I couldn’t have predicted The Walking Dead would become the most popular television series in the world, but the first time I picked up a Walking Dead comic, I knew I was reading something special.
The first 48 issues of the Walking Dead comic are near perfect apocalyptic storytelling, taking the zombie genre and injecting it with the human heart, greed, and animalistic urges at the center of us all. Creators Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore (and shortly thereafter, Charlie Adlard) created a zombie infested universe that I couldn’t forget, and here we are years later, and it’s the most successful Comic Book TV adaptation ever.
There’s a reason it’s one of my favorite 40 comics of all time.
Fortunately, figuring out where to start with Walking Dead comics is nowhere near as difficult as superhero universes like Marvel or DC Comics. While writer Robert Kirkman’s other all-time great comic book, Invincible
There are a handful of exceptions, but for the most part, reading the Walking Dead comes down to personal preference and the type of reading experience you’d like to have. Below you’ll find all your options, and the appropriate order for each.
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Updates 4/20/21 by Peyi Olugbodi!
Where To Start With The Walking Dead
Walking Dead Compendiums (Graphic Novels)
The Walking Dead Compendium editions are enormous collections of over 40 comic book issues all in one book.
The crazy/amazing thing about the Compendiums is that they blend all the issues together into one story, with no comic book covers separating each issue/chapter. As a result you essentially have a 1,000 page graphic novel in your hands. As I’ve found while staring at 2:00 a.m. blinking on the clock, good luck putting one of these down.
This is the easiest, fastest, and frequently most affordable way to read the entirety of the Walking Dead saga to date. Although they’re more affordable than individual trades
(usually about 6 issues at a time), each Compendium only runs between $30 to $40. Again, that’s less than a dollar per issue, which in the comic book world is an absolute steal.
1) The Walking Dead: Compendium One
Collects: The Walking Dead #1 to #48
The closest The Walking Dead comes to spin-offs are in the form of some expanded universe novels. The most prominent of these can be read in the wake of The Walking Dead #48 (I would highly recommend you complete the first compendium before moving to the novels). You do not need to read the novels to understand what is happening in the comic book series, they just offer additional stories.
Novels — The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor and the Road to Woodbury
Novels — The Walking Dead: The Fall of the Governor: Parts 1 and 2
2) The Walking Dead: Compendium Two
Collects: The Walking Dead #49 to #96
3) The Walking Dead: Compendium Three
Collects: The Walking Dead #97 to #144
4) The Walking Dead Compendium Four
Collects: The Walking Dead #145 to #193
The Walking Dead Trade Paperbacks
If you want to start a little smaller, or simply in more manageable chunks (those compendiums aren’t exactly easy to read on a commute, for example), the Walking Dead TPBs (trade paperbacks) are your best best.
Most TPBs can be found for around $10 (or less than $5 if you’re willing to buy used). They typically contain six issues of the series at a time, which can typically be read in around an hour or less.
You can also read the first 10 volumes of Walking Dead for free with a Comixology Unlimited subscription.
Walking Dead vol 1: Days Gone By
Collects: The Walking Dead #1-6
Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore- 12 May 2004
Walking Dead vol 2: Miles Behind Us
Collects: The Walking Dead #7–12
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn- 24 November 2004
Walking Dead vol 3: Safety Behind Bars
Collects: The Walking Dead #13–18
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn- 18 May 2005
Walking Dead vol 4: The Heart’s Desire
Collects: The Walking Dead #19–24
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn- 30 Novemeber 2005
Walking Dead vol 5: The Best Defense
Collects: The Walking Dead #25–30
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn- 27 September 2006
Walking Dead vol 6: This Sorrowful Life
Collects: The Walking Dead #31–36
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn- 11 April 2007
Walking Dead vol 7: The Calm Before
Collects: The Walking Dead #37–42
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn- 26 September 2007
Walking Dead vol 8: Made to Suffer
Collects: The Walking Dead #43–48
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn- 25 June 2008
Walking Dead vol 9: Here we Remain
Collects: The Walking Dead #49–54
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn- 21 January 2009
Walking Dead vol 10: What we Become
Collects: The Walking Dead #55–60
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn- 12 August 2009
Walking Dead vol 11: Fear The Hunters
Collects: The Walking Dead #61–66
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn- 6 January 2010
Walking Dead vol 12: Life Among Them
Collects: The Walking Dead #67–72
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn- 3 August 2010
Walking Dead vol 13: Too Far Gone
Collects: The Walking Dead #73–78
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn- 23 November 2010
Walking Dead vol 14: No Way Out
Collects: The Walking Dead #79–84
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn- 22 June 2011
Walking Dead vol 15: We Find Ourselves
Collects: The Walking Dead #85–90
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn- 27 December 2011
Collects: The Walking Dead: Michonne Special #1
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn- 16 March 2012
Walking Dead vol 16: A Larger World
Collects: The Walking Dead #91–96
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn- 6 June 2012
Walking Dead vol 17: Something to Fear
Collects: The Walking Dead #97–102
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn- 21 November 2012
Walking Dead vol 18: What Comes After
Collects: The Walking Dead #103–108
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn- 18 June 2013
Collects: The Walking Dead: The Governer Special #1
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn- 13 February 2013
Walking Dead vol 19: March To War
Collects: The Walking Dead #109–114
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn- 13 November 2013
Collects: The Walking Dead: Tyreese Special #1
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn- 9 October 2013
Walking Dead vol 20: All Out War Part 1
Collects: The Walking Dead #115–120
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn, Stefano Guadiano- 11 March 2014
Walking Dead vol 21: All Out War Part 2
Collects: The Walking Dead #121–126
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn, Stefano Guadiano- 29 July 2014
Walking Dead vol 22: A New Beginning
Collects: The Walking Dead #127–132
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn, Stefano Guadiano- 5 November 2014
Walking Dead vol 23: Whispers Into Screams
Collects: The Walking Dead #133–138
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn, Stefano Guadiano- 12 May 2015
Walking Dead vol 24: Life And Death
Collects: The Walking Dead #139–144
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn, Stefano Guadiano- 26 August 2015
Walking Dead vol 25: No Turning Back
Collects: The Walking Dead #145–150
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn, Stefano Guadiano- 5 April 2016
Collects: The Walking Dead: The Alien #1
Brian K. Vaughn, Marcos Martin – 20 April 2016
Walking Dead vol 26: Call To Arms
Collects: The Walking Dead #151–156
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn, Stefano Guadiano- 14 September 2016
Walking Dead vol 27: The Whisperer War
Collects: The Walking Dead #157–162
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn, Stefano Guadiano- 7 March 2017
Walking Dead vol 28: A Certain Doom
Collects: The Walking Dead #163–168
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn, Stefano Guadiano- 3 October 2017
Collects: Collecting Here’S Negan
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn- 4 October 2017
Walking Dead vol 29: Lines We Cross
Collects: The Walking Dead #169–174
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn, Stefano Guadiano- 13 March 2018
Walking Dead vol 30: New World Order
Collects: The Walking Dead #175–180
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn, Stefano Guadiano- 5 September 2018
Walking Dead vol 31: The Rotton Core
Collects: The Walking Dead #181–186
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn, Stefano Guadiano- 12 March 2019
Walking Dead vol 32: Rest In Peace
Collects: The Walking Dead #187–193
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn, Stefano Guadiano- 13 August 2019
Collects: Negan Lives #1
Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn- 1 July 2020
So there you have it, a straightforward reading guide to starting with Walking Dead comics. Feel free to reach out @ComicBookHerald with any questions, and as always, if you see a sign that says “ALL DEAD DO NOT ENTER,” maybe turn around?
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