The Walking Dead Comic Retrospective | Volumes 1-4

Welcome to my new rendition of Into the Walking Dead...Goth Zombie!
As a fan of The Walking Dead, I am endeavouring to analyse every comic, TV show, game or otherwise that belongs to this franchise - both for my own enjoyment and to give a positive voice to The Walking Dead community. To celebrate 20 years since its inception, a series of retrospectives focusing on Robert Kirkman's original graphic novel is where we begin our journey; detailing the trials and tribulations of the comic's production, as well as offering my own critical reading of the story itself.
I hope you enjoy!
Music: White Bat Audio
Artwork: Tony Moore, Charlie Adlard
Footage: Day of the Triffids (1962), Night of the Living Dead (1968), Dawn of the Dead (1978), Day of the Dead (1985), They Live (1988), 28 Days Later (2002), Shaun of the Dead (2004), The Walking Dead (2010), Telltale's The Walking Dead (2012), The Walking Dead: A Decade of Dead (2013), Fear the Walking Dead (2015), Exclusive interview with Robert Kirkman (WKYT - 2016)
Introduction -- 00:00
Chapter 0: Before the Dead -- 01:47
Chapter 1: Days Gone Bye -- 10:17
Chapter 2: Miles Behind Us -- 41:23
Chapter 3: Safety Behind Bars -- 01:06:37
Chapter 4: The Heart's Desire -- 01:42:22
Credits: 02:16:45

[@chloemackinly6762]

I absolutely love the story of Kirkman just straight up lying about his story in order to get it published

[@mosesmassaro2275]

@@vceisdeadI cant tell if your joking😂

[@arkitekst]

we did kinda get that with Rick Grimes 2000@@vceisdead

[@yearoldsinger]

@@vceisdeadLook up Rick Grimes 2000, you’re welcome

[@yellow_jacket3260]

I admire the fact that Kirkman lied about the Space Extraterrestial stuff, so it can get greenlit, sometimes when the company is going to give you shit, you throw shit back at them

[@gothzombie]

Hell yeah

[@kikrinman1450]

It's like a suped up Kirkman version of the origin of Romero's zombies (highly implied in the first film to have been material from outer space). Kirkman has always been of the notion generally that there wasn't any big reason for the infection to have began. So him "jokingly" mentioning the cause to be a "space spore" fits well with the series' theme of just how wild and unpredicitable the world really is, while also paying homage to a horror legend.

[@shenanigameshd9461]

I’d love an animated version of TWD that follows the comic storyline, like how Kirkman is doing with Invincible

[@IronFreakV]

As long as AMC is not involved in any way and you let competent passionate people handle it (like with Invincible) that could be truly amazing

[@funnywackysillyman7780]

You think it would be cooler with adlards art style or Moore's?

[@joeysmoot7608]

@@funnywackysillyman7780charlie’s

[@NickNick-vc3in]

​@@funnywackysillyman7780i think they'd go with a mix of Moore's and Adlard, just like invincible

[@masterjackson536]

Man the first five issues were so beautiful

[@ashathlok829]

You're so beautiful masterjackson ;o;

[@bushrye8747]

Tony Moore art

[@drbluejay858]

*7*

[@Kim_YoJong]

Lets be honest. Twd had shit art

[@carlemiljohansen486]

@@drbluejay858 6

[@wallybonejengles5595]

It still breaks my heart a bit that its over. I always preferred Kirkman's original story. I will never get over the way he just came to work and said "its done." I see a lot of the same themes in Invincible. It seems like the rest of the franchise is in a sort of an MCU hell but I will always love this story.

[@mfbobyle6771]

I met Kirkman in an Albuquerque comic book shop in 2008. I was in Albuquerque visiting my sick grandma who was in the hospital. I happened to see a comic book shop near by and went to pick up the latest volume of the walking dead. When I walked in I went straight for the the walking dead. I was flipping thru it when Kirkman tapped me on the shoulder and said “I wrote that”. It was surreal and he signed a few comics I picked up. Still have those comics. My grandma ended up recovering too. He was very nice

[@gothzombie]

@@mfbobyle6771 that’s a great story all-round, dude! And certainly sounds surreal. I’m happy for you 🖤

[@PatentBoar]

I really love this video! Do you plan to do the rest at a point? I would love to see what you have to say!

[@nicks288]

Oh my god please make more videos for the rest of the series. So good.

[@skiiledghost5242]

Watched a little bit last night. I’ve been reading the comics since I was young and have wanted for years some good videos on the comics and not the show. I’m shocked that you only have 180 subscribers and that this is your first video. I really hope to see more waking dead comic videos. They are really well done

[@Mafetan]

46:56 I've always interpreted this scene as just Rick trying to keep things light with Allen and joking around that clearing the barn is taking so long it FEELS like it will take years, but it will be done eventually. I feel this is further proven by ''years'' being in bold which is typically done in the comic to show emphasis on that word, also considering they didn't change it for the Deluxe version makes me think it wasn't a mistake. I could be wrong but I was never confused by the line. Amazing video though, I'm only halfway through and I love hearing facts about the series I thought I would have already known as a hardcore fan and your own interpretations, such as what Shane may have been thinking in his last moments. I can't wait to see you cover the rest of the Prison and onwards if you decide to do so!

[@gothzombie]

Thank you so much for your comment dude! Your interpretation of Rick's "years" line definitely seems to be the most plausible reasoning behind it, especially considering Kirkman's tendency to have frequent humour layered in his dialogue. However, its execution still strikes me as odd given the rather grim scenario and Rick's expression remaining solemn. If there was a dedicated panel to them looking a little more humorous it could've come across better, but even still it feels strange that Rick would make such a joke not only after the barn massacre but also considering he gets the privilege of sleeping in the nice house while Allen is stuck in the miserable RV. Mixing a joke amidst his genuine support and pity for Allen just makes the line feel like it's at an inopportune time. I think it's one of those cases where Kirkman's humour was a little out of place and tonally muddled. At least it comes across that way for me. Anyway, I always enjoy getting to discuss these specific moments with other fellow fans and I'm glad to hear someone offer their own perspective on the matter! I'm really glad you are enjoying the video and I am in the process of writing the next one now! I hope to see you in the comment section again sometime.

[@MemeNabber]

This video deserves to blow up. Great job, hope it gets the attention it deserves

[@gothzombie]

Thanks dude! I really appreciate that!

[@ryman1933]

Loved the comics, sad the show went the route it did. How ironic that the walking dead franchise is barely still on TV, as a shambling hollow corpse of its former self, the walking dead franchise living longer than it should and refusing to die. Seriously, there is something poetic about that. Great video though man. I wish the comic was more talked about.

[@AbrasiousProductions]

Day Of The Dead (1985) is my favorite dead film too! it's a lot bleaker than the two previous entries, I can definitely see how Kirkman drew so much inspiration from it

[@oldschool657]

This might be my favourite video about the comic books. Please continue this series. It has captured what I love about the graphic novel over the TV show with an immense amount of detail. I would love to see this series get to the final issue! Keep up the good work! Edit: I really wanna hear you talk about Issue 48. Not ever forgetting that one for as long as I live 😅😅

[@rafaelmatos3957]

You gotta keep going with the next volumes, loved this video

[@SidNYoly6438]

Love that i finally have something awesome to listen to as i do my mindless repetitive work, keep up the good work

[@applehoneytea]

Please keep this series going!! This is the best video I've watched discussing twd comics in a long time.

[@pupperjackcheese]

Finally finished watching this, hope you continue this series! Such a good recap and analysis of the comics

[@gothzombie]

Thanks heaps dude! I'm in the process of writing the second video now!

[@Cichyhub]

ONLY 2.8K VIEWS? This video is AMAZING. Keep it up dude. I and probably many more LOVE this video

[@gothzombie]

Thank you dude! I really appreciate that!

[@calebanderson3048]

Can’t wait for the next one !

[@strannika4814]

Amazing video! I love the comics. Can't wait for the next volumes!

[@agustin12689]

One of the best videos I´ve ever seen. Please continue this series

[@gothzombie]

You’re too kind! Thanks dude! I’ll definitely be continuing this series soon!

[@gibatron8072]

This video is amazing and I hope you continue your series. The Walking Dead has always been one of my favorite stories since I was very young and picked up the prison volume at a bookstore. You have a great voice and your writing is really good as well. Good luck and thanks for the video.

[@blazikenafonso2758]

Wow, this video is incredible, you have articulated my feelings on the comics almost perfectly, just wish there was more haha, thank you!

[@richardlongd6244]

I can’t wait to watch more of your videos! I recently finished reading the comic myself, and your breakdowns of these first four volumes were excellent

[@TheCompleteMental]

Goddamn, I got lucky, this is some serious high quality

[@gothzombie]

Thanks dude!

[@nicklewis9472]

Hey this is an awesome video and exactly the kind of deep dive I’ve been looking for for the walking dead comics. Thankyou kind one for feeding me.

[@thehappy15a]

In defense of Shane. He HAD to think Rick was dead. Rick managed to 1 wake up from a coma 2 figure out what was going on and 3 find the group that’s like rolling 3 nat 20’s in a row!

[@gothzombie]

That’s true - I’m sure Shane was certainly considering those things eventually. However, it’s worth noting that when he slept with Lori he did ask her if they are going to tell Rick about what happened. At that stage, at least, it seems Shane was still of the belief that Rick was alive (and everything was going to return to normal).

[@echocraft5741]

Hope this guy comes back his vids are great

[@joeysmoot7608]

facts

[@evanvdl1996]

I saw in another comment that you’re working on more parts. Very excited when that day comes. Great work!

[@kikrinman1450]

Yeah, this has the making of some pretty kino stuff

[@Thomus.i]

Amazing video dude, can’t wait for the next part

[@gothzombie]

Thanks dude! That means a lot. I'm glad you think so!

[@redsponge4]

Brilliant retrospective on these comics, you really show a great understanding of the characters and the different themes. Looking forward to the part 2 of this series

[@TheDMsofDisability]

This was an amazing retrospective that covered so many unique perspectives. I love this series, and I wrote my thesis on the TWD comics. I learned things that i never considered during that time and I am excited to see the whole series be covered.

[@ryanbetz1922]

This was so good!! Loved every second!

[@user-kv4go3ip7y]

You deserve a Sub,Here you go bro,i love this kind of content from small channels who makes big efforts. Continue this path and make more volumes I really enjoyed this!

[@gothzombie]

Thanks dude, I really appreciate that! I’ll definitely be making more!

[@mrfish6399]

Been binging this for the past few days, this was a great watch! I'm definitely looking forward to the next videos.

[@gothzombie]

Thanks dude! I appreciate it!

[@Bluerock121]

This video is phenomenal, great job! Really hope you continue

[@Gaz_minis]

Over 2 hours of comic retrospective? Christmas has come early, great work.

[@shvedmageddon]

this is dope. cant wait for the next few parts 🙏🏻

[@superjumpchump7182]

Please keep making these, they’re fantastic! I hope your channel blows up soon as well, you deserve it :)

[@njultraflickshow3646]

Great video, man! Looking forward to the next one

[@DippedInInk]

Very well narrated. Loving it.

[@Naeten]

Amazing video! great job. can't wait for the next part

[@gothzombie]

Thanks dude!

[@corneliusbinklefredickbear9936]

Dude this is such a good video, you explained your points so well

[@WakeUpDonni333]

This is my hyper fixation I love this story soooo much! This video is amazing!!! I cant wait for more :)

[@gothzombie]

Thanks dude! I’m glad to have you watching! It totally is a timeless story!

[@matthewpetersen3931]

Great video man, keep up the good work

[@joshwa0443]

Love this! Great video bro

[@huejjee2077]

Absolutely amazing video. I hope to see more!!!!

[@zSlicksco]

Love this video! Good job! The walking dead is such a big part of my life, love the long form content and hope for more! Subscribing!

[@gothzombie]

Thank you dude! Totally on the same page about TWD. I’m working on more videos now and I hope you enjoy them!

[@ethancowan3431]

Your editing is awesome already love this video and it just started. Made a easy subscriber of me

[@sheridandwyer]

Ooooh I love me a good deep dive! I can't watch his until I read the comics myself, but I'm definitely keeping an eye on your content; especially once you get to the show.. No rush or anything of course! This will be great to come back to once I'm all current! Thanks for the effort and for sharing your hard work with us!

[@gothzombie]

Thank you dude! I totally look forward to covering the show one day, whenever I may get there!

[@devonadams7304]

This is your first video?! Dude sick, I love content like this

[@gothzombie]

Thanks dude! I appreciate that! I've definitely got more on the way.

[@thebest-ih4gb]

Keep it up man this is amazing

[@gothzombie]

Thanks man!

[@gickrimes5451]

Amazing video, please continue this 🙏🙏🙏

[@mismisimognomo101]

Subscribed and bell active. You got me right when i saw the name you gave to your channel and eventually stayed and paid attention, by the sheer quality you displayed in this one. Great insight, tons of stuff i didn't know and i greatly appreciate 🖤

[@gothzombie]

Wow, thank you, that means a lot and I really appreciate it! I’m hoping to have the next video out soon 🖤

[@AbrasiousProductions]

May 11th 2023: here before this video blows up catapulting you to stardom! this will be a wonderful way for me to refresh myself on the comics, it's been a while, still need to finish the comics, stopped after Volume 30

[@gothzombie]

Thanks dude! And you totally should finish them some time; you stopped so close to the end!

[@AbrasiousProductions]

@@gothzombie I knoww man! I even heavily binged the comics

[@AwareWolfOnWheels]

Subbed, cannot wait for more on this series.

[@angeldelgado2709]

Amazing retrospective, really detailed and well explained

[@dyanfisher]

Would love a continuation of this series! Great work

[@boymike28]

Can we get a second one I love this so much please I stayed up from 3am-5am to watch this your voice is beautiful with the story of twd comics and if you do make a part 2 then I'll definitely come back for it please and thank you

[@gothzombie]

You’re too kind! Thank you dude! I’m glad to have you watching. A second video is certainly on the way and I am aiming to cover the entire series.

[@lightningmonky7674]

Shane got caught simping smh 😤😤 couldn't be me!! In all seriousness this is a great video, love the editing and you've reminded me why I need to save up so I can finally read the original version of this story, same with invincible.

[@dookieburrito9196]

Recommended to multiple friends! I hope you continue the series!!

[@applesaurusrex8075]

I LOVE the Walking Dead comics. One of my favorite books ever period

[@bobbywilliams9006]

I have literally read thousands of books. The Walking Dead is my absolute favorite fictional story.

[@Berxwedan.]

The best Emo Zombie channel ever ❤

[@neen2660]

This was an amazing video. You’re brilliant. I’ll probably sleep to this over and over

[@gothzombie]

Thank you! I can totally relate to that feeling of finding something helpful to sleep to so I’m happy to have done so for you haha. I hope you have many pleasant sleeps!

[@neen2660]

@@gothzombie I really learned a lot too! And I’ve been watching just about everything on the walking dead on KZbin since October, and read the comics myself since then as well. You’re very well versed on this, so I hope you keep sharing this information :) makes me want to re read it already when I thought it’d be a little longer before I wanted to revisit.

[@gothzombie]

@@neen2660 thanks dude! I appreciate that and I’m glad you think so! I’m working on more now as we speak :)

[@pytrcatdad]

Amazing work. Can't wait for more TWD

[@huejjee2077]

I just found this video and listen to it fully through, and I thought it would’ve been a bigger channel so cool

[@gothzombie]

Thanks dude! I’m glad to have you watching!

[@voidlingexe]

Need more or these videos ASAP. Superb job lad!

[@gothzombie]

Thanks man! I’m working on more as we speak!

[@danieljoseph8158]

47:03 I’m pretty sure the whole “have the whole barn cleaned up in a few years” line is meant to be sarcasm. Besides that I really enjoyed this video and I hope you cover the rest of the volumes

[@twistedhalomusic4497]

I love your content

[@astro_infinite2275]

ive watched alot of people do retrospectives on these sets of comics but no one ever seems to finish them to the end i hope that youll be the one to finish them yk good work and keep on pushin

[@gothzombie]

Thanks dude! I appreciate it! I’m certainly going to try my hardest to reach the very end and cover everything I can.

[@shotmasta]

Really like this video..great work. Thanks to this i started watching comic readings on toutube. Have my subscribe m8, and looking forward to the next one✌🏻😁

[@profrisky8929]

Dude, what the fuck. I exited full screen after the first hour to take a break and seen your sub-count, keep up the amazing work!

[@gothzombie]

Thank you dude!

[@MichealWSmith]

This is great. Playing dead island whilst I listen

[@H845KAIZER]

fire watch bro good shit🤝🏼

[@gothzombie]

Thanks man!

[@ElvenImmortal]

Great video man, this must've took a long time to make and edit. Hopefully you got more coming!

[@mr.heguydudeman1649]

Man this video is good

[@josephmatthews7698]

The first few issues were so good, what made the tv show so amazing was their ability to improve upon an already amazing comic. Kirkman said himself he felt under too much pressure writing this part because he expected it to be canceled after any issue so he rushed the opening storyline to get it out there. The show didn't have those concerns so was able to expand on Rick and Shane's relationship which was without a doubt the best part of Kirkmans story and writing. Those close hard male relationships are right in Kirkmans wheelhouse. Brilliant stuff.

[@TheThirdDaySH]

Subbed for future installments

[@dookieburrito9196]

Excellent video mate

[@gothzombie]

Thanks dude! I appreciate it!

[@kevinalford]

Damn fine video.

[@pitboy0978]

This video need more attention got me about to read the comics again

[@israeldoesgames]

Great video, you should continue this series more, a shame that I couldn’t binge watch the others.

[@ganjagamer7441]

Excellent video thanks for the good watch very nice background for playing games, please make another video of the next volumes.

[@lightningmonky7674]

I like that Rick got to actually speak his mind on him being cheated on in the comic, to get his perspective and anger

[@spidermcjones6371]

This is a great video and exactly the kind of retrospective that the comic deserves. I very much hope you continue to review and explore the rest of the series. Would be down to discuss it with you further

[@gothzombie]

Thanks so much dude! I appreciate that you think so! I’m always down to discuss the series more. I’m currently writing the second video now - which may be even longer than the first one. The Governor alone is quite a talking point.

[@spidermcjones6371]

@@gothzombie set up a discord or something maybe? I’m in Aus too so our times should match up pretty well, would love to talk to someone who loves the comics too!

[@gothzombie]

@@spidermcjones6371 good idea! I’m pretty busy at the moment but I’ll get onto that when I have a chance dude!

[@stevematthews3713]

Loved it

[@mrboooga9275]

What a good video

[@Matt-vd4sg]

robert kirkman giving both of his main characters a level of anger issues is very interesting and i like how it works. edit please make a part 2 i’d love to hear commentary on the second one

[@VkAvester]

Please post more videos your work is great

[@MrSilvUr]

I think the barn taking years to clean is a joke on Rick's part. 'Cause it's so dirty.

[@overfriedfatboi]

DAMN BRO YOUR VOICE IS SO NICE

[@jacobwiggers]

46:56 I think when Rick said "few years" he was implying that it'd take a long time or at least that's how I interpreted it.

[@cadenmcmexican7999]

This video was so in depth and all around amazing!! I cannot wait for the review for volume 5-8 as that may very well be my favorite arc of the comic, I don’t mean to sound rude or like I’m rushing but I really hope the next video comes out soon because these are amazing and I’m so excited for it!! Keep up the amazing work!!

[@gothzombie]

Thank you so much dude! I really appreciate that and I’m glad you enjoyed it! I’m in the process of writing the second video now and am working hard to get it out as soon as possible (without sacrificing quality, of course). The video length is probably going to be even longer (there’s so much to discuss in volume 5 alone) so it may take time but I am committed to going through the whole franchise.

[@cadenmcmexican7999]

@@gothzombie that’s awesome to hear👍I’ll wait patiently as long as it takes for quality content like this. Hopefully you get the subs you deserve soon, keep up the great work

[@StonedPeter]

Rick saying it’s gonna take years to clean the barn up was him joking around

[@Ship-security]

Kirkmans early writing about the male, female relationship in these kind of situations was 100%, honest and correct, anyone who has ever been in a place where men and women are working together for survival would know this.

[@joshuaflores8532]

I hope you can continue with the next volumes because this is excellent!

[@Thatguy27250]

This video is so well done,you've absolutely earned a subscriber, stay safe brother

[@gothzombie]

Thank you my man! I appreciate it!

[@Thatguy27250]

@@gothzombie of course!! Do you have a time frame of the next episode?

[@gothzombie]

@@Thatguy27250 It's a lengthy process which isn't helped but my work and other projects, but I hope to have the next one finished within a month or two! Hopefully, as time goes on, I can speed up. Once I've released a couple more videos I'll kickstart a patreon in the off-chance anyone wants to support my efforts and make the process easier too.

[@Thatguy27250]

@@gothzombie that's awesome man!! I love to see such high quality videos, i can tell how much passion you have for the comics and it oozes out of these videos!

[@gothzombie]

@@Thatguy27250 thanks so much man! That really means a lot! I can’t wait to make more and show them to all of you!

[@zparkz2727]

Just the intro alone man what the fuck this is the highest quality video essay from a new KZbinr I’ve seen in a minute, fantastic work

[@gothzombie]

Thanks dude!

[@dontpokethekenny]

Jon Bernthals portrayal of Shane was amazing.