Topsy-Turvy

After over a quarter of a century of collecting comic books, today I finally did something I've never done before; I picked up a comic book after having seen its adaptation, in particular the enormously popular cable TV series The Walking Dead. I had ever and always followed a comic book from the page to the screen, usually the big one, and it was only because of how compelling I found the live-action television version of TWD that I actually found myself going in the other direction for a change. I figured the best place to start was the very beginning, and so I got hold of Volume I, "Days Gone Bye" in which writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore introduce the world to the world of the walking dead.

I won't review the comic book compilation here, as it is an eight-year-old publication and I don't as a rule review something that's been out that long, especially something as popular as this particular book, but now having at least seen some of the comic books on which the TV series was based I have to say my overall experience of TWD is now that much richer. Given that Moore only ever illustrated the first six issues of the series, and that his work is reportedly a lot better-looking than that of his successor, current series artist Charlie Aldard, it seems I now have the cream of the crop, at least in terms of art.

Now, as blasphemous as this may sound to devotees of the comic book, what Frank Darabont did with the first season of the show, which was by and large an expansion of the first six issues, amounted to a narrative tour de force, as a result of which that season actually played better than the first six issues of the series read. There were a lot of tweaks made to the TV series that added dimension to the story and the characters; the expansion of Shane's character was a pretty significant departure from the comic book, as was the introduction of the Dixon brothers, particularly the certified badass Daryl (Norman Reedus), who remains unique to the show and who was, in fact, created by Darabont and not Kirkman.

The thing is, though that Darabont, with the power of Hollywood and the talent of make-up demi-god Greg Nicotero, as well as a dedicated cast, crew and team of directors and writers (including Kirkman himself) at his disposal, had a distinct advantage over Kirkman, who only had artist Moore to help him establish mood. More importantly, though, it was Kirkman and Moore who blazed the trail with this extraordinary work; without their work there would have been no show to watch. The whole notion of a zombie apocalypse being played out as compelling human drama rather than some camped-up kitsch is something that was firmly established by Kirkman and Moore in these first six issues, and, I imagine, throughout the series, long before the TV show ever came into being.

With the TV series on season break until the fall, which is nearly six months away, I now have plenty of time to catch up on the comic books I've missed, which span five years worth of stories. With any luck I'll be able to pick up at least three or four more collected editions before the series makes its return in September. It really was a new thing for me to actually be introduced to a comic book through its adaptation, but it's a new experience I most enthusiastically welcome. The show, and the comic books that inspired it, are fantastic.