I have been reading the Walking Dead graphic novel series, by Robert Kirkman, and have been loving the books. I had seen the show and decided to read the books as well.

The books are based in a post-apocalyptic, zombie-infested world where the dead rule with a rotten, decomposing fist. Rick Grimes, the hero of the series, was the sheriff of his small, Georgia town and was injured during a shoot-out before the zombies came. Rick is trying to reunite with his family and other survivors, and trying to live through these horrible times.

These graphic novels have been great to read. They are intriguing on many levels. I am not a 'blood & gore' kind of guy. In fact, that would be the only reason I wouldn't want to read the books. Instead, I like the idea of trying to survive in a world where you are completely outnumbered, but somehow you still try to fight back. It's interesting to me.

The characters are awesome in the Walking Dead books. They are tough, but also have heart. The position they are in, given what they are faced with, shows this. Everyone has to look out for each other and stick together, no matter what. Rick's motive from book #1, to where I am in book #6, is to find his family, shelter, other people, and food.

Reading a graphic novel, and watching the show, I can see how the story comes across in both formats. When watching the show on TV, I sometimes watch the 'behind the scenes' segments to make the gory parts less real to me. Seeing the zombie extras put on their makeup, and take direction on where to walk makes me less scared. (Yes, I'm not afraid to admit it. I get scared.) The graphic novel, on the other hand, shows extremely dense and gory material, like watching a zombie rip people apart and devour them (book #6), or watching a woman get her eye bitten out by a zombie and her body ripped to shreds (book #2). In some ways, the content is worse than in the shows, but seeing these gory scenes set within the framing structure of a graphic novel page makes these images easier to take in. I get the same creepy, excited feelings reading the books as I do watching the show. That is what makes graphic novels, and this series in particular, so cool.