In the latest edition of Comics to Read Before You Die, Jessie Robertson looks at The Walking Dead Compendium One…
Issues 1-48 (Oct 2003 to Oct 2007)
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artists: Tony Moore & Charlie Adlard
Letterer: Russ Wooton
Colorist: Cliff Rathburn
Creators: Robert Kirkman & Tony Moore
No one needs to be told that The Walking Dead has brought zombies back full force into the American Zeitgeist, as they call it. The comic book was an instant success and AMC’s television adaptation is not just a massive hit, it’s become one of the most talked about and identifiable pop culture phenomenons in all of television and everything else. What is it about this concept that has grabbed the attention of the world and kept them on edge, not just in print but on-screen for more than a decade now?
I first heard of this book years after it had been out right before the show set to debut. I DVR’d the premiere and thought “okay” a zombie show, not really in my wheelhouse. But a friend of mine demanded that I take this massive tome and devour it and then go back and watch the show. So I did. And I couldn’t put it down. First off, it’s in black and white which for comic books is normally a gimmick because half the fun of reading a comic is to see the colors, the bright, beaming outfits and worlds, things we could never see in our real life. I wondered why they decided to go with the black and white motif? It could be because the world is so grim and dark there wouldn’t be much point in splashing in the palette; it would add nothing to the book. Was it trying to say something about the world it was created in? You’re either alive or you’re dead. Black and White. No two ways about it. I’m still not sure; but whatever the reason, it’s a hallmark of the title and has worked.
Now, we can look back on the run of the book as it hits #133 as of this article and see a natural progression of things; but I think the main crux of this book is that this was not actually a zombie book. Yes, they were alluded to in the title, the world was overrun by them, all the stuff George Romero was fixated on in the 60’s and on, the dead rising from their graves, slowly stalking the living, feeding on brains. But, the further you delved into this book, it was about the situation and the characters. Once our survivors move into the prison, you start to realize that it’s the living that are the scary part of this story, the living that are the most dangerous and it continues to prove itself true, over and over again. We are jealous, we are insecure, we are unpredictable, we are sick, over and over, true colors (not just black and white) shine through in periphery characters as they act on instinct, fear and evil.
I’ve always likened this tale to The Stand by Stephen King, more so than any zombie fiction come before it, because there again, you have this vilified bad guy, who is deserved of the title, but it’s what happens when the world comes to an end, as we know it, civilized fashion, when you see the people who have survived and how they act in accordance. Some rise up as inspirations, others fall into a cavern of depravity. (Former)Sheriff Rick Grimes will no doubt be an icon in the world of comics and TV; he’s a man thrust into a world he is not aware of, and has only seconds, mere moments to survive, and he does it all by instinct. Throughout the course of this compendium, he is leading the charge, plotting his next move with calculation and clarity, while amongst him is carnage and chaos and family and friends bleeding and turning.
As the series gets longer and longer, deepening the mythos of an overrun world, it gets more and more broad, struggling to find characters people connect to, or invest in, because frankly, there aren’t many with a long shelf life in Kirkman’s zombie universe, but I don’t know of a more self-contained epic than this 5 pound book. It takes you all the way through the prison and Woodbury in one gigantically succinct pictured novel. Another thing that will catch you is the bluntness of the violence in this story; it’s abound everywhere, and not always from their dead adversaries; it’s a tremendous read and I’d highly recommend it even to fans of the TV series, as one of the great things about these two distinct narratives is they are framed by much of the same larger bookends, but almost all of the details and characters are changed, for a unique and satisfying journey on both ends. This book is pricey, but well worth it.
Next Time: It’s Halloween Night and who better to spend it with than the Dark Knight
Jessie Robertson
Originally published October 24, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
