The Walking Dead is an ongoing black and white comic that follows the story of Rick Grimes, a sheriffs deputy who wakes from a coma to see his world devastated by the undead. He sets off on a journey to find his wife and son in the hopes they are still alive. At first glance, this is just a comic book about zombies, but once you get past the first page its so much more. The series has a similar approach to the genre as Danny Boyles 28 Days Later; its not about the destruction and how the infection incapacitated an entire population - its about human survival. Rather than research the zombie genre, creator Robert Kirkman chose to research into World War II and the Holocaust because that was the most modern equivalent of what it would be like to survive in an apocalyptic setting. This series was never about the gore or zombies; its always the people and the relationships that are formed in the worst of circumstances. Rick Grimes with his trademark sheriff hat has become an iconic hero fans will follow to the end, while Kirkman has also introduced some of the most vile characters weve ever seen in The Governor and Negan. The Walking Dead is a story on how these ordinary people hold on to their humanity (or lose it) while theyre constantly at war (very similar to what soldiers experienced in WWII). Its the ongoing theme of fear and uncertainty that builds tension and makes it impossible to put the book down. The success of The Walking Dead and its television adaptation changed a lot of old-fashioned opinions on comics and brought an element of cool to the genre. Fans are slightly hipster in their we read it before it was cool approach, but the truth is theyre right.
An aspiring filmmaker, writer, traveller, and avid comic book fan, with an undying passion for calligraphy and chopping boards shaped like fruit. Genuinely enjoys receiving your hate mail.
