The Walking Dead cuenta cómo Rick Grimes, un policía norteamericano oriundo de Kentucky, después de un accidente ocurrido en cumplimiento del deber, despierta de un estado de coma para encontrarse con un mundo arrasado por cadáveres deseosos de carne fresca, sin saber que ha pasado a su alrededor.
Ante este desolado panorama, Rick emprende la búsqueda de su familia. Con el paso de las publicaciones se ve cómo un Rick más curtido se une a los supervivientes que va encontrando en busca de un lugar donde establecerse y estar seguros o al menos poder hacer frente a la amenaza zombie que les acecha.
Aunque en realidad la causa de la aparición de los zombies no se revela (de momento sólo se ha mencionado un experimento militar genético), éstos pasan en números posteriores a jugar un papel secundario, dando lugar al desarrollo humano y personal de los personajes y a las diferentes formas de enfrentarse ante este panorama de persecución, muerte y destrucción que han provocado los zombies.
- Titulo: The Walking Dead
- Formato: Serie limitada
- Primera edición: Octubre de 2003
- Editorial: Image Comics
- Periodicidad: Mensual
- Tradición: Independiente, Estadounidense
- Género: Terror, variante zombis
- Creador(es): Robert Kirkman,Tony Moore
- Guionista(s): Robert Kirkman
- Dibujante(s): Charlie Adlard, Tony Moore
- Episodios: 6
Lista de Episodios (Online)
1. Los días transcurridosSheriff's Deputy Rick Grimes is critically wounded in a vicious gunfight and slips into a coma. He later awakens in an abandoned hospital to find a world overrun by the walking dead. Grimes finds his way home, only to discover that his wife Lori and their young son Carl have disappeared. He is upset and delusional but encounters a father and son, Morgan and Duane Jones, who have holed up in an abandoned house, and learns that the CDC has set up a quarantine zone in Atlanta, Georgia. Leaving Morgan and Duane with some weapons and a walkie-talkie, Rick embarks on a dangerous journey to Atlanta in order to track down his family. Elsewhere, Lori has begun a romantic relationship with Rick's old partner and best friend, Shane Walsh, and along with Carl and a small band of other survivors, is in hiding in a rural area outside Atlanta. Rick arrives in Atlanta, and is set upon by an enormous horde of "walkers". He survives only by slipping into an abandoned tank, sealing himself inside. An unknown person sends a transmission over the tank's radio, saying "Hey you, dumbass. Yeah, you in the tank. Cozy in there?" .
2. TripasRick escapes from the tank aided by Glenn, the voice he had heard over the radio. Rick and Glenn meet up with Glenn's friends, another group of survivors, who inform him that his arrival has brought their hideout in a department store to the walkers' attention. As the walkers attempt to break into the previously safe department store, brief radio contact is made with Shane and Lori's group who, unaware of Rick's presence, decide they are unable to help. It emerges that Glenn's group is a scavenging team from the larger group. Emotions run high in the group, particularly between a black man, T-Dog, and an unhinged racist, Merle Dixon, which leads Rick to handcuff Merle to a pipe on the store roof. Rick and Glenn hatch an escape plan and execute it by covering themselves in a "terminated" walker's blood and guts, and making their way to a box truck. Glenn draws the walkers' attention away from the store by tearing around in a Dodge Challenger and sounding its alarm. The group escapes the city, along with Glenn, leaving Merle chained to the pipe on the roof after T-Dog accidentally drops the handcuff key down a drain.
3. Díselo a las ranasReturning to the camp with the department store survivors, Rick has an emotional reunion with his wife and son. Soon afterwards however, despite encountering a walker near camp, Rick decides to go against Shane's advice and go back to Atlanta for Merle Dixon and his dropped bag of guns, intending to retrieve the walkie-talkie left in the bag in order to warn Morgan against going to Atlanta. He is accompanied by Merle's equally violent younger brother Daryl Dixon as well as Glenn and T-Dog. Lori warns Shane to stay away from her family now that Rick has returned; a surprise since Shane had told her Rick had died in the hospital. Tensions run high in the camp between a woman, Carol, and her abusive husband Ed. A fight breaks out, during which Shane takes out his anger on Ed by nearly beating him to death. The rescue team makes it to Atlanta and, once they are on the department store roof, discover a hacksaw, Merle's dismembered hand, blood on his handcuffs, and that he is nowhere to be found.
4. ChicosWhile still in search of Merle, the group tries to retrieve the bag of guns but are attacked by several living men who also seek the weapons. The group manages to grab an injured attacker, but several others attackers escape in a vehicle, taking Glenn with them as a hostage. After interrogating their own hostage, Rick and the others learn the location of their attackers' hideout and head there hoping to make a prisoner trade. They are rebuffed by the Latinos, who demand the bag of guns along with a prisoner exchange. The threat of bloodshed is avoided when an elderly woman (the grandmother of one of the Latinos) disrupts the confrontation. Grimes and his men realize that the "thug" image their hosts portray is just a protective front. The Latino "gang" is made up of former employees of a hidden nursing home that still has many of its elderly inhabitants hiding within. Rick leaves them some of the guns and the men exchange prisoners and depart. Upon leaving, they discover their van missing and conclude that Merle has stolen it. Back at camp a large group of walkers ventures up the hill and takes the survivors by surprise. Several members are killed including Andrea's younger sister Amy and Carol's husband Ed. Rick and the rescuers return to camp just in time to kill the remaining walkers.
5. WILDFIREWhile the dead are buried, Andrea remains protective of Amy's body until it revives as a walker, whereupon she then apologizes and kills her again. Jim reveals that he was bitten by a walker in the fight, and the living members decide to take him to the CDC, though there are signs of conflict between Shane and Rick, as Shane believes the trip to the CDC is a dead end. One family from the group split away, deciding to return home to Birmingham, Alabama, and the remaining members depart for the CDC. On the way there, while making repairs to the RV, Jim decides he wants the group to leave him so he can be reunited with his dead family (either figuratively in the hereafter or, perhaps, literally as a walker). The group continues on, arriving at the CDC building, where a scientist who isolated himself while running tests on the walker virus has just lost his only virus test sample and is considering suicide. When the group prepares to leave thinking the building is empty, Rick notices the cameras moving and begs for his group to be allowed in. The doors open as the group of survivors look on astonished.
6. TS-19 (Final)In a flashback to the initial zombie outbreak, Shane attempts to evacuate Rick, but is unable to due to soldiers executing the hospital staff and zombies breaking into the building. Thinking Rick is dead, all Shane can do is barricade Rick's door and flee the hospital. In the present, Dr. Jenner explains to them the process in the brain that takes place when a person is bitten, and they enjoy the comforts of electricity and safety. However, Shane attempts to seduce Lori, attempting to rekindle their short relationship Lori attempts to get away and is almost raped by Shane when she manages to push him away, he then leaves in anger. The next morning the group discovers a timer in the lab and ask Dr. Jenner what it is for. He tells them it is the countdown for the power supply to the building, and when it hits zero the building will self destruct. The group, panicking, looks for a way to keep the electricity when Dr. Jenner locks them in, telling them it is humane and that their deaths will be swift and painless, the group, however, believes they can survive, and attempt to break out. Rick convinces Jenner to let them out, but not without whispering something into Rick's ear, this message inaudible to the viewer, but the look on Rick's face indicates that it is grim. One of the members, Jacqui, tells them she will stay no matter what and die with Jenner, Andrea chooses the same fate, but is convinced by Dale to leave with them. They narrowly escape the building with the use of a grenade Rick discovered in Atlanta. The building explodes and the group leaves safely.
