The Walking Dead, Volume 1: Days Gone Bye by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore
Image Comics, Berkeley, CA, 2005
ISBN: 1-58240-358-9

Plot Summary:
Police officer Rick Grimes has just woken up from a month long coma to find that everyone in the hospital is gone--except for the zombies locked in the cafeteria. He leaves the hospital and heads towards home, where he meets a father and son camped out at a neighbor's house. They tell him that they have no idea what is going on, but the government advised everyone to head towards the cities in order to be more easy to guard. So Rick sets off for the closest city, Atlanta, where he assumes his wife and son headed.

He meets more zombies on the way, but the landscape is mostly desolate. Upon entering Atlanta, Rick is attacked by a large group of zombies, but is saved by a young man who has been scavenging for food. He takes Rick back to his camp outside the city, and here Rick is reunited with his wife Lori, and son Carl. The people in the camp are doing well, but have no idea what is happening in the world. They practice shooting, and Rick even arms his seven-year-old son.

There is tension between Rick and his old partner, Shane who had rescued Lori and Carl. Rick wants to move the camp, but Shane wants to stay where they are in case the government comes to rescue them. In the final scene, they begin to argue about this again and Shane points his gun at Rick, then a shot is fired, and Carl has killed Shane, trying to protect his father.

Critical Evaluation:
This was an exciting graphic novel. Even though I could see the zombies coming, they always made me jump a little. Rick isn't the most interesting character, but he is definitely in an interesting situation, which almost makes up for it. In the introduction, the author describes his plan for this series as being an "epic," so it was clear he had no plans on killing off Rick. However, the tension between Rick, Shane, Lori, and the rest of the campers was interesting.

The artwork is very moody and detailed and the expressions on faces are incredibly nuanced. It is easy to interpret what a person is thinking or feeling just by looking at them. Words are unnecessary in many of the frames, which is exactly how a graphic novel should be. I was left wanting to continue reading the series.

Reader’s Annotation:
Rick Grimes has just awoken from a coma to find his city overrun by zombies. He must find his wife and child before it is too late.

Information about the Author:
Robert Kirkman has been publishing comics since 2000. His first was the series Battle Pope, also illustrated by Tony Moore. He also writes for Marvel comics and has written for Captain America, The Fantastic Four, and Ultimate X-Men.

Genre: graphic novel, horror

Curriculum Ties: none

Booktalking Ideas:
I would introduce Rick Grimes and the zombie situation. I would explain how the government wanted everyone in big cities, which backfired, and now the group of campers are some of the only known survivors. Then I would talk about how they are all armed and the danger this introduces in the camp.

Reading Level/Interest Age:
This would probably interest young readers, but I would recommend it for ages 15 and up.

Challenge Issues:
This book would be challenged for its violence and graphic, blood spattered pages. I would explain the library's selection policy and give the challenger a complaint form to fill out.

Why I chose this book:
This book was recommended to me by my fiance who has read the entire series and eagerly awaits the next installment. The literary quality would lead me to recommend it to young adults as well.