I have been a fan of The Walking Dead comic series dating back to the end of 2005 and look at where it is now. It has created a very widespread fanbase across the world whether if it is the TV Show or the Comic Series. Today, i count down the top 10 The Walking Dead comics you should read.
10. Vol 24- Life and Death (Issues 139-144;2015)
I kick off the countdown with this story arc that features the leader of The Whisperers Alpha’s views on how the living should be during the post apocalypse vs Rick Grimes views. During this Story arc, Michonne Returns since last being seen during All Out War, Dwight takes control of The Saviors, Carl and Lydia becomes an couple and much more. But the biggest moment that happened in this story arc is when Alpha took off her walker skin and snuck in the Alexandria Safe Zone during an festival and proceed to kill an total of 12 people (4 each from ASZ, The Kingdom, The Hilltop, and the Sanctuary) and put their heads on tall spikes on The Whisperers’ border. Among of those killed, the two biggest were Rosita (who was also 8 months pregnant with Eugene’s child) and Ezekiel.
9. Vol 1- Days Gone Bye (issues 1-6; 2003-2004)
The First Story arc from the beginning gave everyone an feel of what is bound to happen in the future. After being shot and being put in a coma, Rick Grimes wakes up a few months later to find out that the world he knew is no longer the same as zombies have taken over the planet. Along the way, he meets Morgan, Glenn, Carol and more characters as he searched for his family. When he meets up with his son Carl Grimes and his wife Lori Grimes, he finds out that her and Shane were having an affair. By the end of this story arc, Rick and Shane had a fight which leads to Carl Grimes Killing Rick’s best friend Shane.
8. Vol 10-What We Become (issues 55-60; 2008)
So some interesting things happened in this volume. First, you see that Rick and Abraham are either going to absolutely hate each other and probably kill each other, or they are going to both go mad holding hands and be best friends. Hot and cold with these two. Their personalities are both dominating ones, so they aren’t getting along all that well. You also get to learn a little more about Abraham’s past and why he is the way he is. Like what happened to his family; which, as it is expected, is really stinkin’ sad. The third thing is that the group finally gets to deal with a legendary herd they kept hearing about from Abraham. And I am talking like two thousand little roamers. Like that’s insane. How have they not come across a herd yet is really the question at the time. Also, this arc had the scene where a bunch of bandits tried to rape carl and attack Rick and Abe (Remember that scene on the season 4 Finale?), Maggie’s suicide attempt, and the return of Morgan who is a different person from what he was before.
7. Vol 8- Made To Suffer (issues 43-48; 2007-2008)
In this volume, we finally see how cruel The Governor can be. The reader knows he is evil, but may not have understood how evil until now. Not only does the reader see his only motive is pure greed, the reader sees that he will truly stop at nothing to get what he wants. Even when The Governor has lost countless people from his side, both by death and the fact that they no longer wish to fight for him, he will not stop. His greed was his tragic flaw. A few themes of this volume are cliffhangers, distrust, sanity, revenge and greed. The theme of cliffhangers works because this volume is not only the end of the volume, but the end of the first compendium. It ends after everyone has fled the prison. The entire group is separated. No one even knows who all has been killed and who has safely escaped. The theme of distrust appears for the people of Woodbury. They’ve no idea how evil The Governor truly is. They believed that he was leading them into army against savages when in reality, they were good people with children. The theme of sanity arrives when we witness The Governor’s rampage, with also is under the themes of revenge and greed. Some highlights include the death of The Governor, Tyreese, Judith, Billy and Lori. More characters died in this story arc than any other after this one.
6. Vol 21- All Out War: Part 1 (issues 115-120; 2013-2014)
If you are looking forward to season 8 this coming fall as i am writing this, this story arc is a good start since AOW part 1 and 2 will be season 8. Rick, Jesus and Ezekiel come together with their 3 communities to fight against Negan and The Saviors in this action packed story. Some highlights includes Negan killing David, the bombing of Alexandria, the death of Ezekiel’s tiger Shiva, zombies flooding into The Sanctuary, and the bait and switch with an zombified Holly. This is a must read for readers who would want to know what the war was like before the TV adaptation airs. Also, Issue 115 has the second most variants out of every issue and it was the highest selling comic of 2013.
5. Vol 16- A Larger World (issues 91-96; 2011-2012)
Here on this arc, we are introduced to Jesus. He is a scout for The Hilltop. He is very fast and he can catch anybody by surprise. Rick and the survivors thought that Alexandria was the only community left but Jesus told them that their world is about to get larger. He introduces them to The Hilltop and they find out that although they have much more food and crops there, it comes with a price as The Saviors takes half of their supplies every month. Rick and the group vows to Gregory (their leader) to take Negan and The Saviors down but little does he know, that will cost one of the groups lives.
4. Vol 5- The Best Defense (issues 25-30; 2006)
In this volume, the story moves from a simmering internecine struggle to a more dangerous external conflict for the first time, as the sudden appearance of a helicopter leads Rick, Glenn, and Michonne to the doorstep of another survivor camp. This group is led by a man named Philip, who has styled himself as The Governor. This new player in the story is quickly established as certifiably insane, as well as the extreme example of securing authority through the “might makes right,” do-anything approach to keeping people safe that Rick has been struggling with up until now. As the three protagonists begin their ordeal in the Governor’s hands, the rest of the group back at the prison wait anxiously for their return, with no idea that a new, non-zombie threat is now bearing down on them. This was an arc that will leave your jaw drop once you get passed The Governor’s introduction.
3. Vol 11- Fear The Hunters (issues 61-66; 2009)
This Volume introduces the second main antagonist group called The Hunters. They are lead by a man named Chris (Gareth on the TV show) and the way they survive is by eating other humans. Yes you just read that, they are canibals. The Hunters tried to take down The Survivors for food but they manager to get only one of them which was Dale. They chopped off and ate his leg without realizing that he was bitten by a zombie a few hours earlier. Rick and the group managed to find them and kill them and sliced their bodies apart and burning them. Also, it was in this arc that Father Gabriel debuted, Bill killing his brother, and the death of Dale. By the end of this arc, Carl revealed to rick that he has killed Bill.
2. Vol 14- No Way Out (issues 79-84; 2010-2011)
Rick and his new community are in terrible danger when a herd of roamers take down a section of what was thought to be sturdy wall. Just when they thought they had found a tiny modicum of security, everything begins to fall apart. This herd is one of the biggest threats that they have faced in a long time, and not everyone will make it out unscathed. During this arc, Walkers floods the streets of Alexandria, Morgan dies after being bitten, Carl got shot at his eye and much more crazy stuff happens. The group in this arc was down but that did not stop them from killing every zombie that invaded Alexandria. Also when this volume started back in 2010, the TV Show of The Walking Dead aired for the first time.
Honorable Mentions:
Vol 28-A Certain Doom (issues 163-168; 2017)
Vol 18-What Comes After (issues 103-108; 2012-2013)
Vol 26-Call To Arms (Issues 151-156; 2016)
Vol 22- A New Beginning (issues 127-132; 2014)
Vol 4-The Heart’s Desire (issues 19-24; 2005)
1. Vol 17- Something To Fear (issues 97-102; 2012)
If you would like to know where did Negan made his first appearance, it is in this story arc (or Issue 100 if you buy the single issues). Rick and the group had no idea what they were up against when they decided to kill some of The Saviors. If you thought that The Governor was evil, you have not seen nothing yet. Negan and his Saviors are haunting and they showed Rick that they were to be taken seriously at all times. Some highlights include Dwight killing Abraham and Negan killing everyone’s fan favorite, Glenn. My jaw dropped when i first read issue 100 5 years ago as i could not believe what i have just saw. I would recommend everyone to read this entire arc to see how it went down.
