I haven't seen the TV show yet but I just made it through 96 issues of this comic series and I've got to admit it's one of the best stories (not just comics) I've ever read and it's not done being written yet. The thought of more Walking Dead stories to come fills me with joy.
This is one of best fleshed out, realistic, and fully explored worlds I've read and the fact it's in comic format makes it all the more interesting. The Walking Dead uses the simple format of a zombie apocalypse and then tries to figure out how people would survive and act in that situation. The level of reality in this series is startling. It's brutal, violent, and heart breaking as sometimes in one issue three or four main characters will die. I also like how Kirkman really fleshes out the characters in this book and makes them three dimensional in ways most comics can't even comprehend. Actions and chooses always affect things in this series, another things most comics now-a-days can't even comprehend. Another thing Kirkman did well was not get in a hurry the main characters of this series aren't fully established until about the 20-40 issue mark. He takes his time and lets the story line and characters develop in a timely manner. This gives the reader time also to invest into everything that is going on, so when shit does hit the fan, the shock value is earned and never feels like a gimmick.
One of the things I like about these survival type of stories is the the world becomes reduced to a black or white scenario, there is no grey area in this world. Grey areas means you will most likely die, where as black and white decisions have to be made quickly. This mantra of grey is woven throughout every issue and lingers on ever page like the plague that brought the zombies - there is no room for grey - grey means you will die. How this line of thinking affects people makes it part of the enjoyment of reading because normal thinking has to be chucked out of the window in this new world. How this mentality of thinking affects kids is even more brutal than how it affects adults and Kirkman really delivers on this front. Kirkman also does has a good way of letting characters talk and interact that fell real as they talk about things that's happened them. By doing this he really breathes life into these characters as they talk about things going on inside of them and how they've become affected by either what's happened to them or choices they've made.
Survival is the name of the game with this series but how this word becomes changed and morphed around as it pertains to the characters was fun to watch, especially as it is defined by the main character Rick Grimes. Who is a character deeply affected by what has happened. Watching his mentality change throughout the series was - from a writer's perspective - believably and honestly real. I couldn't help but root for him and his desire to keep his family safe. A thoroughly enjoyable read not just from a comic perspective but from a literature perspective.
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