Just Read: The Walking Dead Volume 1: Days Gone Bye (2006)

This is where it all started

Long before everybody knew The Walking Dead as a very popular TV show and video game series it was a series of graphic novels written by Robert Kirkman and illustrated by Tony Moore. It tried to tell a different zombie story that was more focused on human drama than the actual zombies themselves.

Volume 1 is the story of a man who wakes up in a hospital all alone. He walks out to find the city overrun by zombies, and his family is nowhere to be found. So, he sets out in search of his family and along the way he runs into zombies and also meets some people who he may be able to befriend. If you've watched the first season of the TV show then you've probably seen most of what's here.

The book itself is fairly nice. It's the typical size of trade paperbacks, is black and white, the pages are glossy, and there are 144 pages. Although the black and white is alright, it's a shame they still haven't released these comics in colour as it would really add to the books, and the glossy pages don't really go well with the black and white. The story itself is interesting, while you don't really get to learn a lot about the characters they do begin to get fleshed out, there's a good mix of zombie action and human drama, and the ending is a great cliffhanger. The art is decent, but could use a little more shading and a bit more difference in the appearance of some of the characters.

Availability: Days Gone Bye is available as the single volume trade paperback that's pictured above as well as a hardcover that collects the first twelve issues and the huge The Walking Dead Conpendium Volume 1 paperback which collects the first 48 issues. As mentioned above none are in colour.

If you're interested in the humble beginnings of The Walking Dead or want an enjoyable zombie graphic novel then definitely check out Days Gone Bye, but if you're not a fan of the show or want something a little more humorous or focused on zombies you may want to look elsewhere. This follows very closely to the beginning of the show so if you want new stories you are better off skipping further ahead in the graphic novel series.