I know what you’re thinking – “Great, here’s another pretentious comic-loving hipster whining about how AMC is soiling the name of his beloved The Walking Dead. Kirkman already stated he views the TV show as a way to explore his existing story with different choices, so you have nothing to complain about. They’re completely separate entities. Go back into your basement where you live with your Mom and cry about one of your favorite comic book properties becoming mainstream, wiping the tears away with fingers covered in Cheese-Doodle residue. We get it, you liked The Walking Dead before it was cool, but nobody cares you poor attention-seeking bastard.”
Jeez Internet, take it easy! Trust me, I respect the fact that AMC’s zombie juggernaut is breaking records left and right, so enough of the population are eating up the show like a horde of walkers tearing through a few measly survivors, but the bitter, judgmental critic in me just CAN’T ignore how unfathomably frustrating Rick and the gang’s on-screen exploits are. I’m dumbfounded by the ratings numbers personally, as hype only builds while quality spans highs and lows more uneven than Lori’s emotional teetering, but I’d really like to know how many viewers have actually bothered to read the vastly superior comics.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying The Walking Dead is the worst show in TV history, because I’ll still watch it and overall I’ll still stay pretty middle-of-the-road on the whole thing, but I am saying the show doesn’t portray the graphic beauty and brilliant storyboarding that the comic is so well-known for. The show is nothing but a shallow zombie-drama that fails to deliver moments that have left me emotionally drained, physically sickened, and joyously entertained like Kirkman’s comic has.
I think it’s safe to say spoilers are to follow, between both the show and the comic, but I’ll try to leave out anything too different or show-stopping so you television fans can give the comics a try, which I emphatically recommend – especially if you think AMC’s show is as monumental as it’s become.
