If you’ve been paying even the slightest attention to what’s happening on television, chances are that you’ve probably heard of “The Walking Dead.” The show has taken cable TV by storm, receiving ratings upwards of 5 million viewers for every episode aired and even broke the 8 million viewer mark several times. After the recent season 2 finale, fans of the zombified series are hankering for more undead excitement, so where better to turn than the comic series of the same name?
The series, which the television show is based upon, began publishing issues in October 2003. It’s currently on issue number 95, and continues to receive high critical acclaim. The television series has only covered perhaps the first 20-25% of the comic issues, leaving “The Walking Dead” advocates plenty of extra reading material, should they choose to commit their time to it.
That being said, the time commitment is well worth it, as the television series has really only covered the tip of the iceberg. Several major plotlines still remain uncovered in the television series that are sure to grip any fan of “The Walking Dead,” particularly the sadistic villain known simply as the Governor. In an attempt to remain spoiler free, just know that any time spent reading “The Walking Dead” comic series will be time well spent.
Fans of the television series may have to slightly adjust to the minor plot differences and the lack of the wonderful work done by the show’s developer, writer, and director Frank Darabont. Granted, the lack of Frank Darabont is also a problem that will be faced by the television series in the third season, due to his recent departure from the show. Overall, however, the comic books offer a “Walking Dead” experience that is still very raw and gritty and, due to the written format, allows fans to enjoy the plotline much more than in the television series. The written format leaves the reader open to interpret certain elements on their own, rather than being given interpretations by the actors and writers of the TV show. Also, the massive backlog of 95 issues allows readers to read as much as they want to and takes much longer to catch up on, rather than the much shorter (by comparison) 19 episodes of the TV series.
Anybody, either a diehard television watcher or someone simply curious about the critically acclaimed zombified series, should do themselves a favor and check out the series of comics. It offers an experience that is completely unique and is sure to help any interested fan survive the lack of “The Walking Dead” over the summer.
