So after finally reading Marvel Zombies, I decided to give Robert Kirkman's other works a try. I went for his Walking Dead series, which is close to the genre that he writes in MZ. So far I have bought the first two TPB's, and have enjoyed them. However, the series had been talked up so much that I frankly expected more. Given that I have only technically read the first 12 issues, I have decided to give the books a further chance. Before I invest wholeheartedly and wind up with 5 TPB's, I'd like to hear other people's thoughts about the series. Here's what I can state about the Walking Dead at this time, from what I've read:

1) It's character-driven, so you get a lot of dialogue and you get to know the players very well. Unfortunately, this means that the story is slow to develop.

2) It pays homage to movies such as "28 Days Later", "Dawn of the Dead", and "Day of the Dead", but with its own unique twists.

3) It's sort of a downer, story-wise - but what tale set in a world where most of the population has turned into flesh-eating undead wouldn't be? (And by the way, no one so far seems to know what caused the zombies to "come to life" - do we ever get to find out?)

4) None of the main characters seem to be safe from being killed off. This adds suspense to the stories, because any one of them could go at any given time - and they are mostly a likeable group of people.

OK, that is my take on Kirkman's The Walking Dead. What is yours?

Having read all of the issues that have come out thus far, here's what I've got ...

The Good:
1) It's extremely character-driven. That's good, as you mentioned, because you get to know and like each of the characters.

2) There's a 'holy ####!' moment almost every issue.

3) You never quite know what to expect or who's going to die.

4) The art works fantastically well with the story.

The bad:
1) The story can get extremely slow. For instance, the current arc. I like where it's going. I like the characters that it has introduced. I like the new 'threat'. But, just the same, there's a point where you find yourself saying, 'Alright. We get it. Get on with it already.' And, you can't help but wonder if one of the characters is now going to attach a chainsaw to his stump.

I love The Walking Dead.

It is character driven. Especially so. That's what makes a good zombie flick work though. So long as they have no and interesting situations to react to every once in a while, the book will stay fresh.

The opening scene of the book, the one you would think pays homage to "28 Days Later," Kirkman swears he wrote that before he saw the movie. But yes, it is a zombie tale, and as such takes cues from what first. Luckily I like all these movies. And hey, "28 Days Later" payed huge tribute to "Day of the Dead" it's all good.

I think the story has to be a downer. There should be small breaks here and there where the characters find some small joy (and there are), but considering the world, it should be a bit sad.

Kirkman has said he has no plans to ever get into the origin of the zombies. Hey, I don't think it's ever mattered to any of the old films.

If you wanted to read something more inline with Marvel Zombies I would have gone with Invincible or Marvel Team-Up. The Walking Dead is harsh business.

I don't mind the harsh business, really. It's an integral part of the storyline, and it keeps you guessing as to how these "normal" people will react to the extreme situation in which they live. I am still not sold on Invincible or MTU because it's a different genre altogether - and I prefer the dark overtone of MZ and The Walking Dead.

As to having no plan to ever get into the origin of the zombies, well, I have mixed feelings about that. On the one hand, I like Romero movies just fine - and don't necessarily need to know what created these monsters to appear on the scene and then proceed to devour the planet. On the other hand, it would be nice to find out at some point what got this whole tragedy started. In Marvel Zombies, I liked the fact that we knew about an infected Sentry punching his way to another reality in search for food - resulting in infecting the super hero population of another Earth. As a reader, I am curious to find out what happened in the world of The Walking Dead. I guess that the characters are too busy staying alive in order to try/want to find out.

You basically summed up my review if your first post. The key to "Walking Dead" are the characters who are very complex. This is a series less about battling the zombies and more about making a "community" and surviving in the zombie-infested world. I consider that a good thing and while some people who prefer a little more "splatterfest" or "run-and-gun" may not like the story because of that, I, personally am very happy with the series and give it a strong recommendation.

I think with the first 2 tpb's, you've got the best of the series. Although after the 15th issue or so I haven't read any because I thought the book was pretty much over well before I stopped reading it. I loved the first 6 or 8 issues, but then it kinda just goes on. I got most of the character stuff from those, and don't really see much else interesting to persue. Plus after the art change, I really wasn't as hooked. I just think Kirkman is a so-so writer, but the first several issues of Walking Dead is the best of all he has written. I don't like Marvel Zombies, Invincible, and I'll even go so far as to say I hate his Marvel Team-Ups. So my opinion may be in a minority and you might want to ignore my advice on not picking up the rest of the TPB's on WD. His take on the Zombie genre was very good at first with interesting character and plot, but then it just kinda trods on and on.

The good? It's one of the top series on the market and is a very dense read. And it's terribly riveting because you honestly just have no idea what is going to happen to these characters. Anything goes, and that's honestly how comics should work.

The bad? Only thing that gets me is that you do tend to lose track of who's who and sometimes you just don't see characters often enough to remember what they do and what purpose they serve. But that's nothing that isn't rectified by multiple re-reads, which is exactly what should be done with this book because it's so damn good.

I think, if you only got the first two trades, that you dropped it too soon. The stuff when they first get to the prison is really good stuff. Lots of twists and turns there.

Then, it kind of drags a bit when the new chick is introduced, but she plays a very important role in the storyline with the Governor.

So, I'd definitely recommend that you go back and get the rest of the series, machineman. Yeah, there are places where it drags, but there are also a lot of places where Kirkman tells some amazing stories within the story.

OK, so I bought the third TPB and I am liking the series better now. The prison stuff was very interesting, and the book ended on a cliffhanger which basically means that I'll probably wind up getting the 4th TPB. A couple of comments:

- Tyreese is my favorite character now. Getting locked in a gym with a gaggle of zombies and with only a hammer to take them out was awesome.

- I'm starting to like Rick less due to the fact that he doesn't seem to think things through and acts on impulse. (OK, so this is a character flaw that makes him a person, but still it's frustrating!!) Example: he goes off on his own, on a motorcycle, and leaves his pregnant wife and kid back at the prison with 4 ex-cons walking around free. As a former police officer, you'd think that he'd try to access the prison records and find out why the cons got jailed in the first place. I blame the mess that happened thereafter squarely on Rick. He thought he was in control, and was dead wrong.

In any case, still enjoying the series. Oh, and I like Charlie Adlard's art better than the guy who was the artist at first.

Funny you should say that...but I won't say anymore if you haven't read 4 yet.

TWD is one of my most anticipated series each month

As previously mentioned, you never know who will live and who will die (or be maimed, to be fair)

The characters, generally, are not 'likeable' but they are all interesting and more than reasonable. Although he is a former criminal, I kind of like Axel. He is a character who is trying to redeem himself

As to the origin of the 'roamers' et al, why would they know? Looks like communication broke down. It may have happened so fast, the authorities did not have time to ascertain the root cause. Kirkman has given hints as to the nature of the Zeds... Several people have died and risen without being bitten and they seem to have distant memories of their life

I rather like them not knowing. In a movie or such, sometimes it's nice to get an answer because you figure after 90 minutes or so that's the end of that story but this is ongoing so if it ever becomes important, you figure there's a chance they'll get to find out. In the meantime, I feel it would almost be "unrealistic" (as much as that can be applied to a book about zombies) for a bunch of normal people besieged in a prison to find out what created the zombies. It's not like they really have the opportunity - or even the scientific know-how - to figure out that puzzle plus they have more important concerns (I'm sure they'd like to know - it's just not that any of them feel risking life-and-limb to travel across the U.S. to hear is more important than, say, making sure a loved one stays safe right now).

Actually, i think Kirkman has come out and said that there will never be an explanation to how the zombie breakout came from, how it started.

Well, I can live with that but part of me wants to know. I agree that the characters are too busy staying live to have the time/will to find out how the zombies came about. Even so, stuck in the situation I'd still want to know where this came from - and maybe if there's a way to stop it. The other twist, as has been mentioned, is that you don't have to be bitten to turn into a zombie. So after a particular point in time, everyone who was alive comes back after they die. Does this mean that they continue walking around as zombies until they finally decompose (or get shot in the head)? At what point is death "final"?

I hope that Kirkman hasn't decided to not give any such answers. OK, so it's great that he leaves so much to the imagination of the reader, but it would also be good to know what the "rules" of his universe are. I probably have to continue reading in order to "get" where he is going with the concept for the series.