Shane is a tragic case in both series', and while it was undoubtedly easy to see why he had to go, there's a certainty level of sympathy for him in the fact that he's stranded in the new world with absolutely nothing to show for it. The Season 1 events are fairly consistent with the comics and Shane slowly descends into madness after finally getting together with Lori before having her taken back by Rick following his re-emergence from the coma. It could even be said that Shane adapted to the world too soon, with Rick making certain decisions that Shane was from the beginning.