The Walking Dead

[Diabolical]

So unless the search function is fucked up, there's no thread for The Walking Dead?

Ages ago I bought the trade of Volume 1 and loved it, but never picked up any more, despite really wanting to continue.
I think I bought Y: The Last Man Volume 1 at the same time and continued with that one due to availability at the local Borders.

The tv show only reanimated* my desire to keep reading, so for our anniversary my wife bought me the big ass The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1. Consisting of over 1000 pages, it collects the first 48 issues and is as big as a fucking phone book.

2 days of reading and I'm half way through.
Fuck, this thing just keeps getting better and better.
I'm at the point where Rick is semi-replaced as leader by the committee and gives his "We are the walking dead!" speech. I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a little upset when certain people die.

My only complaint is the cover. I took a close look at it today and saw what could probably be considered a spoiler (I'm assuming).
On the cover Rick is missing his right hand.

I just wish that there was a Compendium Volume 2 out now. Looks like they are on #84, so if they eventually do another 48 issue book, I've got about a year or so to wait for the next 12 to be published first. Getting regular trades now would look weird on my shelf.







*See what I did there? ZING!

[anarky]

I saw the Compendium today. That sucker is massive. I'm sticking with regular TPB's, though, since they're coming out far more quickly, for obvious reasons. They also don't require the use of a wheelbarrow.

[Diabolical]

Finished Compendium 1 yesterday.
Fuck you Robert Kirkman, but not in the "Fuck you Matt Fraction" kind of way. More like "Fuck you for turning everything I know about comics and storytelling in general and turning it on its head and blowing me away."


After the very first trade I knew (or thought I knew) that almost nobody was safe, because I figured there were definitely 3 or 4 characters that would be there until the series eventually wrapped up. Kirkman pretty much annihilated that idea, killing damn near everyone in the last chapter/volume.
At first I assumed that only Rick and Carl survived, but looking back I see that Michonne is still out there somewhere and we never actually the gang in the RV die. The last time we see Andrea, she was knocked off the top off the RV (with Dale, Glenn, Maggie and the children inside, presumably) when it was rammed by the pick up.
The death of Tyreese was fucking brutal and shocking, but only half as shocking as the death of Lori and the baby. Now that was fucking heartbreaking.

All in all, I understand why Kirkman does the things he does with this series.
First, it keeps it very fucking real. This is a very realistic scenario...if the dead actually did rise.
And second, it keeps the series fresh. There is no status quo. Anything can (and will) change in a heartbeat. I guess if that is what you need to write a comic book for 8 years and not get bored, then so be it.

[anarky]

Slightly off-topic, but I read the Super Dinosaur FCBD issue online. I can't say I was much impressed. Kirkman's been a good writer on Invincible and Walking Dead (even with my minor misgivings about apparently doing zero research into the location where it's set). But Haunt was kinda cliched "90s Image" crap from the issue I read, and Super Dinosaur seems like the worst type of pandering in an attempt to sell comics to kids. I had really high hopes for it.

Still, credit is due for writing and publishing a comic that's meant for all ages and isn't buried in a sub-line that will get canceled in a month.

[Rollo Tomassi]

The so-called champion of Creators Rights, Robert Kirkman fucks his Walking Dead co-creator out of his share of the profits. I always knew he was an asshole. Ever since I saw him knock a little kid down and steal her sandwich at ComicCon.

[Venkman]

That's true. I've also seen him spit on people an he once told a homeless guy to "Get a Job, Hippie!" He is not a nice person.
He tried to screw Rob out of the rights to The Infinite, but Rob was too crafty for him. Kirkman got so pissed he threw a water bottle at the wall and ruined an Avengelyne print Rob had hanging there. Then he started cussing at everybody in the office. It was scary. But then Rob just stood up, and said in a very calm voice that Kirkman better get the fuck out of his studio, or they'd never find his fucking corpse.

That was so awesome. That night I thought about Rob and masturbated.

[vynsane]

In the complaint, Moore alleges he initially signed a deal with Kirkman which would entitle Moore to 60 percent of "Comic Publishing Net Proceeds" and 20 percent of "motion picture net proceeds" for "The Walking Dead"

In 2005, Moore claims he was informed by Kirkman a television deal for "The Walking Dead" was on the table, but "Kirkman would not be able to complete the deal unless [Moore] assigned all of his interest in the Walking Dead and other works to Kirkman," Moore signed the contract, believing the deal would not go through and claims Kirkman was attempting to "swindle" him out of his 50 percent interest in "The Walking Dead's" "motion picture net proceeds."

um... which is it: 20% of motion picture net proceeds, or 50%? also... i don't really see how he deserves 60% of comic proceeds, or 50% or 20% of motion picture proceeds seeing as how he drew six issues of the series which accounts for just over 6% of the full body of work at this point. sure, he came up with character designs - but, hell, probably 80% of those characters are dead by now! perhaps he brought a lot of basic underlying plot ideas to the series, but charlie adlard's brought much more to the table in his 87 consecutive issue run on the title. tony had to back down from the art duties because he couldn't make deadlines (according to kirkman, anyway - there's a difference of opinion on the matter to say the least).

ultimately, though, you can't get mad and sue someone because you made a bad business decision. why would he sign away the rights thinking that the TV deal would fall through, and why would he think it was okay to sue when it didn't and proved wildly successful?

[Mister Roboto]

It is a known fact that Robert Kirkman adopts kittens from animal shelters just so he can take them home and drown them in a toilet bowl of ice water.

[Shatner]

I once walked..in...on Kirkman touching himself...While...looking at a copy of...Outdoor Fishing Monthly.

[Aunt Harriet]

That's nothing, dearie.

I once caught him abusing himself to an AARP brochure.

Then he wiped "it" on the cat. Filthy man. Wretched horrible man.

[Ran]

Say someone who doesn't read many comics wanted to start reading The Walking Dead. They do a search on Amazon and three different "Volume 1" books come up: The Walking Dead: Compendium One, The Walking Dead, Book 1, & The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye. That's not counting some other $100+ collector version.

Basically, Where do I start and how many volumes are there? I might start reading these things after the semister ends in May.

[RoIIo Tomassi]

Each Trade is six issues of the comic. Book 1, and Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye are essentially the same Trade with different names, collecting the first six issues. EDIT. Book 1 collects the first 12 issues.

Compendium 1, collects the first however many Trades and thus has the first 50 or so issues(I'd have to google it to be exact)EDIT. The first 48 issues. I was close.

I'd recommend the Compendium.

EDIT. it depends on how long you're willing to wait between Editions and how piecemeal you want your collection to look

There's been 15 Trades taking it up to issue 90.
Six Books, each with 12 issues. Taking it up to issue 84.
Three Hardcover editions of 24 issues each, taking it up to issue 72 so far.
And the one Compendium.

[RoIIo Tomassi]

Congrats on Walking Dead making it to issue 100. Sadly, I read an untagged Spoiler in a forum and it revealed Longtime fave Glen got killed.. I don't know of I'm more pissed about that or the fact some a-hole spoiled it in a forum.

But really, in this day and age, it's damn near impossible for a Comic to make it to issue 100. I looked on CBDB. Since 2000, only like a half dozen series have made it that far. And besides WD, I think only one of those is still going. Fables.
The others were
Exiles(2000). Made it to exactly 100 issues. Then Claremont got his filthy hands on the franchise and killed it.
Hulk(2000). Made it to 112 and got turned into Hercules.
Ultimate Spidey got rebooted after 136.
Ultimate X-Men ended with its 100th issue
Teen Titans(2003) also ended with its 100th issue last August.

Other close series.
100 Bullets(1999) also also ended with its 100th issue.
Birds of Prey(1999) made it to 115. Then rebooted and canceled within a year last August.
Daredevil(1998). Made it to issue 120, then got Legacied. Then forked over to Black Panther
Spider-Girl(1998). The alt universe series about Spidey's daughter made it exactly 100 issues before getting relaunched as Amazing Spider-Girl.

So, hitting the century mark is becoming more and more of a rarity. And issue 101 is rarer still. Only six issue 101s in the last 15 years.

[anarky]

Savage Dragon is still ongoing, right, just never on any predictable schedule? So that'd be three.

I kinda get the impression that any Vertigo series that's successful and has a consistent creative team who wants to keep doing it is pretty set. Unsuccessful, and they axe you quickly. Trouble is (at least when looking for long runs), most of them are intended to be finite, or wrap up when the creators want them to, way before 100.

I'll say again: consistent numbering provides a road map for what came before. Even if these stunts do bring in new readers, they'll eventually want to know what happened before.

Also, if you'd consider Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1 to be one of the longest-running series, even with a name change, a years-long hiatus, and a stint as a reprint title, you could easily count G.I.Joe, with a lengthy hiatus and publisher switch. And probably Transformers (longer hiatus, publisher switch, and name change). As for consistently-running, though, that won't happen.

[Diabolical]

Congrats on Walking Dead making it to issue 100. Sadly, I read an untagged Spoiler in a forum and it revealed Longtime fave Glen got killed.. I don't know of I'm more pissed about that or the fact some a-hole spoiled it in a forum.

Like a dumbass I flipped through the issue and saw that. Ugh.