Walking Dead (the comic)

Mathias · Mar 10, 2012

Ok, so I love the show. But I wanted to open up a thread that talked about the comic itself.

So far, I've read through vol 1 and vol 2. (I think issues 1-16), and I'm not at all impressed. I like the artwork as far as Rick and the backgrounds go, but it kinda ends there. The dialog is so forced and horrible, I can barely stand it.

EVERYONE talks like a fucking 21 year old frat boy at a house party. "It's cool, man." "whatever, man" "I'll fuck you" God, it's so annoying. I can understand maybe having one character hold to that dialog, but EVERYONE - including the women - talk like this.

Another thing that gets my goat is the passage of time. One panel we have Rick waking up from a coma; the next it's 3 weeks later, and he's pals with everyone in the camp.

I don't know if the show's excellent characterization has just ruined me for the comic, or if it's a comics thing in general ( I don't read too many), but I can't get past how the language is at a 5th grade level.

checkeredhat · Mar 10, 2012

I've only read up to volume 4 myself and the dialogue hasn't gotten any better. The story is good, but the dialogue really suffers.

phil · Mar 11, 2012

Kirkman is a very plot heavy writer, perhaps to the point where most other aspects are lacking. His other big title, invincible, suffers from the same problems. Granted, most of the characters ARE college age so when they express themselves less than eloquently, it's not that out of place.

I will say this though: I always want to know what happens next. I feel he can take these tiered and played out generas and do something new with them while still respecting the things that made it great in the first place.

ThatNickGuy · Mar 11, 2012

I certainly won't defend the dialogue. Though I will say that the zombie genre in general isn't usually known for its strongpoint in dialogue or writing. Comparing the show's dialogue to the comic isn't really a fair comparison, since comic book dialogue almost always doesn't translate well from page to screen. Sin City might be the rare exception, but that was a very specific kind of writing (very pulp noir, stylized, etc). Plus, the show had Frank flipping Darabont doing the writing. The man makes a living writing great dialogue. It's not a fair comparison.

As far as time and pacing is concerned, the show has its problems, too. A friend and I pointed out how quickly Carl recovered from a life-threatening gunshot wound. Or the prisoner's leg wound where he was able to scramble away from zombies no problem.

But yeah, the plot and situations are usually more interesting than the dialogue. I've never held the dialogue as anything superior. I agree with Phil, though: Invincible's dialogue is a little bit easier to read because the characters are mostly college age.

Mathias · Mar 11, 2012

ThatNickGuy said:
I certainly won't defend the dialogue. Though I will say that the zombie genre in general isn't usually known for its strongpoint in dialogue or writing. Comparing the show's dialogue to the comic isn't really a fair comparison, since comic book dialogue almost always doesn't translate well from page to screen. Sin City might be the rare exception, but that was a very specific kind of writing (very pulp noir, stylized, etc). Plus, the show had Frank flipping Darabont doing the writing. The man makes a living writing great dialogue. It's not a fair comparison.

As far as time and pacing is concerned, the show has its problems, too. A friend and I pointed out how quickly Carl recovered from a life-threatening gunshot wound. Or the prisoner's leg wound where he was able to scramble away from zombies no problem.

But yeah, the plot and situations are usually more interesting than the dialogue. I've never held the dialogue as anything superior. I agree with Phil, though: Invincible's dialogue is a little bit easier to read because the characters are mostly college age.

Nonsense. I've read TONS of zombie/ post-apocalyptic stuff. There are tons of great stories out there.

ThatNickGuy · Mar 11, 2012

"In general isn't usually known" are the key words there. For every World War Z, there's about a dozen not-so-good zombie stories.

Necronic · Mar 12, 2012

Keep pushing through.

I'm not sure where volume two ends in terms of the story (I read the trades), but I'm guessing I've read farther than you. Kirkman does a pretty fantastic job in this comic of playing with the readers standard expectations of a zombie story. A large part of this can be easily understood from something he says in the very beginning of the first comic: Rick isn't going to die. That single statement means that you get to watch a zombie story, something that usually is simply a matter of realization, survival, and a climactic ending, play out in a much more dynamic and interesting light since it just keeps going and going.

By making it an ongoing adventure he introduces questions and issues into the narrative that the audience doesn't normally think about.

Anyways, the story is pretty fantastic for quite some time and is worth reading. I think I stopped at the 9th trade or so, but I keep meaning to pick it back up.

Gryfter · Mar 13, 2012

I've read up through the latest volume, 15 I think. I love em, even though the further into the series you get the more fucked things happen. There are some really great examinations of survival though and even knowing that Rick is the focus and is the one person your supposed to always follow doesn't stop me from thinking he's going to get it every time the shit hits the fan.

One thing about the comic, if the characters are ever happy..... watch out.... happiness is not allowed in the WD.

AshburnerX · Mar 13, 2012

I feel weird... I must be the only person who buys the single issues still.

Yoshimickster · Mar 15, 2012

I could never get into The Walking Dead. I read the first trade, and said "Yeah this is ain't for me." Tony Moore may be a great artist but Kirkman's writing style has always seemed bland to me. Plus I feel the main guy is a little too...Mad Max. He's a cop in a post-apoctalyptic world whose wife and baby daughter were killed by crazed generic apocalypse people. Going from that, why are people fighting for teritory in this world? I would get that if it were a nuclear apocalypse but this is a zombie apocalypse. Plus I find it kind of presumptuos and cliche that in a zombie apocalypse people will just bicker and argue the whole time. This would be okay if not for the fact that Kirkman's going for a REALISTIC vibe. You want realistic? Have the humans kill all the zombies in the first issue because zombies are stupid and in any real world situation wouldn't be a real threat. One more thing, did anyone else find how the police station in the first book ....WAS STILL LOCKED?! In a zombie apocalypse, that is on of the first I would think people would go to defend themselves. Just sayin.

phil · Mar 15, 2012

AshburnerX said:
I feel weird... I must be the only person who buys the single issues still.

I tried to for a while but it just got to be kind of a hassle, especially when I didn't have the money each month to pick up the current issue. Nothing is more infuriating than trying to catch up on back issues only to find that the place you're at has issues 34, 35, 36, and 38.

Trades all the way now.

ThatNickGuy · Mar 15, 2012

I plan on buying them in the compendium versions. Only one volume released so far (covers roughly issues 1-50). But I'm not in any rush.

Yoshimickster · Mar 15, 2012

ThatNickGuy said:
I plan on buying them in the compendium versions. Only one volume released so far (covers roughly issues 1-50). But I'm not in any rush.

Are those the hard-back ones? Them things is expensive. I saw the new TMNT book and it was like 50 bones!

Gryfter · Mar 15, 2012

Yoshimickster said:
I could never get into The Walking Dead. I read the first trade, and said "Yeah this is ain't for me." Tony Moore may be a great artist but Kirkman's writing style has always seemed bland to me. Plus I feel the main guy is a little too...Mad Max. He's a cop in a post-apoctalyptic world whose wife and baby daughter were killed by crazed generic apocalypse people. Going from that, why are people fighting for teritory in this world? ....

Well now, you would need to read up further in the series to see examples of this.

Also, I don't think Rick is anything like Max. Max loses his humanity pretty quick, whereas Rick is continually fighting a losing battle for his.

Also, from all indications there are far more walkers than living people so saying zombies aren't a threat is missing the point of an apocalyptic event. This didn't happen in one city and then spread, it appears to have hit everywhere at once. Also remember the, zombies are always getting new influxes of troops every time a living person dies, so...

Yoshimickster · Mar 15, 2012

Gryfter said:
Well now, you would need to read up further in the series to see examples of this.

Also, I don't think Rick is anything like Max. Max loses his humanity pretty quick, whereas Rick is continually fighting a losing battle for his.

Also, from all indications there are far more walkers than living people so saying zombies aren't a threat is missing the point of an apocalyptic event. This didn't happen in one city and then spread, it appears to have hit everywhere at once. Also remember the, zombies are always getting new influxes of troops every time a living person dies, so...

What I meant by zombies not being a threat is the fact that they have a lack of motor functions as well as lack of cognitive thought. If the world of the walking seriously wanted to survive, the government would have just given everybody gatling guns. Personally I'm ashamed they haven't thought of this, it's survival of the fittest people!JK

ThatNickGuy · Mar 15, 2012

The compendium, Yoshi, is an incredibly thick softcover book. Like twice the thickness of, say, a Marvel Essential (those black and white books).

As for zombies not being a real threat? I totally disagree. I've said it a million times, but a zombie's greatest strength is not in what it can do individually, but sheer numbers. Fighting one? Almost no problem. But you'll run out of bullets eventually, or you swing a sledgehammer or sword a few times, hard enough to crack a skull, you'll start to get tired. So you'll take down ten, but then what do you do about the other hundred? Run? Where? There's another hundred around the corner. And you can only run so far. Then you need to stop and catch your breath. Then there's another ten zombies in the building you just ran into. Plus, in classic zombie situations (like Walking Dead or the Romero movies), it's not just bitten people that rise up, but any dead. So people that die of starvation or exhaustion will rise up. Hospitals will be filled to the brim with deadheads.

Also, the greatest thing about zombie stories isn't the zombies, but the people. Sure, you might survive, but another person's definition of survival might be taking you out so there's more food. Or don't see your value in keeping you alive. The dead rising would mean a lot of people would likely mentally snap. It's also the ultimate locked room situation or hell, even a roommate situation. You might love a friend, but that can change entirely when you live with them. If you spend every waking minute with someone, they'll drive you mad. Then imagine being trapped somewhere with people you don't like and then multiply that locked-room scenario where you have to spend every waking minute with them.

Yoshimickster · Mar 15, 2012

@ ThatNickGuy: I can see where your coming from there. We'd have to be in a reall situation to be sure though. Time to start project U.....