The Walking Dead

This past Christmas a friend gave me a copy of “The Walking Dead” Book 1 Being a firm believer in the coming zombie apocalypse I was excited to dig into this collection. The black and white Image comic by Robert Kirkman began its run in 2003. Since then, it’s become so successful that filmmaker Frank Darabont and AMC plan on bringing it to the small screen. The story revolves around officer Rick Grimes, his family and a small band of survivors in search of a place to call home in a world overrun with zombies. The strength of the book lies in the writing. Its focus is on the characters and how they interact with each other and their reaction to the situation they’ve been placed in. Kirkman takes the time to show the characters doing things like learning to shoot guns and collecting firewood and it never feels laborious for the reader. He develops each character so brilliantly that you find yourself caring for each and every one of them and fearing for their safety. Some of them crack under pressure, some grow and some do what must be done in order to survive. Do yourself a favor and read it. Do your local comic shop a favor and pick it up!