When I first read the graphic novel version of The Walking Dead, I noticed many changes that were either cut out or changed in the TV show version of the series so it felt like another alternative universe, but with the same characters of the show. The story starts with two officers having a shoot-out with a criminal before one officer named Rick Grimes got struck by a bullet which resulted in him being in a coma. After a while, he awakens in a deserted hospital and encounters a swarm of zombies which he successfully escapes from. Despite his confusion, he went back to his home to see if his wife, Lori, and his son, Carl are okay. Instead, he encounters a guy with his son named Morgan in which he explains to Rick what has been going on. So from there, his main objective was to search for his wife and son. He went back to the police station, gathered what he needed, separated from Morgan, and made his way to Atlanta. Coming to Atlanta, he was overpowered by a bunch of zombies, but with the help of a survivor named Glen, they escaped and introduced him to a camp that was outside of the city. In that same camp, he was reunited with his wife and son. From there, throughout the chapters, they, as the group, go through many hardships which included the loss of loved ones to learning to trust each other and grow as the needs of surviving keep on getting rough.

While I’m not a fan of the high contrast in the graphic novel, I like how they are able to make it very dramatic and it fits their dark themes of gore and horror. You are able to easily tell as the reader that the black space that is shown in the panels has a lot of blood which really sets the tone. Little details aren’t really needed for most of the zombies in particular because the contrast gives me information that they are covered out, which makes them stand out from the rest. As for the characters, the high contrast works when it comes to expressions and dramatic movement. Though in chapter one they didn’t really have this type of art style but instead would use light gray shadings which I actually prefer more due to how easy it is in identifying who is what due to the character’s details being shown better. The panel work throughout the graphic novel helps guide us in where we need to read as well as the sizing which is perfect when it comes to a moment that either shows something important or dramatic is happening, especially when it works well with the different camera angles shown in the story.

The overall pacing of the story is good when it comes to learning and growing with each character and understanding the challenges they need to overcome. I just feel towards the beginning it was a bit weak due to the typical waking up from a coma and learning last minute what’s happening even though that sounds unrealistic and weird. But at the same time, this works when it comes to setting the reader to the world of the Walking Dead since we’re joined in with the main character’s confusion and being guided through his exploration of the environment around him. Due to this, I definitely would recommend this to those who are interested in a story about survival in a post-apocalyptic world full of zombies, but the only downfall of the story would be the competitive issues that they keep occurring, but I guess it’s there to have us see how realistic this story can go.