by The Matt
No.8 It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like… Christ, It’s Cold!
In a world where civilization has broken down, even a minor thing like the changing of the seasons can end up being fatal. Following Rick’s reunion with his family, the assembled survivors decide to hit the road to get away from the overflowing zombie population of nearby Atlanta. However, as the Starks from Game Of Thrones are fond of reminding us: Winter is coming, which ends up being a good news/bad news type of situation. On the one hand, because of their lack of flowing blood, the undead quickly become the kind of popsicles you’d be well-warned never to lick. On the other, lack of gasoline, electricity and food combined with highways clogged with abandoned vehicles conspire to keep our survivors huddled together for warmth in Dale’s cramped RV. Progress is further restricted by the absolute lack of snow removal.
All of sudden, our intrepid heroes have gone from trying to survive a zombie apocalypse to simply surviving. Things look bleak until they happen upon one of those fancy gated communities the 1% scoff at the rest us from. Desperate for a place to wait out a storm, the gang moves in. Had they been less in a hurry to get in from the cold, they might have taken the time to spot a somewhat ominous sign posted by the gates, which inevitably leads to a slight zombie infestation problem once the temperature starts to rise.
Warning: Zombie Republicans. Redundant, I know.
No.7 I’m On The Highway! To! Hell!
Horror fans are divided when it comes to zombies. Some like their undead slow and shambling, Romero-style. Others prefer the Olympic sprinters from 28 Days Later. Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman appears to be a big fan of the little-known stealth zombie. Several characters have met their demise simply by standing still too damn long. If they’d been a little more concerned with the sanctity of their ankles, the stealth zombie wouldn’t have been able to grab a bite. I don’t know about the rest of you, but if I can spot a damn spider crawling down the wall and smack it with a newspaper before it does anything devious, I can sure as hell spot half a desiccated zombie crawling its way toward my juicy, meaty ankles. But I digress.
The Walking Dead comic book features one of my very favorite stealth zombie scenes of all time. Rick and assorted fodder are in a car, navigating one of those rolling hillside highways that always give me the hiccups. It’s the kind of road where you can’t see if there’s any oncoming traffic over the rise of the next hill. Or a couple hundred undead folks just stealthily waiting there for any hapless suckers that come barreling down the road.
That one guy sitting in the back is so completely boned.
In the world inhabited by hordes of undead, even a soothing country ride can turn deadly in a moment’s notice.
No.6 Ok. What Have We Learned, Young Man?
While Carl and Sophia have been getting a lot of attention this season on the show, the comic featured a lot more than two children. This allowed writer Robert Kirkman to explore the impact a world overrun by undead would have on small kids. Carl was quickly taught by his father how to handle a gun and Sophia has far outlived her television counterpart, remaining a fixture of the comic book long after the death of her mother.
Allen and Donna, whom we’ve yet to meet on the show, added their twin boys, Ben and Billy to the cast. The boys were seemingly okey dokey for the longest time, but spending all their time surrounded by death and witnessing the dead come back to life were bound to have some serious mental repercussions at some point. And so it was that Ben took his brother Billy off to play. And by play I mean he stabbed him repeatedly with a Bowie knife.
In my day we just played cowboys and Indians…
The aftermath of the incident is even more shocking. The group must decide if Billy can be taught to respect human life again or if the kid is too far gone to appreciate what he’s done. The decision gets taken out of their hands when Carl, Rick’s son, takes it upon himself to shoot his former playmate in the head, deciding that he’s a threat to the group. No way in hell does AMC ever allow this scene to air.
No.5 Long Time No See
Never one to leave a long forgotten plot thread hanging, Robert Kirkman introduced family man Morgan and his son Duane in the very first issue of The Walking Dead, only to leave the characters by the wayside until a solid 50 issues or so later. Imitating the comic, the duo were a major part of the TV show’s pilot episode but have not made an appearance since. Heart-wrenchingly, in the interim months between Rick’s first visit and his subsequent attempt to recruit Morgan and Duane to his group, tragedy struck.
We’ve seen in the pilot episode how Morgan brought the crosshairs up to his undead wife’s head but could not pull the trigger. A similar situation occurs when Rick discovers that Morgan has become a bit unhinged since his son also started having cravings for fresh brains, keeping him chained up and feeding him random strangers and animals. Rick seemingly convinces Morgan to do the right thing and put his son out of his misery. A shot rings out. Morgan joins the group as they drive away. Moments later, Duane comes walking out of the house, still “alive.”
Not only is this moment equal parts sad and horrifying, but there’s also a strong possibility we’ll get to see it on the show. Why else would they bother bringing an actor of Lennie James’ caliber to portray Morgan in the pilot if not to bring him back at a later occasion?
Find out what the Number 1 moment from The Walking Dead comic we want to see on the show…
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