The Amazing Kirk-Man. FIRST ISSUE!

Over the past year or so I've become increasingly obsessed with the work of one man and as a result, a fan of many things I would have totally missed out on.

The man is Robert Kirkman. Known primarily for his astounding survival horror series, The Walking Dead. This fantastic writer has shown me on many occasions that there are still original ideas out there and that all you really need is the balls to write them down and get them drawn.

I was first introduced to this writer when, like many others, I discovered The Walking Dead. I was turned onto this work of genius through the recommendation of friends and the general word of mouth from comic book buyers in my place of work.

To summarise, this series is a fresh take on the George A Romero zombie lore, but with enough depth and heart to put it up there with the literary greats.

Surpassing the initial hokey horror of zombie movies within the space of one issue, The Walking Dead has stayed constant in an ever fluctuating market of exploitative gore and tiresome trends. Among horror comics of its ilk, it remains peerless in its strengths, never faltering from the true edge-of-seat terror tactics, but first and foremost, its faithfulness to its characters and the ideal it has created for itself.
This is as honest an interpretation of what the world would be like under such horrific circumstances. Focusing majorly on the physical and emotional survival of the human race, the series takes a stance in following a cold, hard and unwavering rule - Nobody is safe.

Kirkman has illustrated this point on several occasions by abusing, mutilating and outright murdering his characters regardless of their strength and status within the story. Not wishing to spoil the story for anybody who hasn't read this amazing series, I'll sum it up by saying, lots of people die. And they die nasty.

Kirkman has taken his story to levels of horror and depravity usually exclusive to writers who use shock and exploitation as a means for selling their titles, but he has carried it off with a seemingly infinite supply of style and aplomb.

From the get go, Walking Dead takes us into a realm we've only ever really seen in small doses and immerses us in the thick, revolting truth of it. Like I said, nobody is safe. Take that in a few ways if you will, in that the characters aren't safe from the external forces that wish them nothing but pain and suffering and that the characters themselves are not safe. In order to survive they must be brutal and in order to thrive they must be downright callous and malicious. Even the best of these layered characters has the potential to be dangerous and Robert never sugarcoats this point.

The development of all of his characters is so complex and yet so simple. What they are in nature and what they become through experience are details explored at great length and as a result the story just gets stronger and stronger.

This series is fast approaching its 100th issue, which is not an easy feat for an independent comic. Image comics, the creator owned company formed in the 90's by writers and artists tired of churning out the typical stories printed by the mainstream comic industry, have very little that compares in scope to the epic work that Kirkman has provided them with. This is something that they have completely recognised and have actually seen such promise in this man that they have made him a partner in their company and even awarded him his own spin-off branch of the enterprise in the form of Skybound Entertainment. If this isn't enough to make you respect the man, I don't know what is.

The Walking Dead has gained a global following so faithful that it was an easy move to take the tale to another medium, in this case a widely renowned television series which is as brave and diverse as its source material and in many ways just as original. It deviates enough to stay totally new and is true enough to not alienate the readers. Only the most stubborn of purists, or rather (in honour of Mr Kirkman, I'll refrain from any sugarcoating) fanboys, take serious issue with the differences.

The readership has stayed strong and will continue to do so until the story ends and as Robert has said many times, it won't be any time soon.

So for anybody who has not read this and is apprehensive to do so for whatever reason, I passionately urge you to look past the surface. This is not just zombies, it's not just human drama, it's not just a cool black and white indie comic - It is The Walking Dead, and it's coming for you, Barbara.

- your friendly neighbourhood Joe.

P.s. Part two of this will focus on Mr Kirkman's lesser known or rather lesser bought comics, such as Tech Jacket, Astounding Wolf-Man and of course his work in the mainstream.

Part three is the best of the trilogy.
Invincible.

P.p.s. Don't think that I've forgotten the wonderful artists who contribute to these works, because that's a whole other story.