Recommended to Meredith by: Katie Coleman

Shelves: monsters, needs-a-sassy-gay-friend-real-bad, reviewed, morally-superior

Okay, is this where the random bolding phenomenon is coming from?? Have you all known this and not told me? Is it just so you can laugh behind my back? See? I can’t even randomly bold if I try. It always ends up being for emphasis.

This book is about don’t give kids guns. That’s pretty much it. But, sometimes, you know . . . zombie apocalypse . . . sounds like a good idea to give a kid a gun. And if you think that, you’re an idiot.

My dad used to keep a lot of guns in the house at one particularl ...more

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Nov 24, 2016 Laurie –Read Between The Skylines– rated it really liked it

Shelves: manga-comics-graphic-novels, read-in-2016

"It's not the same as killing the dead ones, Daddy."
"It never should be, son.
It never should be."

I'm so glad I finally decided to read the comic! It was so powerful to have more depth and more layers to the story, and the comic form is as addictive as the series. It is basically the same story in both but it still gave me the feels.

I felt peace, hope and calm

I felt pain, sorrow and grief

I felt hatred, heartbreak and disappointment

It is so weird to see the character so unawar ...more

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Jun 25, 2015 Jessica rated it really liked it

I really liked this! I've watched a few of the first episodes on TV, and honestly I liked this so much more. Maybe it's because I'm a baby and I don't think the zombies look as scary as in the show? Maybe that's part of the reason. But this was really good! ...more

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Aug 22, 2019 Sara rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, horror, graphic-novels

A little bit of horror, a little bit of drama, this is a great addition to the graphic novel genre, with the author clearly having a passion for zombies. It’s the social aspect of the apocalyptic world that’s explored in greater depth here, with convoluted and complicated characters with complex problems greater than that simply of a zombie attack. If this was just about zombies it wouldn’t work. It needs Rick, Carl, Lori, Shane and all the others to bring the story to ‘life’.

I admit I’m a litt ...more

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Oct 26, 2020 Daniel rated it really liked it

The Walking Dead vol 1.

Yeah, sometimes the dialogue felt a little bit cheesy, but, it wasn't as cringy as Kirkman's work on Invincible. (Which I'll review at some point)
Here, it seems like he feels more comfortable to write it a little bit more mature ish, which is better.
Overall, I don't really have much to say about it besides the fact that I enjoyed it, for the most part. In addition to that, the artwork by Tony Moore was pretty good too.

It gets 4 stars out of 5 ...more

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Dec 01, 2015 Justin rated it really liked it

I'm a complete amateur when it comes to this stuff, but I'm really enjoying my time exploring comics and graphic novels. It's hard to rate them because I don't have anything else to really compare them against since I've only read two, so four stars is my baseline for now.

I watched the first few seasons of the show, but then I lost interest when they just wandered around a farm for episode after episode. I get bored easily so I moved on to something else, probably Breaking Bad or something, I d I'm a complete amateur when it comes to this stuff, but I'm really enjoying my time exploring comics and graphic novels. It's hard to rate them because I don't have anything else to really compare them against since I've only read two, so four stars is my baseline for now.

I watched the first few seasons of the show, but then I lost interest when they just wandered around a farm for episode after episode. I get bored easily so I moved on to something else, probably Breaking Bad or something, I don't know. But, then everyone is all like, "Justin, it gets better! You gotta check it out again!" to which I generally ignore this enthusiasm and watch something else, probably Narcos or something because obviously I like shows about manufacturing and selling illegal drugs.

So recently I find myself in this comic book superhero movie TV graphic novel Marvel DC Universe X-Men Apocalypse Star Wars phase and I ran across this bad boy while browsing the deep dark depths of the interwebs. Did you like that alliteration? This was exciting stuff. As someone who has been an avid fan of grayscale in any art form for the past 20 years (that's a rough estimate because I really have no idea) I really liked the drawings whether they depicted zombies biting someone's face off or a slow zoom out of a desolate wasteland. They were really well done and added an extra creepy element to the story like when The Mist released a black and white version of the movie and it made it feel a whole lot different than the boring regular old color version.

The story was also really cool and reminded me why I started watching the TV show in the first place. There are zombie attacks like crazy, but there is depth to the characters. There are emotions and desperation and hope and fear all rolled up into the story that makes it easier to feel for this motley crew of people.

I'm excited to continue reading these and yeah yeah yeah I started the show again recently. I'm going to give it another shot and see what happens when these guys get the hell off the stupid farm.

Looking forward to it. ...more

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Oct 12, 2014 Dirk Grobbelaar rated it liked it

Shelves: graphic-novels-comics, wife-books, horror

I’m also one of the stooges who came to the party late. That’s to say, I watched the series before reading the book, or graphic novel to be exact. Heck, when I purchased “the complete season one” I wasn’t even aware that it was based on a book. Now, when something like this happens, there is absolutely no way to undo it. There is no way to un-remember the visual medium and any first impressions, so it’s all spilt milk.

But it is every goodreader’s sworn duty, if you’ve enjoyed the show, to read t ...more

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Dec 31, 2012 B Schrodinger rated it liked it

Shelves: apocalypse, graphic-novels

For everyone not in the know I have a soft spot for apocalyptic fiction. My first SF read as a burgeoning nerd was The Day of the Triffids. It certainly moulded me into the reader that I am today. But although these stories are fiction, the more scientifically removed from reality zombie type apocalypse is by far not my favourite. Nuclear fallout, deadly virus, environmental collapse; these all seem entirely plausible. But there is no precedence for zombies despite fans holding onto the parasite For everyone not in the know I have a soft spot for apocalyptic fiction. My first SF read as a burgeoning nerd was The Day of the Triffids. It certainly moulded me into the reader that I am today. But although these stories are fiction, the more scientifically removed from reality zombie type apocalypse is by far not my favourite. Nuclear fallout, deadly virus, environmental collapse; these all seem entirely plausible. But there is no precedence for zombies despite fans holding onto the parasites of insects stories.

Zombie apocalypses are not for me.

But I do like Shaun of the Dead. That has to do with laughs though.

So investing this much time in zombie apocalypse was a big leap for me and I did enjoy the comic series on the first read-through. But watching the series afterwards I was struck by the differences in character and the stories. I abandoned the series midway through series 3. I felt it was too talky. The main characters annoyed me and were more stupid than their comic counterparts. The Governor was just not scary.

So here I am a couple of years later and I'm going to reread the comic series.

It's interesting to note that like 28 Day Later the story starts with a complete ripoff of Triffids. The main character has been in hospital and wakes up to the apocalypse. This time it's Rick, a police officer who was injured by gunshot wound. Rick wakes up to a very different world. I think it hints that there was about 4 weeks or so that he was in a coma. How he survived I do not know. Power was off. Surely anything giving him nourishment via drip in that time needed power or the need to be replaced. Shhh Brendon, don't poke holes!We follow Rick as he tries to make sense of his immediate neighbourhood and then tries to meet his family. This quest leads him towards Atlanta, Georgia.

The people he meets are interesting and they do each have their own stories. That's one strength of the comics. There are no cookie-cutter characters and the writer does manage to give them all a voice.

We end this volume with a large confrontation between Rick's old world and the new. It definitely tells everyone that old world allegiences do not matter in the new world.

So we are left with everyone on the move south towards warmer weather and away from the zombie hordes in Atlanta. ...more

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Jun 19, 2012 Shannon rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy-scifi, graphic-novels, action, books-reviewed

I think some of the pleasure of reading this graphic novel was taken away from watching the first two seasons of the TV series. There obviously weren't that many surprises and I would say 75% of the graphic novel was like several of the episodes. Without giving spoilers I'd say certain parts of the TV series were better. Probably because they built on the comic which came first. Then again, some instances of the graphic novel were better than the series so I don't feel I'm biased towards one or ...more

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Feb 20, 2014 Sam Quixote rated it liked it

Officer Rick Grimes gets shot in the call of duty and goes into a coma. When he awakens in the hospital weeks later, he finds himself alone in a world where the zombie apocalypse has happened – and his family have disappeared. So begins Rick’s journey to find his family as, in a world where the end can come at any moment, he and the other survivors become the walking dead.

It’s taken me a while to get around to actually reading the world’s most popular comic (The Walking Dead #115 was 2013’s bes Officer Rick Grimes gets shot in the call of duty and goes into a coma. When he awakens in the hospital weeks later, he finds himself alone in a world where the zombie apocalypse has happened – and his family have disappeared. So begins Rick’s journey to find his family as, in a world where the end can come at any moment, he and the other survivors become the walking dead.

It’s taken me a while to get around to actually reading the world’s most popular comic (The Walking Dead #115 was 2013’s bestselling single issue comic and the trades dominated the top 10 bestsellers list!) and it’s mostly because it feels very unoriginal. Robert Kirkman’s other creator-owned series, Thief of Thieves, reads like a shameless re-telling of Ocean’s 11 with generous helpings of Elmore Leonard (Out of Sight in particular).

The Walking Dead feels like every zombie story ever plus some scenes are lifted wholesale from specific zombie movies. Rick waking up in the abandoned hospital is identical to the opening of 28 Days Later, while escaping the zombie hordes in the city is like that George Romero picture, oh what’s it called, oh right, ALL OF THEM!

That said, despite all of that, I was drawn into the book. Kirkman knows that zombies are always second to the characters in every zombie story, and he focuses instead on building them up. The relationship between Lori and Shane is a brilliant touch that works perfectly in this scenario, bringing their situation and the trio of characters vividly to life. The zombie action is handled really well too as Rick and Glenn’s forays into doomed Atlanta are very exciting.

Kirkman’s approach to the writing of this series is akin to classic horror from the 90s and beyond, incorporating schlocky horror movie jump scares, and artist Tony Moore’s preference for wide panels adds to the cinematic flavour of the comic. In this sense I find the comic somewhat annoying as it’s like it’s not using the medium to full effect, choosing instead to adopt a storyboard-type aspect that makes it feel like the comic was a natural stepping stone to the more lucrative medium of film (or, as it turned out, TV).

I’m conflicted about this book. On the one hand, I’m interested in the characters and what they’ll do next. Parts of the book were exciting and enjoyable to read and I’m going to pick up Volume 2. Moore’s art isn’t bad but he’s not producing amazing panels. And on the other hand, there were parts that felt recycled, the art and writing were both serviceable at best, and on the whole Kirkman isn’t doing anything original with the zombie concept that we haven’t seen before. And, man, is this is a miserable comic! It’s an complete downer from start to finish (and what an insane finale!).

It’s a decent start to the series but not an amazing comic by a long shot. ...more

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Oct 05, 2008 An rated it really liked 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 keep it at bay. It does a good job of obscuring th ...more

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Jan 22, 2015 Rachel Reads Ravenously rated it it was amazing

Shelves: graphic-novels

Wow. I probably won't review all of these, but I really enjoyed this one. Shane was cuckoo crazy, Lori is still as annoying as she is on the tv show. No Daryl, but he wasn't in the books. Looking forward to more! ...more

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Mar 02, 2021 Tan Markovic rated it it was amazing

I'm obsessed with this story 😍 ...more

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Feb 27, 2015 Courtney ♡ librarycutie rated it liked it

Shelves: re-read, 2020, 2015, graphic-novels, horror

second read: April 8, 2020
new rating: 3 stars

so, reading this for a second time i want to try and actually read the series now that it’s complete, but i wasn’t 100% in love with this volume as i thought i was in 2015. reading tastes changes in 5 years! i enjoyed the story still and like that it just jumps right in, getting you familiar with the world quickly and learning on the way as the characters are learning.

first read: March 6, 2015
old rating: 4 stars
Volume 1 contains Issues #1-6.

Be ...more

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Sep 10, 2017 destiny ♡⚔♡ [howling libraries] rated it it was amazing

Shelves: horror, adult, graphic-novels-manga-comics

I've been watching The Walking Dead for years on AMC (though I'm not up to date on the latest season), but this was my first time picking up the graphic novel series that inspired it. I've been told by so many people that the graphic novels are incredible, so I finally decided to see what the hype was about. Those people were not wrong, let me tell you!

I LOVED this graphic novel. The art is fantastic (and I was amazed by how similar some of the characters look to the actors/actresses who were c ...more

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Jul 31, 2011 Anthony Chavez rated it it was amazing

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 lounge around, ...more

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Jun 11, 2015 Sarah rated it really liked it

Shelves: z2015, graphic-novels

I don't watch the TV show but I really enjoyed this comic. It was interesting and I liked how it focused on people and what would happen to people if there was a zombie apocalypse. I loved the introduction. I really liked the work Tony Moore did too. The comic has left me wanting more and I can't wait to see what happens in the rest of the comics. ...more

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Horror Italia: * Luglio 2020 - "Zombie" - The Walking Dead #1	6	14	Aug 28, 2020 02:40AM
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About Robert Kirkman

Robert Kirkman

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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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