When Robert Kirkman sat down to write the first issues of The Walking Dead, his goal was simple: he wanted to tell the story of a zombie movie that never ended. Kirkman wanted to go beyond the story lines of traditional zombie movies by beginning his story right after modern society has fallen apart due to a zombie outbreak. The Walking Dead was to be a story of not only zombie action-horror, but also about the drama in the lives of the still living as they navigate their new world and find their place in a society populated by the dead.
Published in 2003, The Walking Dead currently has a total of 162 single issue comics, which can be borrowed from the library through twenty-seven separate graphic novel volumes. Volume 1: Days Gone By, is a collection of the first six issues and follows main character Rick Grimes as he awakens from a coma to find the world overtaken by zombies with his family and friends nowhere in sight.
2017 saw the release of Kirkman's latest graphic novel in the series, Volume 27: The Whisperer War, in which Rick Grimes now finds himself battling other survivors in order to save the lives of those he loves, all while continuing to maintain his sense of humanity amidst so much violence.
The series has also been adapted to television by AMC. The first six seasons can be checked out at the library, as well as the first two seasons of the spin-off show Fear the Walking Dead. Though Fear has entirely different characters than The Walking Dead, and has an original story line separate from the comics, the theme of following a set of survivors as they navigate a post-zombie world has stayed the same. Now in a Southern California setting, the audience is kept engaged by taking the audience into the zombie fighting worlds of urban Los Angeles, the desert of Mexico, and the Pacific Ocean.
Fear the Walking Dead Season One
Fear the Walking Dead Season Two
Catch up with all six seasons of The Walking Dead using your library card, and then catch this season's episodes on AMC before the Season Seven finale airs on April 2nd. You can catch the season premier of Fear the Walking Dead this summer.
One more thing, if you prefer digital versions over print our Hoopla service offers a good variety of the comics and soundtracks, opens a new window.
Which do you prefer, the comics or the TV show?
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