At Comic-Con I ended up buying stuff from this one dealer on three separate occasions (he was friendly, way into comics, and sold all TPBs at 20% off). He recommended The Walking Dead, and I picked up the first two TPB collections based on that.

I like zombie stuff, but I wouldn't say I search it out. I've seen the George Romero zombie movies and thought they were enjoyable enough. I saw 28 Days Later in 2003 and liked it; then I saw the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead and loved it - the film's bleak mood and uncompromising ending (everyone dies!) stuck with me long after the movie ended.

So I gave "The Walking Dead" a read and... wow. Just wow. I got really into it and had to run out and get the next two TPBs (which I flew through in one sitting). I love the way Robert Kirkman (the series's creator/writer) explores what would happen if the traditional zombie movie didn't end, and people really had to find a way to not just survive, but to live out their lives in this desolate and deadly world.

It's almost misleading to think of it as a "zombie series". They certainly spend time fighting zombies (the ones that stumble around, NOT the athletic sprinter zombies from recent movies) but the real meat of the story is in the development of the characters in the group of survivors - and Rick, the group leader, in particular. Amidst this background of zombie apocalypse, the characters are exposed to some of the most extreme situations imaginable, and we get some really well-written stories that mix morality, desperation, and sheer horror. Once you become familiar with the cast of characters, it becomes hard to put down.

I think the switch in artists after the first TPB works well, too. Tony Moore's art, while nice to look at, seemed too smooth for zombie stories - whereas Charlie Adlard (TPB #2 onward) seems a little rougher, a little closer to the bone. I like it a lot, and the gray-tone coloring is perfect.

All in all, this series was a great find, and I've got to get the remaining TPBs to catch up. It's published by Image and should be in stock at any decent comic book store.