The Walking Dead, Volume 1: Days Gone Bye by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore

Book Details
The Walking Dead, Volume 1: Days Gone Bye by Robert Kirkman & Tony Moore
Paperback, 144 Pages
2006, Image Comics
ISBN: 1582406723
Series: Book 1 of The Walking Dead

Synopsis
An epidemic of apocalyptic proportions has swept the globe, causing the dead to rise and feed on the living. In a matter of months, society has crumbled: There is no government, no grocery stores, no mail delivery, no cable TV. Rick Grimes finds himself one of the few survivors in this terrifying future. A couple months ago he was a small town cop who had never fired a shot and only ever saw one dead body. Separated from his family, he must now sort through all the death and confusion to try and find his wife and son. In a world ruled by the dead, we are forced to finally begin living.

Review
I'm obsessed with The Walking Dead television show. When I learned it was based on graphic novels, I immediately had to find and read them. I was not disappointed. In fact, I was perhaps even more blown away by this first volume, Days Gone Bye, than I was with the first season of the show.

The first thing I noticed when I started reading Days Gone Bye is that it is entirely in black and white. I don't have a lot of experience with graphic novels, but those that I have read have always been drawn in color. The black and white totally worked here. The drawings are beautiful, or at least as beautiful as zombies can be, and the stark lack of color matches the tone of the subject matter.

Reading Days Gone Bye made me appreciate how well done the television show is. The show seems to have stayed very true to the story in the graphic novel thus far, with a few exceptions. Obviously, some things had to be added to the show that weren't in the original graphic novels in order to provide action for an entire season. Only one major change is glaringly obvious in the reading of Days Gone Bye and it's a complete shocker. This is worth reading for that moment alone and has completely hooked me to this series. I must find out what happens next as soon as humanly possible.

I'm always wary going into reading something I've already seen a TV or movie adaption of. Volume 1 of The Walking Dead, Days Gone Bye, has completely amazed me, going far beyond my wildest dreams. The Walking Dead graphic novels may have just become my new obsession. Zombie mayhem at its finest.

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