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Book Review of The Walking Dead Book 1

The Walking Dead Book 1
tapcat16 avatar reviewed on + 150 more book reviews


When cop Rick wakes up from a coma brought on by a gun shot wound, he discovers a post-apocalyptic mess and zombies everywhere. He sets off for Atlanta in search of his wife, Lori, and son, Carl, and soon teams up with a rag-tag group of survivors camped just outside of Atlanta.

Kirkman has some creative ideas and clear, fun artwork to back it up, but he unfortunately starts his series with a very common trope in the post-apocalyptic genre--someone waking up from a coma to find the world gone to hell. It read so similarly to 28 Days Later that I almost gave up on it. Thankfully, once we get to the survivors outside of Atlanta, the creativity drastically improves. I'm glad I stuck with it.

The artwork is clear, well-drawn, and it is evident that Kirkman definitely thrills in the gore, something I really appreciate. He should work on his zombie sound effects though. I couldn't help laughing at "guk." Guk, really?

Overall, this is a good first entry in a zombie apocalypse series. Kirkman needs to be more careful to stay away from expected tropes in the genre and bring more of the creativity it is apparent he is capable of. I recommend it to fans of zombies, obviously. ;-)

Check out my full review.