The Walking Dead: Days Gone Bye (Classic Review)

Originally released in 2004.

Writer: Robert Kirkman

Artist: Tony Moore

Publisher: Image Comics

Collects: The Walking Dead #1-6

Re-reading The Walking Dead from the start is no small task, and not to be made without much deliberation.

You relate so well to the characters that you genuinely feel part of their experience; part of their lives. To retrace their steps, rather than rely on faded memories, seems almost like cheating in a way. It is something that these poor people can never do.

As has been said many times about this on-going series, it defies convention. One of the most successful comic book series currently coming out, yet it is from an indie publisher, it isn't about superheroes, it's entirely in black and white, it's dialogue-heavy, released sporadically -- it should not be as popular as it is. The reasons for its miraculous success will be debated for all time and never set in stone.

With the excellent TV show's first season in the bag, I was inspired to re-embark on this incredible journey -- and I mean that both literally and metaphorically -- all the way back at the beginning, with our reluctant hero Rick Grimes.

Having been held firmly within the grip of the present series, it was a shock to see just how upbeat and, dare I say it, light the opening story is. Perhaps this is just Kirkman's lovably humorous nature shining through, perhaps it is intentionally to play with our expectations. Either way, it hits you like a ton of cliches when you realise just how serious this story really is.

When Rick encounters his first zombie up close, the quick, snappy pace of the opening jarringly snaps to a much more grim beat, and it does no harm whatsoever. Quite the opposite. Right away you realise, as Rick takes time (lots of time) to weep for this undead person, that this is no ordinary zombie story.

The Walking Dead is not about throwing emotion to the side and scrambling towards some mythically safe destination. It is about those so often cast aside thoughts and feelings that make up life, and how we hold onto them even in the worst of times. By the time Rick has met up with his wife and son in a touching scene, we are firmly aware that these are the moments that The Walking Dead is made of. And we're more than okay with that.

Kirkman's skillful breakneck plot changes ensure that this series does not rest on its ability to tug at heartstrings alone. Coupled with the fact that each character actually sounds unique, it shows that this is quality writing, without which The Walking Dead could not have survived as long as it has.

Although Days Gone Bye is still a lot brighter than the series would eventually get, and Tony Moore's art is ever so slightly on the side of cartoonish compared to Charlie Adlard's later takeover, it has its share of frighteningly dark points. But the terror is never created by the zombies alone, rather the very human reactions of the characters. We feel their fear, but we also feel their happiness, however fleeting, and that is the true secret of this series' success -- it makes you feel good.

Rating: 5/5