For close to one hundred issues, THE WALKING DEAD has told the story of survival in an apocalyptic world overrun by a zombie infestation. To this day, we still do not know what the cause of the zombie outbreak was. The series has followed Rick Grimes and other survivors as they struggle to cope with the threat of zombies along with trying to make it in a world that has been turned upside down.
As the story has progressed, the zombies aren't the only threat to the survivors. Searching for supplies, shelter and medical attention are often problems that can't be ignored.
Since the story has focused mainly on a small group of individuals, we haven't seen much of the rest of the world. From time to time there have been other survivors out there, usually more of a threat than the actual zombies. With the new story arc beginning in issue #93, the question of other survivors might be something that's addressed. The question that we face is what happened to the rest of the world during the zombie outbreak? Be aware that there may be some minor spoilers if you're not completely caught up with the series.
== TEASER ==
The story began with Rick Grimes. As the police officer in a small town, he missed out on the action when the zombie infestation began. In a coma from being shot, he woke up weeks later to find all hell had broken loose. Rick's survival instincts immediately kicked in and he even managed to reunite himself with his wife and son, who had joined up with a small band of survivors.
As they made their way to simply survive, they would discover others that hadn't been infected or turned into zombies. While there has been an enormous number of zombies seen, very few human survivors have shown up. The biggest group of survivors was when they came across the Governor and the city that had fallen under his control. This was a sign that more than a few other people were still alive in the world. Later a community of people was also discovered. The number wasn't enough to fill a small city but it was still more than the handful Rick and the others came across.
Recently a man has made his way to the community that has become their haven. This survivor claimed to be part of a network of communities that had a system of trading and communication in place. Claiming to have 200 people in his community, this could be the beginning of a new chapter in their world.
Rick is skeptical, of course. How could he so easily trust anyone? He doesn't know if the man is telling the truth, if there is a larger community and what their true intentions are. The real focus should be on the existence of other communities.
Rick and the others have survived incredible and often impossible odds. This is a greater feat when you look at some of the individuals in his group and who they were before. No one would think to be prepared for a zombie outbreak. Yet these individuals have survived extreme odds by banding together.
When considering the rest of the world, there would definitely be others that would be more prepared for these dire times. A zombie outbreak would be incredibly unexpected but the possibility that some people got word before being overrun means they could have had more time to prepare. If they or anyone they knew had any military or survival skills, that would make their survival even greater. As a police officer, Rick may have had some survival training but there's no way he would be the most prepared person left in the world.
The idea of looking into the rest of the world would drastically change the vibe of the series. But from their perspective, it's something that would be thought of frequently. Even in their current community, they know supplies will soon run out. There's even been talk of trying to replenish their ammunition supply. They keep going out further and further to scavenge for food but eventually it will take them too far. They need more supplies and they need to find more people.
Another thought would be what is their fate in this world? Is this how they will live the rest of their days? What about repopulating the world? The idea of trying to raise a baby in this world is almost insane but for the survival of the human race it needs to be considered. What about trying to figure out what caused the outbreak and if there is a cure to end it?
The survivors need to find out what's out there. We've only seen a tiny portion of the world. There are other areas in the country that could have a better grasp on dealing with the zombies. There's also the question of what other countries are like.
Fans of THE WALKING DEAD might not want the answers to some of these questions. For the characters, they can't be and shouldn't be avoided.