Where Do I Start Reading The Walking Dead Comic?

With the TV series ending, it’s never been a better time to start reading The Walking Dead comic. This guide will let you know the best way to start reading, explain the different collected formats and spin-offs, and answer many of your questions along the way.

Why you should read The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead doesn’t do anything groundbreaking with its interpretation of zombies. However, it does an excellent job with this horror subgenre and the characters.

While the zombies are always present, The Walking Dead becomes less about their threat over time and more about the post-apocalyptic world and the people who inhabit it. It becomes character-driven, showing what Rick and others are willing to do to survive not only the walkers but the worst in humankind as well. Characters have to come to terms with the harsh violence they’re forced to partake in and are often conflicted between survival and their morals.

Writer Robert Kirkman is the master of the page-turn reveal. Just when you thought everything would be okay for the characters, you turn the page to have something shocking revealed. They’re perfectly crafted and can often push a story in unexpected directions.

Artists Tony Moore (who did the first 6 issues) and Charlie Adlard (who began with issue #7) are great fits for The Walking Dead. Their greyscale art, while different, fits well with the tone and world of the series, presenting a grim outcome.

How does the comic and TV series differ?

While the comic and the TV show have many similarities, they also have many differences. Much of this comes from translating an ongoing comic series into a seasonal television show. Creative and budgetary decisions means that the AMC series would often deviate from the source material in it’s own way, with it’s closeness fluctuating a lot over its run.

TV fans coming to the comic for the first time will see plenty of familiar elements but it will also be fresh too as events play out differently.

Where to start reading The Walking Dead

It might sound obvious, but the best place to start read The Walking Dead is from the very beginning with The Walking Dead #1.

While you could start with a later issue, the benefit from starting with issue #1 is seeing the Rick and other character evolve over time with their experiences.

If you’d like to sample the series before investing time and money into it, you can read The Walking Dead #1 for free on the Image Comics website.

Where Can I Buy The Walking Dead Comics?

The Walking dead comics and collected editions can be found at good comic book shops, online stores, and digitally on Comixology/Kindle and Google Play.

How to read The Walking Dead

While the Walking Dead was originally serialised in single issues between 2003 and 2019, the best way to read it is in a collected format. There are two reasons for this:

1. The early issues had a very low print run and are very hard to find and are very expensive.
2. The Walking Dead is a comic that’s very easy to binge-read. Having it in a collected format makes it easy to do that.

Check out the next section to find out more about the different collected editions available.

Collected Editions

The Walking Dead is available in a range of different collected formats to suit different budgets and reading habits. Read on below to find out about each of them.

Trade Paperback Collections

First, there are the trade paperbacks which collect roughly 6 issues in each.

The Walking Dead Volume 1: Days Gone ByeCollects: The Walking Dead #1-6

The Walking Dead Volume 2: Miles Behind UsCollects: The Walking Dead #7-12

The Walking Dead Volume 3: Safety Behind BarsCollects: The Walking Dead #13-18

The Walking Dead Volume 4: The Heart’s DesireCollects: The Walking Dead #19-24

The Walking Dead Volume 5: The Best DefenceCollects: The Walking Dead #25-30

The Walking Dead Volume 6: This Sorrowful LifeCollects: The Walking Dead #31-36

The Walking Dead Volume 7: The Calm BeforeCollects: The Walking Dead #37-42

The Walking Dead Volume 8: Made To SufferCollects: The Walking Dead #43-48

The Walking Dead Volume 9: Here We RemainCollects: The Walking Dead #49-54

The Walking Dead Volume 10: What We BecomeCollects: The Walking Dead #55-60

The Walking Dead Volume 11: Fear the HuntersCollects: The Walking Dead #61-66

The Walking Dead Volume 12: Life Among ThemCollects: The Walking Dead #67-72

The Walking Dead Volume 13: Too Far GoneCollects: The Walking Dead #73-78

The Walking Dead Volume 14: No Way OutCollects: The Walking Dead #79-84

The Walking Dead Survivors’ GuideCollects: The Walking Dead Survivors’ Guide #1-4

The Walking Dead Volume 15: We Find OurselvesCollects: The Walking Dead #85-90

The Walking Dead Volume 16: A Larger WorldCollects: The Walking Dead #91-96

The Walking Dead Volume 17: Something To FearCollects: The Walking Dead #97-102

The Walking Dead Volume 18: Abandon All HopeCollects: The Walking Dead #103-108

The Walking Dead Volume 19: March To WarCollects: The Walking Dead #109-114

The Walking Dead Volume 20: All Out War – Part OneCollects: The Walking Dead #115-120

The Walking Dead Volume 21: All Out War – Part TwoCollects: The Walking Dead #121-126

The Walking Dead Volume 22: A New BeginningCollects: The Walking Dead #127-132

The Walking Dead Volume 23: Whispers Into ScreamsCollects: The Walking Dead #133-138

The Walking Dead Volume 24: Life And DeathCollects: The Walking Dead #139-144

The Walking Dead Volume 25: No Turning BackCollects: The Walking Dead #145-150

The Walking Dead Volume 26: Call To ArmsCollects: The Walking Dead #151-156

The Walking Dead Volume 27: The Whisperer WarCollects: The Walking Dead #157-162

The Walking Dead Volume 28: A Certain DoomCollects: The Walking Dead #163-168

The Walking Dead Volume 29: Lines We CrossCollects: The Walking Dead #169-174

The Walking Dead Volume 30: New World OrderCollects: The Walking Dead #175-180

The Walking Dead Volume 31: The Rotten CoreCollects: The Walking Dead #181-186

The Walking Dead Volume 32: Rest In Peace (FINAL VOLUME)Collects: The Walking Dead #187-193

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Hardcover Collections

The hardcover editions are slightly larger in dimension and collect twice as much material as the trade paperbacks. They also look great on the shelf.

The Walking Dead Book OneCollects: The Walking Dead #1-12

The Walking Dead Book TwoCollects: The Walking Dead #13-24

The Walking Dead Book ThreeCollects: The Walking Dead #25-36

The Walking Dead Book FourCollects: The Walking Dead #37-48

The Walking Dead Book FiveCollects: The Walking Dead #49-60

The Walking Dead Book SixCollects: The Walking Dead #61-72

The Walking Dead Book SevenCollects: The Walking Dead #73-84

The Walking Dead Book EightCollects: The Walking Dead #85-96

The Walking Dead Book NineCollects: The Walking Dead #97-108

The Walking Dead Book TenCollects: The Walking Dead #109-120

The Walking Dead Book ElevenCollects: The Walking Dead #121-132

The Walking Dead Book TwelveCollects: The Walking Dead #133-144

The Walking Dead Book ThirteenCollects: The Walking Dead #145-156

The Walking Dead Book FourteenCollects: The Walking Dead #157-168

The Walking Dead Book FifteenCollects: The Walking Dead #169-180

The Walking Dead Book Sixteen (FINAL VOLUME)Collects: The Walking Dead #181-193

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Omnibus Collections

Going even bigger is the omnibus collections. These are heavy slip-cased hardcovers, which collect 24 issues each. These had a limited print run and are now hard to come by.

The Walking Dead Omnibus Volume 1Collects: The Walking Dead #1-24

The Walking Dead Omnibus Volume 2Collects: The Walking Dead #25-48

The Walking Dead Omnibus Volume 3Collects: The Walking Dead #49-72

The Walking Dead Omnibus Volume 4Collects: The Walking Dead #73-96

The Walking Dead Omnibus Volume 5Collects: The Walking Dead #97-120

The Walking Dead Omnibus Volume 6Collects: The Walking Dead #121-144

The Walking Dead Omnibus Volume 7Collects: The Walking Dead #145-168

The Walking Dead Omnibus Volume 8 (FINAL VOLUME)Collects: The Walking Dead #169-193

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Compendiums

The final edition available is the compendiums. These softcover editions which collect a whopping 48 issues. That’s a lot of comics!

The Walking Dead Compendium OneCollects: The Walking Dead #1-48 and the 6-page story from the Image Comics Holiday Special 2005

The Walking Dead Compendium TwoCollects: The Walking Dead #49-96

The Walking Dead Compendium ThreeCollects: The Walking Dead #97-144

The Walking Dead Compendium Four (FINAL VOLUME)Collects: The Walking Dead #145-193

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Limited Edition Boxed Sets

The Walking Dead will also be released in limited edition boxed sets. There are four in total, which will be released weekly throughout October 2023 as part of 20th anniversary of the franchise. See the details below:

The Walking Dead 20th Anniversary Box Set #1Collects: The Walking Dead Volumes 1-8

The Walking Dead 20th Anniversary Box Set #1 goes on sale 4th October.

The Walking Dead 20th Anniversary Box Set #2Collects: The Walking Dead Volumes 9-16

The Walking Dead 20th Anniversary Box Set #2 goes on sale 11th October.

The Walking Dead 20th Anniversary Box Set #3Collects: The Walking Dead Volumes 17-24

The Walking Dead 20th Anniversary Box Set #3 goes on sale 18th October.

The Walking Dead 20th Anniversary Box Set #4Collects: The Walking Dead Volumes 25-32

The Walking Dead 20th Anniversary Box Set #4 goes on sale 25th October.

Walking Dead Spin-Offs

The Walking Dead: The AlienWritten by Brian K Vaughan and Art by Marcos Martin.

The Walking Dead: The Alien was originally published as part of the Panel Syndicate website. It has seen been published in a hardcover collection. I talk about this in greater detail in this review.

Here’s NeganWritten by Robert Kirkman and art by Charlie Adlard.

Originally serialised in Image+ Magazine, this story explores Negan’s origins. It has been collected in a hardcover collection.

Negan Lives!Written by Robert Kirkman. Art by Charlie Adlard.

This is a one-shot that follows Negan after events of The Walking Dead #174.

Rick Grimes 2000Written by Robert Kirkman. Art by Ryan Ottley.

Originally serialised in Sybound X #1-5, Rick Grimes 2000 is a dream sequence set during The Walking Dead #75. In it, the zombie apocalypse happens to be a precursor to an alien invasion. It’s made to be a joke but also mirrors the original pitch of the comic.

Clementine Graphic Novels

If you have played the Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead, the video game set in the world of the comic book series, then you’ll be familiar with the character Clementine. Well, she has made it to the comic page in her own graphic novels. See below for all the details.

Clementine LivesWritten and art by Tillie Walden.

Clementine Lives is a short story that appeared in Skybound X #1 in 2021. It acts as a bridge between her video game appearances and the upcoming graphic novels.

Clementine: Book OneWritten and art by Tillie Walden.

This is the first of a trilogy of graphic novels starring Clementine.

Clementine: Book TwoWritten and art by Tillie Walden.

The second graphic novel in the trilogy. Book Two will be released on 4th October, 2023.

Clementine: Book ThreeWritten and art by Tillie Walden.

The third graphic novel in the trilogy. No release date has been announced yet.

What is The Walking Dead Weekly?

The Walking Dead Weekly reprinted the first 52 issues of the comic book series. As the title suggests, these were released weekly in comic book stores throughout 2011. They do not have any special content in them, just the comic book story.

What is The Walking Dead Deluxe?

The Walking Dead Deluxe is a special reprint series of the comic that includes colour instead of the original grey-scale. This will be coming out monthly from October 2020, starting with issue #1.

The Walking Dead Deluxe began in October 2020, with two issues being released each month. At the moment, it appears that these coloured reprints will not be collected in any other format.

The Walking Dead Novels

If you want to dig even further into the Walking Dead there are also spin-off novels, which fill in the gaps of the series. Most of it details the rise and fall The Governor, fleshing out the character.

• The Walking Dead: The Rise of the Governor (Best read after issue #48)
• The Walking Dead: The Road to Woodbury
• The Walking Dead: The Fall of the Governor: Part One
• The Walking Dead: The Fall of the Governor: Part Two
• Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead: Descent
• Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead: Invasion
• Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead: Search and Destroy
• Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead: Return to Woodbury

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