And the dead shall inherit the earth. Slowly, but surely.
What They Say:
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 THE WALKING DEAD #1-6.
The Review:
If there’s been a series I’ve been wanting to read for some time, it’s The Walking Dead. When I was getting to the point in being ready to catch up on it due to numerous recommendations and plenty of critical acclaim, the TV series was announced and I felt like I wanted to see that without the influence of the book. While I’m firmly of the belief that the book is almost always better than the show, there’s something to be said about a fairly real-world title like this that can be done even better when it comes to live action since it can really spend its time on characters in a format that allows for growth. That’s not to disparage the book in the slightest, it’s just one area where a title like this can achieve something just as powerful, but different, because of the medium used. Going into the comic after watching the show, with the divergences that are there, allows each to stand on its own, giving you the feeling of being able to see what’s the same but to enjoy the differences greatly.
Like a lot of good properties in dealing with the dead walking the earth, we don’t get the explanation of why it happens. The series focuses on officer Rick Grimes of the little town of Cynthia. A call that he gets while on duty leads to him being injured and thrown into a coma, but that’s not the worst of his problems. When he awakens, the hospital is empty and it’s been quite some time since everything went down. He learns quickly that the dead are now walking the earth and only a little quick thinking kept him alive all this time. But that discovery doesn’t help as he makes his way into the town and sees how its fallen and some of the undead that are straggling along. Even worse, there’s no sign of his wife and son, though indications in the house show that she may have gone to see relatives elsewhere when the world turned to crap. With a little help from a father and son pair of survivors he came across, he’s able to get himself on the right path to go towards Atlanta since he figures that’s his best bet.
Rick’s journey to Atlanta and his time in there is fairly short as he sees just how bad things are and the sense of desolation of it all is pretty well captured. Rick’s luck holds out even when he’s at his worst though as a young man named Glen rescues him from a bad situation, which in turn brings him to a group of survivors out in the outskirts of the city. This pocket of humanity is what Rick needs to give him a sense of purpose but also to ease some of his burden as he discovers his wife and son is there, as well as his partner Shane from the force. It’s at this point that The Walking Dead really starts to come together as we’re quickly introduced to the group of varied survivors and how they’re working together to ensure their continued survival. There’s a tenseness to the story at this point, but also that easing to things as people try to make sure some aspects of their lives continue on as normal, even as there are incursions of the dead.
The dynamics of the group are pretty important as the cast fleshes out, and that happens literally as a few of them die early on because of the dead. The draw in terms of the characters at this stage is seeing how Rick and his wife Lori and his son Carl all come together with things. There’s an obvious sense of palpable relief on all their parts that all of them are alive, but there’s some issues that are a part of it as well because of what’s been done to survive. Lori’s proven herself to be a strong person, but Shane has designs on her and had been working that angle for a bit. While he and Rick were solid partners before, there’s new tensions as he never expected Rick to survive and Rick’s presence also adds a new authority figure, which has a pair of alpha males fighting it out in subtle ways sometimes to be top of the pack. Shane had been second fiddle for so long, and has done so well keeping everyone alive, that when it’s threatened, he really does view Rick as a threat.
While Kirkman’s writing is obviously the big draw here as he works his magic in its early stages about a group of survivors, what sells it is that artwork by Tony Moore. Moore gives it a very rough feel but makes sure that the backgrounds, while naturalistic once they get out of the city, is never devoid of detail or a sense of life. The characters are the same as they have a slightly haggard look to them but also a bit of hope for most of them. The world he works with here keeps things relatively normal in a lot of ways, as everything went to hell quickly, but also adds in the right kinds of small amounts of destruction, trash and decay that happens. There’s a whole lot to like with his art and the way he works facial expressions is just an added bonus to it all.
Digital Notes:
This graphic novel compilation contains the first six issues of the series in one file that has a total of a hundred and forty pages with no extras, alternate covers or anything else.
In Summary:
One of the difficult things with a book that’s also a TV series is the desire to draw comparisons between the two. It’s very hard to resist when it comes to The Walking Dead because there are so many similarities but also a number of significant divergences that gives them both a unique storyline to work with. The concepts are the same, the approach is the same, but the details and flow of it move in different ways. While I do thoroughly enjoy the flow and narrative of the TV series, there’s a wonderful raw and tense edge here that’s evident in a different way. The shorter format of twenty-odd pages per issue has the framing happening in a different way and that allows each of the properties to thrive and complement each other. This opening graphic novel has a lot to offer and it’s a lot of fun with its quick bursts of violence, affection and humanity in the face of the end of civilization.
Grade: B+
