The Walking Dead

What started out as a comic about post-apocalyptic life after a zombie infestation has now earned it's way to a TV show on AMC.  The Walking Dead has become a very popular comic and after last years first season, has now made it's way to the second season this year.

The Walking Dead is a comic that started in 2003 by writer Robert Kirkman for Image comics.  It's a story about main character Rick Grimes who awakes from a coma in a hospital in Kentucky to find his friends and family gone and the world over run with zombies.  Throughout the story he finds his family and forms a group of survivors which has many gruesome and trying adventures.  Each storyline in the comic lasts for six issues and is still running having it's 90th issue out last month.   

The TV show began in 2010 and aired with six episodes.  It followed most of the story lines from the comic however, it did add new characters and several new ideas and areas.  This is one of the reason why the show has been successful.  As Kirkman put it himself, "The show will follow some story lines from the comic however, it has developed into it's own organic creature and will continue to evolve on it's own."

That's enough about the comic though, what makes the show compelling as it's counterpart is that it isn't about zombies killing people, it's about the survivors and the human factor.  What i mean by human factor is that it allows us as viewers to put ourselves in the shoes of the characters and go "would I do that?".

With the world filled with mindless zombies, the characters have to figure out what to do next and fast.  It's a show that keeps the viewers on their feet because one never knows what is going to happen next.  For example, in this season so far, Rick's son Carl has been shot and another character Sophia, who is the daughter of Carol, has gone missing.  The fear for Rick is that everyone will become a zombie if killed, so the pressure to get Carl saved is high.

Seeing the characters interact with one another keeps the drama high as well and doesn't get bland.  With arguments over where to go and stay keeps the story fresh because living in one place keeps the constant fear of zombies breaking in close.  However, going outside and exposing themselves to the zombie epidemic is also unsafe.  It's these life decisions that make the show exciting.

One thing that always keeps us as people interested is venturing into the unknown, and that's the feeling the characters and viewers get.  It may be a bleak and sad unknown, but that fact that it's leading to something new and interesting keeps the suspense up.  Will it be a horde of zombies next or maybe more survivors?

Speaking of survivors, they also keep the show fresh.  Finding a new survivor may not always be good.  Having the unknown of will this survivor be helpful or is he or she here for personal gain is hard to determine.  These are the type of characters that are in the show and they keep the show interesting by plotting their own agendas. 

For people who loved the comic like me, there are some other things that will keep us watching.  The fact that it doesn't follow the comics exactly is great.  Instead of a carbon copy edition, we get a whole new way to watch the story unfold.  Taking Shane for example, he is Rick's police partner who dies in the 6th issue, the end of the first story arc.  However, in the show he is alive which is making for great story.  Him being alive is showing how crazy and deranged he has become because of the zombie epidemic. 

Even though the show has it's own writers, Kirkman helps out a good deal.  He is like a consultant for the show and has no problem with the writers changing things up.  The second season started on October 16 and is on it's way to the 4th episode.  It airs every Sunday at 9 pm and replays twice that same day.