Fast Food Blogging

The Walking Dead: Compendium Volume 1 (2009)-Robert Kirkman

Verdict: Try it.

I hate all things related to horror. Robert Kirkman’s comic book series The Walking Dead is a rare exception.

The story is simple enough. Follow Rick Grimes, a small town police officer, on his journey to find his family, make friends, and survive the zombie apocalypse. While the first issue reads like a rip off of the 2002 movie 28 Days Later, the series soon turns into one of the most engrossing comic books that I have read. The dialogue is often quick and strait to the point– thank goodness. Artists Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard make the text come to life in gorgeous black and white. Perhaps the best element of the series is that it simultaneously makes you “want to” and “not want to” turn the page, because although you love the story, you know that no character is safe. It’s as if a noose is continually tightening around each character’s neck, and you love it. This is the ultimate page turner.

I don’t enjoy everything about The Walking Dead. The content can be too explicit for my taste at times, and the later portion of the first 48 issues tries a bit too hard to shock the audience. However, if you are at least 18, like graphic novels, horror, or both, I cannot recommend many comic books more engaging than this. Try it.

The Walking Dead: Compendium Volume 1 contains the first 48 issues or 8 volumes of the series. I will have to wait for the second Compendium to catch up with the series.

QOL: human