Comics vs. Television – The Walking Dead – Round One

Comics Vs. Television – The Walking Dead – Round One

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ll be reading my 18 trade paperbacks, each cover six issues of the comic book. The Walking Dead T.V. series and the comic differ in plots. The purpose of these posts is to share some of the differences with fans of the T.V. show. So if you haven’t seen the show’s first three seasons, you may read plot spoilers as I compare differences between the two versions of The Walking Dead series.

Volume 1 is called Days Gone Bye.

Here’s a few of the differences I thought I’d share:

• On the first page we’re told that Rick and Shane are in pursuit of escaped convicts. Rick is shot by one of the men that escaped from a nearby Grant County Prison.
• Rick and his family are from Kentucky, not Georgia. The reason they are in Georgia is because Lori, Carl and Shane are headed to Atlanta to find Lori’s parents while Rick was in a coma.
• There was no tank in Atlanta for Rick to hide inside. Glen just happened to see him and helped him escape while the zombies feast on the horse.
• Shane is taller than Rick in the comic.
• Allen, Donna and Ben travel with Tyrese and his sister on the T.V. show. In the comic Allen also has another son, Billy. Both boys are younger than Carl and the Allen and his family are part of the original camp that Rick joins up with.
• Daryl, Merle, T-Dog and Ed do not exist in the comics.
• Lori tells us she met Rick at his brother Jeff’s party. Rick was going to college for police administration.
• Carl is only seven in the comics.
• The group stays at the camp for a long time after Rick rejoins them–at least 1 month. Rick wants to move farther away from Atlanta but Shane insists the government will find and aid them faster if they stay near Atlanta.
• Dale is a retired salesman. He was traveling across America with his wife in the R.V.. Along the way his wife is killed by zombies.
• Rick and Shane have a shouting match at the camp. Rick chases after Shane to calm him down. Shane turns his gun on Rick. Carl shoots Shane in the neck.
• Carol and Andrea are both younger than in the T.V. series.

As you can see, there’s a number of differences between the comic and the T.V. series. No one gets left on a roof in Atlanta. Rick and Shane happen long before Hershel’s farm. Also, Shane never tells Lori that Rick is dead. They are both under the impression that the hospital is a safe place for Rick while he’s in the coma.

Want to read the comics too? Many of the original issues are rare collector’s items now. You can, however, grab the trade paper backs and the compendium books on eBay. The compendium 1 and 2 each cover 48 issues and are much cheaper than buying the original books. Check the current listings on [on eBay] or [on Amazon].