Every zombie fans dream is a Romero story that never ends. And every medium has its defining zombie story. Cinema has Night of the Living Dead. Books have World War Z. Comics have The Walking Dead, which is like the Romero story that never ends. (Written by Robert Kirkman, with art by Tony Moore, until issue #7 when he is replaced by Charlie Adlard.) If you haven't read this yet you need to apologize to yourself. Like a hand-written apology. Because this is hands down one of the greatest zombie stories ever told. Soon to be a show on AMC, with Frank Darabont (Shawshank Redemption, The Mist, The Green Mile) onboard to direct the first couple of episodes. So you definitely want to buy this now before that airs. (so you can be a nob like me)
It starts off with our hero Rick waking up from a coma in a hospital to a whole new, savage world. (28 Days anyone?) A world in which the dead have risen from their graves. A world where the dead outnumber the living. Rick sets off back to his house to find what has become of his wife and son. What he finds is that they are no longer there, that they are traveling to the city thinking that's where the rescue teams will show up. But there's no rescue. After a grueling few weeks of solitude, and hopelessness Rick finds a small group of survivors. This is where the real story begins.
The rag tag group is small, and frightened, trying to survive with limited supplies, and limited access to food and shelter. This is where we meet the main group for the first time. Aside from those mentioned we have Andrea and her sister Amy - 2 college kids trying to find out what happened to their parents. Dale an older man with an RV who saved the 2 girls, as well as give them a warm place to sleep. Glen a young guy who escaped the perils of the city, and is now alone in the world. Shane; Rick’s deputy in the force who saved Rick's family. Carla, and Sophia a young widowed mother and her fatherless daughter. Allen (nice guy) & Donna (his bitch wife) and their twins Billy & Ben. And Jim and middle-aged loner.
More characters get added in & taken out, but these are the first we meet.
I won't say too much as this is an ongoing comic series, but not one TPB (which is how I buy them) has let me down, each is filled with gripping story, and heartwrenching moments for the few survivors. It contains some of the most powerful moments in this medium, and the story just gets better & better, and the characters just keep getting deeper & deeper. It will leave you scrambling for the next volumes, just to make sure everything is ok. You'll clutch your chest as you read this series. Kirkman takes you through this new life in this post-apocalyptic world, and makes you love the people in it... before they're all ripped from your arms & pages. One thing that fascinates me is that even in a world overun with the walking dead, humans are still the greatest monsters. On the same token; you'll also see how in times of adversity people can band together for the greater good, and how roles get assumed and assigned. You get to see the best and the worst of mankind all in one series.
Kirkman knows when to hit you hard. He is the new master of this art. But make no mistake, he also knows when to go slow, and make you think. This is far beyond "well-thought-out". No two characters in the story are alike. They are more than just fodder, each has their own thoughts, emotions, triumphs, goals, failures, secrets, and personality. While keeping you more than riveted, Kirkman manages to make you love (or hate) each person by displaying the depths of their being. His story telling never once contradicts itself something you rarely see in a series of this ilk. He has thought out everything you can imagine and the character-driven story blooms because of that.
The Walkng dead is not just some bloody gore-fest like Ennis' "Crossed" (not that I mind bloody gore-fests). It's complex, thought-provoking, and passionate. This is not a kiddy-candy-coated story at all. You'll feel the pain when characters start dying because by the time they're ripped from your pages... you love them, and feel like they're apart of the family. But on the bright side: you WILL cheer when bad guys get what's ultimately coming to them. Never have I read something that moves me so much - that has been so consistently powerful.
One of the most powerful aspects of the series is the inclusion of kids. Zombie stories almost never have child-survivors. You get to see children deal with a world where the dead won’t stay dead. Where your mother/father/brothers/sisters will rise from there death to eat you. All while the surviving adults turn out to be even bigger threats than the monsters surrounding them. But they know nothing else - these children of the apocalypse. Possibly one of the most complex characters is Carl, a boy that never got a childhood. In the later issues you see him grow up fast, because he has to, he has to make decisions no child should ever have to make. You get to see first hand; how the world around Carl is evolving and shaping him.
The artwork is phenomenal, done in black and white for that NOTLD feel, which only adds to it's beauty and nostalgia. Every character is awesome, and every character is unique in their own way. The story is unlike anything you will ever read, and yet encompasses everything you've ever loved about the zombie sub-genre. Read volume one, and if you're not hooked, then I promise I will eat my own arm. A solid 10 out of 5 stars. 5 just isn't nearly enough to express my love for this powerhouse of a comic.
In short: READ THE WALKING DEAD!!! Max Brooks (author of World War Z) liked it, and so will you.
The trade paper backs/graphic novels (the fastest way to go) collect 6 issues per volume. The hardcovers (the prettiest way to go) collect 12 issues per volume. The compendium (the cheapest way to go, yet the most annoying to read because it's so cumbersome) collects the first 48 issues. (which is the first 8 tpb's, or the first 4 hardcovers.)
Written by: Robert Kirkman
Art by: Tony Moore & Charlie Adlard
-Krys Caroleo
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