It's Not The End Of The World, But I Can See It From Here: My review of The Walking Dead

So yesterday I received off Amazon (arguably the greatest internet delivery service EVER) all volumes for the Scott Pilgrim comic book collection and Book one of The Walking Dead which is the topic for today's blog. As many of you are probably aware, The Walking Dead has recently been adapated into a TV series by Frank Darabont of Shawshank Redemption fame and AMC, a cable network which also produces my other favourite TV series Mad Men. Do NOT under any circumstances begin to underestimate the potential of this network. Originally, it only premiered movies but after the MASSIVE success of Mad Men has behag producing original programming. And thank God, they did.

The first season of the Walking Dead premiered on October 31st; with the pilot episode opening to both universal critical acclaim and a 5.3 million viewership, making it the highest rated premiere episode ever on cable television. This viewership was eventually eclipsed when the season finale brought in 6 million viewers, making it the most watched basic cable series for its demographic. Now I don't about you, but I think those figures are staggering. Firstly, The Walking Dead is made on basic cable. AMC proved with Mad Men that they can offer budgets of $2-3 million per episode which for cable is amazing. Unfortunately, I can not find the budgeting figures for each individual episode so I cannot say but I'm pretty sure we're looking at a similar budget. The pilot episode itself was like watching a film. Much like Mad Men, there is a cinematic quality to the entire series and what I love the most; unbelievable characterisation. Seriously, combine the characterisation of Mad Men with zombies and you get the Walking Dead. That simple. But this begs another question. How the hell has this become such a popular choice of viewing not only for North America but the world over. In the UK, many of my friends including myself tuned in every week to watch because the quality was so enhanced. Its unlike anything I've seen before and its this connection with the characters that make this series so worth the watch.

However, it must be remembered that this began, as many films/series do these days, in an entirely different format. The format of comic books. The Walking Dead was originally created by Robert Kirkman, published by Image Comics that began in 2003 and is still running in 2011. Its released monthly and tells the ongoing of Rick Grimes and the group of survivors he leads, that includes his wife and child , in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. Sure, this sounds all too familiar but as I've mentioned in my blog about Ben Affleck's "The Town", its how you execute a familiar idea that counts. The Walking Dead comics are definately a subversion of the zombie genre, a different take if you will on our prior understanding. The story's execution is wonderful and the fact that is released monthly only adds to the excitement of the next issue. Its a wonderful format for an ongoing story like the Walking Dead and I'm hopin that for the second season of the TV series that they can capture some of this. On the back of Season 1, its safe to say they will.

So, jump to the present day and here I am, having made my way through the majority of Book one in roughly 4 hours. I must stress I haven't finished it yet however I have been asked the question that often people ask: Does the TV series stay faithful to the original books? The answer is yes and no but the no part is not a bad thing at all. If you haven't read the comics or watched the series and are planning to I suggest you stop reading since the contents of the next passage will be of a spoileriffic nature.......have you gone yet?!?!

............*looks at watch*

GOOD!!

Book one covers two story arcs from the comic books which essentially means two chapters. The first chapter is called Days Gone Bye, the same name for the pilot episode of the TV series. The TV series follows the opening chapter to great detail. I recognised a great deal of imagery that was present in the show and for that, I'm thankful. Although, some of the TV series' best bits are not present, for example; that absolutely fantastic opening scene of the pilot where Grimes goes for gas amongst the debris of battered cars only to discover a zombie in the form of a little 6-7 year old girl and subsequently (literally!) blows her brains out. In 5 minutes, we have established a post-apocalyptic world, a band of potential survivors and that the world is overrun by zombies but also the horror of having to shoot an adolescent. It makes for great TV and this is my next point. Remember this is an ADAPTATION in the same vein as Harry Potter and Twilight (God forbid!). It doesn't always follow the book word for word, scene for scene. It takes artistic license and attempts to enhance the product. I myself am a strong believer in sticking largely to the main story however I don't mind removing unneccesary subplots that work in a novel. You see, two vastly different formats like books and film/TV don't always translate well. By adding a scene 'in media res' (this is a common filimic term which means 'In The Middle' in Latin) in the TV series, it starts to establish codes and conventions for an audience whereas a book or comic can divulge in greater detail about a certain issue and not lose their readers interest. That is the difference.

The TV series does also add characters to the already established repititore of the comics but these only enhance the quality of characterisation. They all have a backstory and a reason behind their motives; they all tend to have lost family and friends to the zombies. There physically and mentally scared by the events that have taken place. As Heather Havrilesky in her review of the show, "A film-quality drama series about zombies? Somebody pinch me!" And this appears to a running trend, with most reviewers stating that this series is more than just about zombies. If anything, its not about zombies. They are the obstacle in the way of human survival and many issues are raised such as the common motif of how far would one go to rescue his family. The book and TV series are gripping stuff and genuinely full of emotion; one scene in particular had me extremely close to tears. This, of course, wouldn't occur had the producers not picked a splendid cast led by Britain's own Andrew Lincoln. Over in Britain, he is well-known for his role in "Teachers" which was well-received and might be known in America for his role in "Love Actually" as Keira Knightley's (other) love interest. Like Hugh Laurie before him, he is an original Brit. And I pray he sees the ride out cause he is brilliant; even though I know his British accent, he certainly fooled me a Texan one. 


Can't think of much else to say guys! I'm running out and don't want to repeat myself. Remember this though; The Walking Dead is a "continuing story of surivival horror" as described by the author. I hope that this means both in comic format and TV format since both are simply stunning achievements. I request you watch/read them both. Like right now. Go! Run! Watch! Read!


Peace out!!