Who created The Walking Dead comic books?

The Walking Dead is a black-and-white comic book series created by writer Robert Kirkman with art by Tony Moore. It focuses on Rick Grimes, a Kentucky deputy who is shot in the line of duty and awakens from a coma in a zombie apocalypse that has resulted in a state-wide quarantine. After joining with other ones, he gradually takes on the role of leader of a community as it struggles to survive the zombie apocalypse.

The Walking Dead (comic book)

First issued in 2003 by publisher Image Comics, the comic is written by Kirkman with art by Moore (issues No. 1–6) and Charlie Adlard (issue No. 7 onward). Moore continued to do the covers through issue No. 24.

"The Walking Dead" received the 2007 and 2010 Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series at San Diego Comic-Con International. The series was adapted into the AMC television series "The Walking Dead", which premiered in 2010. The television program loosely follows the storyline of the comic book. The franchise has also spawned multiple additional media properties, including video games (such as "The Walking Dead" video game), a companion television series ("Fear the Walking Dead"), webisode series ("", "", "", and "The Walking Dead: Red Machete"), and various additional publications, including novels ("").

The original pitch by Kirkman and Moore was for a followup to George A. Romero's "Night of the Living Dead", with the series taking place in the 1960s. Image Comics co-founder Jim Valentino suggested using an original concept instead so the creators would own the property outright. The revised pitch became "The Walking Dead."

"The Walking Dead" debuted in 2003, published by Image Comics, with art by Tony Moore for the first six issues and Cliff Rathburn shading the art after issue five. Charlie Adlard took over as artist on issue #7, after he was approached by Kirkman. Moore also did the cover art for the first twenty-four issues and the first four trade paperbacks. The remainder were done by Adlard.

When the television series premiered in October 2010, Image Comics announced "The Walking Dead Weekly". The first 52 issues of the series began to be reprinted on January 5, 2011, with one issue per week for a year.

The series is periodically re-published in trade paperbacks which contain six issues each, hardcover books with twelve issues and occasional bonus material, omnibus editions of twenty-four issues, and compendium editions of forty-eight issues.

In May of 2018, Image Comics and its imprint Skybound Entertainment, the company that has driven development of "The Walking Dead" comic series since 2010, jointly announced "The Walking Dead Day." The fan-oriented event has a scheduled date of October 13, 2018 and will coincide with the release of a "Walking Dead #1 15th Anniversary Variant Edition," with cover art by current series artist Charlie Adlard. A select number of "The Walking Dead Day" participating local comic shops become part of the comic's story line, with their own special edition of Adlard's anniversary cover, featuring the store’s logo incorporated into the cover art. The company also noted that additional limited edition collectibles and festivities would be announced at a future date, prior to the October 2018 event.

Volume 1: Days Gone Bye (Issues 1–6)
Volume 2: Miles Behind Us (Issues 7–12)
Volume 3: Safety Behind Bars (Issues 13–18)
Volume 4: The Heart's Desire (Issues 19–24)
Volume 5: The Best Defense (Issues 25–30)
Volume 6: This Sorrowful Life (Issues 31–36)
Volume 7: The Calm Before (Issues 37–42)
Volume 8: Made to Suffer (Issues 43–48)
Volume 9: Here We Remain (Issues 49–54)
Volume 10: What We Become (Issues 55–60)
Volume 11: Fear the Hunters (Issues 61–66)
Volume 12: Life Among Them (Issues 67–72)
Volume 13: Too Far Gone (Issues 73–78)
Volume 14: No Way Out (Issues 79–84)
Volume 15: We Find Ourselves (Issues 85–90)
Volume 16: A Larger World (Issues 91–96)
Volume 17: Something to Fear (Issues 97–102)
Volume 18: What Comes After (Issues 103–108)
Volume 19: March to War (Issues 109–114)
Volume 20: All Out War (Part One) (Issues 115–120)
Volume 21: All Out War (Part Two) (Issues 121–126)
Volume 22: A New Beginning (Issues 127–132)
Volume 23: Whispers Into Screams (Issues 133–138)
Volume 24: Life and Death (Issues 139–144)
Volume 25: No Turning Back (Issues 145–150)
Volume 26: Call to Arms (Issues 151–156)
Volume 27: The Whisperer War (Issues 157–162)
Volume 28: A Certain Doom (Issues 163–168)
Volume 29: Lines We Cross (Issues 169–174)
Volume 30: New World Order (Issues 175–180)
Volume 31: The Rotten Core (Issues 181–186)

Michonne Special (March 16, 2012)
The Governor Special (February 13, 2013)
Free Comic Book Day Special (May 4, 2013)
Morgan Special (May 5, 2013)
Tyreese Special (October 9, 2013)
The Walking Dead: The Alien (April 20, 2016)
Here's Negan (April 27, 2016 – July 26, 2017, October 4, 2017 (Hardcover))

Rick Grimes is the main character, a deputy who is comatose when the zombie apocalypse begins. With his wife Lori and son Carl, he joins with groups other survivors. He is joined by former best friend Shane, who secretly has a sexual relationship with Lori. The group consists of firm clerk and college graduate Andrea and her sister Amy, a mechanic named Jim, car salesman Dale, shoe salesman Allen and his wife, Donna as well as their children, Ben and Billy. Lori and Carl form friendships with other survivors such as Carol and Sophia.

After leaving the camp, Rick gains a right-hand man and close friendship in Tyreese, who is accompanied by his daughter and her boyfriend. They soon find a farm run by Hershel Greene. Among Hershel's seven children is Maggie Greene, who forms a relationship with Glenn. As the group settle at a prison, they become conflicted with a group of surviving prisoners. Otis meets a katana-wielding survivor named Michonne, who is brought into the group, but struggles to acclimate, facing her own demons. Michonne, Rick and Glenn are later held in captivity by The Governor, a leader of a town called Woodbury who plan to take over the prison. Other Woodbury residents include Alice Warren, who changes sides to Rick's group and delivers Lori's baby, Bob Stookey, an army medic responsible for saving The Governor's life and Lilly, one of The Governor's soldiers.

After the prison assault, the remaining group survivors regroup at Hershel's farm, and meet Abraham Ford, Eugene Porter and Rosita Espinosa. The group travel to Washington DC where they are hunted by Chris, encounter Gabriel Stokes, a priest, and are then recruited by Aaron and his boyfriend, Eric to join the Alexandria Safe-Zone, run by congressman, Douglas Monroe. Among the residents are Heath and Dr. Denise Cloyd, who quickly become close allies to the core group, and eventually the conflicted Nicholas. Douglas' son, Spencer tries to form a relationship with Andrea. Rick falls in love with Jessie Anderson, an abused wife. Abraham forms a relationship with Holly, a member of the construction crew. A group of men, known as The Scavengers, tries to conquer Alexandria; the fight attracts a pack of walkers that invades the safe zone, leading to the death of a lot of Alexandrians. Later, the safe zone starts a trading network with the Hilltop Colony, with help from its scout Paul "Jesus" Monroe. However, their safety is again threatened by the psychopathic Negan and his group known as The Saviors who reside in a factory. One of the Saviors, Dwight becomes an ally with the communities. The Hilltop and Alexandria join with The Kingdom run by King Ezekiel in a war against the Saviors.

After the war, newcomers such as Magna and Dante are introduced into the series. Another community out at sea is established, as well as safety perimeters across the DC area, which is violated by the presence of the Whisperers, a tribe of people disguised as the dead who have rejected the notion of re-establishing civilization. The leader, Alpha, antagonizes Rick as her daughter, Lydia, forms a sexual relationship with Carl. When Alpha's second in command, Beta, takes leadership of the group, he declares war against the communities.

The "zombie idea" developed by George Romero does not exist in "The Walking Dead" universe; hence, of all the myriad terms used to describe the undead by different communities, the word "zombie" has been deliberately avoided. While it has been used extremely rarely in the comics, it has never been used in the television adaptation.

Rick's group classifies the undead as either walkers, roamers or lurkers, the former being more likely to venture toward a loud noise in search of human prey. Other names have been used by characters in the series, including biters and stinkers. The undead follow and mimic each other, which can result in enormous hordes travelling together, "walking nonstop, following a sound they've all forgotten," as Abraham puts it.

The series received critical acclaim, winning the Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series in 2010 and prompting Eric Sunde of IGN comics to call it "one of the best monthly comics available". Among its fans are author Max Brooks. Because of the popularity of the series, which increased considerably when it was adapted into a television series of the same name, artist Tony Moore's original artwork for the series' early issues has gone up in value; on the March 28, 2013 episode of the VH1 reality television series "For What It's Worth", Moore's original artwork for Page 7 of issue #1 was professionally appraised to be worth $20,000.

AMC picked up the rights to produce a show based on the comic in 2009. It ordered a pilot episode on January 21, 2010 and began filming on May 15, 2010. The series premiered on October 31, 2010 with high ratings. On November 8, 2010, after broadcasting two episodes, AMC renewed "The Walking Dead" for a second season of 13 episodes, which began on October 16, 2011. The TV show is loosely inspired by the comic, introducing new characters and deviating from the comic in certain plot points.

The fifth season premiered on October 12, 2014, with Scott M. Gimple as the show's third showrunner. Gimple has said that he would stay closer in line to the comic book series events "as much as possible", but ultimately remix stories with certain characters, referencing original characters introduced to the show and deceased characters alive in the comic book as a reason for this. Robert Kirkman himself has mentioned that the series will follow much closer to the comic series with Gimple's run. With the series' ninth season, which started broadcast in October 2018, Angela Kang was promoted to showrunner with Gimple now in charge of all "Walking Dead" properties at AMC. This also was accompanied by the largest deviation from the comics, with the departure of Rick Grimes, played by Andrew Lincoln, from the show, though Lincoln will reprise Rick in three feature-length films to be produced as AMC Originals that continue Rick's story with Kirkman's involvement.

A companion television series, titled "Fear the Walking Dead", debuted on AMC on August 23, 2015. The series features new original characters, and it is set in the city of Los Angeles, California starting prior to the zombie apocalypse. It explores these new characters as the apocalypse begins. The series was created by Robert Kirkman and Dave Erickson, with Erickson serving as showrunner for the series. AMC ordered the series for a two-season commitment, with the first season consisting of six episodes.

AMC released an animated film of the first part of Issue No. 1 of the comic with animation by Juice Films, voice acting by Phil LaMarr and art by Tony Moore.

On February 18, 2011, Telltale Games announced plans to create an episodic video game based on the series, which was scheduled to debut in fall 2011 and was released worldwide in April 2012. "" consists of five episodes, released between April and November 2012. Additional downloadable content, "400 Days", was released in July 2013. Kirkman has said that, unlike typical zombie games such as "Left 4 Dead", "it [focuses] more on characterization and emotion than action".

The first episode of the sequel, "", was released in December 2013 with episode 2 being released in March 2014, episode 3 in May 2014, episode 4 in July 2014 and episode 5 in August 2014.

The first episode of the second sequel,"", was released in December 2016 with episode 2 being released December 2016, episode 3 in March 2017, episode 4 in April 2017 and episode 5 in May 2017.

"" released August 14th 2018, was set to a halt on September 21, 2018 as most of the staff was "laid off" cause of money issues but as of October 6th, "Skybound" founder and Creator of The Walking Dead Comic Series, "Robert Kirkman", has announced he will fund the last 2 episodes for he believes its the ending the fans deserves.

"The Walking Dead: The Game" received widespread critical acclaim, with reviews giving praise for the emotion, characters, and plot.

In January 2016, the Kings of War creator Mantic Games announced plans to release a tabletop miniature wargame based on The Walking Dead, named "The Walking Dead: All Out War". The miniatures game was funded through the popular crowdfunding site Kickstarter. This product is available for order and first began shipping to backers on 7 November 2016.

A series of novels based on the comics, written by Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga, were released between 2011 and 2014 focusing on the antagonist "The Governor". Taking place in the initial outbreak, the books chronicle his experiences from surviving in the newly ravaged world to the establishment of himself as leader of Woodbury, and finally tying up the conclusion to the prison arc storyline in the comics.

Following "", Bonansinga continued the "Walking Dead" novels as sole author, with Kirkman's name affixed to the title.

The series has so far been assembled into the following collections:

The trade paperbacks collect story arcs of six issues each, but contain only the story and none of the original cover art from the comics. Each paperback follows the convention of having a three-word title. The zombies in the cover art for each paperback form part of a larger image if placed end to end.

Each story arc is re-released in hardcover books containing two, omnibus editions containing four, and compendiums containing eight story arcs.

All hardcovers contain the contents of the comics, including the covers, and in some cases bonus material. The books' trim size is larger than the paperbacks. Each hardcover contains two story arcs from the series. Signed versions of the books are available, each limited to 310 pieces.

Limited omnibus editions collect 24 issues in a slipcase with several extras. The first volume is autographed by Kirkman and Adlard, with 300 copies printed. Subsequent volumes had print runs of 3000 each, along with deluxe limited editions (signed by Kirkman/Adlard) of 300 copies.

Softcover compendium editions collect 48 comic issues each. They are also available as limited hardcover editions (Red Foil Version for Compendium 1, Gold Foil Version for Compendium 2, and Gold Foil Version for Compendium 3).

Several ancillary books and a special edition have also been published:

Robert Kirkman, who created the comic book series in 2003, says he had considered the idea of a "Walking Dead" television series, but never actively pursued it. "I certainly wanted it to happen, just because I knew it would be good for the book... I'm certainly not against adaptations, like some creators." When Frank Darabont became interested in adapting the comic books for television, Kirkman said it was "extremely flattering" and went on to say that, "He definitely cares about the original source material, and you can tell that in the way he's adapting it. It's an extreme validation of the work... Never in a million years could I have thought that if "Walking Dead" were to ever be adapted that everything would be going this well. I think that that's all because of Frank."

The Walking Dead (season 1)

The first season of "The Walking Dead", an American post-apocalyptic horror television series on AMC, premiered on October 31, 2010, and concluded on December 5, 2010, consisting of 6 episodes. Developed for television by Frank Darabont, who wrote or co-wrote four of the season's six episodes and directed the pilot episode, "Days Gone Bye", the series is based on the eponymous series of comic books by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. It was executive produced by Darabont, Kirkman, David Alpert, Charles H. Eglee, and Gale Anne Hurd, with Darabont assuming the role of showrunner.

The season received very positive reviews by critics. It was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama at the 68th Golden Globe Awards and received nominations for the 63rd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards in several categories, winning Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Miniseries, Movie, or Special. The pilot episode received 5.35 million viewers, and the finale garnered six million viewers, including four million viewers among adults ages 18–49, making it the most viewed basic cable drama series at that time. Based on its reception, AMC renewed the series for a second season consisting of 13 episodes, which premiered on October 16, 2011.

This season adapts material from issues #1–6 of the comic book series and introduces notable comic character Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), who awakens from a coma, after being shot, in a post-apocalyptic world filled with flesh-eating zombies, dubbed "walkers". After befriending Morgan Jones (Lennie James), Rick sets out to find his family and discover the origins of the walker virus.

Darabont himself had been a fan of the zombie genre since seeing George A. Romero's 1968 film "Night of the Living Dead" when he was fourteen years old. ""Night of the Living Dead" had this weird vibe that was almost - it was like pornography... It had this marvelously attractive, disreputable draw... I loved it immediately." Darabont recalls walking into a comic book store in Burbank, California and seeing "The Walking Dead" on the shelf in 2005. "Being that I've always had "the love of zombies genre," I of course grabbed it, took it home and read it, and immediately started pursuing the rights to it. I thought it would make a great TV show... I loved the idea of an extended, ongoing, serialized dramatic presentation set in the zombie apocalypse." He described the process of developing the series and getting it set up at a network as "four years of frustration," and credits executive producer Gale Anne Hurd with finally getting the series on AMC. "I can't remember what the hell prompted her to read it [the script], but she said, "Wow, I really love this pilot you wrote. What are you doing with it?" I said I'd been trying to set it up forever... She said "I think AMC might be the place to take this." She did, and then bam! They were immediately interested. I had to credit Gale, her insight into marrying the material and the buyer."

Darabont's original pilot script was split in half and embellished, making the first two episodes instead of one, "...just to slow the narrative down and dig into the characters more deeply, so it's not just plot-driven, event-driven stuff. You really want to drag these characters into the equation." To write the remaining episodes of the season, Darabont recruited Charles H. Eglee, Adam Fierro and Glen Mazzara, all of whom he had worked with while directing an episode of "The Shield". Jack LoGiudice also joined the writing team, along with Robert Kirkman, also an executive producer. "I have the best of both worlds," says Kirkman. "It was a lot of fun writing Episode 104, and I'm hoping if it continues into Season 2, I'll be able to write more episodes."

Principal photography for the pilot episode, "Days Gone Bye", began on May 15, 2010 with the subsequent five episodes beginning filming a few weeks later on June 2. The first season was filmed in and around Atlanta, Georgia where the episodes were primarily set.

The first season features seven actors receiving opening credits billing:

The series features several actors "Walking Dead" developer Frank Darabont has worked with previously, including Laurie Holden, Jeffrey DeMunn, Melissa McBride and Juan Pareja. All four appeared in his 2007 film "The Mist", along Samuel Witwer, who appeared as a dying soldier, and with Thomas Jane, who originally was set to star in the series when it was pitched to HBO. It was wanted to be Rick Grimes. He is also in talks with Darabont to possibly guest star on the series. Laurie Holden also appeared in the 2001 film "The Majestic" (she played Adele Stanton, Jim Carrey's love interest), which Darabont directed. DeMunn has additionally appeared in several of Darabont's films, in addition to "The Mist" and "The Majestic": "The Shawshank Redemption" (1994) and "The Green Mile" (1999).

The show's official website released a motion comic based on the first issue of the original comic and voiced by Phil LaMarr. The site also posted a making-of documentary primarily about the first episode, as well as a number of other behind-the-scenes videos and interviews. In the documentary, comic series creator and show executive producer Robert Kirkman as well as artist Charlie Adlard expressed that they were pleased with how faithful the show is to the comic and remark on the similarities between the actors and the comic's original character drawings. Several scenes from "Days Gone Bye" were screened July 23, 2010 as part of the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International. Hurd asserted that "[they] really are doing six one-hour movie", and Darabont insisted that the series would closely reflect the development in the comics. "The path is a very strong template. But we're going to take every interesting detour we feel like taking. As long as were staying on the path of what Robert has done, I don't see any reason not to. If they have patience we'll eventually catch up to what Robert is doing."

"The Walking Dead" debuted during the same week in 120 countries. "Days Gone Bye" premiered in Hong Kong on TVB Pearl on August 30, 2011, while it expanded in international markets during the first week of November. Two weeks prior to its official premiere in the United States, the contents of the episode leaked online. As part of an expansive campaign to advertise and heighten anticipation for the premiere, international broadcasting affiliates of AMC and Fox coordinated a worldwide zombie invasion event proceeding days prior to premiere of the episode in the United States. The event occurred in twenty six cities worldwide, and were hosted in select locations including the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., Palace of Westminster in London, Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Acropolis of Athens in Athens, and the Museo del Prado in Madrid. The campaign events commenced in Hong Kong and Taipei, and culminated in Los Angeles.

"The Walking Dead" was included on the cover of the December 2010 edition of "Entertainment Weekly", which featured Rick Grimes pointing a gun at a horde of walkers. According to the journalist of the magazine, it "examines the past, present, and future" of the television franchise; "from the comic book's humble beginnings, to unlikely path to the small screen, to even more unlikely path as a bona fide hit." Kirkman was ecstatic upon hearing of the news. "I've got to say—not to kiss your magazine's a– or anything—but when they called me and said Frank [Darabont] wanted to do the show, I was like, 'Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it.' And then when AMC was like, 'We're picking up the show,' I was like, 'Yeah, alright, whatever.' When they actually started shooting the pilot I was like, 'Well, this is kind of real, this is neat.' But when they called me and said, 'Your show's on the cover of "Entertainment Weekly",' I think that was the first time I was like, 'Oh my god, I can't believe this is happening to me!'"
The first season of "The Walking Dead" received mostly positive reviews from critics. On Metacritic, the season holds a score of 82 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim", based on 25 critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the season holds an 89% with an average rating of 7.49 out of 10, based on 24 reviews, and an average episode score of 87%. The site's critical consensus reads: "Blood-spattered, emotionally resonant, and white-knuckle intense, "The Walking Dead" puts an intelligent spin on the overcrowded zombie subgenre." Following the pilot episode's debut, "TV Guide"s Matt Roush called the show "a stark and harrowing survival parable... visually stunning... and daring in its artful use of silence." Following the second episode, Simon Abrams from "Slant Magazine" awarded the show three and a half stars out of a possible four; "To say that Darabont has kicked his series off with a bang would be a serious understatement... [he] has fashioned a fully realized alternate reality and it's a thrilling thing to experience."

In response to the season finale, James Poniewozik of "TIME" magazine gave the first season of "The Walking Dead" a glowing review stating, "the show has an urgency and bravery that make it something special". Josh Jackson of "Paste" magazine also praised the season by writing, "the characters are worth caring about" despite "occasional stilted monologues, quick tempers and unfortunate stereotypes". Some reviews were mixed, including one from Kofi Outlaw of "Screen Rant" who concluded, "The Walking Dead still hasn't really defined itself as anything more than a vague survival story about the human condition" but added, "you can be sure I'm one of those Dead-heads already chomping at the bit for season 2". Sean McKenna of TV Fanatic also offered mixed criticism saying the first season "had its ups and downs" noting that the second season should focus on "a more specific story arc and strengthening of the character development". Logan Hill of "New York" magazine was more critical, claiming the episodes contained "atrocious dialogue" and "a lot of plot machinery that has been contrived to create action suspense but... hasn't really moved the story itself anywhere in particular", though he admits the fifth episode showed "flashes of promise".

The first season of "The Walking Dead" was named one of the Top 10 Television Programs in 2010 by the American Film Institute. The season was also nominated for Outstanding New Program at the 27th TCA Awards and at the 63rd Writers Guild of America Awards. It was also nominated for Best Television Series – Drama at the 68th Golden Globe Awards and Best Drama Series at the 1st Critics' Choice Television Awards. For the 37th Saturn Awards, the season received six nominations, winning Best Television Presentation. The nominations were for Best Actor on Television (Andrew Lincoln), Best Actress on Television (Sarah Wayne Callies), Best Supporting Actor on Television (Steven Yeun), Best Supporting Actress on Television (Laurie Holden), and Best Guest Starring Role on Television (Noah Emmerich).

The pilot episode, "Days Gone Bye", received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for the 63rd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, winning Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Miniseries, Movie, or Special, and received nominations for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series and Outstanding Special Visual Effects. Frank Darabont was nominated for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series for his work on "Days Gone Bye".

The pilot received 5.3 million viewers, making it the most-watched series premiere episode of any AMC television series. The first-season finale received 6 million viewers, a season high; with 4 million viewers in the 18-49 demographic, making it the most watched basic cable series for the demographic. The first season had an average of 5.24 million viewers and a rating of 2.7 in the 18-49 demographic. In the United Kingdom, it premiered one week after it did in the United States, on November 5, 2010 on digital channel, FX. The premiere had 579,000 viewers, almost double for any other show on FX that week. The viewership dipped during the season then rose to 522,000 viewers for the final episode. The terrestrial premiere on Channel 5 on April 10, 2011, averaged 1.46 million viewers. Based on its ratings, the series was renewed for a second season on November 8, 2010.

The first season was released on DVD and Blu-ray in region 1 on March 8, 2011 and in region 2 on May 16, 2011. Special features on the sets include six featurettes—"The Making of "The Walking Dead"", "Inside "The Walking Dead": Episode 1–6", "A Sneak Peek with Robert Kirkman", "Behind the Scenes Zombie Make-Up Tips", "Convention Panel with Producers" and ""The Walking Dead" Trailer". Also included are other behind the scenes featurettes—"Zombie School", "Bicycle Girl", "On Set with Robert Kirkman", "Hanging with Steven Yeun", "Inside Dale's RV" and "On Set with Andrew Lincoln".

A three-disc special edition of the first season was released on DVD and Blu-ray on October 4, 2011. The sets include all the previous special features, plus brand new extras. The new extras include audio commentary on all six episodes, the black and white version of the pilot, and six new featurettes—"We Are "The Walking Dead"", "Bring Out the Dead: KNB and the Art of Making Zombies", "Digital Decay: The VFX of "The Walking Dead"", "No More Room in Hell: "The Walking Dead" Phenomenon", "Adapting the Dead" and "Killer Conversations: Frank Darabont & Greg Nicotero". In addition to the DVD and Blu-ray release, a limited edition Blu-ray collector's tin contains an exclusive wearable zombie mask from the National Entertainment Collectibles Association designed by the series own make-up artist, Greg Nicotero.

The following is a list of characters from "The Walking Dead" comic book series, created by Robert Kirkman. Plot structure and characterization between the comic and television series can be similar, derivative, or in many cases almost entirely irrelevant.

List of The Walking Dead (comics) characters

The following table graphically shows each recurring character's status in each volume of the comic sorted by which volume they first appeared; a character marked as absent in one issue may appear in a later volume.

Rick is the group's de facto leader. He is Lori's husband and Carl's father. Before the zombie apocalypse, Rick is a sheriff's deputy in the small town of Cynthiana, Kentucky. While in a shootout against an escaped convict with his partner and best friend, Shane Walsh, Rick is wounded and subsequently awakens from a coma some time later. After finding his family in Atlanta camp, Rick quickly assumes the role of the leader of the survivor community. As the story progresses, Rick adopts a more dark and assertive nature. He lost his wife and daughter during the fall of the prison. Lori's death leaves Rick an emotional wreck. Rick suffers frightening hallucinations of her, and for a while seems to hear conversations with her on an old phone. For the heavy loss of lives that have occurred, Rick constantly blames himself. At the same time, he never backs away from a difficult decision affecting his community. Rick is very protective of Carl, while at the same time he feels detached from Carl's now bleak outlook of the world. Eventually Rick begins a romantic relationship with Andrea in Alexandria. Rick is the leader of the Alexandria survivors community. As the war with Negan escalates, Negan forces Dwight to shoot Rick with a bolt (possibly with walker blood on it to infect Rick with the walker-virus), but as Rick does not turn, Dwight is proven a trustworthy ally and not a surreptitious foe. He takes Negan captive and ends the war. Two years later, he is still leading the Safe-Zone and dating Andrea. After The Whisperers attack the Safe-Zone during the fair, Rick's leadership is questioned. To divert this, Rick manages to move the survivors anger towards The Whisperers through propaganda and army campaigns. Rick begins to trust Negan after the latter brings Alpha's head to him. Rick then kills Sherry after the Savior's betray his alliance, and then he learns that Andrea was bitten and is dying, causing him great grief.Carl is the son of Rick and Lori as well as Judith's elder brother. Carl begins as a normal and innocent child, but as the events of the new world order force him to grow up, he becomes colder and competently makes sometimes brash decisions for the good of his group of friends. When the group arrives at the prison, Carl starts dating Carol's daughter Sophia. However, their relationship ends as they part ways during the conflict with Negan. During an invasion by walkers at the Alexandria Safe-Zone, he is accidentally shot in the eye and loses it. As a teenager, Carl resides at the Hilltop Colony as a blacksmith apprentice but still remains close friends with Sophia, while contacting and later forming a sexual relationship with Whisperer, Lydia. He is currently back at Alexandria, with the rest of the survivors of the walker attack on the Hilltop.Judith is the newborn daughter of Lori Grimes and younger sister to Carl. Though Rick is acknowledged as her father, it is strongly implied that Shane is her biological father. During the Governor's second attack on the prison, Lori is shot by Lilly while holding Judith, and Lori falls, crushing Judith.Lori is Rick's wife and Carl and Judith Grimes' mother. During the Governor's second attack on the prison, she is shot by Lilly while holding Judith, whom she crushes after falling.Andrea is one of the comic's longest-living survivors, alongside Rick, Carl, Maggie and Sophia Peletier. Andrea worked as a clerk for a Law firm before the zombie apocalypse, a job which she says she hated. She is shown to be one of the greatest rifle shooters in the "Walking Dead" universe, known for sniping at foes of the group whether they are human or zombies. After having a relationship with Dale in the prison, she is later in a relationship with Rick at the Alexandria Safe-Zone after Dale's death. She acts as a motherly figure to Carl and plays an important role in running the Safe-Zone, often seen as a Vice President figure. Andrea was bitten by a walker whilst saving Eugene from the herd that attacked Alexandria. She dies in her room with Rick, and various members of Alexandria and the Hilltop say goodbye to her before she dies.Duane Jones was a young boy hiding out with his father, Morgan, in various houses in Rick's neighborhood, attempting to ride out the zombie apocalypse. After meeting Rick and being provided with weapons from the police station, he and Duane part ways with Rick, potentially to meet again some day. Much later, at Christmas, Morgan and Duane are seen alive and well, living in a cabin on a snowy mountain. Later still, Rick encounters the two, but while Morgan is alive, Duane has turned. Morgan now joins Rick, but leaves his reanimated son to roam freely within the house.Morgan was the devoted father of Duane Jones struggling to get over the recent death of his wife. He and his son seek refuge in Rick's hometown after the outbreak occurs. He is the first living person Rick encounters after waking up. He informs Rick of the outbreak and what has been happening within the world the past couple months. Sometime within the following weeks/months, Duane falls prey to the walkers and gets turned. Morgan, unable to cope with the death of his son, resorts to locking Duane in the house with chains. Later Rick takes him in as one of his community. He develops an attraction and consequently a complicated relationship with Michonne. While helping fight off zombies with Michonne, Rick, and the others, he is caught off guard and bitten on the arm by a walker. Michonne chops off Morgan's arm, and from there he is left bedridden. He is shortly thereafter killed by Michonne before he has the chance to re-animate.Allen was the big-bearded husband of Donna and father of twins Billy and Ben. Before the dead rose, Allen was a shoe salesman gradually falling into debt. After the dead rose, Allen and his family joined the group of survivors encamped on the outer limits of Atlanta. Upon leaving, Allen suffered terribly when Donna was killed by zombies, sending him into a downward emotional spiral that he never truly recovers from. He confides in Rick and the two became close friends. Andrea tried to offer him comfort, due to her similar loss of her sister, but, Allen rejected her sympathy and maintained a bitter relationship with her. With time, he gradually gained a sense of acceptance, but this new-found peace was short-lived; Allen was bitten on the foot by a zombie, while helping the others clear out the remaining areas of the prison the group was staying in. In an effort to contain the infection, Rick made a violent and botched attempt at amputation. After a long struggle for survival against blood loss, and serious infections setting in, Allen died. After being shot in the head by Rick before he could reanimate, his body was buried outside the prison.Amy was Andrea's younger sister. They join the survivor group on the outskirts of Atlanta. Amy is bitten by a zombie in the opening stages of a zombie attack on their exposed camp. She dies of the bite, and Andrea shoots her in the head to prevent reanimation and buries her in the nearby forest.Donna was the wife of Allen and mother of twins Billy and Ben. She is strong-willed, loving and caring to her family. Before the events of the series, Donna made all the big decisions in her relationship with her husband, while leaving the financial responsibilities with Allen. After the dead rise, Donna and her family join the group of survivors encamped on the outer limits of Atlanta, where she makes a point of resenting that the women of the group (herself, Carol and Lori) have to take care of most of the group's domestic chores (e.g. laundry). Shortly after, when the group attempts to settle at Wiltshire Estates, Donna is killed by a zombie and her body devoured by more of the undead, leaving Allen permanently devastated.Ben was Allen and Donna's twin son. He is unofficially adopted by Dale and Andrea after their parents die. He does not seem to understand what is happening in the world as it is and believes zombies to be people too. On the road to D.C., Ben brutally slaughters Billy, convinced that he will come back. The group debates killing Ben to protect themselves, but takes no immediate action. In the night, Carl sneaks into the van where Ben is locked up, and executes him. Billy and Ben are buried side by side.Billy was Allen and Donna's twin son. He is unofficially adopted by Dale and Andrea after their parents die. On the road to D.C., Billy is brutally slaughtered by Ben, who is convinced that Billy will come back. Andrea and Dale are devastated by his loss.Dale was shown to be the wisest member of the survivor group. Without telling the group he had been bitten, Dale goes off to die but is knocked out by the Hunters who then cook and eat his leg. After Rick's group finds and kills the hunters, they take Dale back to the church. After he dies, he is shot by Andrea to prevent reanimation and his body is burned. Andrea keeps and wears Dale's fishing hat which she uses to talk to him.Jim joins the survivor group after his entire family is killed by zombies. During a zombie attack on the group, Jim, failing to kill one with his gun, grapples with a zombie and violently smashes its head in, his rage over his family's death driving him momentarily insane. After coming to his senses, he, and the rest of the group realize that he has been bitten on the stomach. Jim is left under a tree on the outskirts of Atlanta, in the hopes that, upon reanimating, he can be reunited with the undead members of his family that may still exist.Carol was a 24-year-old housewife and the mother of Sophia. She is portrayed as a fragile woman, relying on others for emotional and physical support. She becomes Tyreese's girlfriend until he cheats on her with Michonne, which contributes to her continuing psychological breakdown. She dies in the prison, feeding herself to a walker tied up for medical observation after convincing herself that the walker wanted to be her friend. This comes after Tyreese's infidelity and Rick and Lori's rejection of a polyamorous relationship. Her daughter is taken in by Glenn and Maggie.Sophia is the daughter of Carol and adopted daughter of Maggie. Early in the series she develops a friendship and later a relationship with Carl until they are separated within the two different communities of Alexandria and the Hilltop 22 miles apart. After Carol dies at the prison, Sophia pretends that Maggie and Glenn are her real parents, until she admits she is aware of Carol, and was simply repressing the bad memories around her suicide attempts. Four years into the apocalypse, and two years after the war with Negan, Sophia and Carl reunite as he becomes a blacksmith apprentice at the Hilltop, and becomes skilled in fighting, She is brutally beaten by two bullies after she tries to stop them from harming another child, before Carl defends her and leaves them in a critical condition.Glenn was Maggie's boyfriend (later husband). Glenn delivered pizzas in Atlanta before the events of the comic which gave him the skills to make supply runs. On one of these runs, he found Rick and brought him back to the group, reuniting him with his family. He is a key member of Rick's group throughout his life, often acting as a supply runner. He also makes a very close friend named Heath after the group comes to Alexandria. He planned to live with Maggie at the Hilltop Colony, So Maggie, Sophia, and their baby could be safe. He is beaten to death with a baseball bat by Negan.Shane was a police officer and longtime friend of Rick Grimes. After Rick is shot and put into a coma, and the zombie outbreak occurs, he rescues Rick's family and leads a group of survivors, becoming romantically involved with Rick's wife, Lori. When Rick returns to his family alive, Shane grows increasingly jealous of their relationship, as well as Rick's role in the group. He is shot in the neck by Carl and is later put down by Rick.Chris was a disturbed, sixteen-year-old boyfriend of Julie, living with her and her father, Tyreese before the zombie crisis begins. The three eventually join Rick's group in Atlanta's outskirts, and move with them from Wiltshire Estates to the prison. Unbeknownst to the others, Chris exhorts Julie into a youthfully idealistic suicide pact, and haphazardly executes it one night, in the prison, shooting her. Julie reanimates in her father's arms and Chris shoots her a second time. Tyreese, in furious rage chokes Chris to death, then beats his reanimated corpse until he is nothing but pulverized pieces, which he then burns. Tyreese later confesses his enraged manslaughter to Rick.Julie was Tyreese's teenage daughter. She is shown to be affectionate to both her father and boyfriend. The end of the world has not stopped her from seeking independence where she can find it. During the initial stages of clearing out the penitentiary, she and Chris act as babysitters. Once settled, after having sex for the first time with Chris, she carries out an ill-fated suicide pact with her boyfriend. She soon reanimates in Tyreese's arms, and almost kills her father before being fatally shot by Chris again.Tyreese was shown to be a devoted father as well as an able-bodied fighter and leadership figure to those around him. However, he is also a very flawed individual, suffering from emotional fragility. Despite this, he is greatly admired by his fellow survivors and is a role model to Carl, while acting as Rick's right-hand man (despite often being conflicted with him on several issues). He is killed by The Governor outside the prison, being decapitated with Michonne's sword.

Arnold was Hershel's second son. He is shown as loyal and reliable to his father. He is bitten by his brother, Shawn, who had become a zombie and has been kept locked inside the family's barn. He is shot by a distraught Hershel to prevent reanimation.Billy was Hershel's youngest son. Depicted as in his teens, brash and rebellious, he acts as one of the best shots of the group, second only to Andrea. Billy ends up having a one-night stand with Carol before she commits suicide, which causes him to feel guilt. He is killed in the final stages of the assault on the prison by the Woodbury Army; his death leads his father to allow himself to die as well.Hershel was the patriarch of the Greene family and owner of the farm where Rick's group are invited to stay after Carl is shot. He later joins up with Rick's group at the prison after the farm becomes too unsafe only to be killed during the Governor's second attack on the prison.Lacey was Hershel's eldest daughter. She is shown as sarcastic and weary of her father. Lacey shared her love of reading with Carol. She is killed by the zombies that were kept in the family's barn while attempting to save Arnold.Maggie is Hershel Greene's tomboyish second oldest daughter and Glenn's lover. She eventually becomes Glenn's wife and later widow, and takes the role of being a surrogate mother to Sophia Peletier following the suicide of the girl's biological mother, Carol Peletier. She soon discovers she is pregnant while living at the Alexandria Safe-Zone in Washington DC. After Glenn's death, she moves with Sophia to the Hilltop Colony. She successfully overthrows Gregory as leader, outing him as a coward for siding with the man who murdered Glenn, only caring for his own safety. Eventually she becomes the "de facto" leader of the community as she moves enforcements to save the civilians of Alexandria in the war against the Saviours during the bombings. Two years after the war, she remains a strong and capable leader, while also taking care of her two-year-old son, Hershel Greene II She continues to come into conflict with Gregory, who orchestrates a plan to kill her with other parents who disagree with her actions towards their sons' injuries after Carl Grimes had beaten them to save Sophia. Gregory manages to poison Maggie as she is dealing with one of the Whisperer captives, Lydia. The Hilltop is attacked during the Whisperer War arc, and Maggie is forced to lead the survivors to Alexandria.Rachel was one of Hershel's youngest twin daughters. Along with her sister, she is decapitated by Thomas when alone in the prison barbershop.Susie was one of Hershel's youngest twin daughters. Along with her sister, she is decapitated by Thomas when alone in the prison barbershop.Shawn was Hershel's oldest son and the first member of the Greene family to be killed by zombies, as shown in the video game adaptation "". He is reanimated and locked in Hershel's barn until a cure for the epidemic can be discovered. He eventually escapes the barn and kills his brother Arnold. He is shot by Hershel when Hershel realizes that his son will never again be normal.Otis was the boyfriend of Patricia and a neighbor of Hershel Greene. He accidentally shoots and almost kills Carl while out hunting for a deer. Otis remains at the farm while the Greenes leave to join Rick at the prison. Otis later follows, and is saved from zombies by the newly arrived Michonne. He rejoins the group (though ends his relationship with Patricia after learning of her part in Dexter's attempted coup). Later, when the prison is temporarily overrun by zombies, Otis is attacked by zombies and killed. When Rick and his group return from Woodbury, Otis has turned into a walker. Rick shoots him in the head.Patricia was Otis' incredibly naive girlfriend. After Thomas kills Hershel's twin daughters, Patricia attempts to free him so the other survivors don't kill him. Thomas almost kills her soon afterward, but Patricia manages to fight him off until Maggie arrives and shoots him. Rick is wary of allowing Patricia to stay with the group but decides she is ultimately harmless. Her naiveté allows the inmates of the prison to convince her to help them take back the prison from Rick, though their plan is thwarted after Dexter is killed. Patricia then becomes an outcast amongst the survivors, but regains acceptance by saving Rick's life via a blood transfusion before the attack on the prison. She is shot and killed by a member of Woodbury during the final assault on the prison.Andrew was a dreadlocked former drug user who believes God sent the zombie apocalypse to help him "get clean". He is of African-American background. He has a relationship with Dexter, apparently in love with him, probably due to the amount of time spent locked up alone with him and the two other convicts. When Dexter is accused of murder, he organizes Andrew to find a way into the previously unexplored Block A and gather up the guards riot gear to take over the prison. After Dexter's death, he is extremely distraught; he subsequently flees the prison during the time Michonne and Otis arrive. His fate remains unclear. Later on, the writer stated that Andrew is probably deceased. In the novel "" it is revealed that Andrew has turned into a zombie. Shortly afterwards he is shot by Lilly Caul.

Axel was described as a grizzled old white biker imprisoned for armed robbery. When Dexter tries to force the survivors out of the prison, Axel stands up for them. Being the only of the four convicts to remain with the survivors over the majority of the story, he eventually finds their trust through hard work and earnest commitment. He has a brief relationship with Patricia after being shot in the arm during the first prison assault. After helping the survivors set up defenses, he is shot in the head, an early casualty of the second prison assault.

Dexter was a towering, physically intimidating African-American inmate at the prison where the group takes residence. Convicted of murdering his wife and her lover, whom he states, "were the last". He ironically trusts the other survivors far less than they trust him. He has a covert relationship with Andrew, but is purely in said relationship for sex. After the murders of the Greene twins, Lori leads the group to wrongly lock him up on account of being the only convict known to murder. After Thomas is revealed to be responsible and not receiving any apology, he loses his patience and orders Andrew to scavenge the prison's riot gear. Amidst the confusion with Thomas, Dexter gathers Andrew and a defecting Patricia with their new riot gear to force out the survivors. He is soon after killed discreetly in a skirmish against zombies by Rick, who covers it up as a friendly fire mistake.

Thomas was a nerdy man who claims to be in federal prison for tax evasion (which he claims is not his fault). He is actually a homicidal lunatic who murders two of Hershel's daughters by decapitation and attempts to murder Andrea before he is beaten senseless by an enraged Rick. Patricia attempts to free him so the other survivors would not hang him, nearly getting herself killed in the process. He is later shot repeatedly by Maggie Greene after his attempted escape. His deceased body is thrown to the zombie hordes outside of the prison.

Michonne is a katana-wielding survivor who saves the life of Otis and thereafter joins Rick's group at the prison. Over the course of the series, she finds herself repressed and unhappy over the deaths of her loved ones, believing she doesn't deserve any happiness or a chance to start over, due to the pain of leaving her daughters behind, assuming they've been killed along with her ex-husband, Dominic. She journeys to Alexandria with the group and after two years, returns from a long sea voyage. She is the supposed leader of The Kingdom after the death of Ezekiel, but is currently helping at the Hilltop Colony after delivering a near-dead Aaron.Mike was the reanimated boyfriend of Michonne who is used for camouflage with the other zombies. In the Michonne special, it is revealed that Mike and Terry met up with Michonne before staying in a secluded house where a zombie tried to gain entry and bit him in the arm. He is decapitated by Michonne when she gains entry into the prison, but she still speaks to him nonetheless.

Terry was the best friend of Michonne's boyfriend, Mike.Rosita was a woman who joins up with Sgt. Abraham Ford and Eugene in their mission to reach Washington D.C. She is a foil to Abraham's potential brutality; kind, gentle, and understanding, capable of neutralizing and abating Abraham's emotional instabilities or inhumane talk and urges. After Abraham has an affair with Holly, she moves in with Eugene and begins a relationship with him. She mourns Abraham along with Holly after his death. After two years, she is pregnant but tells Eugene he is not the father. After Alpha marks a border between the Whisperers and the other communities, Rosita is one of the many casualties who has been decapitated with their reanimated head on a spike.Abraham was a Sergeant in the U.S. Army. Sometime after the zombie crisis began, Ford came into contact with Eugene, who claimed he had information that Washington D.C. is the only potential sanctuary from the zombie hordes. Teaming up with Rosita and Eugene, Ford is now on a mission to get there, intending to solve the zombie crisis after Eugene reveals he has crucial information about the zombie's origins. At the Alexandria Safe-Zone he has an affair with Holly, which leads to him breaking up with Rosita. He is murdered by Dwight, a member of the Saviors.Eugene is a high school science teacher who has lied about being a scientist working on a cure for the outbreak disease in order to receive protection from others. He is known for his intelligence, as he knows how to make bullets, and he contributes to the group by suggesting ideas to Rick. He lived with Rosita and they were in a relationship, but he is not the father of her child but promised to raise him as his own. However, Rosita is one of the victims at the hand of The Whisperers. After her death, Eugene becomes distraught, but eventually finds a woman on the radio he built who says she is from Ohio.Gabriel was a priest who comes across the group after leaving his church, where he had been hiding from the undead. The group is very suspicious of his story, and does not trust him. He had survived over several months alone in the church by turning away his followers and any other civilians when the zombie attacks started, saving him from internal conflict. As a consequence, however, he now feels remorse. Since arriving at the Safe-Zone, he believes that God's plan for him has been to meet the survivors so that he could eventually preach at the Safe-Zone's church. He eventually redeems himself. During the conflict with the Whisperers he joins Rick's army, training intensively with Dwight and proving to be an excellent shot. While at the guard tower, the Whisperers approach with a zombie herd. Gabriel tries to warn Rick but falls and breaks his leg. Begging for mercy, Beta disembowels him, leaving him for zombies to feast on.
"The Walking Dead" comic book and the television series based on it are regarded as separate continuities. Therefore, characters and events appearing in one have no effect on the continuity of the other.

Every Grimes family member besides Judith has been shot at least once: Lori (1), Rick (2), Carl (2), Andrea (2).

Shane Walsh was created by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore, the writer and original artist of "The Walking Dead" comic book series. The character first appeared in the first issue of the comic book series in October 2003, but was expanded upon greatly in the television show adapted from the comics in 2010. As a result, Shane lives much longer in the chronology of the story in the show than he does in the comics. Kirkman described the comic book version of Shane's character as a short and quick "wham, bam, thank you ma'am" arc compared to that of his counterpart in the television series. Kirkman said he preferred the show's version of Shane and that the differences between the two versions of the character illustrate the ability to explore and evolve elements from the comic book in different ways on the show.

Shane Walsh (The Walking Dead)

Shane Walsh is a fictional character from the comic book series "The Walking Dead" and is portrayed by Jon Bernthal in the American television series of the same name.

In the comic series, Shane is portrayed as a Cynthiana Sheriff's Deputy, as well as the longtime friend and fellow police officer of series protagonist Rick Grimes. After Rick is shot and put into a coma, and the zombie outbreak occurs, he rescues Rick's family and leads a group of survivors, becoming romantically involved with Rick's wife, Lori. When Rick returns to his family alive, Shane grows increasingly jealous of their relationship, as well as Rick's role in the group.

In the television series' first season, Shane leads the survivors until Rick's arrival, then becomes Rick's right-hand man. The reunion is not completely amicable; in the second season, Shane develops into an antagonistic character, becoming more aggressive and unpredictable, due to his growing obsession with Lori and subsequent jealousy of Rick. He also becomes willing to abandon or kill those he deems liabilities to the group and has no moral conscience for outsiders. This puts Shane at odds with Rick's moral leadership, as he believes that Rick is ill-equipped to lead and that he, Shane, would be a better leader. His only true concern becomes for Lori and Carl, and not the group itself.

Shane was a police officer in Cynthiana, Kentucky, and best friend of the town's deputy sheriff, Rick Grimes. After Rick is shot and put into a coma, and after the dead begin to rise, Shane accompanies Rick's wife, Lori Grimes, and Rick's son, Carl, to a purported safe zone in Atlanta, Georgia. They later form a group of survivors living on the outskirts of the city, with Shane repeatedly telling them that the government will one day return to save them. During this time, Shane and an emotionally destitute Lori share a night of sex, something Shane had wanted for a long time.

Shane is first overjoyed when Rick joins the group, but gradually becomes jealous of Rick and Lori getting back together. Eventually, Lori brushes off Shane's advances and says their brief romance must stop. Sent into an emotional meltdown by Lori siding with Rick, Shane leaves in a rage. Rick follows and Shane attempts to murder him, stating that he has nothing left to live for other than Lori. Carl happens upon the scene and shoots Shane through the neck, mortally wounding him. Rick later returns to the grave site and finds that Shane has reanimated; he shoots him in the head to finally put him to rest, but does not rebury him.

Prior to the zombie apocalypse, Shane is Rick Grimes's partner in the King County Sheriff's department. Rick is knocked into a coma after trying to capture escaped convicts, and Shane quickly gets him to a hospital.

During the initial onset of the apocalypse, as military forces indiscriminately kill anyone alive at the hospital, Shane tries to revive Rick, but he remains in a coma, and instead Shane secures his hospital room door to keep him hidden from the military. He then helps Rick's wife Lori and son Carl evacuate towards Atlanta. They join the group that camp in a quarry near Atlanta when they find that Atlanta has been overrun. During their time at camp, Lori presumes Rick is dead, and starts a romantic relationship with Shane.

Rick eventually wakes from the coma and makes his way towards Atlanta, and ends up meeting a scavenging group from the camp in the city. They bring him back to camp, both to Lori and Carl's elation and to concern to Shane. Lori ends her affair with Shane and warns Carl from being around Shane, fearing Rick would take her brief affair with Shane poorly. Further, with Rick's presence, Shane's role in the group's leadership wanes, causing him to lose his temper and self-control. When Rick decides they should head towards the CDC's Atlanta compound, Shane tries to ask Lori to convince Rick to change his mind, but Lori backs her husband. Dale sees Shane contemplating shooting Rick, and keeps his eye on him. The group meets Dr. Jenner, the last remaining researcher at the CDC, who allows them to stay. During the night, Shane gets drunk and attempts to rape Lori, but she fights back. The group learns that the CDC is running on emergency power, and will be destroyed when the fuel runs out as a means to destroy the infectious samples, and they are forced to flee just before that happens. Rick decides to lead the survivors towards Fort Benning.

The group is stopped on the road by a massive car pileup on the highway, and further waylaid when a walker horde passes, which ends up with Sophia Peletier running off on her own for safety. The group starts searching for her, and Shane quietly tells Lori he plans to leave the group soon. Rick, Carl, and Shane look for Sophia when Carl is accidentally shot by Otis, a farmhand from Hershel's farm, and they rush him back to the farm, where Hershel attempts to operate and remove the bullet. However, due the severity of the wound, Hershel knows he will need more medicine, and Shane offers to go with Otis to recover this from a FEMA trailer located at a nearby school. At the school, the two recover the supplies, but both end up hurting their legs. While trying to limp to safety from a walker horde, Shane shoots Otis in the leg, using him as bait for the walkers so he can get away. Back at the farm, Shane brings the necessary medicine and claims Otis didn't make it. The others seem to accept Shane's tale, but Shane proceeds to shave his head mostly to hide a patch of hair that Otis had ripped out after being shot. Dale and Darryl later confide that they both suspect Shane of playing a larger role in Otis' death and suspect that Rick is aware as well.

Shane's behavior becomes more erratic following this incident, and has further conflicts with Rick when he insists looking for Sophia is a waste of time. He helps train Andrea in firing guns, and has sex with her. Shane learns that Lori is pregnant with what may be his child, but Lori and Rick insist they will raise it as their own. When they learn that Hershel's barn is full of walkers of his family and friends, Shane insists they kill the walkers to protect themselves, and then goes to open the barn doors himself, allowing the walkers loose against Rick's and Hershel's pleas. The group kills the walkers, including the reanimated body of Sophia. After this, Hershel goes missing and Rick sets out to search for him. Lori becomes concerned when Rick doesn't return soon, and drives off to find them but gets in an accident. Shane goes out to rescue Lori, giving him a chance to apologize to her, but she remains distant from him. Rick returns with Hershel and another survivor, Randall, who was from another group that was scavenging for supplies and attacked Rick. Randall was injured during the attack, and they brought him back to be healed, but Rick says that once he is well enough, they will drive him far away from the farm. Rick and Shane go together to deposit at a distant site, but Randall reveals there he knows Maggie, Hershel's daughter. Shane believes that Randall knows the location of Hershel's farm from this and tries to kill Randall, but Rick intervenes, leading to a loud conflict that draws a walker horde. The three escape, and lock Randall back up on the farm while the group struggles with what to do with him. Shane still insists that they kill him, but the others, particularly Dale, remind them about losing their humanity in this decision.

When the group seems set on letting Randall live, Shane secretly takes Randall to the nearby woods, where he breaks Randall's neck and kills him. When Rick finds Randall missing, Shane arrives at the farm and tells the group Randall ambushed him and escaped. Shane, Rick, Daryl, and Glenn take into the forest in pursuit of Randall, who they thought had escaped. The search party splits into two groups. Shane and Rick search a random area, while Glenn and Daryl follow Randall's tracks. Shane reveals to Rick that he killed Randall, after Rick concludes that Shane has lured him away from the group to kill him. Shane pulls a gun on Rick, demanding Rick to draw his weapon. Rick refuses to draw his weapon and hands his revolver to Shane; but then turns and stabs Shane with a knife in the heart, killing him. Rick sees Carl nearby, drawn in by their argument, and Carl suddenly holds a gun to Rick. He fires, but Rick sees that Carl was shooting at the reanimated body of Shane. The noise draws in a walker horde that forces Rick's group and Hershel's family to flee. When they regroup, Rick explains what happened to Shane, knowing that Shane was luring him into a trap, but they ask him how Shane reanimated despite not being bitten. Rick is forced to tell them the secret Dr. Jenner told him at the CDC: That every living human carries the virus that causes them to become walkers when they die. Rick hadn't told anyone because he didn't believe Jenner until he saw Shane reanimate without being bitten.

In later seasons, Rick comes to accept that Lori's child, named Judith, was likely fathered by Shane, but he and Carl love her as if she were his own.

When Rick's group attacks the community of Woodbury in Season 3, Rick, who has been struggling with coming to grips with reality after the death of Lori after childbirth, pauses in surprise when he thinks he sees Shane among the Woodbury soldier attacking his friends, and kills him, only to find it was another Woodbury soldier.

Shane returns in Rick's hallucination as he struggled to lead the walkers away from construction camp despite impaled and badly wounded by a rebar, happy to see what Rick has become and tells him to continue fighting.

Shane’s corpse appears appears alongside other past character before finding Sasha Williams in his hallucination.

Jon Bernthal portrayed Shane in the television series, marking the actor's most high-profile role to that date. Bernthal and Andrew Lincoln, who was eventually cast as protagonist Rick Grimes, auditioned for the show together and were the first to be chosen for the regular cast. Series creator Frank Darabont originally had all actors audition for the role of Rick, including Bernthal, and then brought back the actors under close consideration to audition for Shane and other roles. Bernthal, however, wanted to portray the part of Shane from early on and fought for the part, despite knowing that the character would die early in the series.

Robert Kirkman said Shane's death was planned for the TV Series adaptation "before the first episode of season one was shot." "Frank Darabont had actually planned to do it at the end of the first season before he knew that the first season was going to be six episodes. Once the show was given a six-episode order it was decided that we would hold Shane’s death for the second season. But from the very first day of planning the second season it was mapped out that Shane would be kicking the bucket at the end of this season." Bernthal said he liked playing a role he knew would end early because it allowed him to craft a full story arc from beginning to end and "really show the colors" of the character.

Bernthal grew very close to Darabont and publicly voiced his disappointment when Darabont was forced out of the series. This led to speculation that Bernthal asked to be written out of the series due to Darabont's departure, but Bernthal stated that this was not the case. Kirkman said he loved Bernthal's performance as Shane and hated to see him leave the series, but felt it was necessary for the story. Likewise, Bernthal agreed with that direction for the character, and said he saw his role as "being a soldier for the story". Shane's death at the hands of Rick was the last scene Bernthal filmed for the show. The filming lasted all night until sunrise, and the entire cast attended out of respect for Bernthal, including Jeffrey DeMunn, who at that point had already left the series and flew in specifically to be there.

Bernthal did not realize until very late into filming that he would portray himself as a zombie, and said he had difficulty seeing due to the contact lenses he was fitted with. He tried to convince executive director Greg Nicotero, to allow him to say the word "Rick" as a zombie, which would mark the only time a zombie spoke in the show, but the request was denied. Upon departing from "The Walking Dead", Bernthal was cast as Joe Teague in "Mob City", a television drama series Darabont began developing for TNT about crime in Los Angeles in the 1940s and 50s. Bernthal later returned to film a brief cameo in the third season episode "Made to Suffer", in which Rick hallucinates that he sees Shane alive. Bernthal had just concluded filming his role in the Martin Scorsese film "The Wolf of Wall Street" when he returned for the scene. The "Walking Dead" successfully worked to keep Shane's reappearance secret until the episode aired. Shane's death was accidentally leaked by the AMC TV store on March 1, 2012 in promotional materials for the Season 2 Blu-ray set.

In reviewing Shane's death, "The Atlantic" wrote: "With Shane out of the picture in the comics, Otis doesn't die until a zombie attack that happens many issues later. And 94 issues into the series, Sophia is still going strong. (Viewed in this light, the TV series is a kind of Bizarro-World version of It's a Wonderful Life for Shane: How many lives were worse because he lived?)."

Glen Mazzara explained why Shane became a walker in "Better Angels" much faster than Amy, and why he still turned despite not getting bit: "We worked hard to make sure that revelation landed. We knew what we were doing there. We knew it would land a punch. We've never had a main character become a zombie to this extent. Those [rapid flashes of zombie mayhem] represent the storm in Shane's brain to some extent... Amy was a weaker character. Shane is in a murderous rage... he's going to reanimate quicker. There's just more life in that zombie, believe it or not. We do have internal rules for that."

At the 2012 Emerald City Comic-Con featuring a panel with Jon Bernthal and Laurie Holden, Bernthal revealed what his version of Shane's death would have been. The ending would have been the same up until the point when Shane and Rick walk into the clearing while searching for Randall. Rick would have asked why they are stopping in the field as they need to find their prisoner, to which Shane would have confessed that he had killed Randall which is a job Rick should have done himself. Shane then would have pulled his gun on Rick leading to similar dialogue between the two men as in the final episode, with the second change being that Shane would have admitted he was there to kill Rick. Rick would then have had similar dialogue as in the episode asking why he was doing this, as he thought they settled their issues in "18 Miles Out." Rick would have then thrown his gun away, instead of holding it in a non-confrontational position, insisting that Shane would have to kill an unarmed man. Shane would have then charged Rick and putting his gun into Ricks' face using the same insults as in the final episode about Carl and Lori, but adding a new insult such as "I tasted your wife." Rick would have then stabbed Shane to death as in the final episode, having the same dialogue as in the episode telling Shane it was his fault that he was being killed, not his own. Had Shane came back as a zombie, Rick (having thrown his gun away), would have picked up Shane's gun to shoot him. When attempting to pull the trigger Rick would come to the realization that Shane never put any ammo into his gun, and must've brought Rick out there to have him kill him, forcing Rick to finally be more like Shane. Carl would have then had shown up and killed zombified Shane, similarly again to the final episode.

In the comics, Kirkman resolved the love triangle between Lori, Shane, and Rick very quickly, but in the TV show he decided to spend more time exploring this relationship. Bernthal said of the character in the first season, "I love the way that he feels about Rick [...] I love the friendship there. I love the way he uses this unbelievable dialogue that Frank [Darabont] wrote to be a good friend to Rick and to be by his side. Any time you can have a character that starts in one place and go somewhere completely different, that's the journey that we're mostly hungry for."

By the second season, Shane becomes the show's antagonist as his character grows darker and he finds himself at greater odds with Rick Grimes. He deteriorates throughout his run in the series, going from a confident leader who keeps the group of survivors under control to an increasingly desperate man whose actions become increasingly reactionary and morally ambiguous. However, Frank Darabont and the series producers did not seek to establish Shane as a villain because they wanted the characters to be authentic and complex rather than black-and-white.
Robert Kirkman and Jon Bernthal have rejected the classification of Shane as a "bad guy" as too simplistic, noting most of his actions stem from good intentions even when they seem dangerous or irrational. They argue that Shane is primarily driven by his desire to protect the other survivors, particularly Lori, Carl and Lori's unborn child. Shane believes he has the most pragmatic view of the post-zombie world, and thus is best qualified to both lead and protect the survivors. Bernthal feels that the character becomes more and more antagonistic as he starts to lose control of the group and, in his mind, losing his ability to protect them. Shane becomes combative with Rick out of frustration upon ceasing to be the group's de facto leader. But Bernthal also feels it stems from Shane's genuine belief that Rick is too virtuous and not pragmatic enough to lead the group, and thus is a hindrance to their safety. This difference in philosophy between the two characters is illustrated in the episode "18 Miles Out", when Shane tells Rick, "You can't just be the good guy and expect to live. Not anymore."

Bernthal argued that Shane better recognized the reality of the world after the zombie outbreak and was able to adapt to it in a more severe and arguably better way than other characters like Rick. Shane shed such concepts of guilt, shame and moral correctness in favor of the concept of survival for himself and those he cares about at any cost. From that perspective, Bernthal argued Shane's killing of Otis could be interpreted as the correct course of action in this world because, by slowing Shane down, Otis was negatively affecting Shane's ability to protect the other survivors. However, Bernthal also believes Shane recognizes on some level that shutting down all emotions is an impossible task, even in a zombie-infected world, which makes the character that much more complex and multi-layered. Bernthal called Shane "probably the most emotional character on the show".

While Kirkman likewise called Shane "one of the most nuanced characters on the show", he differed from Bernthal's interpretation of the character in that he believes Rick has adapted better to the new world than Shane. Kirkman believes much of Shane's actions stem from fear and that he is not as prepared for the post-zombie world as he claims. In contrast, Kirkman feels Rick is more centered and better prepared, as illustrated by his ability to act cold and detached at one moment, while kind and sympathetic in another. Kirkman called "The Walking Dead" "really a tragic story" for Shane, and said of the perception of the character, "I feel like you should be feeling sorry for Shane more than anything."

Robert Kirkman, the creator of the eponymous series of comic books, considered the idea of creating a television show based on the comic series, but did not move forward. Frank Darabont expressed interest in developing the series for television. In January 2010, AMC formally announced that it had ordered a pilot for a possible series adapted from "The Walking Dead" comic book. In the announcement, the executives stated that Darabont would serve as writer, director, and an executive producer alongside Gale Anne Hurd.

Days Gone Bye (The Walking Dead)

"Days Gone Bye" is the pilot episode of the post-apocalyptic horror television series "The Walking Dead". It originally aired on AMC in the United States on October 31, 2010. The episode was written and directed by Frank Darabont, the series creator.

Principal photography for the pilot commenced in May 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. It was wholly shot on 16 mm film, and was edited using computer-generated imagery. "Days Gone Bye" was heavily promoted in the months preceding its release; as part of an expansive advertising campaign, zombie invasion events were coordinated in selected locations including New York City, Washington, D.C., London, and Madrid. The episode premiered in 120 countries worldwide.

"Days Gone Bye" was critically well received, praising Andrew Lincoln's performance and Darabont's direction. Several critics compared it to "Lost". In the United States, the series premiere achieved a viewership of 5.35 million, making it the most-watched series premiere in its network's history. The episode garnered a Nielsen rating of 2.7 in the 18-49 demographic, translating to 3.6 million viewers.
The episode opens "in medias res" as former Sheriff Deputy Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) scavenges for gas and supplies at an abandoned convenience store in rural Georgia on a deserted highway. He spots a little girl (Addy Miller), but she turns out to be a zombie. When she charges towards him, Rick shoots her in the head.

Returning to several weeks prior, Rick is seriously injured while chasing down criminals alongside his partner and childhood friend Shane Walsh (Jon Bernthal). Hospitalized as a result of the injury, Rick experiences a series of dreamlike encounters with friends and family as he languishes in a coma. When he regains consciousness he finds the hospital abandoned and horrifically ransacked; the walls sprayed with blood, destroyed equipment everywhere, and dead bodies littering the hallway. He walks past a set of double doors secured with heavy chains and spray-painted with the ominous warning "Dead Inside". From the far side of the secured doors Rick hears growling while an unknown menace pushes against the locked doors. Outside, he finds scores of dead bodies - some covered in makeshift body bags, others strewn about randomly. As he makes his way home, he sees a dragging her legless body towards him. He ignores her and returns home, finding his family has long-since fled. Rick encounters Morgan Jones (Lennie James) and his son Duane (Adrian Kali Turner), and they explain the zombie apocalypse that occurred while Rick was in a coma. Morgan warns the only way to stop the zombies is to destroy the brain, and cautions the zombies are attracted to noise. Rick decides to head to Atlanta where a refugee camp is rumored to exist, though Morgan would rather stay behind. Rick, Morgan, and Duane go to the Sheriff Department Headquarters where Rick was assigned and take weapons, radios, ammunition and a patrol car. While there Rick encounters a zombified former colleague, whom he shoots in the head. Rick splits the stash of weapons and supplies from the police station with Morgan and promises to stay in touch with a walkie-talkie. Morgan and Duane return to their home, and Morgan, armed with a sniper rifle from the Sheriff's Headquarters and perched in a second story window, fires at the zombies wandering in the street in front of their home. While Duane sits nervously downstairs - unsure why Morgan is shooting out the window, it becomes clear Morgan is trying to attract his wife - now a zombie. When she arrives, drawn to the noise of gunfire, Morgan gets her head in sight, but is unable to shoot her.

On his way out of town, Rick stops by the legless zombie. He apologizes for what happened to her and shoots her. Later, he is forced to abandon his car when he runs out of gas, continuing the rest of the way on horseback. When he radios Morgan the next day, his signal is picked up by a survivors' camp where Shane, Rick's wife Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies), and his son Carl (Chandler Riggs) are safe. Unaware that it is Rick on the other line, they lose radio signal before they can warn him of the dangers in Atlanta.

In the seemingly empty city, Rick follows a helicopter flying overhead right into a horde of zombies. They attack him and his horse, forcing him to drop his bag of weapons and crawl under a tank, and as they follow him under it Rick contemplates suicide a split second before noticing a trapdoor to take shelter in the vehicle. After he shoots a walker inside, he hears a voice from the tank's radio sarcastically ask if he is comfortable, before the scene exits with a top down view of Atlanta overrun by the walkers.

Robert Kirkman claimed that he had considered the idea of a television series, but never actively pursued it. When Darabont became interested, Kirkman called it "extremely flattering" and went on to say that "he definitely cares about the original source material, and you can tell that in the way he's adapting it." In his interview, Kirkman exclaimed that it was "an extreme validation of the work", and continued by expressing that "never in a million years could [he] have thought that if "Walking Dead" were to ever be adapted that everything would be going this well."

"The Walking Dead" institutes elements from George A. Romero's horror film "Night of the Living Dead" (1968). Darabont admitted to becoming a fan of the film at age fourteen. He insisted that the film has a "weird vibe", comparing it to that of pornography. He continued: "It had this marvelously attractive, disreputable draw [...] I loved it immediately." Darabont recalled walking into a comic book store in Burbank, California and seeing "The Walking Dead" on the shelf in 2005.
Darabont described the process of developing the series and setting it up at a network as "four years of frustration". He first initiated a deal with NBC to own copyrights to "The Walking Dead", but was later declined. "They were very excited about the idea of doing a zombie show until I handed them a zombie script where zombies were actually doing zombie shit," he stated. Darabont credited Hurd with finally getting the series on AMC. "Gale was tremendously instrumental in jump-starting it at a point where it felt like it was languishing, "he asserted. "I'd gotten turned down enough times, which is no reflection on the material, but no matter what you're trying to sell in Hollywood, you're Willy Loman and it's Death of a Salesman. You're out there trying to sell shit that nobody wants. Even if it's good shit."

Hurd recalled that she had heard of the comic before, and upon reading it, felt that it would be great for film. She stated: "When I first read the book, I thought, 'This would be a great film,' and boy was I wrong. It's a much better TV series. Fast forward, I knew that Frank had initially developed it for NBC, which to me seemed like an odd pairing for this. Then I heard it wasn't going forward at NBC so I talked to Frank." On January 20, 2010, AMC officially announced that it had ordered a pilot with Darabont and Hurd acting as executive producers; the former wrote the script and directed the episode. The entire series was pre-ordered based on the strength of the source material, the television scripts, and Darabont's involvement.

Darabont wrote a 60-page pilot script for "Days Gone Bye". His initial script for the episode was split in half and embellished. Darabont explained that he did this to "slow the narrative down and dig into the characters more deeply, so it's not just plot-driven, event-driven stuff. You really want to drag these characters into the equation." Darabont felt that instituting visual maneuvers would increase the surreal atmosphere of a scene. Upon reading the script, Kirkman thought that producers were consistent with his comic, adding that they could possibly improve his initial work. "Reading that pilot was just a revelation. It's extremely faithful. There are things that are so much like the comic, I can't really remember the nuance of what's different and what's not from the comic. He's definitely being more faithful than I expected, and everything that he's changing is brilliant. I couldn't be happier. I think the fans of the book are going to just love it." The episode shares its name with volume one of the comic book series.

The principal photography produced a high demand for extras as zombies. In an interview with MTV News, special effects artist Greg Nicotero stated that while anyone was welcome to audition, the producers of the show were looking specifically for people who possessed exceptional height and thin features. Casting for extras took approximately three days. Once accepted, the extras would be sent to "zombie school" for training and preparing for filming. Nicotero stated that "it was interesting because I initially thought my experience with zombie movies is you just let them do whatever they want to do. George [Romero] always said, 'You show 50 people one movement, then you have 50 people doing all the same thing.' So we sort of just lined them up and said, 'Let's see what your zombie walk would look like,' and then they would do it and we would say, 'Try this or try that.' You know, sort of fine tuning everybody." Alongside with Darabont, Nicotero had previously collaborated with Romero on several occasions, and looked at the structure of the zombies in his films for inspiration. "It's not that I'm against [fast zombies]. It's just not what I grew up with. It's interesting, too, because a couple takes we did, where a couple of the zombies kind of broke into a run, and after one take Frank's like, 'Did they run too fast? They shouldn't be running. Slow them down.' This is trying to be creepy and moody and, you know, you're building up all this kind of scary tension."

In April 2010, "The Hollywood Reporter" revealed that Jon Bernthal and Andrew Lincoln were chosen by producers for the main cast of the series. Bernthal was to portray Shane Walsh, while Lincoln provided the role of Rick Grimes, the central character of "The Walking Dead". While Hurd didn't expect to cast Lincoln, Kirkman was ecstatic with his acting, evaluating him as an "amazing find". In his interview with Dread Central, Kirkman added that "writing Rick Grimes month after month in the comic series, I had no idea he was an actual living, breathing human being, and yet, here he is. I couldn't be more thrilled with how this show is coming together." Although he was initially shocked upon hearing of "The Walking Dead", Lincoln thought the episode's script was well written. "I read it and thought it was well written, and I put myself on tape just for one scene. I didn't know who was involved at this point." The succeeding day, his agent called him about the development of the pilot. Lincoln described the moment as "kind of like a dream list". He later communicated with Darabont via Skype; "We spoke for about 40 minutes about his ideas for the project, about what I liked about Episode One and then he asked would I fly over to come and test." Lincoln flew to Darabont's home, where he viewed "Days Gone Bye" in his garage. He opined that was "brilliant" and "very intimate".

Bernthal was extremely comfortable with his character on set. "The second he opened his mouth and started reading the scene, I knew it was him," he said. "There was no question. I saw Frank and I knew it. He's the guy. He's a wonderful actor, and he's going to kill it in this role." Bernthal admitted that he had no prior knowledge of "The Walking Dead". He reminisced that he reacted so "organically" to the script that he "didn't want to be colored by anything else. When I did read the comic, I was shocked. Look, I'm not going to sit here and regret. One of the great things about doing TV versus film is to be surprised yourself, to not let where you're going color where you are." The pilot episode's script was amongst several other scripts for proposed television pilots that Bernthal skimmed through; He felt that this script overshadowed the others. "[It was] pilot season, and I read everything that was out there. I still remember the day that I got this script. I told my agent that I'd be thrilled to be an extra in this, it's so good. It just blew the rest of them right out of the water."

Shortly after the announcement, Sarah Wayne Callies was approached to play the role of Rick's wife Lori Grimes, the lead female. Other actors garnering roles in the main cast include Steven Yeun, Chandler Riggs, and Jeffrey DeMunn. "Days Gone Bye" featured guest appearances from actors and actresses such as Emma Bell (Amy), Andrea's younger sister. Bell would later become part of the main cast as a recurring character. Lennie James played Morgan, and Jim Coleman guest performed Lam Kendal. Linds Edwards played Leon Bassett, Rick’s co-worker. Keisha Tillis played Jenny Jones, Morgan's wife; and Adrian Kali Turner played Duane Jones, Jenny's son. Melissa Cowan played the bicycle girl walker; Samuel Witwer, who had collaborated with Darabont in "The Mist" (2007), appeared as a dying soldier; Andy Miller played the teddy bear girl walker; and Joe Giles played an Atlanta walker who followed Rick. Frances Cobb played a camp survivor.

The producers chose to film in Atlanta because of its proximity to Cynthiana, Kentucky, Kirkman's hometown and the setting of his comic's first issue. "At the beginning they talk about how some of the people in neighboring states would have gone to larger cities so they could fortify them and protect the population." Kirkman had considered other cities, particularly New York City, Miami, and Chicago. Hurd had previously filmed in the city for Lifetime. Darabont felt that Atlanta offered the essentials; "Atlanta and Georgia all-told is proving to be brilliant for us in terms of what it has to offer, in terms of what the story needed, in terms of the variety of locations—it really is a fantastic place to shoot." Prior to filming, Kirkman toured with Darabont around the central business district. He stated, "I tagged along on a location-scouting expedition, and that was pretty fun—watching Frank Darabont walking through the streets of Atlanta as if he owned the entire city, daring cars to hit him. That was a lot of fun." Darabont ventured onto the middle of a street to grasp a perfect shot, oblivious to oncoming traffic.

Atlanta's climate was cited as a potential issue that would hinder production. Darabont recalled that he found it difficult to adjust to the sweltering heat, adding that he "never had clothes stick to me like this in my life". Lincoln retorted that it was "becoming a running joke that people arrive on set ready for the day and then they are battered and beaten up by the weather." Despite such assertions, he opined that it added to the episode's overall emotion. "There's a lot of hard-earned sweat on camera. It's not comfortable and it's not pleasant, but it's as you would imagine it would be trying to survive in this world."

Principal photography took place in the city on May 15, 2010, after AMC had officially ordered the production of six episodes for the series. Filming took place over two months, ending in early July. Locations were set up in various spots within the central business district, particularly in the Fairlie-Poplar District. The season premiere was shot completely in anamorphic format on 16 mm film. David Tattersall was the director of photography, while production design was headed by Greg Melton and Alex Hajdu. The special effects team included veteran makeup designer Greg Nicotero, special effects coordinator Darrell Pritchett, and visual effects supervisors Sam Nicholson and Jason Sperling.

Computer-generated imagery was used in much of "Days Gone Bye", particularly when Rick encounters a legless walker. "The woman was wearing basically blue stockings and then everything was cleaned out. There is an alarming amount of CGI in the pilot episode and in the whole show, and you would never know it," articulated Robert Kirkman. Kirkman felt that Stargate Studios, which was chosen by producers to edit the pilot episode, did a splendid job. He stated: "There's a shot where Rick is riding off on the horse and his hat actually blew off, and they really liked that shot, and so they had Stargate go in and digitally put the hat back on his head."

The show's website released a motion comic based on the first issue of the original comic and voiced by Phil LaMarr. The site also posted a making-of documentary, and other behind-the-scenes videos and interviews. In the documentary, Kirkman as well as artist Charlie Adlard expressed pleasure that the show is faithful to the comic and remark on the similarities between the actors and the comic's original character drawings. Several scenes were screened July 23, 2010 as part of the San Diego Comic-Con in 2010. Hurd asserted that "[they] really are doing six one-hour movies", and Darabont insisted that the series would closely reflect the development in the comics. "The path is a very strong template. But we're going to take every interesting detour we feel like taking. As long as were staying on the path of what Robert has done, I don't see any reason not to. If they have patience we'll eventually catch up to what Robert is doing."

"The Walking Dead" debuted during the same week in 120 countries. "Days Gone Bye" premiered in Hong Kong on TVB Pearl on August 30, 2011, while it expanded in international markets during the first week of November. Two weeks prior to its official US premiere, the contents of the episode leaked online. As part of an expansive campaign to advertise and heighten anticipation for the premiere, international broadcasting affiliates of AMC and Fox coordinated a worldwide zombie invasion event days prior to the US premiere. The event occurred in twenty six cities worldwide, in select locations including the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., Palace of Westminster in London, Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Acropolis of Athens in Athens, and the Museo del Prado in Madrid. The campaign events commenced in Hong Kong and Taipei, and culminated in Los Angeles.

Romance is an underlying theme in "Days Gone Bye". After returning from the hospital, Grimes unsuccessfully looks for signs of his family. Determined to find them, he travels to Atlanta, which is imagined to be a haven because of its proximity to the CDC. Kirkman said of the developing storyline:

Well, I didn’t know how long the comic book series was going to last. I hoped that it would become a success and survive for years and years. But at that time in my career, it was very early, I had had a lot of books canceled, just because of poor sales. So early on in the book I would move past storylines very quickly. I set up this love triangle and I resolved that story and moved along within the first [few] issues. But there's a lot of story potential to mine there. One of the things that the TV show is able to do is to look at the comic book series with hindsight and go, 'This would probably be something that we could explore more.' And that's what we're going to be doing. So we'll be seeing a lot more of the Lori-Shane-Rick love triangle.

The scene in which Grimes regains consciousness and investigates his situation is reminiscent of the British horror films "The Day of the Triffids" (1962) and "28 Days Later" (2002). Kirkman insisted that the similarities especially with "28 Days Later" was coincidental. "I saw "28 Days Later" shortly before the first issue of "Walking Dead" was released," he stated. "That first issue came out in October of 2003 and "28 Days Later" was released in the States in June of 2003. So we were working on our second issue by the time I saw it. It was going to be a matter of somehow trying to restage the entire first issue, because it was a very similar coma opening. I made a decision—which I pretty much regret at this point—I said, 'You know what? It's so different [from that point on], I will probably never hear anything about this.' And I was wrong."

The episode attained 5.35 million viewers, making it the most-viewed series premiere in AMC history. It garnered a 2.7 rating in the 18-49 demographic, translating to 3.6 million viewers according to Nielsen ratings. It subsequently attained the highest rating in the 18-49 demographic among cable television programs that year.
Following two encore presentations, total viewership reached 8.1 million. "Days Gone Bye" became the highest-rated cable telecast ever, hitting significantly higher numbers than predecessors "Swamp People" and "Ice Road Truckers" on the History channel.

It obtained 2.1 million viewers from the 18-34 demographic and 3.1 million from the 25–54 demographic. It became the highest-rated non-sport cable program of the week, as well as the third highest-rated overall program of the week dated October 30; "Days Gone Bye" was outperformed by a game between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics as part of the 2010–11 NBA season and a match between the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys as part of the 2010 NFL season. It is the third most-watched installment of "The Walking Dead" first season, scoring less than "Wildfire" (5.56 million), and "TS-19" (5.97 million). "Days Gone Bye" garnered the highest total viewership for a season premiere out of any cable program up until the airing of its successor, "What Lies Ahead", which attracted 7.3 million viewers.

"Days Gone Bye" achieved similar success in European markets. It debuted in 120 countries in 33 languages. In the United Kingdom, the episode acquired 579,000 viewers, with an estimated 315,000 from the 18-49 demographic. It became the most-watched FX telecast of the week dated November 5. The terrestrial premiere (including Ireland and Scotland) aired on Channel 5 on April 10, 2011, garnering 1.5 million viewers. In Italy, "Days Gone Bye" became the highest-rated telecast of the night on pay television, delivering 360,000 spectators. In Spain, the pilot episode attained a 10.2% share in the television market amongst pay television programs, ultimately obtaining 105,000 viewers. It became the highest-rated series premiere on Fox that year.

The episode performed strongly in Asian markets. In South Korea, "Days Gone Bye" secured 57,000 spectators, subsequently becoming the highest-rated program on Fox that year. In Southeast Asia, total viewership hit 380,000, beating out all Western television programs. "Days Gone Bye" saw its strongest figures in Singapore and the Philippines, where its ratings exceeded the time slot average by 425% and 1,700%, respectively.

"Days Gone Bye" achieved substantial ratings in the 18-49 demographic in several Latin American countries. In Argentina, the pilot episode attained a 3.5 rating in the 18-49 demographic, thereby outperforming the time slot average by 341% and becoming the highest-rated program in its time slot on pay television. It acquired a 2.1 rating in Colombia and Peru, where it exceeded time slot averages by 176% and 970%, respectively. It became the highest-rated program in its time slot on pay television in both countries. "Days Gone Bye" garnered a 1.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic in Venezuela, becoming the highest-rated television program of the day on pay television.

Charlie Collier, the president of AMC, stated that it was "a good day to be dead. We are so proud of this series, its depth of storytelling and the remarkable talent attached. As the network dedicated to bringing viewers the best stories on television, we are so pleased to have the opportunity with "The Walking Dead" to raise the bar within this popular genre and continue our commitment to being the home of premium television on basic cable." Senior Vice President Joel Stillerman ascribed that much of its success came from the storytelling presented in the episode; ""The Walking Dead" is that rare piece of programming that works on so many levels. It is legitimately great storytelling that is not only highly entertaining, but incredibly thought provoking as well. People who are familiar with the comic books know what's coming, but suffice it to say, this is only the beginning of a long, intense, and powerful ride. Long live "The Walking Dead"."

"Days Gone Bye" was critically acclaimed. Sebastian Liver of "Der Tagesspiegel" insisted that the episode was setting new standards, and elaborated that it illuminates even during its timid moments. Mike Ryan of "Vanity Fair" reflected parallel sentiments, calling it the "best new television show of the year." Ryan felt that the series would broaden the audience of the horror genre, as well as attract new fans. "Finally, a horror show on television for people who hate horror. It's not that "The Walking Dead" isn't scary or doesn't contain gratuitous amounts of gore [...] but, where other horror projects opt for camp, "The Walking Dead" grounds itself in reality." Writing for "The Atlantic", Scott Meslow affirmed that "The Walking Dead" was "as dark, intelligent, and uncompromising as any of AMC's other dramas."

"St. Louis Post-Dispatch" Gail Pennington appraised "Days Gone Bye" as "genuinely terrifying", adding that despite being too gruesome for her tastes, it was "too engrossing not to watch." Pennington commended the character development in the episode, stating that Darabont "finds time for the human tragedy of the situation." In an A- grade review, "Boston Herald" journalist Mark Perigard said that the pilot episode was a "suspenseful thriller", while Robert Bianco of "USA Today" avouched that it was "one killer of a zombie show." "The Wall Street Journal" writer Nancy deWolf Smith felt that "Days Gone Bye" contained a cinematic quality to it; "The pilot episode [is] so good that it has hooked even a zombie hater like me." Steve West of Cinema Blend praised the episode, calling it "the best pilot since "Lost"s introduction" and "a brilliant examination of what makes us human." Leonard Pierce of "The A.V. Club" gave the episode an 'A-' grade, and described it as a "stunning debut".

Matthew Gilbert of "The Boston Globe" said that the installment was "fully dynamic and engaging". ""The Walking Dead" is a promising human story built over a sea of grunting corpses. It's a scare-fest at points [...] and it's definitely extremely bloody, as zombie guts splatter all over the place like chunky borscht. The 90-minute premiere is a gory Halloween horror event, for sure." Liz Kelly and Jen Chaney of "The Washington Post" reacted positively to the series premiere, deeming it as a "chilling show", and exclaiming that it had a "very real sense that the world can go completely mad, and stay that way for good." Kris King of "Starpulse" said that it was "a welcome reprieve from the camp-laden world of zombie culture." Josh Jackson of "Paste" gave the episode an 8.8 out of 10. Jackson praised the final moments of the episode, describing it as "epic". IGN's Eric Goldman issued "Days Gone Bye" a nine out of ten, signifying an "amazing" rating. Jeff Jensen of "Entertainment Weekly" evaluated the pilot episode as intense, and felt that it delivered above expectations. He added that it was an "instant classic". Fellow journalist Dan Snierson agreed with Jensen's opinion, complimenting the show for its unpredictability.

James Poniewozik of "Time" reacted positively to the episode, exclaiming that it "paints a thoroughly convincing postapocalyptic world, both visually and emotionally." "Variety" Brian Lowry avouched that "Days Gone Bye" was "surprisingly fresh", despite having initial thoughts of a stale premise. He wrote: ""The Walking Dead" draws the audience in almost instantly with its cinematic 90-minute pilot, then incorporates tasty soap-like elements meant to animate the ensuing episodes. Although we've seen no shortage of zombies and post-apocalyptic stories, producer-writer-director Frank Darabont has deftly tackled the seemingly perilous task of adapting a comic book about zombies into a viable episodic series." In a three out of four star review, Linda Stasi of "New York Post" summarized, "The zombies are truly scary and disgusting. The survivors are terrific characters, and the gore is enough for any lunatic to love."

Critics were polarized over Andrew Lincoln's performance. Despite citing that his accent was "dodgy", Pierce lauded Lincoln's acting. "his body language and expression here is totally different now than when we saw him before," he opined. "He's a fast learner." Gilbert referred to his accent as "spotty", while Goldman professed that Lincoln fit into character very well; "For much of the pilot, he's on his own and exudes a lot of believable, shocked emotion, as Rick tries to process what he is seeing. Tim Goodman of "The Hollywood Reporter" felt that Lincoln's performance was one of the episode's drawbacks. He wrote: "One drawback in ["The Walking Dead"] is that Lincoln plays his emotion a little too close to his deputy's badge. We're told – by him – that all he wants to do is find his wife and kid. His belief that they still are alive is the emotional drive of the story, but there's not enough deep pain that seeps up to coat the dialogue Lincoln delivers."

The episode received three Creative Arts Emmy Award nominations for the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards, for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series and Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series, and won for Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Miniseries, Movie, or Special.

For the show's 100th episode, "Mercy", which aired on October 22, 2017, executive producers Greg Nicotero and Scott M. Gimple wanted to create callbacks to this episode. Specifically, the episode included a near shot-for-shot remake of Rick searching for supplies among abandoned cars, though in this case, with Carl in his shoes. For this, they recast Addy Miller, now a teenager, as a walker that threatens Rick and Carl. They also recast Joe Giles, who plays one of the walkers that followed Rick off the bus in Atlanta, as a walker in "Mercy". Additional scenes from "Mercy", apparently set in the future, were done to mirror the shots of Rick waking up from his coma in the hospital.

The Walking Dead is a media franchise created by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore including a comic book series, two television series, six novels, video games, and various other media such as audio books and sound tracks.

The Walking Dead (franchise)

"The Walking Dead" is a monthly black-and-white comic book series chronicling the travels of Rick Grimes, his family, and other survivors of a zombie apocalypse.

First issued in 2003 by publisher Image Comics, the series was created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore (who was later replaced by Charlie Adlard from issue #7 onward, though Moore continued to do the covers through issue #24.) "The Walking Dead" received the 2010 Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series at San Diego Comic-Con International.

"The Walking Dead" is an American television drama series developed by Frank Darabont. The series stars Andrew Lincoln as sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes, who awakens from a coma to find the world dominated by flesh-eating "walkers", resembling the zombies of George A. Romero's horror films. He sets out to find his family and encounters other survivors along the way.

"The Walking Dead" premiered on October 31, 2010 on the cable television channel AMC in the United States. Based on its reception, AMC renewed the series for a second season of 13 episodes, which premiered on October 16, 2011. Two episodes into the second season, AMC announced that the show would return for a third season, airing on October 14, 2012. It is presently airing its eighth season, starting on October 22, 2017.

The series has been well received and has received many award nominations, including a Writers Guild of America Award nomination and a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Television Series Drama. The series has also attained strong Nielsen ratings, beating various records for a cable series, including receiving 15.5 million viewers for its season three midseason finale, and 17.29 viewers for its season five premiere, to become the most-watched basic cable drama telecast in history.

"Fear the Walking Dead" is an American horror drama television series created by Robert Kirkman and Dave Erickson, acting as a companion series and prequel to "The Walking Dead". The series premiered on AMC on August 23, 2015, and it has been renewed for a third season to air in 2017; as well as been renewed for a fourth season on April 14 2017, before the season three premiere. In July 2018 the show was renewed for a fifth season set to air in 2019.

Set initially in Los Angeles, California, the series follows a dysfunctional family composed of high school guidance counselor Madison Clark, her boyfriend and English teacher Travis Manawa, her daughter Alicia, and her drug-addicted son Nick, at the onset of the zombie apocalypse. The four must either revamp themselves or cling to their deep flaws as they come to terms with the impending collapse of civilization.

In July 2018, during San Diego Comic Con, executive producer Scott Gimple announced that a new spin-off is in the works.

In November 2018, Scott Gimple confirmed on Talking Dead that three AMC Original Films of "The Walking Dead" are in development with Andrew Lincoln signed on to reprise his role as Rick Grimes, which the films would be focused on after his exit on the television series. Pollyanna McIntosh will reprise her role of Jadis. Production on the film is set to begin in 2019. It was also confirmed by Gimple that the films would air exclusively on AMC.

"The Walking Dead: Torn Apart" is a six-part web series based on the television series "The Walking Dead". It aired in its entirety on October 3, 2011, on AMC's official website.

The web series tells the origin story of Hannah, also known as "Bicycle Girl", the walker whom Rick Grimes killed in the first episode. Rick risks a walker encounter to go back and find Hannah before he sets out for Atlanta. After telling her he is "sorry this happened to you," Rick shoots her in what is clearly a humanitarian gesture, which reveals much about Rick's own character and sets a tone for the rest of season one.

"The Walking Dead: Cold Storage" is a four-part web series based on the television series "The Walking Dead". It aired in its entirety on October 1, 2012, on AMC's official website, two weeks before the premiere of the third season of the show.

The web series follows the story of a young man named Chase as he seeks shelter in a storage facility commanded by a malicious employee named B.J. This web series marks a second installment, following "", which aired a year earlier.

"The Walking Dead: The Oath" is a three-part web series based on the television series "The Walking Dead". It aired in its entirety on October 1, 2013, on AMC's official website.

This series tells the origin of the "Don't Open, Dead Inside" paint on the cafeteria doors of the hospital Rick Grimes awakes in, post-apocalypse. It follows Paul and Karina as they escape their zombie-overrun camp in search of a medical station. The central theme of the series examines the will to persevere in the face of inevitable death.

"Fear The Walking Dead: Flight 462" is a 16-part web series based on the television series "Fear the Walking Dead". The series premiered on October 4, 2015, on AMC's official website.

The web series tells the story of a group of passengers aboard a commercial airplane during the earliest moments of the outbreak. Over the course of the series, the plane and the lives of its passengers are put in jeopardy once they discover an infected traveler. Two of its characters, Alex and Jake, are introduced in "Fear the Walking Dead" season 2, episode 3 "Ouroboros".

A second 16-part web series, debuted on October 17, 2016, and episodes were made available online weekly and aired as promos during the seventh season of "The Walking Dead". The web series follows Sierra, a capable survivor, who helps an injured woman named Gabi.

A six-part webisode series entitled "Red Machete" first premiered on October 22, 2017. The web series tells the origin story of Rick Grimes's red machete. The series starred actors Jose Rosete, Anais Lilit, Sofia Esmaili, and Jeff Kober, reprising his role as Joe, the leader of the Claimers from the fourth season of "The Walking Dead".

Multiple board games for the franchise have been released. In January 2016, Mantic Games announced plans to release a tabletop miniature wargame based on "The Walking Dead", named "The Walking Dead: All Out War".

On February 18, 2011, Telltale Games announced plans to create an episodic video game based on the comics, was scheduled to debut in fall 2011, but finally was released on April 24, 2012. Kirkman has said that, unlike typical zombie games such as "Left 4 Dead", it focuses more on characterization and emotion than action. The video game includes known characters and also introduces characters not shown in the comic or TV show.

From April 24, 2012 to November 20, 2012, the game released five episodes, and then released a DLC Pack in June 2013.

The game was met with critical acclaim, winning several Game of the Year awards.

Following "Season One"s success, a sequel was announced for release. Its first episode was released on December 17, 2013. Its final was released on August 26, 2014.

Telltale Games confirmed that it will produce a third season of "Walking Dead", following the success of the first two seasons. The season began on December 20, 2016.

In July 2017 during San Diego Comic Con, Telltale Games announced that the fourth season of the series will be the final season of the game. The first of four episodes was released on August 14, 2018.

Flash based social game on Facebook, launched in 2012 and shut down at the end of 2014.

On July 6, 2012, Activision announced a first-person shooter based on the television series, which is being developed by Terminal Reality. It was released on March 19, 2013 in North America. It was met with negative reception.

"The Walking Dead: Road to Survival" is a role-playing video game developed by Scopely based on the comic book series. It was released initially on the Android platform, later on iOS. Players complete various missions using teams, in exchange for further rewards, and more challenging stages.

Game for Android/iOS

"The Escapists: The Walking Dead" is a spin-off from "The Escapists", a puzzle role-playing video game about escaping prisons.

In August 2014, Starbreeze Studios announced that a "The Walking Dead" co-op first-person shooter is in development by Overkill Software. The game is called "Overkill's The Walking Dead", and it claims to deliver a "completely new co-op experience" to "The Walking Dead" universe that will explore new characters and storylines. It is scheduled to launch on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Microsoft Windows in 2018. The game is being made with "The Walking Dead" creator Robert Kirkman, who says he was certain from the first day he saw the project that it was the "co-op action game fans have been waiting for." It is also the result of a new "long-term" partnership between Starbreeze and Kirkman's company Skybound Interactive. This partnership will extend "into the next decade" and marks a new era for Starbreeze, the company said.

First issued in 2003 by publisher Image Comics, the series was created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore (who was later replaced by Charlie Adlard from issue #7 onward, though Moore continued to do the covers through issue #24.) "The Walking Dead" received the 2010 Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series at San Diego Comic-Con International.

The Walking Dead (franchise)

The Walking Dead is a media franchise created by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore including a comic book series, two television series, six novels, video games, and various other media such as audio books and sound tracks.

"The Walking Dead" is a monthly black-and-white comic book series chronicling the travels of Rick Grimes, his family, and other survivors of a zombie apocalypse.

"The Walking Dead" is an American television drama series developed by Frank Darabont. The series stars Andrew Lincoln as sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes, who awakens from a coma to find the world dominated by flesh-eating "walkers", resembling the zombies of George A. Romero's horror films. He sets out to find his family and encounters other survivors along the way.

"The Walking Dead" premiered on October 31, 2010 on the cable television channel AMC in the United States. Based on its reception, AMC renewed the series for a second season of 13 episodes, which premiered on October 16, 2011. Two episodes into the second season, AMC announced that the show would return for a third season, airing on October 14, 2012. It is presently airing its eighth season, starting on October 22, 2017.

The series has been well received and has received many award nominations, including a Writers Guild of America Award nomination and a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Television Series Drama. The series has also attained strong Nielsen ratings, beating various records for a cable series, including receiving 15.5 million viewers for its season three midseason finale, and 17.29 viewers for its season five premiere, to become the most-watched basic cable drama telecast in history.

"Fear the Walking Dead" is an American horror drama television series created by Robert Kirkman and Dave Erickson, acting as a companion series and prequel to "The Walking Dead". The series premiered on AMC on August 23, 2015, and it has been renewed for a third season to air in 2017; as well as been renewed for a fourth season on April 14 2017, before the season three premiere. In July 2018 the show was renewed for a fifth season set to air in 2019.

Set initially in Los Angeles, California, the series follows a dysfunctional family composed of high school guidance counselor Madison Clark, her boyfriend and English teacher Travis Manawa, her daughter Alicia, and her drug-addicted son Nick, at the onset of the zombie apocalypse. The four must either revamp themselves or cling to their deep flaws as they come to terms with the impending collapse of civilization.

In July 2018, during San Diego Comic Con, executive producer Scott Gimple announced that a new spin-off is in the works.

In November 2018, Scott Gimple confirmed on Talking Dead that three AMC Original Films of "The Walking Dead" are in development with Andrew Lincoln signed on to reprise his role as Rick Grimes, which the films would be focused on after his exit on the television series. Pollyanna McIntosh will reprise her role of Jadis. Production on the film is set to begin in 2019. It was also confirmed by Gimple that the films would air exclusively on AMC.

"The Walking Dead: Torn Apart" is a six-part web series based on the television series "The Walking Dead". It aired in its entirety on October 3, 2011, on AMC's official website.

The web series tells the origin story of Hannah, also known as "Bicycle Girl", the walker whom Rick Grimes killed in the first episode. Rick risks a walker encounter to go back and find Hannah before he sets out for Atlanta. After telling her he is "sorry this happened to you," Rick shoots her in what is clearly a humanitarian gesture, which reveals much about Rick's own character and sets a tone for the rest of season one.

"The Walking Dead: Cold Storage" is a four-part web series based on the television series "The Walking Dead". It aired in its entirety on October 1, 2012, on AMC's official website, two weeks before the premiere of the third season of the show.

The web series follows the story of a young man named Chase as he seeks shelter in a storage facility commanded by a malicious employee named B.J. This web series marks a second installment, following "", which aired a year earlier.

"The Walking Dead: The Oath" is a three-part web series based on the television series "The Walking Dead". It aired in its entirety on October 1, 2013, on AMC's official website.

This series tells the origin of the "Don't Open, Dead Inside" paint on the cafeteria doors of the hospital Rick Grimes awakes in, post-apocalypse. It follows Paul and Karina as they escape their zombie-overrun camp in search of a medical station. The central theme of the series examines the will to persevere in the face of inevitable death.

"Fear The Walking Dead: Flight 462" is a 16-part web series based on the television series "Fear the Walking Dead". The series premiered on October 4, 2015, on AMC's official website.

The web series tells the story of a group of passengers aboard a commercial airplane during the earliest moments of the outbreak. Over the course of the series, the plane and the lives of its passengers are put in jeopardy once they discover an infected traveler. Two of its characters, Alex and Jake, are introduced in "Fear the Walking Dead" season 2, episode 3 "Ouroboros".

A second 16-part web series, debuted on October 17, 2016, and episodes were made available online weekly and aired as promos during the seventh season of "The Walking Dead". The web series follows Sierra, a capable survivor, who helps an injured woman named Gabi.

A six-part webisode series entitled "Red Machete" first premiered on October 22, 2017. The web series tells the origin story of Rick Grimes's red machete. The series starred actors Jose Rosete, Anais Lilit, Sofia Esmaili, and Jeff Kober, reprising his role as Joe, the leader of the Claimers from the fourth season of "The Walking Dead".

Multiple board games for the franchise have been released. In January 2016, Mantic Games announced plans to release a tabletop miniature wargame based on "The Walking Dead", named "The Walking Dead: All Out War".

On February 18, 2011, Telltale Games announced plans to create an episodic video game based on the comics, was scheduled to debut in fall 2011, but finally was released on April 24, 2012. Kirkman has said that, unlike typical zombie games such as "Left 4 Dead", it focuses more on characterization and emotion than action. The video game includes known characters and also introduces characters not shown in the comic or TV show.

From April 24, 2012 to November 20, 2012, the game released five episodes, and then released a DLC Pack in June 2013.

The game was met with critical acclaim, winning several Game of the Year awards.

Following "Season One"s success, a sequel was announced for release. Its first episode was released on December 17, 2013. Its final was released on August 26, 2014.

Telltale Games confirmed that it will produce a third season of "Walking Dead", following the success of the first two seasons. The season began on December 20, 2016.

In July 2017 during San Diego Comic Con, Telltale Games announced that the fourth season of the series will be the final season of the game. The first of four episodes was released on August 14, 2018.

Flash based social game on Facebook, launched in 2012 and shut down at the end of 2014.

On July 6, 2012, Activision announced a first-person shooter based on the television series, which is being developed by Terminal Reality. It was released on March 19, 2013 in North America. It was met with negative reception.

"The Walking Dead: Road to Survival" is a role-playing video game developed by Scopely based on the comic book series. It was released initially on the Android platform, later on iOS. Players complete various missions using teams, in exchange for further rewards, and more challenging stages.

Game for Android/iOS

"The Escapists: The Walking Dead" is a spin-off from "The Escapists", a puzzle role-playing video game about escaping prisons.

"Fear the Walking Dead" is an American horror drama television series created by Robert Kirkman and Dave Erickson. It is a companion series to "The Walking Dead", which is based on the comic book series of the same name by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. It premiered on the cable network AMC on August 23, 2015.
A 16-part web series, "Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462", premiered on October 4, 2015, on AMC.com; it also aired as promos during "The Walking Dead" season 6. The web series depicts the outbreak's effect on a commercial airplane flight. Two of its characters, Alex (originally called Charlie in the web series), and Jake are introduced in "Fear the Walking Dead" season 2, episode 3 "Ouroboros".

List of Fear the Walking Dead episodes

A second 16-part web series, debuted on October 17, 2016, and episodes were made available online weekly and aired as promos during the seventh season of "The Walking Dead". The web series follows Sierra, a capable survivor, who helps an injured woman named Gabi, as they try to find sanctuary. The series was written by Lauren Signorino and Mike Zunic and directed by Andrew Bernstein.