The Walking Dead: Why Should I Read It?

I've heard a lot about The Walking Dead recently, and have become kind of curious, but am kind of on the fence about reading it. Zombies aren't exactly my thing- I don't really care much about the whole 'zombie survival genre'. Is it still worth reading, and why?

I haven't read the comic, but the tv series is awesome!

@Squares: The Walking Dead isn't really about zombies....it's about the people....the zombies in the book are pretty much just backgrounds that can bite....they're a huge threat and will play a role in the series from time to time but they aren't the focus of the series...it isn't one of those books or movies where a character is bitten or attacked by a zombie every 5 minutes...in fact there are times where several issues will go by and you won't even see a zombie....the book is mostly about Rick trying his best to find a place to keep his friends and family safe and the human threats that prevent him from doing so

@danhimself: My wording kind of sucked; I'm not really into the zombie genre. It would have been better phrased as something like zombie apocalypse genre or such. I didn't actually expect it to be about the zombies themselves.

@Squares: If you're not into the apocalypse or zombie genres then no you probably won't like it. @danhimself: did a good job of summing it up, but it's still involves zombies and living after the apocalypse and all the stuff that comes with it. So if that isn't you're thing it doesn't matter how good the story is I don't see you getting into it.

to be a sheep? I kid, the book isnt bad, but seriously overrated.

the comic is better than 99.9% of Marvel/DC books. For one.

@DH69 said:

to be a sheep? I kid, the book isnt bad, but seriously overrated.

I'm not sure I would call it overrated. It's popular but it deserves it because it's really great.

I don't get the whole overrated argument about things by the way. How does an wide audience affect the material of something?

@FalconPuuunch said:

@DH69 said:

to be a sheep? I kid, the book isnt bad, but seriously overrated.

I'm not sure I would call it overrated. It's popular but it deserves it because it's really great.

I don't get the whole overrated argument about things by the way. How does an wide audience affect the material of something?

its not about the material itself thats affected, but peoples opinions. Keep hearing somethings great eventually its gonna sink in whether you want it to or not. I've read the walking dead its good, but people constantly preaching its name builds it and stuff like it to a certain level where everyone expects it to be solid gold, and eventually people inherintly believe it as the truth.

to be a sheep? I kid, the book isnt bad, but seriously overrated.

ITs phenomenal. The dialogue and the character development is great, the trials and and the raw emotion that Kirkman is able to portray..man Walking Dead seriously deserves all the praise. The show is pretty good but not amazing but the book from issues 20-80 ish are simply fantastic. They read great in hardcover collections or trades. Kirkman, simply one of the best writers in comics today. The art is always consistently good as well.

@higher_evolutionary said:

@DH69 said:

to be a sheep? I kid, the book isnt bad, but seriously overrated.

i love the walking dead a lot , but i feel like i have to agree here , the walking dead went to a nearly dead ultra boring pointless comic for about two and a half years , until the something to fear storyline kicked in, if it hadnt i would have stopped reading the series, the earlier stuff was just classic however i am surprised that invincible isnt nearly as popular as TWD, its actually better

still havent gotten around to reading Invincible yet, but from what i've seen it looks pretty interesting.

Honestly, I like the show  better than the comic, but the comic is still pretty awesome, so if anything, read it just to see if you like it. 

Go on Comixology and read the first issue, it's free. If you liked it enough, check out the first trade, it's only like eight bucks on Amazon.

Honestly Kirkman has better comics, Invincible is much better than walking dead. I think once it gets going strong thief of thieves is also going to be better it has a better start in my opinion.

You should read it because it's a great book. If you're a fan of the garbage they broadcast on TV, you'll like the books (much, much) more.

There's really not much else to say. Don't worry about not being a fan of the zombie genre--the book's not really about the dead people anyway.

No.

I think what The Tree suggested is best. I also don't like zombies/undead stories in general. I got a TPB a few years ago,(on a request telling me "This is different") and at least, the one I have, is about zombies, and not people. Everything the people say/do was related to the fact that they live in a zombie infested world. Which, if you did, is probably what the world would be like, but I found it very hard to connect to.

@turoksonofstone said:

the comic is better than 99.9% of Marvel/DC books. For one.

What makes it better?

@Xanni15 said:

No.

So...I should read it because no?

@Renchamp said:

I just love how cinematic the books are. Moore and Adlard do a great job catching the nuances of the action. It's not just cool plots but great depictions.

I have to admit, that sounds interesting.

@The_Tree: Thanks, I'll consider it.

@SavageDragon said:

ITs phenomenal. The dialogue and the character development is great, the trials and and the raw emotion that Kirkman is able to portray..man Walking Dead seriously deserves all the praise. The show is pretty good but not amazing but the book from issues 20-80 ish are simply fantastic. They read great in hardcover collections or trades. Kirkman, simply one of the best writers in comics today. The art is always consistently good as well.

Hm. With praise like that, it's starting to sound like I might have to check it out after all...

@Squares: Read whatever you want to, I've read the first or so issues and thought they sucked. The potential is there with the plot, but the characters are goofy, unintelligent, and not relate-able It's difficult to mess up zombies, but there's tons of drama and useless dialogue that overshadow the decent action.

@Xanni15: Ok, thank you.

I would say watch the show and save money.

@Squares:

essentially Walking Dead embodies on a monthly basis what a quality comic should be it features consistent art story and character development. 99.9% of marvel/DC books don't do that.

@Xanni15 said:

@Squares: Read whatever you want to, I've read the first or so issues and thought they sucked. The potential is there with the plot, but the characters are goofy, unintelligent, and not relate-able It's difficult to mess up zombies, but there's tons of drama and useless dialogue that overshadow the decent action.

then you don't understand what the book is about....if you're looking for mindless action and tons of zombie killing then the Walking Dead isn't the book for you....if you're look for character development and plot driven stories then you should read the Walking Dead

@danhimself said:

@Xanni15 said:

@Squares: Read whatever you want to, I've read the first or so issues and thought they sucked. The potential is there with the plot, but the characters are goofy, unintelligent, and not relate-able It's difficult to mess up zombies, but there's tons of drama and useless dialogue that overshadow the decent action.

then you don't understand what the book is about....if you're looking for mindless action and tons of zombie killing then the Walking Dead isn't the book for you....if you're look for character development and plot driven stories then you should read the Walking Dead

I only read the first 5 issues, didn't see much character development or action.

@Xanni15 said:

@danhimself said:

@Xanni15 said:

@Squares: Read whatever you want to, I've read the first or so issues and thought they sucked. The potential is there with the plot, but the characters are goofy, unintelligent, and not relate-able It's difficult to mess up zombies, but there's tons of drama and useless dialogue that overshadow the decent action.

then you don't understand what the book is about....if you're looking for mindless action and tons of zombie killing then the Walking Dead isn't the book for you....if you're look for character development and plot driven stories then you should read the Walking Dead

I only read the first 5 issues, didn't see much character development or action.

there isn't much action in the entire series let alone the first 5 issues and yeah you only read the first five issues where they're still trying to establish who the characters are so yeah there isn't going to be any character development there

@danhimself said:

@Xanni15 said:

@danhimself said:

@Xanni15 said:

@Squares: Read whatever you want to, I've read the first or so issues and thought they sucked. The potential is there with the plot, but the characters are goofy, unintelligent, and not relate-able It's difficult to mess up zombies, but there's tons of drama and useless dialogue that overshadow the decent action.

then you don't understand what the book is about....if you're looking for mindless action and tons of zombie killing then the Walking Dead isn't the book for you....if you're look for character development and plot driven stories then you should read the Walking Dead

I only read the first 5 issues, didn't see much character development or action.

there isn't much action in the entire series let alone the first 5 issues and yeah you only read the first five issues where they're still trying to establish who the characters are so yeah there isn't going to be any character development there

I understand and agree.

@Xanni15 said:

@danhimself said:

@Xanni15 said:

@danhimself said:

@Xanni15 said:

@Squares: Read whatever you want to, I've read the first or so issues and thought they sucked. The potential is there with the plot, but the characters are goofy, unintelligent, and not relate-able It's difficult to mess up zombies, but there's tons of drama and useless dialogue that overshadow the decent action.

then you don't understand what the book is about....if you're looking for mindless action and tons of zombie killing then the Walking Dead isn't the book for you....if you're look for character development and plot driven stories then you should read the Walking Dead

I only read the first 5 issues, didn't see much character development or action.

there isn't much action in the entire series let alone the first 5 issues and yeah you only read the first five issues where they're still trying to establish who the characters are so yeah there isn't going to be any character development there

I understand and agree.

do yourself a favor and pick up the first compendium...it has the first 48 issues and it's only 34 bucks on amazon...that's less than a dollar per issue...by the end of the first compendium some of the characters have changed so much that they might as well be completely different characters

@danhimself said:

@Xanni15 said:

@danhimself said:

@Xanni15 said:

@danhimself said:

@Xanni15 said:

@Squares: Read whatever you want to, I've read the first or so issues and thought they sucked. The potential is there with the plot, but the characters are goofy, unintelligent, and not relate-able It's difficult to mess up zombies, but there's tons of drama and useless dialogue that overshadow the decent action.

then you don't understand what the book is about....if you're looking for mindless action and tons of zombie killing then the Walking Dead isn't the book for you....if you're look for character development and plot driven stories then you should read the Walking Dead

I only read the first 5 issues, didn't see much character development or action.

there isn't much action in the entire series let alone the first 5 issues and yeah you only read the first five issues where they're still trying to establish who the characters are so yeah there isn't going to be any character development there

I understand and agree.

do yourself a favor and pick up the first compendium...it has the first 48 issues and it's only 34 bucks on amazon...that's less than a dollar per issue...by the end of the first compendium some of the characters have changed so much that they might as well be completely different characters

Thanks for the recommendation. I've got a pick of a back log but I'll add it to it. :]

@Xanni15 said:

@danhimself said:

@Xanni15 said:

@danhimself said:

@Xanni15 said:

@danhimself said:

@Xanni15 said:

@Squares: Read whatever you want to, I've read the first or so issues and thought they sucked. The potential is there with the plot, but the characters are goofy, unintelligent, and not relate-able It's difficult to mess up zombies, but there's tons of drama and useless dialogue that overshadow the decent action.

then you don't understand what the book is about....if you're looking for mindless action and tons of zombie killing then the Walking Dead isn't the book for you....if you're look for character development and plot driven stories then you should read the Walking Dead

I only read the first 5 issues, didn't see much character development or action.

there isn't much action in the entire series let alone the first 5 issues and yeah you only read the first five issues where they're still trying to establish who the characters are so yeah there isn't going to be any character development there

I understand and agree.

do yourself a favor and pick up the first compendium...it has the first 48 issues and it's only 34 bucks on amazon...that's less than a dollar per issue...by the end of the first compendium some of the characters have changed so much that they might as well be completely different characters

Thanks for the recommendation. I've got a pick of a back log but I'll add it to it. :]

it's one of my top 5 favorite books of all time so I love the chance to try and get someone new to read it

@danhimself: I am up to date on the show, and figured I would give the first few issues a shot. I know I'm in the minority in regards to thinking it sucks.

@Xanni15: the first arc is really hard to judge the book by though...like I said...it's a very character driven book and during the first 5 issues you're still learning what the characters' names are...if it were an action book they'd give you a couple of expository panels that would throw as much of the character's history at you as they could fit in there but with a book like this they're going to make you work to learn things about them and what makes them them

@danhimself: That description actually helps a lot, and is encouraging. I'll give it another shot. :]

@Xanni15: sweet!!!!

The emphasis of the book is on the survivor characters. The appeal is that, unlike so many other stories, the characters are all so Everyman. They get hurt. They get sick. They get upset with each other. They cry when friends die, and they eventually have a fear of connecting with people because they just expect everyone else will die too.

Other than Michonne, who I consider the hands down least enjoyable part of the book, the characters aren't Batman and Captain America, improvising weapons as though they were MacGuyver and showing off their ancient ninja training. In most cases, they're just some normal working stiff, nothing special about them, and they vaguely remind you of someone you know.

And then they die. The attitude of 'no one is safe' is a big draw to the readers. This isn't the Justice League or the Avengers where most of the people are simply unable to die, or will come back to life if they did. In Walking Dead, main characters will die, and when they do, they're gone for good.

@Squares: Short answer: You shouldn't. The dialogue is forced and boring and the story gets stale about 60 or so issues in. I'm only still reading because I put too much effort in to not finish it and I can't see it going too much longer.

Well all I can tell you is do yourself a favor and pick up the first few issues, see if you like them rather then trust a strangers opinion.

I made pretty much the same post as you a while back, I dont care about the Zombie genre at all and was on the fence, once I tried it though I was hooked after the first issue!

Its a really powerful and emotional series, even though im not that far in myself yet, the first issue actually almost brought a tear to my eye towards the end (im sure youll know what I mean when you get there.).

Just try it, its worth the spare change. :)

@Swagger462 said:

@Squares: Short answer: You shouldn't. The dialogue is forced and boring and the story gets stale about 60 or so issues in. I'm only still reading because I put too much effort in to not finish it and I can't see it going too much longer.

Well you may be waiting awhile, Kirkmen has said, for a while now, that he plans on doing it forever aka as long as it's still selling and he's still breathing.

That could change of course, but that's been his stance for a few years now.

@Captain_Yesterday: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Well lucky I've been buying the hardcovers. I allocate an hour or two of my time once a year to that series and then I go on my merry way.

@higher_evolutionary said:

@DH69 said:

to be a sheep? I kid, the book isnt bad, but seriously overrated.

i love the walking dead a lot , but i feel like i have to agree here , the walking dead went to a nearly dead ultra boring pointless comic for about two and a half years , until the something to fear storyline kicked in, if it hadnt i would have stopped reading the series, the earlier stuff was just classic however i am surprised that invincible isnt nearly as popular as TWD, its actually better

THIS TOTALLY THIS

OP, @Squares: if you want, read Invincible. it's a super hero comic by the same writer of Walking Dead and it's TOTS AWESOME it's like Spider-man's teen years, if he had superman's powers but in our time/age

also, IMO TWD is not that interesting, neither the show or the comics. but Im not a big fan of zombies, more of an aliens guys

@Swagger462 said:

@Squares: Short answer: You shouldn't. The dialogue is forced and boring and the story gets stale about 60 or so issues in. I'm only still reading because I put too much effort in to not finish it and I can't see it going too much longer.

I got like that with Hellblazer. Long story short, after about 80 issues I finally gave up and stopped reading.

@Bruxae said:

Well all I can tell you is do yourself a favor and pick up the first few issues, see if you like them rather then trust a strangers opinion.

I made pretty much the same post as you a while back, I dont care about the Zombie genre at all and was on the fence, once I tried it though I was hooked after the first issue!

Its a really powerful and emotional series, even though im not that far in myself yet, the first issue actually almost brought a tear to my eye towards the end (im sure youll know what I mean when you get there.).

Just try it, its worth the spare change. :)

Fair enough, I may do that.

@Jorgevy: Yes, I've heard good things about Invincible.

@turoksonofstone: And 99.9% of statistics are made up on the spot, lol.

@Squares: sure.