Customer Reviews

The Walking Dead, Book 1 (Bk. 1)

5 star:		(62)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"The Walking Dead" is (as the name somewhat implies) one of those zombie comics that have become so popular as of late. I've read a few of them, and I must say, this one is the best. The opening is actually startlingly similar to the film "28 Days Later" as our hero, a small-town cop, wakes up from a coma to find that the world has been overrun by zombies and everything he knew and loved is missing or outright destroyed. That similar starting point aside, after that the story takes on a really unique flavor for a zombie story. It's not so much about the zombies themselves, but about our hero, the ragtag group of survivors he joins, and how they try to rebuild after the cataclysm.

Yeah, I know that a lot of zombie movies, at least the really good ones, are "commentaries on society" instead of straight horror flicks. That's very true. But every zombie movie has to have an ending. With "The Walking Dead" being an ongoing comic, and therefore open-ended, we get to see facets of life in a "zombie world" that we rarely see in a zombie movie. The comic is almost never about the immediate threat of a zombie attack (in fact, it becomes clear that many living humans are far more dangerous in this new world than zombies are). It's about how people get by after their entire world has been stripped away from them. That means it really runs the gamut of human emotion -- from terror to grief to anger. It's very dark, often painful, frequently moving, and even occasionally funny. It's like real life.

Really, this story would work almost as well in any global catastrophe scenario, from nuclear war to apocalyptic meteor strike. It's about how people survive, not what they're surviving.

Most of the folks here already know that The Walking Dead Book 1 is a compilation of Robert Kirkman's first 12 (Volumes 1 & 2) Walking Dead comic books that, beginning in 2004, picked up on a story that is well know to any zombie movie fan. The main story. The one started in earnest by George Romero in 1968 with Night of the Living Dead and later remade in 1990 (the version that I prefer) by Tom Savini (with Romero oversight).

The Walking Dead begins the story of Police Officer Rick Grimes as he wakes up from a coma--after being shot months ago in a normal world--in a world overrun by The Walking Dead. The beginning of the story starts kind of the way Paul S. Anderson's film adaptation of the popular game Resident Evil (2002) ended...with the lead character waking up from a coma (in Resident Evil after her adventure trying to stop a virus from escaping into the population that creates zombies; and you guessed it...she failed to stop it).

I'm not a regular comic book reader. But I was drawn to this volume compilation because of the convenience of being able to get a full story without the month to month waiting for each issue. And I am now hooked.

I was surprised to see that Tony Moore's art that supported Kirkman's Walking Dead story was all black and white throughout instead of color, but as I said earlier, I don't read a lot of comic books, so perhaps that's standard op.

Book 1 was like reading a screenplay with story boards of a version of Night of the Living Dead that begins simultaneously, but in a different part of the country. Yes, it's kind of a rip-off of a story (stories) already told, but the key is that it's done very very well. The zombies are true to the original Romero creation: slow and stupid as opposed to the 28 Days Later (2002) or 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead fast and thinking zombies.

Book 1 took me under 2 hours to get all the way through, so indeed, it's just like spending the time to watch a film in front of your big screen.

Volumes 3 & 4 are already available individually and the Book 2 compilation of Volumes 3 & 4 is scheduled for January 2007 (my preorder is in!). Volume 5 is also out already and Volume 6 is scheduled for February 2007; I have no info on the release of Book 3 (Volumes 5 & 6 compilation), but I'd guess mid-2007ish.

So anyone in need of a very well done zombie fix that you don't put into your DVD player should absolutely get down with The Walking Dead sickness. Add it to your cart.

The Walking Dead Book 1 is a wonderful hardcover collection containing the first two trade paperbacks in the series. Robert Kirman has created an interesting world and a host of even more interesting characters based on a premise that has been overused in the past (i.e. the world being overun by zombies). The art in the beginning of the book is definitely better than at the end, and once the artist changed when the second storyline came along it took a while for me to get used to it, but Kirkman's excellent writing soon won me over again. With the Walking Dead the strength of the writing really counts for a lot, and it should not really bother me that the book is in black and white, but it does. The characterization of Rick and his family is superbly done, and all the scenes are well-written and excellent. Even so, I would have given this book 5 stars if it appeared in color. Many would scream bloody murder, but I think that the only comic book in black & white worth 5 stars is Alan Moore's From Hell. The Walking Dead is entertaining, but would have looked even better in color, easily warranting the 5 stars I wish I could give. Still, I would definitely recommend it to anyone, even those who don't like the horror genre. It is so much more than just a horror comic. Read it, and find out for yourself.

I love zombies. They are us... but inverted. When they enter the scene, you know there's no happy ending possible. No going back. They are such a massive threat, no character is ever in advantage.

THE WALKING DEAD is a great comic book where we follow a group of several character as they try to survive. There is no goal. There is no mission except just to keep on going. The main characters are RICK (ex-cop), LORI and their son CARL. SHANE is another ex-cop (friend of Rick). ALLEN, DONNA and their twin boys. DALE, an old, bitter man, CAROL, GLENN, SOPHIA and many others they meet along the way.

The beginning of the story shows Rick waking up from a coma (like in that movie 28 Days Later). Except that the hospital is already full of zombies. That's when he find MORGAN and his little boy DUANE. They help him get a car and soon enough, Rick tries to get to Atlanta, where he believes his wife and son are.

But Atlanta is a mess.

There is plenty of gore on these comic books. You won't feel disappointed. And some characters are quite nice. You do get kinda sad when they die. I like the black and white imagery - I guess a color version would be too red for some if you know what I mean. The storyline is nicely conducted and you do get easily into the story. I, for example read all these 300 pages at one go.

The only thing I did not like too much was the drawing of some characters. There are many, many characters in this book and some of them look very close to others... sometimes I had to go back a few pages and see who am I seeing.

But STILL this is a great work.

If you are a fan of Zombies or comics,then here is the best of both worlds. I bought this book to see if it was any good and I was blown away. Who would think that a book about zombies would do so goodby not showing zombie attacks in every comic(12 issues in this collection all with the orginal black and white art). Plus, this book has every cover in color! I have already pre-ordered the next book and I suggest you jump in and see what the best of comics have to offer.

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!

Before he started getting high profile projects like Ultimate X-Men and Marvel Zombies, Robert Kirkman got noticed for creating The Walking Dead. And now, the first twelve issues of Kirkman's brillant and horrific series are collected in this oversized, handsome hardcover. The series begins as police officer Rick Grimes wakes up out of a coma to find the world has changed quite a bit. Zombies are everywhere, and human survivors are few and far between. Soon enough though, Rick is re-united with his wife Lori, young son Carl, and partner Shane, along with a host of other survivors, but as he soon learns, the most dangerous life forms walking around now aren't the zombies, but are in fact the humans. That's what helps make The Walking Dead so good. Kirkman really gets down and dirty examining the effects on these people in this crisis that changes everything they know about the world. The stark black and white artwork from Tony Moore, Charlie Adlard, and Cliff Rathburn has a lasting effect as well. This first hardcover volume concludes with a discovery that sets the stage for the future of the series, which proves the previous notion over what's is more dangerous in a world crawling with zombies. If you've never checked out The Walking Dead before, pick this up.

Robert Kirkman has done no less than write Greatest Zombie Story EVER.

Think of the best parts of the George A. Romero films. Consider what are your favorite scenes in Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead remake. Ponder the best chapters and narrators in Max Brooks' World War Z. The Walking Dead has all of that, put together, plus a whole lot more. More in-depth, fully fleshed out characters, simple yet stunning plots, heartbreaking humanity, and buckets of zombie gore!

Collecting the first 12 issues of the comic book, the story is great and the artwork is fantastic.

Today, as in the zombie-infested future, this will be seen as a benchmark of the genre.

Have I mentioned that this may be the Greatest Zombie Story EVER ?

The Walking Dead: There Is No Substitute.

These books have the potential to tell a zombie story with no end. Such is a desire of many lovers of the genre--including Kirkman, who states at the end of this book how he's always wanted to know 'what happens next.' The story is typical zombie fare, but that is a strength rather than a weakness. With nightmarish illustrations, Kirkman depicts a post-zombification world filled with the similar kind desperation one saw in the old films. It's refreshing that he hasn't tried to reinvent the genre.

I originally bought The Walking Dead series one by one... after the first three I found this hardcover and I snatched it up right away. One of the best graphic novels I have read and a great zombie tale... I can't wait to see what is coming around next! My copy has been through some rough days now that it has passed through my friends and family but they all love it!!