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The Walking Dead, Book One
This hardcover features the first 12 issues of the hit series along with the covers for the issues in one oversized hardcover volume. Perfect for long time fans, new readers and anyone needing a slightly heavy object with which to fend off the walking dead.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2004
About the author
Robert Kirkman
2,882 books6,281 followersRobert 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 that publisher.
Robert Kirkman's first comic books were self-published under his own Funk-o-Tron label. Along with childhood friend Tony Moore, Kirkman created Battle Pope which was published in late 2001. Battle Pope ran for over 2 years along with other Funk-o-Tron published books such as InkPunks and Double Take.
In July of 2002, Robert's first work for another company began, with a 4-part SuperPatriot series for Image, along with Battle Pope backup story artist Cory Walker. Robert's creator-owned projects followed shortly thereafter, including Tech Jacket, Invincible and Walking Dead.
Robert Kirkman's first comic books were self-published under his own Funk-o-Tron label. Along with childhood friend Tony Moore, Kirkman created Battle Pope which was published in late 2001. Battle Pope ran for over 2 years along with other Funk-o-Tron published books such as InkPunks and Double Take.
In July of 2002, Robert's first work for another company began, with a 4-part SuperPatriot series for Image, along with Battle Pope backup story artist Cory Walker. Robert's creator-owned projects followed shortly thereafter, including Tech Jacket, Invincible and Walking Dead.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,445 reviews
July 23, 2015
Book One is apparently volumes 1 & 2, but even though I've already read and reviewed the first one, I still ended up reading most* of it again as a refresher.
*In other words, I skimmed the first few pages, realized I'd forgotten all of the plot details, and started reading in earnest immediately.
Stop judging me, Rick!
Since I'm somewhat late to The Walking Dead phenomenon (Kelly has theorized that I'm some sort ofALIEN goddess from the stars), I'm going to try not to spoil anything for the other people from my planet.
Planet Anne! I like the sound of that! It can be a safe haven for all the sad little geriatric aliens in the multiverse. You know, the ones who don't get pop culture references, and still need help figuring out the difference between Twitter and Tumbler. Wait. It's Tumblr?! So they spelled it wrong on purpose? Whyyyyyyyy?! Why do you people wanna screw with me like this?
I've only recently mastered the art of LOLing properly!
For years, I thought it was some odd sound people made when they laughed. Yes. Really. I mean, I have an obnoxious laugh, so I just assumed others did as well...
Whatever, I can now LOL at things just like the kids!
Unfortunately, I still can't Twit, and I have no idea how to Tumble.
Baby steps, baby steps...
Um, ok. What was my original point? Crap. No idea.
Oh, yes! The Walking Dead!
Now, I've mentioned this before, but I simply LOVE that the zombies in this series are of the shuffle-shuffle variety, and not the zoom-zoom class. You have to be totally surprised by one of these suckers in order for it to get it's undead jaws on you. All that's required of these characters to survive is to avoid dark alleys, creepy basements, thickly wooded areas, and nutters who keep pet zombies in their barns hoarder-style. I firmly believe that if the Zombie Apocalypse happens, and these are what I'm faced with, I could speed-walk my way to safety.
Me + Snazzy Shorts = Escaping Like A Boss!
The point is ( there really is a point this time!), the real monsters in The Walking Dead aren't the zombies. The surviving humans are far more monstrous than any of the rotting corpses. You would think that if humanity was on the brink of extinction, we'd all band together like extras in a Coca Cola commercial, right?
But instead of putting aside our difference to avoid being eaten, we'd probably act like the fools in this story. I guess that makes sense, because nice people will be all self-sacrificing, and then...dead. So, guess who inherits the earth? The rest of us greasy bastards!
Assholes, FTW!
I'm counting myself in that group, by the way. Along with my speed-walking skills, I'm also the bitch who'd trip a child, in order to give the zombies a snack-like distraction to chew on, while I made my fleet-footed escape.
Ok, ok! In all honesty, I'd never trip a kid.
Back to the point. Did I have a point?
No, apparently not. I just scrolled up, and this review makes no sense whatsoever. Christ, do I really ramble like this? No wonder my husband's eyes glaze over when I start talking. Ugh. I should retype this.
Hell with it. I'm pressing onward!
After much deep pondering , my conclusion is that this is quite an interesting look at ethics vs survival. Except much cooler than your average book about humanity going to hell in a hand-basket.
Because 1) Zombies & 2) Comic Book.
And when you look at it like that, then you can puff out your chest and feel superior to your peers! Who needs to read artsy-fartsy novels with nothing but words? Not you! You can learn the same moral lessons, and look at pictures while you do it! It's a win-win situation any way you look at it.
So what did I learn?
1) If you have dirty hobo-sex on the side of the road with your comatose husband's BFF, it will result in illegitimate pregnancy.
Always.
2)If you have dirty hobo-sex on the side of the road with your comatose BFF's wife, it will result in death via BFF's legitimate child.
Always.
3) My husband deserves a medal for not suffocating me in my sleep, after all these years. After re-reading this again, I realize that listening to me must be akin to hearing a 4 year old ramble about their day.
Always.
Awww. But I'm sure he doesn't mind, because we've built such a beautiful life together! I'm irreplaceable to him!
Useful lessons for everyday life, people! Read this!
*drops mic*
*In other words, I skimmed the first few pages, realized I'd forgotten all of the plot details, and started reading in earnest immediately.
Stop judging me, Rick!
Since I'm somewhat late to The Walking Dead phenomenon (Kelly has theorized that I'm some sort of
Planet Anne! I like the sound of that! It can be a safe haven for all the sad little geriatric aliens in the multiverse. You know, the ones who don't get pop culture references, and still need help figuring out the difference between Twitter and Tumbler. Wait. It's Tumblr?! So they spelled it wrong on purpose? Whyyyyyyyy?! Why do you people wanna screw with me like this?
I've only recently mastered the art of LOLing properly!
For years, I thought it was some odd sound people made when they laughed. Yes. Really. I mean, I have an obnoxious laugh, so I just assumed others did as well...
Whatever, I can now LOL at things just like the kids!
Unfortunately, I still can't Twit, and I have no idea how to Tumble.
Baby steps, baby steps...
Um, ok. What was my original point? Crap. No idea.
Oh, yes! The Walking Dead!
Now, I've mentioned this before, but I simply LOVE that the zombies in this series are of the shuffle-shuffle variety, and not the zoom-zoom class. You have to be totally surprised by one of these suckers in order for it to get it's undead jaws on you. All that's required of these characters to survive is to avoid dark alleys, creepy basements, thickly wooded areas, and nutters who keep pet zombies in their barns hoarder-style. I firmly believe that if the Zombie Apocalypse happens, and these are what I'm faced with, I could speed-walk my way to safety.
Me + Snazzy Shorts = Escaping Like A Boss!
The point is ( there really is a point this time!), the real monsters in The Walking Dead aren't the zombies. The surviving humans are far more monstrous than any of the rotting corpses. You would think that if humanity was on the brink of extinction, we'd all band together like extras in a Coca Cola commercial, right?
But instead of putting aside our difference to avoid being eaten, we'd probably act like the fools in this story. I guess that makes sense, because nice people will be all self-sacrificing, and then...dead. So, guess who inherits the earth? The rest of us greasy bastards!
Assholes, FTW!
I'm counting myself in that group, by the way. Along with my speed-walking skills, I'm also the bitch who'd trip a child, in order to give the zombies a snack-like distraction to chew on, while I made my fleet-footed escape.
Ok, ok! In all honesty, I'd never trip a kid.
Back to the point. Did I have a point?
No, apparently not. I just scrolled up, and this review makes no sense whatsoever. Christ, do I really ramble like this? No wonder my husband's eyes glaze over when I start talking. Ugh. I should retype this.
Hell with it. I'm pressing onward!
After much deep pondering , my conclusion is that this is quite an interesting look at ethics vs survival. Except much cooler than your average book about humanity going to hell in a hand-basket.
Because 1) Zombies & 2) Comic Book.
And when you look at it like that, then you can puff out your chest and feel superior to your peers! Who needs to read artsy-fartsy novels with nothing but words? Not you! You can learn the same moral lessons, and look at pictures while you do it! It's a win-win situation any way you look at it.
So what did I learn?
1) If you have dirty hobo-sex on the side of the road with your comatose husband's BFF, it will result in illegitimate pregnancy.
Always.
2)If you have dirty hobo-sex on the side of the road with your comatose BFF's wife, it will result in death via BFF's legitimate child.
Always.
3) My husband deserves a medal for not suffocating me in my sleep, after all these years. After re-reading this again, I realize that listening to me must be akin to hearing a 4 year old ramble about their day.
Always.
Awww. But I'm sure he doesn't mind, because we've built such a beautiful life together! I'm irreplaceable to him!
Useful lessons for everyday life, people! Read this!
*drops mic*
October 8, 2012
I'm 99% percent certain I've never said this before, but I prefer the more layered story of the television show.
My first official graphic novel--if one does not count the adventures of the Archie gang or Mad (magazine) at my cousin's house thirty years ago--and I find that like McDonald's, graphic novels work better for me as rare treat instead of steady diet. Still, its worth a try. I came to the comic via the television series, curious to see Kirkman's original vision. While it is interesting to see the concept for the show, I realized that I prefer more details, whether visual or written.
It's clear there is a well conceived vision behind the comics. The drawings are interesting, employing a multitude of perspectives that make it visually engaging. The occasional large panel landscape panning does a nice job of showing desolation of an empty street or burning city. Despite lack of color, the drawings still manage to capture zombie horror, particularly when chomping down on man or beast. Sometimes the pictures are graphic, and sometimes they are a stylized mess, which I rather appreciated as a squeamish sort of person. A funeral scene is done especially well, conveying the wordless desolation of a survivor. Overall, the drawing stands out above the writing, which is limited largely to dialogue with the occasional exclamatory word, 60s Batman style. BANG! SPLAT! POW! Dialogue confines the amount of expression that can be conveyed, with bolded words for emphasis and "..." bubble standing in for uncomfortable pauses. Incidentally, zombies sound kind of silly when you write out their noises as "nuh, gruh" (I can't help thinking of a conversation with a sullen teenager). The show sounds so much more frightening precisely because we don't have the word or construction that adequately conveys the growled or moaned sounds these zombies make.
When it comes to plot, there are a fair number of areas where the show chose to go in different directions. One clear difference, especially to fans that lasted through tv season two, is how fast the comics move. Whether logical or not, these people are on the move, and that's part of what makes the comic entertaining, as movement usually results in some random zombie interactions. Contrast that with the excruciatingly long plot thread of the show's farm set, and the result is a comic that stands above tv in action.
Comic characters are a little more flat (haha) compared to the show, although there are several interesting ones that seems to have been dropped by the show writers. As generally slap-worthy as women are on the show (I'm talking to you, Lori), they are even more stereotypical in the comic. They clearly and quickly become the secondary and inferior sex, and the one woman who calls it out is drawn as dumpy and fat with dialogue showing her being judgemental, unhappy and hypocritical. On the other hand, there are more black characters in the graphic novel with greater presense and variety of roles. The show also does more with the tension of group leadership; Shane
Noticeably, the graphic version has a little more sex/sexual tension subplots going, including one between a couple of teens that don't appear on the show, one between two people that do (but isn't explored), and one between a white single mom and a black man. Even in our supposedly multi-culti melting pot, how often do you see interracial or intergenerational couples (unless the focus of the plot is the unusual relationship)? However, it's a plotline that makes complete sense in the apocalypse for emotional and demographic reasons. Given television's fondness for the sexual substory, it was a little surprising to see several of those storylines cut out, and I wonder how much audience demographics had to do with those decisions.
Overall, interesting. I'm glad I read it, but like MickyD's, I won't be making it a habit. I will be following up with the second collection.
Cross posted at http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/0...
My first official graphic novel--if one does not count the adventures of the Archie gang or Mad (magazine) at my cousin's house thirty years ago--and I find that like McDonald's, graphic novels work better for me as rare treat instead of steady diet. Still, its worth a try. I came to the comic via the television series, curious to see Kirkman's original vision. While it is interesting to see the concept for the show, I realized that I prefer more details, whether visual or written.
It's clear there is a well conceived vision behind the comics. The drawings are interesting, employing a multitude of perspectives that make it visually engaging. The occasional large panel landscape panning does a nice job of showing desolation of an empty street or burning city. Despite lack of color, the drawings still manage to capture zombie horror, particularly when chomping down on man or beast. Sometimes the pictures are graphic, and sometimes they are a stylized mess, which I rather appreciated as a squeamish sort of person. A funeral scene is done especially well, conveying the wordless desolation of a survivor. Overall, the drawing stands out above the writing, which is limited largely to dialogue with the occasional exclamatory word, 60s Batman style. BANG! SPLAT! POW! Dialogue confines the amount of expression that can be conveyed, with bolded words for emphasis and "..." bubble standing in for uncomfortable pauses. Incidentally, zombies sound kind of silly when you write out their noises as "nuh, gruh" (I can't help thinking of a conversation with a sullen teenager). The show sounds so much more frightening precisely because we don't have the word or construction that adequately conveys the growled or moaned sounds these zombies make.
When it comes to plot, there are a fair number of areas where the show chose to go in different directions. One clear difference, especially to fans that lasted through tv season two, is how fast the comics move. Whether logical or not, these people are on the move, and that's part of what makes the comic entertaining, as movement usually results in some random zombie interactions. Contrast that with the excruciatingly long plot thread of the show's farm set, and the result is a comic that stands above tv in action.
Comic characters are a little more flat (haha) compared to the show, although there are several interesting ones that seems to have been dropped by the show writers. As generally slap-worthy as women are on the show (I'm talking to you, Lori), they are even more stereotypical in the comic. They clearly and quickly become the secondary and inferior sex, and the one woman who calls it out is drawn as dumpy and fat with dialogue showing her being judgemental, unhappy and hypocritical. On the other hand, there are more black characters in the graphic novel with greater presense and variety of roles. The show also does more with the tension of group leadership; Shane
Noticeably, the graphic version has a little more sex/sexual tension subplots going, including one between a couple of teens that don't appear on the show, one between two people that do (but isn't explored), and one between a white single mom and a black man. Even in our supposedly multi-culti melting pot, how often do you see interracial or intergenerational couples (unless the focus of the plot is the unusual relationship)? However, it's a plotline that makes complete sense in the apocalypse for emotional and demographic reasons. Given television's fondness for the sexual substory, it was a little surprising to see several of those storylines cut out, and I wonder how much audience demographics had to do with those decisions.
Overall, interesting. I'm glad I read it, but like MickyD's, I won't be making it a habit. I will be following up with the second collection.
Cross posted at http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/0...
September 18, 2011
This review contains spoilers for the entire series, be forewarned. Anyway, wow. Homeboy does not like women. There are a lot of things about this that were done really well, but I was actually feeling sick reading it because of the relentless misogyny. I mean, really. Some of the female characterization was downright offensive, like the unattractive, humourless middle-aged woman (who dies) who dares to question the fact that the men are out hunting while the women are doing laundry - she is brushed aside with the pithy explanation that, hey, we don't know how to shoot guns, and our menfolk don't know how to do laundry, silly! And it remains this way even after it's discovered that one of the main female characters (such as they are) is a crack shot. Some of the characterization is just non-existent, like the pretty co-ed (who dies) who lives with her sister and a much older man in a sexless set-up apparently designed to give him comfort after his wife has left - having women around to keep things neat and friendly is so nice for him, after all. And then there's Rick's wife (who dies), who cheated on her husband, so she's undermined constantly. When she is legitimately pissed that her husband, without consulting her, decided that their seven-year-old son should start carrying a gun, she comes off as shrill and overprotective. Then the kid shoots a zombie and saves her and she has to go cry to Rick about how wrong she was. Never mind that the next time the kid goes out hunting with his dad, he gets shot. Nope, Lori was 100% wrong - women, am I right?
Why do these women only ever talk about canned food and their husbands? What's up with the woman (whose only real point of characterization is that she has a kid and used to be married to a low-life) who kills herself after a dude she hardly knows leaves her for someone else? What's up with the dumb teenage girl who almost gets herself killed because she has to have sex with her boyfriend and then dies in a suicide pact gone wrong? What's up with the sniper who's totally fine shooting people at the orders of a crazed despot, until he makes her kill a baby, and then her maternal instinct or whatever kicks in because didn't you know, WOMEN ONLY CARE ABOUT BABIES AND FOOD AND LAUNDRY AND THEIR STRAPPING MEN. I have no beef with female characters doing questionable things, or being morally ambiguous, or cheating on their husbands, or wanting to have sex with their boyfriends, or being sad that they got dumped, or caring about canned food and laundry. Those things on their own are fine - it's when they become the only things they do, or things they are punished for (the women in this drop like flies - eventually men are dying too, but for a good while, aside from Shane, you just get the pleasure of a road trip with intermittent breaks for women to bite it), or the butt of unfunny jokes or thinly veiled misogynist speeches that I get riled up.
Why do Lori and Rick neverrrr speak? Why do all male-female interactions last five seconds and end in sex, except for one time, when Andrea brings up a perfectly legitimate issue and is called a cunt and a bitch and ignored? Why are all the decisions made by dudes, even after said dudes have made a million bad decisions? Why, why, why?
Look. I know feminists, both male and female, who love these comics. And that's fine. God knows I love some problematic shit, and I am confident in my (and their) ability to acknowledge what is shitty and separate it from the plot and not let it twist my view. But I also know that a lot of people don't read things very critically, and all this is doing is reaffirming their belief that, yeah, women are pretty dumb, and they'd totally suck in a zombie apocalypse - in fact, they suck now! Women! Just do the laundry and let me play with my guns! Like, really? We couldn't get a well-done post-apocalyptic series with women who were actually interesting and not offensive? Does that exist? Can I read that instead?
Why do these women only ever talk about canned food and their husbands? What's up with the woman (whose only real point of characterization is that she has a kid and used to be married to a low-life) who kills herself after a dude she hardly knows leaves her for someone else? What's up with the dumb teenage girl who almost gets herself killed because she has to have sex with her boyfriend and then dies in a suicide pact gone wrong? What's up with the sniper who's totally fine shooting people at the orders of a crazed despot, until he makes her kill a baby, and then her maternal instinct or whatever kicks in because didn't you know, WOMEN ONLY CARE ABOUT BABIES AND FOOD AND LAUNDRY AND THEIR STRAPPING MEN. I have no beef with female characters doing questionable things, or being morally ambiguous, or cheating on their husbands, or wanting to have sex with their boyfriends, or being sad that they got dumped, or caring about canned food and laundry. Those things on their own are fine - it's when they become the only things they do, or things they are punished for (the women in this drop like flies - eventually men are dying too, but for a good while, aside from Shane, you just get the pleasure of a road trip with intermittent breaks for women to bite it), or the butt of unfunny jokes or thinly veiled misogynist speeches that I get riled up.
Why do Lori and Rick neverrrr speak? Why do all male-female interactions last five seconds and end in sex, except for one time, when Andrea brings up a perfectly legitimate issue and is called a cunt and a bitch and ignored? Why are all the decisions made by dudes, even after said dudes have made a million bad decisions? Why, why, why?
Look. I know feminists, both male and female, who love these comics. And that's fine. God knows I love some problematic shit, and I am confident in my (and their) ability to acknowledge what is shitty and separate it from the plot and not let it twist my view. But I also know that a lot of people don't read things very critically, and all this is doing is reaffirming their belief that, yeah, women are pretty dumb, and they'd totally suck in a zombie apocalypse - in fact, they suck now! Women! Just do the laundry and let me play with my guns! Like, really? We couldn't get a well-done post-apocalyptic series with women who were actually interesting and not offensive? Does that exist? Can I read that instead?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2017
When I began to travel the path of the Walking Dead in comics!
This is the first volume of the hardcover editions of "The Walking Dead", collecting the comic book issues from #1 to #12.
My general rating is an average result of the sum of the ratings of each chapter in this harcover edition.
Creative Team:
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Illustrators: Tony Moore (Chapter One) & Charlie Adlard (Chapter Two)
Additional gray tones to inking: Tony Moore (Chapter One) & Cliff Rathburn (Chapter Two)
Chapter One
DAYS GONE BYE
Rating: ***** ( 5 stars )
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 even prose novels.
This first chapter has the great artwork by Tony Moore that certainly made it iconic. The work of Charlie Adlard in the rest of chapters is really good too, specially on the details of things and backgrounds, but definitely if I’d be able to choose, my pick would be on Tony Moore, it was sad that he won’t keep doing the illustrations on the rest of the comic book series. As additional info, Tony Moore remained in the creative team for a while doing the covers of the first twenty-four issues and the covers of the first four regular TPBs.
A good thing about The Walking Dead, if you want to enjoy it in comic books along with TV series is that both storylines are different, sure there will be connecting points here and there, and you will meet the same names of characters (in some cases) but they aren’t the same persons, and trust me, while this is my first compendium in the comic book’s storyline, I have been watching the TV series since its own beginning, and both stories are different, both truly great, but different, so don’t afraid of spoilers in any of both formats, since the events are developed quite different. You may think of the “other storyline” of any format, comic books or TV series, as “the road not taken”.
But truly loyal to the spirit of the franchise.
Officer Rick Grimes, from the Sheriff Deparment in Cynthiana, Kentucky, suffers a shot injury on duty and he falls into a coma. When he wakes up in a hospital bed, after several weeks, he finds himself alone in the building, or at least he thinks that he is alone. Soon enough he meets several “things”, walking “things” that only a word, not matter how nonsensical it sounds, is able to describe those walking “things”...
...ZOMBIES.
And if things aren’t bad enough, Rick doesn’t know the whereabouts of his wife and son!
Rick’s first stop on his own home leads him to meet Morgan and his son, Duane. Morgan explains him how the world gone to hell while Rick was in coma.
The US Government was asking population to go to big cities to be defended there by the army, and since Lori, Rick’s wife, has family in Atlanta, Rick decides to go there to search for his wife and son, Carl.
On Atlanta, he finds Glenn, an Asian-American young man, who explains him how the world works now.
Rick Grimes’ world would never been the same anymore!
Chapter Two
MILES BEHIND US
Rating: **** ( 4 stars )
Okay... What the hell are we going to do now?
The body count started on the first chapter making them to realize that ANYBODY may be the next one to fall.
Ammo is scarce, so that’s why that being able to shoot and doing it with precision becomes a vital skill where, Andrea, a young blonde woman, is showing to be the best shooter of the group.
Rick’s group is on the road, trying to find some safe place to survive in this nightmare that it’s their reality now.
However, that seems to be an impossible goal since there are zombies everywhere!
Any potential paradise reveals a hidden biting snake.
This is the first volume of the hardcover editions of "The Walking Dead", collecting the comic book issues from #1 to #12.
My general rating is an average result of the sum of the ratings of each chapter in this harcover edition.
Creative Team:
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Illustrators: Tony Moore (Chapter One) & Charlie Adlard (Chapter Two)
Additional gray tones to inking: Tony Moore (Chapter One) & Cliff Rathburn (Chapter Two)
Chapter One
DAYS GONE BYE
Rating: ***** ( 5 stars )
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 even prose novels.
This first chapter has the great artwork by Tony Moore that certainly made it iconic. The work of Charlie Adlard in the rest of chapters is really good too, specially on the details of things and backgrounds, but definitely if I’d be able to choose, my pick would be on Tony Moore, it was sad that he won’t keep doing the illustrations on the rest of the comic book series. As additional info, Tony Moore remained in the creative team for a while doing the covers of the first twenty-four issues and the covers of the first four regular TPBs.
A good thing about The Walking Dead, if you want to enjoy it in comic books along with TV series is that both storylines are different, sure there will be connecting points here and there, and you will meet the same names of characters (in some cases) but they aren’t the same persons, and trust me, while this is my first compendium in the comic book’s storyline, I have been watching the TV series since its own beginning, and both stories are different, both truly great, but different, so don’t afraid of spoilers in any of both formats, since the events are developed quite different. You may think of the “other storyline” of any format, comic books or TV series, as “the road not taken”.
But truly loyal to the spirit of the franchise.
Officer Rick Grimes, from the Sheriff Deparment in Cynthiana, Kentucky, suffers a shot injury on duty and he falls into a coma. When he wakes up in a hospital bed, after several weeks, he finds himself alone in the building, or at least he thinks that he is alone. Soon enough he meets several “things”, walking “things” that only a word, not matter how nonsensical it sounds, is able to describe those walking “things”...
...ZOMBIES.
And if things aren’t bad enough, Rick doesn’t know the whereabouts of his wife and son!
Rick’s first stop on his own home leads him to meet Morgan and his son, Duane. Morgan explains him how the world gone to hell while Rick was in coma.
The US Government was asking population to go to big cities to be defended there by the army, and since Lori, Rick’s wife, has family in Atlanta, Rick decides to go there to search for his wife and son, Carl.
On Atlanta, he finds Glenn, an Asian-American young man, who explains him how the world works now.
Rick Grimes’ world would never been the same anymore!
Chapter Two
MILES BEHIND US
Rating: **** ( 4 stars )
Okay... What the hell are we going to do now?
The body count started on the first chapter making them to realize that ANYBODY may be the next one to fall.
Ammo is scarce, so that’s why that being able to shoot and doing it with precision becomes a vital skill where, Andrea, a young blonde woman, is showing to be the best shooter of the group.
Rick’s group is on the road, trying to find some safe place to survive in this nightmare that it’s their reality now.
However, that seems to be an impossible goal since there are zombies everywhere!
Any potential paradise reveals a hidden biting snake.
February 6, 2017
How to review The Walking Dead? It's a household name. It's legendary. Who knows the impact it's had upon indie comics, the horror genre, and drama television.
Let's start with the zombie elephant in the room. Maybe it's heresy to say, but Tony Moore is a better illustrator in my opinion. His lines are sharp, his characters unique, his action unmatched. Charlie Adlard is solid, but his character design is lacking by comparison. I've heard he gets phenomenal later on, but there was a huge shift between volumes 1 and 2. Hopefully later volumes are better without this awkward transition.
I really enjoy the black and white illustrations, even Adlard's because it was designed that way. Bold lines and emphatic inks accompany a stark, dramatic story and it works perfectly. Would it look great with colors like Outcast? Sure. But it would be a very different comic, and maybe incomparable.
The writing is fucking incredible. Pacing, dialog, horror, suspense, characterization. I love how much faster this story moves compared to the television show. In just two volumes they go from the camp, to the farm, to the prison. Even this early on Robert Kirkman knows what he's doing. No complaints whatsoever.
What's interesting is how the supernatural element in The Walking Dead compares to Outcast. So the zombies are merely the stage upon which the characters play, where the drama takes place. Whereas in Outcast the demons are integral to the plot and character development. So if you don't like zombies you should still be able to enjoy this story, because it's really about human drama in a zombie world.
A short note on the Deluxe Edition... It's fantastic. The dust jacket-less cover is durable and boldly designed, with an awesome spine. It looks GREAT on the shelf. The paper is thick and high gloss. The binding is glued and very good, although a little tighter than Outcast. But there's no gutter loss whatsoever. A solid edition!
December 2, 2015
If you're a Walking Dead viewer wondering if the comic is as good as the series -- the short answer is that they both excel in very different ways... I'd call it a draw, and there's absolutely no reason to take sides. Even more than Game of Thrones and ASOIAF, the show has transcended the source material by altering the plot and the fates of several major characters, adding entirely new faces like Daryl Dixon ( who has become a wild card for comic fans and a favorite for many). As someone who followed the comics before the series, I don't say this glibly, but while the comic was superior to the show for the first couple seasons, the show has gradually taken the lead in Season's 4 & 5.
But the comic is still powerful storytelling, and remains the soul and center. One thing Kirkman, Adlard, and the writers of the show deserve praise for is the way both storylines have diverged. 'The Walking Dead' is essentially two parallel worlds, both of them with the worst fucking luck imaginable, caught in the accretion disk of a black hole named 'Kirkman'; the fate of both worlds looks grim, their original casts getting smaller and smaller, to eventually be swallowed up.
Like 'Crossed', Garth Ennis' pitch-black, utterly horrifying and nihilistic imagining of a Rabies-like viral apocalypse, there will be no cures, no miracles, no big plans, no daring rescues, no hope for a better tomorrow -- survival is everything. If you know the comic, you will still have no idea what's going to happen in the show, and vice versa. There are moments where both stories seem to coalesce, but then break apart to follow separate roads once again (Episode 3 of Season 6 is a good example -- what the fuck?! Issue 100 of the comic had prepared me for a similarly unsettling exit, but it managed to capture the sense of sudden, shocking finality that the comic has excelled at. No last second, improbable deus ex machine salvation; the seemingly hopeless predicament is truly hopeless).
[Whichever artist you prefer, original penciller/inker Tony Moore or super-long-term replacement Charles Adlard, it's a moot point now, since the former did six fucking issues, compared to Adlard's 140-and-counting. Still, Moore did a fine job establishing the early look and feel, and it took me awhile to warm up to the 'new guy'. Considering Moore's 6 issues and covers gave him co-creator status, that has to be one of the best-paying assignments in comics history.]
Art by Tony Moore:
Art by Charles Adlard:
This is the format to buy, without question. The deluxe hardcover is larger, the 8" x 11" oversized edition instead of the standard 7" x 10". Each hardcover book contains two of the softcover volumes; so Book 1 collects Volumes 1 and 2. Every storyline is about the same length -- 6 comicbook issues. So the Volumes are around 150 pages, and the Books are a bit longer, 320 or so pages; they come with extras -- like the original single-issue covers, and miscellaneous artwork from Charlie Adlard and Tony Moore -- that the softcover Volumes do not. While Adlard has been the series artist for a very long time, and does a brilliant, remarkably quick, and consistent job, Tony Moore's art in Book 1 played a big part in the success of 'The Walking Dead'; unfortunately, he couldn't keep up with the unforgiving monthly pace. Pricewise, each oversized, extra-long hardcover Book is about the same price as the two softcover volumes it collects. Oh, right -- it's about a group struggling to survive the zombie apocalypse. Highly recommended.
[The Adlard interiors have continued to improve, but Moore's covers for the first couple dozen issues were another critical factor in the book's success; their inclusion in the hardcovers is a significant plus, IMO:]
P.S.: The Compendiums are the most affordable way to pick up the comic -- collecting 48 single issues/8 Volumes/4 Books/2 Omnibus(es) (Omnibae?). They're a bit awkward though. The Omnibus is the super-deluxe format, similar to the Absolute Editions from DC. Image does as excellent job producing each.
But the comic is still powerful storytelling, and remains the soul and center. One thing Kirkman, Adlard, and the writers of the show deserve praise for is the way both storylines have diverged. 'The Walking Dead' is essentially two parallel worlds, both of them with the worst fucking luck imaginable, caught in the accretion disk of a black hole named 'Kirkman'; the fate of both worlds looks grim, their original casts getting smaller and smaller, to eventually be swallowed up.
Like 'Crossed', Garth Ennis' pitch-black, utterly horrifying and nihilistic imagining of a Rabies-like viral apocalypse, there will be no cures, no miracles, no big plans, no daring rescues, no hope for a better tomorrow -- survival is everything. If you know the comic, you will still have no idea what's going to happen in the show, and vice versa. There are moments where both stories seem to coalesce, but then break apart to follow separate roads once again (Episode 3 of Season 6 is a good example -- what the fuck?! Issue 100 of the comic had prepared me for a similarly unsettling exit, but it managed to capture the sense of sudden, shocking finality that the comic has excelled at. No last second, improbable deus ex machine salvation; the seemingly hopeless predicament is truly hopeless).
[Whichever artist you prefer, original penciller/inker Tony Moore or super-long-term replacement Charles Adlard, it's a moot point now, since the former did six fucking issues, compared to Adlard's 140-and-counting. Still, Moore did a fine job establishing the early look and feel, and it took me awhile to warm up to the 'new guy'. Considering Moore's 6 issues and covers gave him co-creator status, that has to be one of the best-paying assignments in comics history.]
Art by Tony Moore:
Art by Charles Adlard:
This is the format to buy, without question. The deluxe hardcover is larger, the 8" x 11" oversized edition instead of the standard 7" x 10". Each hardcover book contains two of the softcover volumes; so Book 1 collects Volumes 1 and 2. Every storyline is about the same length -- 6 comicbook issues. So the Volumes are around 150 pages, and the Books are a bit longer, 320 or so pages; they come with extras -- like the original single-issue covers, and miscellaneous artwork from Charlie Adlard and Tony Moore -- that the softcover Volumes do not. While Adlard has been the series artist for a very long time, and does a brilliant, remarkably quick, and consistent job, Tony Moore's art in Book 1 played a big part in the success of 'The Walking Dead'; unfortunately, he couldn't keep up with the unforgiving monthly pace. Pricewise, each oversized, extra-long hardcover Book is about the same price as the two softcover volumes it collects. Oh, right -- it's about a group struggling to survive the zombie apocalypse. Highly recommended.
[The Adlard interiors have continued to improve, but Moore's covers for the first couple dozen issues were another critical factor in the book's success; their inclusion in the hardcovers is a significant plus, IMO:]
P.S.: The Compendiums are the most affordable way to pick up the comic -- collecting 48 single issues/8 Volumes/4 Books/2 Omnibus(es) (Omnibae?). They're a bit awkward though. The Omnibus is the super-deluxe format, similar to the Absolute Editions from DC. Image does as excellent job producing each.
August 29, 2010
After trudging through pages and pages of one-dimensional character sludge and one too many sequences of dialogue about canned food, I just couldn't do it anymore. I enjoy post-apocalyptic survival stories as much as anyone, but I expected so much more; especially considering all the hype surrounding this title (from the rave reviews on Amazon and GoodReads to the upcoming TV show).
From panel to panel, you get humans trying desperately to fulfill the first level of Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of human needs- breathing, food, water, sex, sleep, homeostasis, excretion. That is to say that Mr. Kirkman, with a stunning mastery, reduces his characters and story to blank human slates (both dead and alive) that express only their most primal instincts (and btw, his view of manly instincts vs. womanly instincts may often be considered sexist).
I guess that's the point. If you're into human psychology and the like, maybe you'll enjoy this as a sort of post-apocalyptic case study of human nature. But not at all will you walk away attached to any one character... I didn't. Except for maybe Rick, but even he lacked the spark of a memorable personality.
Want an interesting post-apocalyptic (Yo)Rick, read Y: The Last Man.
From panel to panel, you get humans trying desperately to fulfill the first level of Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of human needs- breathing, food, water, sex, sleep, homeostasis, excretion. That is to say that Mr. Kirkman, with a stunning mastery, reduces his characters and story to blank human slates (both dead and alive) that express only their most primal instincts (and btw, his view of manly instincts vs. womanly instincts may often be considered sexist).
I guess that's the point. If you're into human psychology and the like, maybe you'll enjoy this as a sort of post-apocalyptic case study of human nature. But not at all will you walk away attached to any one character... I didn't. Except for maybe Rick, but even he lacked the spark of a memorable personality.
Want an interesting post-apocalyptic (Yo)Rick, read Y: The Last Man.
October 17, 2018
THE WALKING DEAD, Book One - the continuing story of survival horror was a partial repeat for me, but still enjoyable....and a great October read!
The story of Officer Rick Grimes and cohorts moves forward through a world of devastation and zombies to include the horrific accident near the farm all the way through to finding the prison....and what's behind all the fences and corridors inside.
Book One also includes a short special holiday story featuring Morgan and Duane, some great character sketches to keep everyone straight, and some really cool color artwork designs. (The one of Rick, Lori and Carl is my personal favorite with the creepy night time burial scene a close second.
If I had a wish, it would be that this series of hardcover books were entirely in color, but that won't deter me from reading and purchasing the rest. I am definitely now a bona fide WD junkie....quite a bit late to the party, I know, but still definitely hooked!
March 29, 2016
I love the differences between TWD TV show and the graphic novels it was adapted from.
I've read The Walking Dead, Issue #1 which is a free book covering only the first day of TWD graphic novels just to see if I'd like this medium, and I can honestly say, TWD is my first graphic novel and now I'm addicted to this series.
Sadly, my library doesn't have book two but it does have the rest of the books so I'm forced to buy it because I'm desperate to know what happens next and how it diverges from the TV show. I can't wait to get my hands on book two and I'm glad I have lots of books to look forward to and that each of them contain 12 issues.
I've read The Walking Dead, Issue #1 which is a free book covering only the first day of TWD graphic novels just to see if I'd like this medium, and I can honestly say, TWD is my first graphic novel and now I'm addicted to this series.
Sadly, my library doesn't have book two but it does have the rest of the books so I'm forced to buy it because I'm desperate to know what happens next and how it diverges from the TV show. I can't wait to get my hands on book two and I'm glad I have lots of books to look forward to and that each of them contain 12 issues.
June 3, 2009
Wonderful artwork and good writing (I read this in French translation while in Paris, but I assume it was just as well done in the original). BUT! It doesn't really add anything original to the whole zombie thing, and starts the same way as 28 Days Later. Not to mention that all the ass-kicking and fighting is done by men, men, men--the women wash the laundry and scream and run from zombies and drop their guns and are fought over by men. And the only woman in the book who complains about this is portrayed unsympathetically. If the later issues aren't any better on this front, I'll have to stop reading.
May 1, 2021
So here begins my reading adventure to finally finish The Walking Dead comic series. I've read about half of it back in the day but never did get a chance to finish it.
I think most people seen, read, or least heard of the Walking Dead. After the zombies start invading Rick and his group of survivors must try to get through the hellish landscapes and meet new people to try to work together to survive. It is really amazing how it begins as so many people still have hope the government will fix this, that people are still KIND to each other. All this is about to change but re-reading the start it is amazing how different it is at the start.
The dialogue is Kirkman's strongest part. Realistic, well crafted, funny at times, haunting at others. He gives a voice to so many characters and they all feel different. On top of that the art is really solid and although it changes half way, both artist have the feel of the atmosphere even if the designs themselves change.
It is a bit slow and sometimes long winded conversations get a bit much, but everything else from the shocking deaths to the heartfelt moments really works well. One of the best horror/survival comics ever made without a doubt. First volume gets a 4 out of 5.
I think most people seen, read, or least heard of the Walking Dead. After the zombies start invading Rick and his group of survivors must try to get through the hellish landscapes and meet new people to try to work together to survive. It is really amazing how it begins as so many people still have hope the government will fix this, that people are still KIND to each other. All this is about to change but re-reading the start it is amazing how different it is at the start.
The dialogue is Kirkman's strongest part. Realistic, well crafted, funny at times, haunting at others. He gives a voice to so many characters and they all feel different. On top of that the art is really solid and although it changes half way, both artist have the feel of the atmosphere even if the designs themselves change.
It is a bit slow and sometimes long winded conversations get a bit much, but everything else from the shocking deaths to the heartfelt moments really works well. One of the best horror/survival comics ever made without a doubt. First volume gets a 4 out of 5.
April 8, 2015
Well written, solid art...I get why people like it. Just didn't quite click for me.
December 12, 2014
Over the next ten weeks, I will be reviewing one Walking Dead book per week, to try and stave off the hunger for more episodes of the show. I will try and keep these a spoiler free as possible, but readers should be aware that a review may mention spoilers from previous books in the series.
Each one of these books comprises twelve issues of the comic.
Officer Rick Grimes wakes up in the hospital after being shot by an escaping prisoner. No one responds to his calls for a nurse, and when he ventures out of his room, he finds he is completely alone in the hospital. Except, of course, for the dead things that want to eat him.
Barely making it out alive, he goes home to look for his family, but he finds that the town is just as “dead” as the hospital, until a boy mistakes him for a zombie and whacks him over the head with a shovel. Duane and his dad, Morgan, bring Rick inside, give him some food, and fill him in on what happened to the world. And then Rick sets off again, on his way to Atlanta to find his family.
The story brings together a group of everyday people – delivery drivers, students, mechanics, retirees, mums, dads, kids, siblings – as they make their way through this world full of new dangers, in their search for a safe place.
As a long time devourer of novels I never really bothered with comics, until a couple of years ago when I started buying all of the Walking Dead books and powering through them. I believe I was in-between seasons of the show, and desperate for more. I was actually surprised at how easily I got used to the different format, and how little I was bothered by the dialogue being in all capitals. I devoured these books, one after the other, each one only taking a few hours to get through, and then sitting pretty on my shelf until it was time for another re-read.
The rest of this review can be found here!
Each one of these books comprises twelve issues of the comic.
Officer Rick Grimes wakes up in the hospital after being shot by an escaping prisoner. No one responds to his calls for a nurse, and when he ventures out of his room, he finds he is completely alone in the hospital. Except, of course, for the dead things that want to eat him.
Barely making it out alive, he goes home to look for his family, but he finds that the town is just as “dead” as the hospital, until a boy mistakes him for a zombie and whacks him over the head with a shovel. Duane and his dad, Morgan, bring Rick inside, give him some food, and fill him in on what happened to the world. And then Rick sets off again, on his way to Atlanta to find his family.
The story brings together a group of everyday people – delivery drivers, students, mechanics, retirees, mums, dads, kids, siblings – as they make their way through this world full of new dangers, in their search for a safe place.
As a long time devourer of novels I never really bothered with comics, until a couple of years ago when I started buying all of the Walking Dead books and powering through them. I believe I was in-between seasons of the show, and desperate for more. I was actually surprised at how easily I got used to the different format, and how little I was bothered by the dialogue being in all capitals. I devoured these books, one after the other, each one only taking a few hours to get through, and then sitting pretty on my shelf until it was time for another re-read.
The rest of this review can be found here!
October 5, 2010
It's readable, but these zombie apocalypse stories are starting to feel a little redundant to me. There's certainly nothing new in this one, and the writing is decidedly sub-par.
It really lost me at the sexism, though -- just like World War Z. I guess it's good to know that someone's going to be looking after the laundry when the world ends...? On the other hand, Kirkman's grasp of masculine behavior struck me as cartoonish and inauthentic as well. Does every man have a secret cowboy deep inside, just waiting for the chance to defend his wagon? Wild guess, but I got the sense that this is not a writer who knows a whole lot about people or relationships. I could go on to make guesses about some deep-seated mother hatred, but I will just get on with it and say that writers like this don't produce interesting stories, the end.
I might nonetheless have given this two stars for the artwork, but the good artist bailed halfway through and the artwork in the second half of the volume is just hideous.
And while I am disliking this book, what the hell is the point of the "A Continuing Story..." subtitle? It's awkward, and anyway, "book one" seems to pretty much cover that. Every time I saw this book sitting around my home, I asked myself WHY.
It really lost me at the sexism, though -- just like World War Z. I guess it's good to know that someone's going to be looking after the laundry when the world ends...? On the other hand, Kirkman's grasp of masculine behavior struck me as cartoonish and inauthentic as well. Does every man have a secret cowboy deep inside, just waiting for the chance to defend his wagon? Wild guess, but I got the sense that this is not a writer who knows a whole lot about people or relationships. I could go on to make guesses about some deep-seated mother hatred, but I will just get on with it and say that writers like this don't produce interesting stories, the end.
I might nonetheless have given this two stars for the artwork, but the good artist bailed halfway through and the artwork in the second half of the volume is just hideous.
And while I am disliking this book, what the hell is the point of the "A Continuing Story..." subtitle? It's awkward, and anyway, "book one" seems to pretty much cover that. Every time I saw this book sitting around my home, I asked myself WHY.
January 22, 2013
I was introduced to the Walking dead via the television series, which I especially enjoyed so I've been keen to see how the originating graphic novel compares.
So the comic? I found it a slightly strange experience. Rather than balance dialogue with narration, the Walking Dead is only populated by the out-loud voices of the characters. At first this did wonders leading towards the bleak setting, however I struggled at times with panels dominated by speech bubbles.
The artwork is gruesome as to be expected, although I felt at times didn't quite capture the setting to full effect. Also due the fast pacing of the story I oddly also found myself struggling to enjoy the visuals because the story rushed past so quickly.
Ultimately when comparing to the televison series, I would recommend fans just stick with the show, unless they are absolutely die hard. I felt the show is much more developed both character and world wise. Although I did enjoy the graphic novel I prefer Rick in 'real life' (plus no Daryl in graphic novels)
So the comic? I found it a slightly strange experience. Rather than balance dialogue with narration, the Walking Dead is only populated by the out-loud voices of the characters. At first this did wonders leading towards the bleak setting, however I struggled at times with panels dominated by speech bubbles.
The artwork is gruesome as to be expected, although I felt at times didn't quite capture the setting to full effect. Also due the fast pacing of the story I oddly also found myself struggling to enjoy the visuals because the story rushed past so quickly.
Ultimately when comparing to the televison series, I would recommend fans just stick with the show, unless they are absolutely die hard. I felt the show is much more developed both character and world wise. Although I did enjoy the graphic novel I prefer Rick in 'real life' (plus no Daryl in graphic novels)
November 16, 2011
I wish I had read these before I watched the show. The characters are much more raw, and I identify with them less. I even dislike most of them, including Rick. I do realize that in an actual situation like a zombie apocalypse, it would be extremely unlikely that one person would remain the voice of reason in every stressful situation. Everyone would snap once in a while. The lack of a reliable "leader" made each setback almost unbearable. I have to say that I like Rick's character better in the show. However, if the show follows the comics, s**t's about to go down so we will see how it goes.
August 5, 2012
We just got these at the library and I'm finally getting around to reading them, after enjoying the first two seasons of the show. The comics do not disappoint. The artwork's great, and the dialog and writing are excellent. If you've seen the show and not read the books, you'll likely be a bit surprised by how QUICKLY everything seems to happen in the comics -- stuff that takes half a season on TV takes maybe two or three issues in the book. The comics really emphasize the way that Rick and his group never quite get a chance to stop and take a breath.
I have to ask -- am I the only one who thinks Lori is significantly less horrible in the comics than on TV?
By the way, I loved this, but I also loved reading everyone's comments here on Goodreads looking at this from a feminist perspective, and I'm eager to see how that all plays out. So far it doesn't strike me as terribly misogynistic, but I can also understand why some folks have taken issue with it.
I have to ask -- am I the only one who thinks Lori is significantly less horrible in the comics than on TV?
By the way, I loved this, but I also loved reading everyone's comments here on Goodreads looking at this from a feminist perspective, and I'm eager to see how that all plays out. So far it doesn't strike me as terribly misogynistic, but I can also understand why some folks have taken issue with it.
March 31, 2013
Since I have become somewhat obsessed and season 3 is coming to a close, I thought perhaps I should give the Graphic books a try. This would be my first experience with a Graphic book. I was a little bit hesitant at first and will admit it did take me a bit to get into the groove, but once I did I actually enjoyed it more than I thought. I am not so sure I would have, had I not started with the TV series, but I definitely think that the two together enhance The Walking Dead experience on a whole. I am fascinated with the fact that the book and the series are quite different on many levels.
My one real problem with this book however, is the pacing. At times it was a bit too fast for my liking. I found many things were skimmed over too quickly and I did not get enveloped into the story line as much as I would have liked. Also, not being able to get into the characters heads like you would with a novel...well, I guess I still struggle with that...perhaps with more experience, I will be able to get past that.
With my love of all things Walking Dead, I am going to continue with this series and I do recommend it to those who are fans of the AMC series.
My one real problem with this book however, is the pacing. At times it was a bit too fast for my liking. I found many things were skimmed over too quickly and I did not get enveloped into the story line as much as I would have liked. Also, not being able to get into the characters heads like you would with a novel...well, I guess I still struggle with that...perhaps with more experience, I will be able to get past that.
With my love of all things Walking Dead, I am going to continue with this series and I do recommend it to those who are fans of the AMC series.
October 9, 2015
Not surprisingly...all the stars.
Since I can't have this...
I decided to give the comic a try.
I really enjoyed this. I have never read a comic or graphic novel before this, but after all the amazing reviews I have read on GR, I thought it was about time. I am a HUGE fan of the show and I was really shocked how different this was. It was so fun to read and get both perspectives.
Book 2 here I come!!
Since I can't have this...
I decided to give the comic a try.
I really enjoyed this. I have never read a comic or graphic novel before this, but after all the amazing reviews I have read on GR, I thought it was about time. I am a HUGE fan of the show and I was really shocked how different this was. It was so fun to read and get both perspectives.
Book 2 here I come!!
March 25, 2014
This is the first graphic novel I have read, as an adult, and am very impressed with the introduction into the genre. This is a great story of horror that has the reader literally sitting on the edge of the seat. What I enjoy most about the Walking dead the most in the unpredictability of it. Characters can die at any given moment. This creates continued suspense throughout producing a real page turner.
March 6, 2017
Understanding the reader helps me to understand their review. So let me tell you my attributes so you can judge my review of this piece.
First, I'm not a huge graphic novel/comic book reader. The artwork doesn't hold my attention which means I fly through the pages gleaning the story mainly from the dialogue. Which leads into my impatience for drawn out stories. If I had to wait for each issue to come out, I'd go crazy. Having a compendium like this makes it more enjoyable for me. And finally, I've been watching the show, so I already have preconceived notions of how the story should unfold.
With all that said, let me say I really enjoyed this graphic novel. Borderline 4.5 stars. The downfall is really that the depth of character that cannot be expressed fully in such a medium without the reader making assumptions and filling in gaps.
Finally, and this seems to be an ever present predicament with zombie stories, HOW DID YOU NOT KNOW THERE WAS A ZOMBIE WITHING BITING DISTANCE OF YOU!?! Is humanity really so dumb? I've met a few specimens I could put that moniker on, but given that these are the SURVIVORS, shouldn't they have a little bit of common sense knocked into them? I know that might remove the drama and excitement because logical people would simply kill zombies and get done what needs to get done rather than getting all frisky and wandering off alone.
Well, this is definitely not one for kids. Not sure why they have toys in the kids' aisles of stores since both the show and the print versions have language and sexual content. The one plus side to Robert Kirkman's style is the absence of colorful blood & gore.
First, I'm not a huge graphic novel/comic book reader. The artwork doesn't hold my attention which means I fly through the pages gleaning the story mainly from the dialogue. Which leads into my impatience for drawn out stories. If I had to wait for each issue to come out, I'd go crazy. Having a compendium like this makes it more enjoyable for me. And finally, I've been watching the show, so I already have preconceived notions of how the story should unfold.
With all that said, let me say I really enjoyed this graphic novel. Borderline 4.5 stars. The downfall is really that the depth of character that cannot be expressed fully in such a medium without the reader making assumptions and filling in gaps.
Finally, and this seems to be an ever present predicament with zombie stories, HOW DID YOU NOT KNOW THERE WAS A ZOMBIE WITHING BITING DISTANCE OF YOU!?! Is humanity really so dumb? I've met a few specimens I could put that moniker on, but given that these are the SURVIVORS, shouldn't they have a little bit of common sense knocked into them? I know that might remove the drama and excitement because logical people would simply kill zombies and get done what needs to get done rather than getting all frisky and wandering off alone.
Well, this is definitely not one for kids. Not sure why they have toys in the kids' aisles of stores since both the show and the print versions have language and sexual content. The one plus side to Robert Kirkman's style is the absence of colorful blood & gore.
October 28, 2015
2.5 stars.
I prefer the show, hands-down. The comic blows through plot points at a breakneck pace and relies on a whole hell of a lot of tell-not-showing. Characters feel flat and one dimensional. Dialogue is laden with exposition. There's almost a complete lack of tension or organic build-up to dramatic moments so they come across either abrupt or downright silly.
And the art, which was very good (often taking advantage of full-page single panels for a perfect, gorgeous, gory reveal) for the first 6 issues, becomes almost unbearably bad in issue 7. The new artist is inconsistent, with a sloppy, amateurish grasp of proportion and expression that make the attempts-at-emotional and "touching" moments especially cringe-inducing.
I've read comics that manage to avoid these issues altogether, so as much as I'd like to say, give The Walking Dead some wiggle room for pacing, writing, characterization, etc. because of its medium (but not the art; there's no excuse for that), I can't.
The half star is for the art in the first 6 issues of this compilation.
AMC, I'm still your girl.
I prefer the show, hands-down. The comic blows through plot points at a breakneck pace and relies on a whole hell of a lot of tell-not-showing. Characters feel flat and one dimensional. Dialogue is laden with exposition. There's almost a complete lack of tension or organic build-up to dramatic moments so they come across either abrupt or downright silly.
And the art, which was very good (often taking advantage of full-page single panels for a perfect, gorgeous, gory reveal) for the first 6 issues, becomes almost unbearably bad in issue 7. The new artist is inconsistent, with a sloppy, amateurish grasp of proportion and expression that make the attempts-at-emotional and "touching" moments especially cringe-inducing.
I've read comics that manage to avoid these issues altogether, so as much as I'd like to say, give The Walking Dead some wiggle room for pacing, writing, characterization, etc. because of its medium (but not the art; there's no excuse for that), I can't.
The half star is for the art in the first 6 issues of this compilation.
AMC, I'm still your girl.
May 17, 2016
As a longtime fan of the TV series, this book had been gifted to me several months ago and has since been sitting on my shelf. For me, it's so difficult to get into such an already well-established comic series because they just get to be so expensive. Luckily, this is one of the rare graphic novel series on my library's shelf so I had no qualms about starting it when I'd genuinely be able to finish without spending an arm and leg. I loved getting to know the characters of this story, particularly the ones that didn't get the opportunity to develop on the TV series. This was exciting and kept me on the edge of my seat with every turn of the page. The only thing I didn't particularly like were the romantic stories every which way. As Glenn had said, everyone's pairing off!
September 10, 2015
4.5 stars
I enjoyed this a lot, i even liked the fact that it was very different from the tv show so i didn't know what would happen next. The artist changes though, starting from the 7th issue (or chapter 2 in this book) and it was kind of a let-down for me to be honest, because the art was absolutely flawless in the beginning. The art is still really good but i can't help but compare it to the first issues. The plot was great, though i gotta admit i liked that of the tv show better. I guess i shouldn't compare the comics to the tv show because they're almost two completely different productions, but i just thought that things happened somewhat abruptly in this book, like it didn't flow smoothly somehow. Other than that, it was really good.
I enjoyed this a lot, i even liked the fact that it was very different from the tv show so i didn't know what would happen next. The artist changes though, starting from the 7th issue (or chapter 2 in this book) and it was kind of a let-down for me to be honest, because the art was absolutely flawless in the beginning. The art is still really good but i can't help but compare it to the first issues. The plot was great, though i gotta admit i liked that of the tv show better. I guess i shouldn't compare the comics to the tv show because they're almost two completely different productions, but i just thought that things happened somewhat abruptly in this book, like it didn't flow smoothly somehow. Other than that, it was really good.
March 6, 2016
GREAT book. Not that I expected anything different. I love the TV show and it was really great to go back to the start with this comic and see the characters grow and develop all over again. I really liked being able to compare plot points and character arcs! This was just so fun and the art style is amazing. I love that this is much darker than the show. There is swearing and sex and some vulgarity but I think it works so perfectly because it feels more realistic than the show where someone dies and they are like 'oh darn I have been bitten that is it for me goodbye world'. Realistically you would get bit and just be like 'HOLY FUCKING SHIT TITS OMG' and then die.
July 4, 2013
The Walking Dead was the first graphic novel that I have ever read. It took a bit of time understanding and getting used to how graphic novels are read but once I got use to it I really enjoyed it. So much so that I had to convince the fiancé now to open up book 2 so I could start reading it. I did watch Season 1 and Season 2 before I read the novels. (We will talk about my thoughts on the novel vs. the show later)
I enjoyed the story and the artwork in the first two volumes. I liked that fact that with graphic novels its feels more about the story than the descriptions of looks and landscape because you get to see it! It’s a wonderful concept that I like.
Graphic Novel vs. TV Show (Note: May Contain Spoilers)
It looks to me that Book 1 and Season 1 are roughly the same. There are some changes such as Daryl isn’t in the novels, but that’s okay because who doesn’t love Daryl?? I know I do! I also don’t mind that they kept Shane longer in the TV Series. I found that I liked him better in the TV show over the novel anyways. He was just an overall ass in the book at least in the TV show he was at least nice at the beginning. Andrea pisses me off in the book and in the TV show….can the writers seriously kill her off already? I do wish that the novel would have had the CDA scenes in it. It gave that mystery of suspense on how everyone started to turn into zombies and that everyone was infected. It gave a much bigger shock in the TV Show when Rick says “WE ARE THE WALKING DEAD”. In the novel I just found it kinda random but I do wish that the TV show would have had him yelling it. Overall, I am extremely happy with the adaption the TV show writers are doing.
Pretty much I need more now!
I enjoyed the story and the artwork in the first two volumes. I liked that fact that with graphic novels its feels more about the story than the descriptions of looks and landscape because you get to see it! It’s a wonderful concept that I like.
Graphic Novel vs. TV Show (Note: May Contain Spoilers)
It looks to me that Book 1 and Season 1 are roughly the same. There are some changes such as Daryl isn’t in the novels, but that’s okay because who doesn’t love Daryl?? I know I do! I also don’t mind that they kept Shane longer in the TV Series. I found that I liked him better in the TV show over the novel anyways. He was just an overall ass in the book at least in the TV show he was at least nice at the beginning. Andrea pisses me off in the book and in the TV show….can the writers seriously kill her off already? I do wish that the novel would have had the CDA scenes in it. It gave that mystery of suspense on how everyone started to turn into zombies and that everyone was infected. It gave a much bigger shock in the TV Show when Rick says “WE ARE THE WALKING DEAD”. In the novel I just found it kinda random but I do wish that the TV show would have had him yelling it. Overall, I am extremely happy with the adaption the TV show writers are doing.
Pretty much I need more now!
September 27, 2013
Since the series is too violent for me to watch on TV, and my husband watches it over and over and over again, he bought me the graphic novel for my birthday. It's the first graphic novel that I've ever read, and I enjoyed the experience. As for the book itself, I found the story to be very compelling and the characters well drawn, but then it has this zombie thing going on, which I understand is the whole purpose of the book. The title is "The Walking Dead" so one doesn't have to be a rocket scientist to know that the book is about zombies. It's just that I found the zombies to be a distraction from the people in the story, which were much more interesting in my opinion.
Nevertheless, I have a feeling that I will be getting The Walking Dead, Book Two as one of my gifts for Christmas.
Overall, I recommend this book.
Nevertheless, I have a feeling that I will be getting The Walking Dead, Book Two as one of my gifts for Christmas.
Overall, I recommend this book.
April 7, 2016
This is my first graphic novel and I loved reading it. There were some issues with it though. How women are portrayed in the comics.. Weak and only useful as sexual objects..except Michonne that is. I also had trouble with the timeline as a reference.. The only indicator was the seasons. I also like the fact that there's characters in the book that aren't on the tv show.
November 23, 2012
What a gripping read. Characters are brilliant and the tension and stress of living amongst the zombies is really well written. Love the illustrations too, wonderfullly graphic, gory undead! Cannot wait to get started on Book 2 and also watch the TV series.
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