Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Image Comics (2013), Edition: Illustrated, 144 pages
Description
Comic and Graphic Books. Fiction. HTML: Rick Grimes is not prepared for this. A couple months ago he was a small town cop who had never fired a shot and only ever saw one dead body. Separated from his family he must now sort through the death and confusion to try and find his wife and son. Collects issues #1-6..
Media reviews
Taking a well-worn genre—flesh-eating zombies overrun the world and the unlucky surviving humans must deal with the gruesome aftermath—and approaching it from a purely character-driven point of view propels this series into the spotlight from out of nowhere. This collection of the first six
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issues of the ongoing series opens with police officer Rick Grimes awakening from a gunshot-induced coma. From here, he's immediately dragged into a world where dangerous revenants are shambling amok without any sort of an explanation. From the moment Grimes comes to, it's a harrowing battle to avoid hordes of decomposing zombies and a hope-against-all-odds search for his missing family. Grimes makes his way to Atlanta, the nearest large city where there may be other living people, and events take several unexpected turns upon his arrival, as he meets up with a rural encampment of survivors. Of course, as in recent hit movies 28 Days Later... and Dawn of the Dead, the last humans may turn out to be as much a danger as the zombies. Forceful scripting that gives the book a strong grounding in reality, crisp b&w artwork, a shocking final sequence and brisk, gory proceedings elevate this book from the trash heap of pedestrian horror comics. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member titania86
The Walking Dead comic book series is one of the most well written and interesting piece of zombie literature out there. There are currently 10 mass market paperbacks out and it's still going strong. The story follows Rick, his family, and his band of random friends as they struggle to survive in a
As you probably know, many horror movies rely on the characters doing stupid things to move the plot ahead. This really isn't the case with The Walking Dead series. Of course the characters sometimes make fatal mistakes, but it isn't the main plot device. (I think it's wonderful that stupidity is swiftly punished in this world.) Problems in this world do not only stem from zombies. There are so many other things to worry about: food, shelter, raising children, inner group conflicts, and even other humans.
Sometimes, encountering other humans is much more dangerous than any zombie. Keep in mind that there is no longer any government, laws or regulations to follow. People can essentially do whatever they want without any repercussions. I think this is the scariest aspect of this world. Some people turn into complete monsters and do terrible things. Even the main characters have to struggle with their own humanity because they are surrounded by so much violence and gore.
No character is safe in this series. Anyone could die at any time for any reason. The deaths are unexpected and often pretty brutal. I like this unpredictability because it keeps my interest and makes me want to know more after I read each issue. The only problem with this series is that the mass market paperbacks don't come out as often as I would like. I would recommend this series to any zombie fan. If you don't usually read comic books, please give this one a try. You won't be disappointed.
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post-zombie apocalypse world. The characters are diverse in every way: in sex, race, age, and sanity. As you probably know, many horror movies rely on the characters doing stupid things to move the plot ahead. This really isn't the case with The Walking Dead series. Of course the characters sometimes make fatal mistakes, but it isn't the main plot device. (I think it's wonderful that stupidity is swiftly punished in this world.) Problems in this world do not only stem from zombies. There are so many other things to worry about: food, shelter, raising children, inner group conflicts, and even other humans.
Sometimes, encountering other humans is much more dangerous than any zombie. Keep in mind that there is no longer any government, laws or regulations to follow. People can essentially do whatever they want without any repercussions. I think this is the scariest aspect of this world. Some people turn into complete monsters and do terrible things. Even the main characters have to struggle with their own humanity because they are surrounded by so much violence and gore.
No character is safe in this series. Anyone could die at any time for any reason. The deaths are unexpected and often pretty brutal. I like this unpredictability because it keeps my interest and makes me want to know more after I read each issue. The only problem with this series is that the mass market paperbacks don't come out as often as I would like. I would recommend this series to any zombie fan. If you don't usually read comic books, please give this one a try. You won't be disappointed.
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LibraryThing member silenceiseverything
Okay, so I've never read a comic book or graphic novel in my life. It just didn't seem like my type of thing and I've always thought that I would never get into reading something like that. But I figured since the TV show is coming out soon, I love zombies/horror/apocalyptic books and movies, what
Zombie fan that I am, I had assumed that the only thing I would like about The Walking Dead would be, you know, the zombies. However, while I liked the zombies, I was completely enthralled by the characters and the whole dire situation that they were in. I was also very into the drama of their lives: the love triangles, the spats between the non-judgmental with the actual judgemental, etc., etc. The way humanity was portrayed just seemed very real to me. In times of crisis, people's true colors come out whether those colors happen to be pleasant or not (and most times they aren't pleasant). There was no sugar-coating of the human spirit. It was what it was.
Like I've mentioned before, I've never read a comic book before so I'm not sure what's considered to be "good" comic book art and "bad" comic book art. The illustrations seemed pretty well done to me (Sure, I confused Rick and Shane a couple of times until I remembered "Okay, Shane is the bulky one with the scowl permanently attached to his face and Rick is the string bean one with the heroic facial expressions"). The zombies seemed zombie like and brutal (of course not as they look on TV or movies but still pretty damn good).
It did take me a few pages to follow who was saying what (the bubbles got a bit confusing for a minute) and to get used to the comic book format in general. But it wasn't too bad for a complete and total newbie like me. And I did laugh when the zombies "Ugh"-ed and "Glak"-ed since apparently that's all the zombie vocabulary requires; in fact it's practically a staple.
So, I did love The Walking Dead. It was brutal and gory but most importantly it had heart. It's about a man trying to protect his family. That was heartwarming. In the interest of full disclosure, I am going to say that this comic book did make me cry, not only once, but twice. This was just very entertaining and really great. I have Volume 2 waiting for me and I've already put volumes 3 and 4 on hold from my library. Yay! for me finding a new form of reading. Can't wait to seek out more comics/graphic novels.
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better way to branch out of my reading comfort than to about things I usually enjoy. And I must say that it was far from a mistake because I loved the first volume of The Walking Dead. Zombie fan that I am, I had assumed that the only thing I would like about The Walking Dead would be, you know, the zombies. However, while I liked the zombies, I was completely enthralled by the characters and the whole dire situation that they were in. I was also very into the drama of their lives: the love triangles, the spats between the non-judgmental with the actual judgemental, etc., etc. The way humanity was portrayed just seemed very real to me. In times of crisis, people's true colors come out whether those colors happen to be pleasant or not (and most times they aren't pleasant). There was no sugar-coating of the human spirit. It was what it was.
Like I've mentioned before, I've never read a comic book before so I'm not sure what's considered to be "good" comic book art and "bad" comic book art. The illustrations seemed pretty well done to me (Sure, I confused Rick and Shane a couple of times until I remembered "Okay, Shane is the bulky one with the scowl permanently attached to his face and Rick is the string bean one with the heroic facial expressions"). The zombies seemed zombie like and brutal (of course not as they look on TV or movies but still pretty damn good).
It did take me a few pages to follow who was saying what (the bubbles got a bit confusing for a minute) and to get used to the comic book format in general. But it wasn't too bad for a complete and total newbie like me. And I did laugh when the zombies "Ugh"-ed and "Glak"-ed since apparently that's all the zombie vocabulary requires; in fact it's practically a staple.
So, I did love The Walking Dead. It was brutal and gory but most importantly it had heart. It's about a man trying to protect his family. That was heartwarming. In the interest of full disclosure, I am going to say that this comic book did make me cry, not only once, but twice. This was just very entertaining and really great. I have Volume 2 waiting for me and I've already put volumes 3 and 4 on hold from my library. Yay! for me finding a new form of reading. Can't wait to seek out more comics/graphic novels.
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LibraryThing member RavenswoodPublishing
ROBERT KIRKMAN'S "WALKING DEAD: DAYS GONE BY"
(A REVIEW)
Once upon a time I was one of those women that was scared to death of zombies and I wouldn't even watch anything that had them on it. I didn't want to see pictures I would turn my head in disgust and literally run away almost screaming at the
I was instantly hooked, and it really had nothing to do with the zombies as much as it did the humanity of the people that were still living. The books are no different. Having read the first one in a series I can honestly say I intend to seek them all out one by one.
You get a feeling of what it would truly be like to live through such a horrible plague and discover that you are perhaps one of the last living people on the planet. There is emotion, turmoil, truth and sincerity in these graphic novels as well as the show on television.
You soon even begin to feel sorry for those that have been turned and you have to ask yourself what you would do if that happened to someone in your family. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised and now I'm not as horrified by the zombies as I once was. Robert Kirkman has done a phenomenal job and I can only hope he'll continue with the story for as long as he can.
-Kitty Bullard / Great Minds Think Aloud Book Clu
(A REVIEW)
Once upon a time I was one of those women that was scared to death of zombies and I wouldn't even watch anything that had them on it. I didn't want to see pictures I would turn my head in disgust and literally run away almost screaming at the
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sight. I think deep down it was always the thought of 'what if' that kept me from wanting to have anything to do with a genre that is becoming rapidly more popular. Those days ended when my husband decided we were going to watch "The Walking Dead" on AMC.I was instantly hooked, and it really had nothing to do with the zombies as much as it did the humanity of the people that were still living. The books are no different. Having read the first one in a series I can honestly say I intend to seek them all out one by one.
You get a feeling of what it would truly be like to live through such a horrible plague and discover that you are perhaps one of the last living people on the planet. There is emotion, turmoil, truth and sincerity in these graphic novels as well as the show on television.
You soon even begin to feel sorry for those that have been turned and you have to ask yourself what you would do if that happened to someone in your family. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised and now I'm not as horrified by the zombies as I once was. Robert Kirkman has done a phenomenal job and I can only hope he'll continue with the story for as long as he can.
-Kitty Bullard / Great Minds Think Aloud Book Clu
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LibraryThing member briandarvell
I decided to venture into reading this zombie series of graphic novels. After reading this first compliation I was impressed with the story and artwork so far. Eager to continue the series with the second book.
LibraryThing member aadyer
A really good premise, spoilt by a lack of pace. The TV Series being more condensed, was much better. Characterisation, good themes, (never quite moving at a pace to grab you, though...) and good art all helps. This is good but I think that it could have been much better. Brace yourself for a long
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series, if you like that sort of thing. Epic, with a lot of good things to recommend it. Show Less
LibraryThing member Arctic-Stranger
First caveat--this is a comic book, and if you think all comics are graphic novels in the vein of Maus, you will be disappointed here. Second, it is a Zombie comic.
Now I happen to love Zombie lit, and comics, and I dont have very high expectations of them. I did enjoy this series, and ended up
Over the series he does provide space for the characters to develop. The first volume is probably the weakest, probably because you really haven't gotten an opportunity to care about these people yet. But they do grow on you.
Now I happen to love Zombie lit, and comics, and I dont have very high expectations of them. I did enjoy this series, and ended up
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reading all seven volumes. (And I am awaiting the 8th.) This is not the most original piece of Zombie lit I have read, but it is entertaining, in the same way watching TV reruns can be entertaining. Kirkman uses old themes, and does not add many new ones. The protaganist wakes up in a hospital after the intitial outbreak (shades of "28 Days Later") and then the series takes a decided Romero direction. Kirkman does not add anything new, but builds on the traditional Zombie themes. Over the series he does provide space for the characters to develop. The first volume is probably the weakest, probably because you really haven't gotten an opportunity to care about these people yet. But they do grow on you.
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LibraryThing member Clurb
'28 Days Later'-esque, Rick Grimes, a small town cop, wakes up from a coma to find that society has been destroyed by an epidemic of zombies. This volume details Rick's journey across country to find his wife and son.
Whilst the idea of a long, character-driven zombie story intrigues me, and I
Whilst the idea of a long, character-driven zombie story intrigues me, and I
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admittedly raced through this volume, I wasn't overly taken by Kirkman's sometimes corny dialogue, or the overall quality of the artwork where characters can change appearance several times during the length of a page. The jury's out with this one. Show Less
LibraryThing member aethercowboy
There's something to be said about zombies. They are a very interesting pop culture phenomenon, from Plan 9 from Outer Space to Left 4 Dead, zombies have swarmed into our culture and multiplied, most likely by biting elements of the culture, and thus turning those elements into zombies. Why else
Or The Walking Dead?
The Walking Dead is like the NeverEnding Story, only instead of luck dragons and childlike empresses, we have zombies and humans trying not to be turned into zombies. It follows the story of a police officer, after waking up in the hospital (which seems to be a very common theme among zombie and zomboid films). He slowly makes his way to Atlanta, which is overrun with the undead. He finds his family, having left him in the hospital, and he and they and the rest of the survivors live (if living you could call it) on the outskirts of the town.
Beautifully drawn by Tony Moore, this comic features panel after panel of black and white images. Additionally, it is masterfully written by Kirkman, a fan of the classic (and in my opinion, only) zombie.
If you like books by authors like Brooks or films by Romero, you'll most certainly have a place for Walking Dead in your heart. Just make sure it doesn't get to your brains.
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would we have things like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies?Or The Walking Dead?
The Walking Dead is like the NeverEnding Story, only instead of luck dragons and childlike empresses, we have zombies and humans trying not to be turned into zombies. It follows the story of a police officer, after waking up in the hospital (which seems to be a very common theme among zombie and zomboid films). He slowly makes his way to Atlanta, which is overrun with the undead. He finds his family, having left him in the hospital, and he and they and the rest of the survivors live (if living you could call it) on the outskirts of the town.
Beautifully drawn by Tony Moore, this comic features panel after panel of black and white images. Additionally, it is masterfully written by Kirkman, a fan of the classic (and in my opinion, only) zombie.
If you like books by authors like Brooks or films by Romero, you'll most certainly have a place for Walking Dead in your heart. Just make sure it doesn't get to your brains.
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LibraryThing member annenoise
For all the hype this series got, I have almost no drive to read the second volume - the characters were predictable and boring, the plot was... predictable and boring, and unless more interesting story arcs start to come out of the woodwork, I doubt I'll continue after the second volume. Good art
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if somewhat uninspired. That's actually how I felt about the entire first volume - uninspired. The zombie genre is done to death, and this adds nothing interesting or original. Show Less
LibraryThing member kayceel
Being completely enamored of zombie stories, it's not at all surprising that I love this series.
Rick Grimes, small-town cop, wakes from a coma to discover the world as he knew it gone, and surrounded by zombies. His wife and son are gone - to Atlanta, he comes to believe - and he decides to try and
When Rick finds them (a bit unbelievable, yes, but go with it), he joins the motley group of survivors they've been staying with, and tensions quickly arise when Rick feels they should move farther away from the city of Atlanta and Shane, Rick's cop friend who's been serving as the unofficial leader of the group, disagrees.
This is a story about survival, pure and simple. Yes, they're trying to survive among zombies, but they still must face incredibly difficult choices. What are you willing to do to survive? How far will you go to protect those you love? How can very different people work together to survive.
Compelling and very dark, I recommend this one heartily!
Rick Grimes, small-town cop, wakes from a coma to discover the world as he knew it gone, and surrounded by zombies. His wife and son are gone - to Atlanta, he comes to believe - and he decides to try and
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survive and find his family.When Rick finds them (a bit unbelievable, yes, but go with it), he joins the motley group of survivors they've been staying with, and tensions quickly arise when Rick feels they should move farther away from the city of Atlanta and Shane, Rick's cop friend who's been serving as the unofficial leader of the group, disagrees.
This is a story about survival, pure and simple. Yes, they're trying to survive among zombies, but they still must face incredibly difficult choices. What are you willing to do to survive? How far will you go to protect those you love? How can very different people work together to survive.
Compelling and very dark, I recommend this one heartily!
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LibraryThing member cmwilson101
A graphic novel with some amazing art. Really beautifully illustrated. The story centers around a cop, his family, and a small group of survivors after a zombie apocalypse.
I've not read many graphical novels, and it was interesting to see the illustrations while reading the book. It adds a new
I've not read many graphical novels, and it was interesting to see the illustrations while reading the book. It adds a new
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element to the story. This was a very short book, though, so I can't really comment as to the plot. I felt like I was just getting started and then it was over. I'll have to get all the volumes so I can read at once. Show Less
LibraryThing member DarkFaerieTales
Quick & Dirty: This darkly dangerous tale pulls you into an apocalyptic world of zombies, mayhem, and cannibals. You can run, but you can't hide. You are The Walking Dead...
Opening Sentence: This is not good.
The Review:
This October a new series on AMC, The Walking Dead, will premier. Frank
Volume 1: Days Gone By covers issues 1-6, which follows Rick Grimes, a small-town sheriff. Rick awakens in an abandoned hospital (evoking a little déjà vu for those of us familiar with 28 Days Later). It isn’t long before Rick realizes something horrible has happened while he’s been in a coma because there are bodies everywhere. Worse still, Rick soon discovers that these corpses don’t stay still. They roam. They lurk. But worst of all, they bite. Rick and his family, along with other scattered survivors, struggle to survive in a world overrun by the walking dead. Survivors are outnumbered and completely fu*@ed. You’ll quickly get swept up in Rick’s story. You’ll find yourself hoping for the best, but also dreading what might lurk around the corner, under every car, and behind every closed door. Kirkman excels at conveying an almost palpable sense of dread and the result is no one EVER feels safe.
This is a character driven story and is as much about each character trying to cope with their new reality as it is about huge action scenes. Quite naturally, this new reality takes its toll mentally and physically. The constant threat of death from the walking dead is only part of the horror. Indeed, the living are to be feared as much as the dead. Sometimes more so. Much of the story of The Walking Dead centers around whether people are fundamentally good or whether in times of crisis they will do anything to survive. Are you willing to do anything, and I mean anything, to survive? Will you leave a friend to die to save yourself? Would you kill to save yourself? Would you kill to save your child?
The artwork for The Walking Dead is beautiful. Every emotion is captured with great detail by Tony Moore and Cliff Rathburn. It takes real talent to draw ordinary people. An old man or a scrawny teenager is a lot harder to draw than a brawny spandex clad superhero. The artists pay just as much attention to the decaying cityscapes and to the undead themselves. It’s amazing that no two walking dead ever seem to look alike and quite a tribute to the ample artistic talents of Tony Moore and Cliff Rathburn.
The Walking Dead is a MUST read series. It’s well written, finely detailed in black and white, and addictive. Trust me; the only thing tougher than trying to survive the zombie apocalypse is having to wait for the next issue.
The Walking Dead Series:
1. Volume 1: Days Gone Bye
2. Volume 2: Miles Behind Us
3. Volume 3:Safety Behind Bars
4. Volume 4: The Heart's Desire
5. Volume 5: The Best Defense
6. Volume 6: The Sorrowful Life
7. Volume 7: The Calm Before
8. Volume 8: Made to Suffer
9. Volume 9: Here We Remain
10. Volume 10: What We Become
11. Volume 11: Fear The Hunters
12. Volume 12
FTC Advisory: I purchased my own copy.
Opening Sentence: This is not good.
The Review:
This October a new series on AMC, The Walking Dead, will premier. Frank
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Darabont, director of The Mist, one of my favorite horror movies, is the new series’ writer, director and producer. I knew The Walking Dead was based on the comic book of the same name, so I decided to check out the source material, and wow! I’m glad I did. The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman & Tony Moore (with help from Cliff Rathburn) is among the greats of the genre, comfortably sharing the stage with Dawn of the Dead, 28 Days Later and Max Brooks’ World War Z. The Walking Dead is, if nothing else, certainly the best zombie comic to date. Admittedly, as a sporadic comic reader, I had really low expectations before I sat down to read this series. I’m pleased to say that Robert Kirkman shattered my expectations and that The Walking Dead is genuinely one of the most compelling stories I’ve ever read in any format.Volume 1: Days Gone By covers issues 1-6, which follows Rick Grimes, a small-town sheriff. Rick awakens in an abandoned hospital (evoking a little déjà vu for those of us familiar with 28 Days Later). It isn’t long before Rick realizes something horrible has happened while he’s been in a coma because there are bodies everywhere. Worse still, Rick soon discovers that these corpses don’t stay still. They roam. They lurk. But worst of all, they bite. Rick and his family, along with other scattered survivors, struggle to survive in a world overrun by the walking dead. Survivors are outnumbered and completely fu*@ed. You’ll quickly get swept up in Rick’s story. You’ll find yourself hoping for the best, but also dreading what might lurk around the corner, under every car, and behind every closed door. Kirkman excels at conveying an almost palpable sense of dread and the result is no one EVER feels safe.
This is a character driven story and is as much about each character trying to cope with their new reality as it is about huge action scenes. Quite naturally, this new reality takes its toll mentally and physically. The constant threat of death from the walking dead is only part of the horror. Indeed, the living are to be feared as much as the dead. Sometimes more so. Much of the story of The Walking Dead centers around whether people are fundamentally good or whether in times of crisis they will do anything to survive. Are you willing to do anything, and I mean anything, to survive? Will you leave a friend to die to save yourself? Would you kill to save yourself? Would you kill to save your child?
The artwork for The Walking Dead is beautiful. Every emotion is captured with great detail by Tony Moore and Cliff Rathburn. It takes real talent to draw ordinary people. An old man or a scrawny teenager is a lot harder to draw than a brawny spandex clad superhero. The artists pay just as much attention to the decaying cityscapes and to the undead themselves. It’s amazing that no two walking dead ever seem to look alike and quite a tribute to the ample artistic talents of Tony Moore and Cliff Rathburn.
The Walking Dead is a MUST read series. It’s well written, finely detailed in black and white, and addictive. Trust me; the only thing tougher than trying to survive the zombie apocalypse is having to wait for the next issue.
The Walking Dead Series:
1. Volume 1: Days Gone Bye
2. Volume 2: Miles Behind Us
3. Volume 3:Safety Behind Bars
4. Volume 4: The Heart's Desire
5. Volume 5: The Best Defense
6. Volume 6: The Sorrowful Life
7. Volume 7: The Calm Before
8. Volume 8: Made to Suffer
9. Volume 9: Here We Remain
10. Volume 10: What We Become
11. Volume 11: Fear The Hunters
12. Volume 12
FTC Advisory: I purchased my own copy.
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LibraryThing member sharonluvscats
This book was so obnoxious. The women spend the whole novel doing wash and acting like a bunch of wimps. The only strong female character who protests their treatment comes across like a whiny bitch. At one point one of the male characters wonders how her husband can even "put up with her." All the
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male characters are super macho and spend their time hunting. Too many stereotypes for me in one novel. If this is what the zombie apocalypse is going to be like I pray that I am one of the first victims! I'd rather shuffle around eating brains than live with these people. Show Less
LibraryThing member ToxicMasquerade
Compared to the show, the comics are better. Totally different, but in a good way. It's still not the best zombie story out there, but it's an okay one. Definitely going to read the others to see how different it really is. A good start so far though.
LibraryThing member Zacking
One of my first graphic novels. it was completly diffrent then what i thought it was going to be. It was really fast read and there are many more i will continue to read the rest of the books for this.
LibraryThing member jayrogers
This first book, illustrated by Tony Moore, is the best-illustrated of this extended post-zombilyptic graphic novel.
LibraryThing member CaliSoleil
This book was "just okay". I found it to be somewhat predictable. Nothing new or overly surprising. The black and white art was good.. and appropriate to the story. I don't think I'll be in any hurry to look at any of the sequels.
LibraryThing member bibliolisa
Okay, so it isn't War and Peace...but this graphic novel (and the popular AMC series based on the graphic novels) may be deeper than you would expect. There is something really compelling about the idea of a band of survivors starting over in a post-apocalyptic world. Why zombies? I'm still trying
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to figure that out...why zombies, and why now? What do zombies mean? While I'm pondering that, I really did enjoy this graphic novel, and will probably read the whole series. The art work is beautifully done. The graphic novel differs substantially from the television series, and I think I will like it better. Graphic novels are not my usual fare--I usually read literary fiction and classics. But I trained as an artist, and do appreciate a well-drawn and well-written graphic novel now and then. Show Less
LibraryThing member rnc0909
Wow! Before I get into the meat of this story, let me take a minute to implore you to read the introduction! It is fan-flipping-tastic! Fans of the TV show and fans of zombies, alike, will both find added value to the story and the creation of these graphic novels by reading the intro. Now, on to
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the story - while the illustrations are truly amazing, I still felt that they weren't completely able to convey the horrific gravity of the situation. However, I am a fan of the show, so I may be comparing apples to oranges, here. Other than that, quick, enjoyable, great read. Highly recommended! Show Less
LibraryThing member -Eva-
Officer Rick Grimes wakes up from his gunshot-induced coma to find the city overrun by zombies, so he must hit the ground running to find his wife and son, along with his best friend, who turns out to have been affected more than others by the current state of affairs. Very good beginning to what
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could potentially be a brilliant series. In his foreword, Kirkman talks about how he means to write a character-driven story (my personal favorite) about surviving catastrophe and he's absolutely successful in that; there are no obvious heroes or villains, only some people who step up to the task and some who do not and there's no telling which will be which. Moore's black-and-white art is also worth noting - it's sparse, but some characters' expressions are stunning (especially eyes seem to be Moore's forte). In color, this may have been prettier, but probably too gory which would have detracted from the actual story. Show Less
LibraryThing member Tanya-dogearedcopy
There are zombies on the cover of The Walking Dead: Volume 1: Days Gone Bye and; there are zombies inside the graphic novel; but this isn't really a zombie tale so much as it's a survival tale. In "Days Gone Bye," the focus is on the human element whereas the zombies are incidental. Rick Grimes, a
Very little is discovered about the zombies in "Days Gone Bye." People die, they come back to an animated state. They bite people and the newly bitten become zombies in turn. The zombies here operate purely on an animal level of survival, apparently having the ability to smell and hear, all in the pursuit of something to eat. In "Days Gone Bye" the difference between the zombies and the survivors is clear, if only by degrees and speed. We'll see how long this lasts :-/
Excepting the cover, the artwork in "Days Gone Bye" is black-and-white. The survivors are drawn with near cartoonish qualities: outlines without a lot of facial subtleties, many wide-eyed expressions and near comical distortions of the mouth. The zombies are consistently drawn with more detail and realism. Go figure. Because the panels are b&w, the integrity of the panels rests on the composition of the shots and ergo the gray tones or ink washes applied. Some are more difficult to execute than others (a scene around a campfire at night while snow falls vs a single head shot against a blank background) and Tony Moore and Cliff Rathburn met the challenges with varying degrees of success. A panel showing Rick and Glenn on a fire escape displays sophisticated layers and tones; but other scenes (e.g. Rick and Lori talking outside their tent) show less artful effort. [I do not know either Tony Moore's nor Cliff Rathburn's work well enough individually to be able to assess the handiwork of either's effort, only the combined effect in this volume.] In a couple of panels, characters were difficult to distinguish from each other. In a long shot, two characters are speaking; but there is not enough detail to determine who and, in another panel, I had to look very closely across several pages and, by the process of elimination, figure out who was speaking.
The artwork isn't great; but In "Days Gone Bye" there is a lot of thought provoking material in regards to the concepts of identity, civilization and individual rights.
Redacted from the original blog review at dog eared copy, The Walking Dead: Volume 1; Days Gone Bye; 10/15/2011; Updated on 05/01/2012 with two captioned illustrations and small text edits
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police officer shot in the line of duty, wakes up from a coma in the hospital. He wakes to an abandoned facility, town, home, and basically, life as he knew it. Something has happened and now the the landscape is littered with zombies, alive-dead and dead-dead. His first instinct is to retain his civilized sensibilities and to reinforce his identity as an authority figure. He makes his way to the police station, dons his spare uniform, metes out guns and ammo to the first survivors he meets, grants them the use of a police cruiser and admonishes them to keep an eye out on his place while he heads in to Atlanta, GA. Even as he exits Cynthiana, KY, there are subtle cracks in his civilized veneer. Eventually, Rick ends up in an encampment of people who tried to make for the safety of the city but were too late to make their way in. At camp, the need for food, clean clothes and, secure shelter takes precedent over the social ethics of their former lives. Various members of the group each try to retain their individuality while trying to adapt to a group dynamic.Very little is discovered about the zombies in "Days Gone Bye." People die, they come back to an animated state. They bite people and the newly bitten become zombies in turn. The zombies here operate purely on an animal level of survival, apparently having the ability to smell and hear, all in the pursuit of something to eat. In "Days Gone Bye" the difference between the zombies and the survivors is clear, if only by degrees and speed. We'll see how long this lasts :-/
Excepting the cover, the artwork in "Days Gone Bye" is black-and-white. The survivors are drawn with near cartoonish qualities: outlines without a lot of facial subtleties, many wide-eyed expressions and near comical distortions of the mouth. The zombies are consistently drawn with more detail and realism. Go figure. Because the panels are b&w, the integrity of the panels rests on the composition of the shots and ergo the gray tones or ink washes applied. Some are more difficult to execute than others (a scene around a campfire at night while snow falls vs a single head shot against a blank background) and Tony Moore and Cliff Rathburn met the challenges with varying degrees of success. A panel showing Rick and Glenn on a fire escape displays sophisticated layers and tones; but other scenes (e.g. Rick and Lori talking outside their tent) show less artful effort. [I do not know either Tony Moore's nor Cliff Rathburn's work well enough individually to be able to assess the handiwork of either's effort, only the combined effect in this volume.] In a couple of panels, characters were difficult to distinguish from each other. In a long shot, two characters are speaking; but there is not enough detail to determine who and, in another panel, I had to look very closely across several pages and, by the process of elimination, figure out who was speaking.
The artwork isn't great; but In "Days Gone Bye" there is a lot of thought provoking material in regards to the concepts of identity, civilization and individual rights.
Redacted from the original blog review at dog eared copy, The Walking Dead: Volume 1; Days Gone Bye; 10/15/2011; Updated on 05/01/2012 with two captioned illustrations and small text edits
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LibraryThing member akmargie
Good art and Kirkman story-telling at it's most emotive. He gives hope for the future of comics as a powerful medium.
LibraryThing member AlCracka
Walking Dead is about zombies. Aren't you sick of zombies? Me too. Almost as much as I'm sick of vampires. You know what I'm not sick of? The Creature from the Black Lagoon. That shit was awesome.
It's not really about zombies. It's a character piece or whatever. It's pretty cool. It gets dark,
It's not really about zombies. It's a character piece or whatever. It's pretty cool. It gets dark,
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though. Really, really, really dark. Like, The Road dark. You are now forewarned. Show Less
LibraryThing member suzemo
So I have the (mis?)fortune to have seen the AMC series before reading the book.
I really enjoyed that all of the things about the characters in the series that annoyed me were absent in the graphic novel. I like the sparse graphics, I like the fast and tight story-lines.
Going into psychology and
Lots of fun.
I really enjoyed that all of the things about the characters in the series that annoyed me were absent in the graphic novel. I like the sparse graphics, I like the fast and tight story-lines.
Going into psychology and
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sociology instead of just zombie violence, gore and horror was great.Lots of fun.
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LibraryThing member Davros-10
I have been watching, and enjoying a lot, the television series based on these graphic novels/comics since it started on cable TV. This graphic novel collects the first six issues of the comic in one edition. I'd say the first five episodes of the TV series are largely based on the contents of this
Excellent, and I'm going to have to start collecting the series.
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graphic novel, except that - BEWARE SPOILERS - Carl is younger in the graphic novels, the characters of Daryl, Merle and Carol who are integral to the TV series don't exist, and Shane doesn't survive past the end of this graphic novel.Excellent, and I'm going to have to start collecting the series.
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Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2004-05-12
Physical description
10.1 inches
ISBN
1582406723 / 9781582406725
UPC
001582406723