The Walking Dead #27 * 9.8 Cgc Ss Nm/mt * 1st Governor * Kirkman / Adlard * Amc For Sale

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Post-apocalyptic

The Walking Dead is a monthly black-and-white comic book series chronicling the travels of Rick Grimes, his family, and other survivors of a zombie apocalypse.[1]

First issued in 2003 by publisher Image Comics, the comic was created by writer Robert Kirkman[2] and artist Tony Moore (who was later replaced by Charlie Adlard from issue #7 onward,[3] though Moore continued to do the covers through issue #24.)[4]

The Walking Dead received the 2010 Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series at San Diego Comic-Con International. The series was loosely adapted into the AMC television series The Walking Dead, which premiered in 2010. The television program follows a rather different storyline than that of the comic book, and characters come and leave in a different order. It has however inspired a Kirkman-approved full length novel prologuing the comic book's timeline. The series has been translated into numerous languages such as Danish, Portuguese, Spanish, Serbian, Swedish, Polish, Turkish, French, Italian and Japanese.

Wounded in the line of duty, Cynthiana, Kentucky police officer Rick Grimes awakens from a coma in the hospital to find his town filled with walking corpses.[5] He travels to Atlanta, Georgia in search of his wife Lori and seven-year-old son Carl, and finds them in a small camp outside the ruined city, under the leadership of his partner and best friend Shane (who, unbeknownst to Rick, had an affair with Lori).[6] After a fatal zombie attack on the camp, Rick begins to frequently criticize Shane for his decision-making, while at the same time earning the rest of the group's trust and becoming a co-leader. They end up being at odds with what the next move for the group should be. Shane eventually is overwhelmed with his jealousy toward Rick and, following a public outburst, pulls a gun on him when the two are alone in the woods, only to be shot dead by Carl (who had secretly followed them). Now the de facto leader, Rick decides the survivors need to leave Atlanta and find a safer place to call home.[7]

Rick’s early settlement attempt is a gated condo neighborhood, where the group is joined by a middle aged former NFL player Tyreese, his daughter Julie, and her nerdy boyfriend Chris. When settled in, Dale and Andrea engage in a relationship, as do Carol and Tyreese. The settlement attempt proves disastrous, however, as Allen's wife Donna is killed after the survivors realize the neighborhood is infested with zombies.[8] Following their narrow escape, they camp for a single night on the road, where Lori reveals to Rick that she is pregnant. The next morning, during a hunting expedition, Carl is shot by a redneck named Otis. They're guided to a farm, where the owner, Hershel Greene, invites the group to stay. They take temporary refuge here; Glenn engages in a relationship with Hershel's daughter, Maggie, and Allen struggles with Donna's death. Peace on the farm is maintained until zombies manage to break free from the barn and kill several members of Hershel's family.[9] Hershel's tolerance of the group quickly wears thin when he hears them talking about staying permanently, and he orders Rick at gunpoint to collect everyone and leave. Glenn is permitted to stay because of Maggie's insistence.

Rick and his group discover an abandoned prison with excellent security, complete with a zombie-proof fence, lookout posts, food and water, and a large supply of ammo and riot gear inside. Also in the prison are four surviving inmates, who are cautiously incorporated into the group. The group invites Hershel and his family to join them at the prison and the offer is accepted, although Otis stays behind to care for the livestock. Days after they settle in, Julie and Chris attempt to execute a suicide pact simultaneously; however, Chris fires too early. Tyreese strangles him to death upon discovering Julie and later mangles Chris' corpse. Rick becomes worried about Tyreese's unexpectedly calm and normal attitude after what had happened. Danger soon comes from within: a psychotic inmate murders Hershel’s two youngest daughters,[10] and Rick kills another inmate during an attempted coup against his group.[11]

During this time, a mysterious woman, Michonne, follows Otis to the prison and saves him from zombies, which earns her keep inside of the prison. She begins to seduce Tyreese, which Carol eventually witnesses and which leads to Carol's attempted suicide. In the aftermath, Rick and Tyreese's friendship becomes strained and culminates in a brutal argument and fight between the two. Proven to be increasingly erratic and unhinged as he struggles to keep order, Rick is forced to step down as the group’s leader; he is replaced by a committee consisting of Dale, Hershel, Tyreese and himself.

Rick, Glenn and Michonne later leave the prison to investigate a nearby helicopter crash and eventually stumble upon Woodbury, a walled-off survivor town, formed by, and under the leadership of, a maniacal tyrant called The Governor.[12] The walls have offered protection for months; however, it is revealed that they are slowly beginning to weaken, a matter which seemingly is hidden from the community by The Governor and his top men. It is revealed that the people in the helicopter were from a news crew, who were killed and fed to the zombies to keep them at bay. When the three refuse to tell him the location of the prison, the Governor imprisons and tortures them, cutting off Rick's right hand and sadistically raping Michonne while forcing Glenn to listen to her agony in the next room.[13] The Governor eventually has one of his men, Martinez, let them go and tail them back home, pretending to help them escape. On her way out of town with the rest, Michonne tortures and mutilates the Governor while he's defenseless inside of his house.[14] Shortly after returning to the prison, Rick catches Martinez in the act of escaping back to Woodbury and, despite the man's pleas that he was only going to gather the 'good' people, strangles him to death.

Dwellers from the prison prepare for a reprisal attack, but slip into complacency and distraction after weeks with no sign of Woodbury forces. Lori gives birth to a baby girl she and Rick name Judith.[15] Hershel, after a long period of distrust towards Glenn, finally gives Glenn his consent, and marries him and Maggie in the prison cafeteria. The concept of pregnancy is at the forefront of their relationship, however, Glenn ultimately agrees with Hershel that its best not to conceive in the new world. Carol gradually descends into insanity, constantly crying during the nights and making advances upon Rick and Lori (hoping to engage in a polygamous relationship/marriage). She seduces Hershel's eighteen-year-old son, and then commits suicide in front of the group by letting a walker devour her neck.[16] There's a brief period of peace and relaxation following Carol's death, only to be interrupted by the sudden arrival of The Governor and his soldiers rolling up to the prison fences in their vehicles.[17]

Despite their better weapons and larger numbers, the Woodbury forces take heavy casualties and initially retreat.[18] Convinced they will return, Glenn, Maggie, Sophia, Dale, Andrea, and the two young boys of the deceased Allen and Donna all flee in the RV.[19] Michonne and Tyreese are captured while attempting a preemptive commando strike on Woodbury.[19] Michonne escapes into the wasteland but The Governor executes Tyreese outside the prison gate before launching his second assault.[20] The Governor’s forces use a tank to break down the fence and massacre the prison dwellers killing off half the cast...(This includes Lori, Judith, Hershel, Axel, Billy, and Patricia)[21] Zombies pour in through the broken fence and surround the Woodbury forces. A female soldier named Lily becomes horrified when she learns that she shot down Lori and her baby dead on The Governor's orders. She shoots The Governor in the head before she and the rest of the army run out of ammo and escape inside the prison. They are all presumed dead since it is shown that a horde of walkers followed them inside.[21] Rick and Carl escape on their own and flee to a nearby town.

After several days of being alone, the two soon reunite with Michonne. The group of 3 eventually meet up with Glenn and Maggie, who guide them back to the farm where everyone else who fled in the RV is now staying.[22] Sophia during this time attempts to block her memory of Carol and she pretends that Maggie and Glenn are her parents, a role they gladly embrace to fill the void of having no child of their own. Dale's distrust in Rick, which had been steadily increasing over the past days and weeks, reaches its strongest, leaving Andrea to wonder whose side she is really on. A trio headed to Washington, D.C. stumbles upon them at the farm. One of them, Eugene, claims to be a government scientist in radio contact with survivors in the capital.[23]

Maggie continues to struggle to get through the depression over her father and brother's death and unsuccessfully attempts suicide. Her relationship with the people around her, especially Glenn, becomes strained due to her increasing self-consciousness. Rick and Abraham — a U.S. Army sergeant traveling with Eugene — bond during a supply run to Rick's hometown as they confess the killings they’ve each committed to survive. They pick up Morgan where Rick had last seen him, his son, Duane, a zombie now, and himself a mental wreck, and bring him back with them to the camp. A lone reverend shows up to greet this growing group and offers to guide them to his church. Before they move, a minor zombie attack occurs. Dale, hiding the fact that he's been bitten, sneaks into the forest to die alone, but is kidnapped by a group of cannibals, who eat his infected leg.[24][25] Rick, Andrea, Michonne and Abraham find, kill and mutilate the cannibals. The reverend is the only person among them appalled by their brutality. Dale later dies back at the church, devastating Andrea who eventually has to take him out.[26]

On the outskirts of Washington, Eugene admits his deceit about being a scientist and having contact with the government, a matter which greatly lessens the hope of everyone. Washington is soon revealed to be overrun like other cities, however, they are approached by a recruiter for a peaceful walled-off town of about 40, named the Alexandria Safe Zone.[27]

This man, Aaron, leads Rick's entire group to Alexandria where Rick meets Douglas (The person who runs the town). Worried the Alexandrians have forgotten the dangers of the wasteland, Rick gradually asserts his authority. As town constable, he secretly carries a gun[28] and disobeys Alexandria's leader, Douglas, to intervene in a domestic dispute.[29] After the newcomers help defeat a bandit attack on Alexandria,[30] Douglas admits Rick is a better leader and steps down.[31]

The gunfire during this bandit attack attracts a herd of zombies, who surround and break through Alexandria’s wall, killing several minor characters.[32] The surviving residents retreat to their houses while zombies flood the town. Rick begins a romantic relationship with Alexandria resident Jessie during this period, however, this is short-lived when Jessie is swarmed and killed by walkers after an escape attempt with her son.[33] When Rick and Carl are surrounded by zombies after the failed escape attempt, Douglas tries to help them, but accidentally shoots Carl in the eye before he is killed and eaten himself.[34] Rick carries Carl to Alexandria’s surgeon (Denise), then returns outside and — with Michonne and other residents — destroys the entire herd. The victory convinces Rick that zombies are a manageable threat, and he resolves to rebuild civilization at Alexandria.[35]

Carl wakes from a coma with memory loss and begins to piece together the past few years.[36] Rick quashes a small rebellion but forgives the transgressors.[37] Andrea confesses her love for Rick, but he is quick to spurn her advances.[38] Paul, who claims to represent a nearby community of about 200 survivors, offers to trade supplies with Alexandria, claiming he already does so with several other survivor groups in the area.[39] Fearing a trap, Rick imprisons Paul and prepares Alexandria to defend against an attack. But he soon has a change of heart and decides to trade with Paul's group. The two groups eventually make a deal in which Rick's group has to defeat The Saviors, a hostile gang that has been terrorizing Paul's community The Hilltop for months. However, the Saviors follow Rick back, and Andrea and Michonne kill the entire group. In return, Rick offers The Saviors the same deal the Saviors have with the Hilltop; half of everything. Abraham and Eugene go on a supply run shortly after this occurs. While Abraham is telling Eugene that he wished Rosita happiness, The Saviors plant an arrow in his eye, killing him. Eugene is dragged to the front gates of Alexandria with a gun to his head. The Saviors demand that Rick opens up the gates. At this time, Carl catches Rick and Andrea in bed together and the group rushes outside after they hear gunshots. The Saviors threaten the group while holding Eugene hostage, but are eventually shot at and retreat (leaving Eugene unharmed). During this time, Rick and Andrea have started a romantic relationship.

Abraham is mourned by the community and Rick decides that they will go to The Hilltop to explain what happened. Glenn and Maggie decide they want to live at Hilltop for the rest of their lives where they will raise Sophia and their new baby. Rick, Carl, Michonne, Glenn, Maggie, Sophia, and Heath travel as a group to The Hilltop when they are ambushed by 50 of Negan's "Saviors". Negan is very angry with Rick's group because they killed so many of his men, so he says one of them will have to die. Negan then reveals a baseball bat wrapped with barbed wire which he calls "Lucille". Negan lines up Rick's group and inspects all of them--eventually choosing Glenn. After selection, Glenn is dragged to the front and brutally beaten to death in front of the rest of the group. Rick is brought to tears and is slapped around by Negan. He becomes enraged and swears revenge. Shirking off the threat, Negan tells Rick that every week Rick's group will give the Saviors half of their supplies. Rick's group is left in shambles. When Andrea threatens to leave Rick over the deal he has struck with Negan, Rick reassures her that he has a plan.

• Tony Moore: #1–6 (2004) (interior), #1–24 (covers) (2005), collected trade paperback volumes 1–4 (covers).
• Charlie Adlard: #7–present (interior), #25–present (covers), collected trade paperback volumes 5–present (covers).[3]
• Cliff Rathburn: #5-present shades

Due to the popularity of the TV show, in October 2010 Image Comics announced The Walking Dead Weekly. Starting on January 5, 2011, the series is being reprinted in order with one issue a week being released. The series ended with the 52nd issue being reprinted. [40]

The series received critical acclaim, winning the Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series in 2010[41] and prompting Eric Sunde of IGN comics to call it "one of the best monthly comics available".[42] Max Brooks told Kirkman that he read The Walking Dead and liked it.[43]

IGN ranked main protagonist Rick Grimes as the 26th Greatest Comic Book Hero of All Time in 2011, stating that Kirkman "has an endless supply of [wringers] to run Rick through."[44] IGN ranked Michonne, another protagonist, as the 86th Greatest Comic Book Hero of All Time the same year.[45] It ranked the Governor as the 86th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time in 2009, describing him as "a sadistic evil that 'The Road Warrior' forgot."[46] Wizard magazine ranked The Governor as the 131st greatest comic book character of all time.[47]

On February 9, 2012, Tony Moore filed a lawsuit alleging that Kirkman, in 2005, had deceitfully engineered him into surrendering his rights to The Walking Dead comic book and eventual TV series in exchange for payments that never materialized. Kirkman said in a statement the following day that he and Moore "each had legal representation seven years ago and now he is violating the same contract he initiated and approved and he wants to misrepresent the fees he was paid and continues to be paid for the work he was hired to do."[48] Kirkman in turn sued Moore.[49] On September 24, 2012, the two released a joint statement saying they had reached a settlement "to everyone's mutual satisfaction."[49]

The series has so far been compiled into the following collections:

The trade paperbacks collect six issues each, but contain only the story and none of the original cover art from the comics. Each paperback follows the convention of having a three-word title.

All hardcovers contain the contents of the comics, including the covers, and in some cases bonus material. The books' trim size is larger than the paperbacks. Each hardcover contains two story arcs from the series. Signed versions of the books are available, each limited to 310 pieces.

Limited omnibus editions collect 24 issues in a slipcase with several extras. For each edition a separate very limited Signed and Numbered edition (S&N) has been released signed by Robert Kirkman. Typically the print run has been limited to 3000 for the standard edition and 300 for the signed and numbered edition.

The Limited Edition Retailer Giveaway is a limited hardcover of the softcover Volume 1, with black faux-leather cover and red foil highlights.

These are 48-issue softcover editions. The massive volume contains over 1000 pages but includes no cover art. Compendium One was also released as a limited edition hardcover in 2012 at the Emerald City Comicon and San Diego Comicon with 1000 pieces available.

The Walking Dead is an American television drama series developed by Frank Darabont. It is based on the comic book series of the same name by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. The series stars Andrew Lincoln as sheriff's deputy[2] Rick Grimes, who awakens from a coma to find the world dominated by flesh-eating "walkers", resembling the zombies of George A. Romero's horror movies. He sets out to find his family and encounters many other survivors along the way.

The Walking Dead premiered on October 31, 2010 on the cable television channel AMC in the United States.[3] It premiered internationally during the first week of November 2010 on Fox International Channels.[4] Based on its reception, AMC renewed the series for a second season of 13 episodes, which premiered on October 16, 2011.[5][6] Two episodes into the second season, AMC announced that the show would return for a third season, which began airing on October 14, 2012.[7]

The series has been well received[8][9] and has received many award nominations, including a Writers Guild of America Award nomination and a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Television Series Drama.[10][11] The series has also attained strong Nielsen ratings, beating various records for a cable series, including receiving 10.9 million viewers for its season three premiere to become the most-watched basic cable drama telecast in history.[12]

Based on the comic book series of the same name, The Walking Dead tells the story of a small group of survivors living in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse.[13] Most of the story takes place in the Atlanta metropolitan area and then the surrounding countryside of northern Georgia, as the survivors search for a safe haven away from the shuffling hordes of predatory "walkers" (as the zombies are referred to in the show), who devour any living thing they catch, and whose bite is infectious to humans. The plot is focused primarily on the dilemmas the group faces as they struggle to balance their humanity with their survival against the zombie horde, and later, how they cope with members being killed and deal with other human survivors they encounter, many of whom are dangerous and predatory themselves.

The group is led by Rick Grimes, who was a sheriff's deputy[2] before the zombie outbreak. At every turn they are faced with the horror of the walking zombies, the changing dynamic of their group, and hostility from the scattered remains of a struggling human populace who are focused on their own survival now that the structures of society have collapsed.

The series begins with sheriff's deputy[2] Rick Grimes waking up from a coma in an abandoned and badly damaged hospital. Leaving the hospital, Rick discovers a post-apocalyptic world overrun with zombies (or "walkers," as they are often referred to in-show). Rick also discovers his wife and son are missing. Acting on a rumor from a fellow survivor, he arms himself and begins a perilous journey to Atlanta, Georgia, where the CDC is said to have set up a quarantined safe-zone in the city. Upon reaching Atlanta, he soon discovers that the city is instead overrun by the walkers.

A few miles outside the city, Rick's wife Lori and son Carl have been hiding from the walkers with Shane Walsh, Rick's partner and best friend. They have established a camp with a small group of fellow survivors. After being rescued from Atlanta by members of the group and reunited with Lori and Carl, Rick assumes command with Shane. A band of walkers eventually attack the camp, leaving several survivors dead and the remainder to seek aid from the CDC.

In the CDC, all but one staff member, Dr. Edwin Jenner, have either fled or killed themselves. Dr. Jenner explains that his research into the infection has not yielded a cure, and that he has not been in contact with anyone for a long while. Lack of fuel for the emergency generators soon initiates the building's safety protocols, which will trigger an explosion designed to destroy the facility and prevent the escape of deadly diseases. Jenner and Jacqui, a member of Rick's group, decide to stay and end their struggle. Dr. Jenner whispers something into Rick's ear, and the group escapes just as the CDC is incinerated in the explosion.

The second season begins with Rick and his group of survivors escaping the CDC. They decide that Fort Benning will be their next destination. Along the way, they encounter a traffic jam of abandoned vehicles on Interstate 85. The group loots several vehicles, but are forced to hide under them as a large herd of walkers approaches. A walker chases Sophia out from her hiding spot and, with another walker, pursues her into the woods. Rick finds her but loses her again after drawing off the walkers. The remaining group deals with interpersonal relationships while various searches for Sophia are performed. Carl is accidentally shot by a hunter named Otis during the initial search. To get help for Carl, Otis leads Rick and Shane to a large, isolated farm owned by a veterinarian named Hershel Greene, then helps Shane look for medical supplies; after getting them, Shane hurts his leg and sacrifices Otis to the walkers so he can get away. The survivors then move to the farm while Carl recovers. Rick's group tries to co-exist alongside Hershel's family, but dangerous secrets and disagreements over leadership cause tensions to rise. Lori is revealed to be pregnant (the father is unknown), and Glenn builds a romantic relationship with Maggie, one of Hershel's daughters. Glenn also discovers that the barn is full of walkers, some of whom are Hershel's family members. After Shane releases the walkers to be exterminated, Sophia appears as one of them and Rick reluctantly shoots her.

Hershel disappears to grieve for his family and is found by Rick and Glenn drinking at a local tavern, where they meet two other survivors. The situation rapidly turns sour and Rick kills the two men in a gunfight. The dead men's group quickly finds and opens fire on Rick, Hershel, and Glenn at the bar. The noise attracts a large herd of walkers, and one of the attackers, Randall, is injured and left behind. Rick and the others take him back to the farm, where they realize that Randall is likely to reveal the farm's location to his former group. As Rick's group deliberates on what to do with him, Dale is fatally wounded by a walker, forcing Daryl to euthanize Dale. The group later conducts a search for Randall, whom Shane had secretly released and murdered in the woods. Daryl and Glenn find him — as a walker — and kill him. Daryl concludes that a broken neck was the cause of Randall's reanimation, as opposed to a walker's bite or scratch. Meanwhile, Shane and Rick confront each other — the former having planned the fake search so that he could murder Rick. Rick gets the upper hand and stabs Shane in the torso, killing him. Carl arrives just in time to see Shane revive as a walker, and shoots him down.

The gunshot attracts a large herd of other walkers, who quickly overrun the property; in the ensuing battle and escape, Jimmy and Patricia are devoured, and Andrea is left behind. Andrea survives on her own, and is later rescued by a hooded woman accompanied by chained, armless walkers. The remaining survivors regroup but are forced to make camp due to lack of gasoline. After hearing of Randall's fate, Rick finally reveals what Jenner whispered to him at the end of Season One: that every survivor is infected with the walker virus. As Rick's leadership is questioned by the group later that night, a large prison looms in a pan out of the final scene.

The third season begins several months after the group escaped the farm, with Lori far into her pregnancy. They stumble upon an overrun prison and begin to convert it into their new home. While searching the place for supplies, Hershel is bitten by a walker and Rick is forced to amputate his leg. They soon meet a new group of survivors, who are prison inmates. In exchange for food, they clear out a different cell block for where the inmates (most of whom end up killed) can reside away from Rick's group. A walker breakout then splits up the group. T-Dog is bitten in the struggle and sacrifices himself to save Carol. Lori goes into labor, and insists that Maggie perform an emergency Caesarean section to save the baby. The operation kills Lori, and Carl is forced to shoot her to prevent reanimation. After grieving over their losses, the baby is named Judith.

Meanwhile, Michonne and Andrea are taken to the town of Woodbury, a safe haven from the walkers. They meet the Governor, the town's leader, and learn that Merle Dixon - Daryl's older brother - has taken refuge there as well. Michonne is immediately suspicious of the Governor and the settlement and decides to leave, but Andrea refuses to go with her. Merle is ordered to hunt down Michonne — wounding her, and then capturing Maggie and Glenn while they are out scavenging. Michonne eventually arrives at the prison, then guides Rick, Daryl, and Oscar back to Woodbury on a rescue mission. The team saves the couple, but Oscar is killed and Daryl is captured. Michonne stays briefly and attempts to slay the Governor; only to kill his undead daughter Penny (whom the Governor had kept chained in a back room of his apartment) and stab him in the eye during a scuffle. In the aftermath, the Governor calls an assembly and publicly accuses Merle of treason, reuniting him with Daryl as the mob decides their fate.

Back at the prison, Carl meets another band of survivors — led by Tyreese — and allows them to take shelter.

The series features several actors whom Walking Dead developer Frank Darabont has worked with previously, including Laurie Holden, Jeffrey DeMunn, Melissa McBride, Sam Witwer and Juan Gabriel Pareja. All five appeared in his 2007 film The Mist, along with Thomas Jane, who originally was set to star in the series when it was pitched to HBO. He was later in talks with Darabont to possibly guest star on the series as of fall 2010,[14] but with Darabont's departure,[15] it is unknown whether the guest spot will happen or not. Laurie Holden also appeared in the 2001 film The Majestic (as Adele Stanton, Jim Carrey's character's love interest), which Darabont directed. DeMunn has also appeared in several of Darabont's films; in addition to The Mist and The Majestic, he appeared in The Shawshank Redemption (1994) and The Green Mile (1999). Samuel Witwer (Private Jessup in Darabont's The Mist) appeared near the end of the pilot episode as a dead soldier in the tank where Rick hides. It was planned that Witwer would reprise his role in the original conception of the season two premiere.[16]

On January 20, 2010, AMC officially announced that it had ordered a pilot for a possible series adapted from The Walking Dead comic book series, with Frank Darabont and Gale Anne Hurd acting as executive producers and Darabont writing and directing.[17] The entire series was pre-ordered based just on the strength of the source material, the television scripts, and Darabont's involvement.[18] In January 2010 a review of the pilot episode's script attracted further attention.[19] The pilot began filming in Atlanta, Georgia on May 15, 2010[20] after AMC had officially ordered a six episode first season.[21] The series' remaining episodes began filming on June 2, 2010 with Darabont serving as showrunner.[22][23] On August 31, 2010, Darabont reported that The Walking Dead had been picked up for a second season, with production to begin in February 2011. On November 8, 2010, AMC confirmed that there would be a second season consisting of 13 episodes.[5] He would also like to include some of the "environmental elements" that take place during Volume 2 of Kirkman's book.[24]

On October 25, 2011, AMC announced that it ordered a third season of The Walking Dead, saying, "Season two continues to deliver the strongest telecasts for any drama in basic cable history."[7]

The first season writing staff consisted of series developer and executive producer Frank Darabont, who wrote/co-wrote four of the six episodes; executive producer Charles H. Eglee; executive producer and creator of the comic book, Robert Kirkman; co-executive producer Jack LoGiudice; consulting producer Adam Fierro; and Glen Mazzara; who all contributed to one episode each. Along with Darabont, who directed the pilot episode, the remaining five were directed by Michelle MacLaren, Gwyneth Horder-Payton, Johan Renck, Ernest Dickerson, and Guy Ferland.[25]

On December 1, 2010, Deadline.com reported that Darabont had fired his writing staff, including executive producer Charles "Chic" Eglee, and planned to use freelance writers for the second season.[26] Kirkman called the announcement "premature" and clarified that Eglee left to pursue other projects when Darabont decided to stay on as showrunner and that no definitive plans had been made regarding the writing staff for season two.[27]

On December 3, 2010, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, executive producer Gale Anne Hurd commented that "It's completely inaccurate. [In] the writers' room, there are people that have set up other projects that will be their first priority if their own series is picked up as a pilot or if it's a series. I think [Eglee] just decided that he wants to run his own show." She revealed that it would be likely for the show to return in October 2011, as Darabont and Kirkman planned on mapping out the next season early in 2011. She also confirmed that "every one of the principal cast is signed up for multiple seasons."[28] In July 2011, series developer and showrunner Frank Darabont stepped down from his position as showrunner for the series.[29] It was believed that he was unable to adjust to the schedule of running a television series.[29] However, The Hollywood Reporter reported he had been fired over disputes over planned budget cuts and executive meddling.[30] Executive producer Glen Mazzara was then appointed the new showrunner.[31] New writers joined the writing staff in the second season, including co-executive producer Evan Reilly, producer Scott M. Gimple, and story editor Angela Kang.

Bear McCreary was hired to compose the score for the series. McCreary stated that the main theme was based on his viewing of production designs for the opening title sequence. Instead of doing a full theme song as with his earlier works, McCreary chose to use a simple, repeating motif from the strings section.[32]

The Walking Dead is mostly filmed in Georgia.[33] The series is completely shot on 16 mm film.[34] David Tattersall was the director of photography for the pilot episode with David Boyd as the director of photography on the remainder of the episodes. Production design is done by Greg Melton and Alex Hajdu. The effects team includes veteran special effects makeup designer Gregory Nicotero, special effects coordinator Darrell Pritchett, and visual effects supervisors Sam Nicholson and Jason Sperling.[35]

The Walking Dead debuted during the same week in 120 countries. As part of an expansive campaign to advertise and heighten anticipation for the premiere, AMC and FOX International Channels coordinated a worldwide zombie invasion event on October 26, 2010. The stunt involved invading 26 major cities, starting with Taipei and Hong Kong, and ending in Los Angeles for the U.S. premiere, within a 24 hour period.[36]

The show's official website released, just prior to the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International, a motion comic based on Issue No. 1 of the original comic and voiced by Phil LaMarr.[37] The site also posted a making-of documentary primarily about the first episode, as well as a number of other behind-the-scenes videos and interviews. In the documentary, comic series creator and show executive producer Robert Kirkman as well as artist Charlie Adlard say they are pleased with how faithful the show is to the comic and remark on the similarities between the actors and the comic's original character drawings.[38]

Action figures of characters from the series, including Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon and a zombie Walker and Biter, were created for release in November 2011. The figures, which are manufactured by McFarlane Toys, are designed to resemble the actors on the series. Figures created to resemble the characters as drawn in the comic book were released in September 2011.[39]

Following the encore presentation of the second season premiere on October 16, 2011, a live after-show titled Talking Dead premiered, featuring host Chris Hardwick discussing the latest episode with fans, actors, and producers of the show.[40]

Scenes from the pilot were screened July 23, 2010 as part of the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International.[41] It premiered on AMC on October 31, 2010.[3] It premiered internationally on Fox International Channels during the first week of November.[4] The first season premiered in Hong Kong on TVB Pearl on August 30, 2011.[42] Almost two weeks before the official premiere on AMC, the pilot episode leaked online.[43] International broadcast rights for the show were sold and announced on June 14, 2010.[44]

The season 1 DVD and Blu-ray was released on March 8, 2011.[45] A three-disc special edition of the first season—featuring new featurettes and audio commentaries—was released on DVD and Blu-ray on October 4, 2011.[46] The European versions of the first season DVD and Blu-ray are edited for gore, with cuts to episode two ("Guts"),[47] episode three ("Tell It to the Frogs"),[48] episode four ("Vatos")[49] and episode five ("Wildfire").[50]

The first season was reviewed positively by critics, receiving a score of 82 out of 100 on Metacritic (based on 25 reviews), indicating "universal acclaim".[8] Heather Havrilesky of Salon.com included the show on their list of 9 new TV shows not to miss, giving it a grade of "A", with the author saying, "A film-quality drama series about zombies? Somebody pinch me!"[51]

The second season received generally positive reviews with a score of 80 out of 100 based on 22 reviews on Metacritic.[9] Some critics have been less than enthused with the second season, such as Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly, who now describes the series as "a nighttime soap with occasional appearances by deceased but moving, flesh-rotting, flesh-eating cameo monsters. [...] Every week, it seemed, a passel of folks went out and rooted around for awhile, came back to camp, and everyone lives off the fat of Hershel's land until it was time to go out and search for Sophia again. Occasionally someone reminded Rick they're supposed to be headed for Fort Benning and he gets all huffy about not leaving any child behind. It became a parody of a Samuel Beckett play."[52] Nate Rawlings of Time's online entertainment section noted that "the pace during the first half of this season has been brutally slow. Changes in pace would be fine if the writers had used that time well, which they have not. They've tried to develop individual characters, but each subplot meant to add a layer to a character has been quickly resolved."[53] Other critics such as Scott Wampler of Collider.com recognised the mediocre first half of the season claiming that "there seemed to be a helluva lot of water-treading." However Wampler also distinguished the increased quality of the second half saying "The second-half of the season, on the other hand, seemed far more intense, more interesting, better written."[54]

The third season is currently being reviewed positively by critics, receiving a score of 82 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 18 reviews.[55] Verne Gay of Newsday claims that season 3 "doesn't disappoint" going on to say that there are "spots where you will yell out at the screen, 'Oh, my God, that just didn't happen.' Yes, the new season is that good", concluding his review by giving the season an A+ rating.[56]

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This item has been shown 266 times. The Walking Dead #27 * 9.8 Cgc Ss Nm/mt * 1st Governor * Kirkman / Adlard * Amc: $510