In the back of this graphic novel is a letter written by the author and artist. In it he explains his love for zombie movies, but his hate for two words associated with every movie...THE END. He wanted to know what happened afterward, what happened after the helicopter flew away, what did the survivors go through, did they die, did they live where did they go? I have to admit I have this same reaction every time I finish watching a zombie film, I wanted more. For that reason The Walking Dead was created, with an open ended storyline, never ending always flowing.
First of all the book itself is gorgeous black and white with a splash of red, its heavy and you just want to rub your hands all over it because its so smooth. From the opening page, you understand that the artists and the author are true fans of the genre, and that they are talented enough to be able to introduce many characters but still giving personalities and background without confusing the reader or losing them. Drawing zombies, and giving them "life" is a hard thing to do, and they accomplish that feat even in black and white. You cannot see the tinge of rotting green, or the iridescence of the flies on their faces, or the blood when they tear into their victims but you don't need to because in black and white they are even more frightening. I could actually swear that I smelled them coming off the page, lips shrunken back, teeth long and hungry and the primordial need to eat flesh.
The storyline is simple and familiar, but it's so well scripted that it's a whole different spin on the zombie universe all together. Rick wakes up from coma, to find the whole town is deserted but for the walking dead, confused and concerned he goes to find his family but they are gone. A survivor explains to him what he knows, and Rick decided to go to Atlanta because that's where his wife and child would have headed to be with her family. So he gathers some guns, gets into a car and off he goes. I won't go into the rest, because as a graphic novel you have to see it to believe it. I read this in one sitting, slowly absorbing every single detail from to the branches on the trees down to gore flying through the air. Volume 1 does leave you with a "will be continued", but you aren't left feeling gypped at all. I already have Volume 2 on order!
