"The Walking Dead" on AMC HD - Page 84

That's not a good date for fans who have Dish Network. If AMC is dropped and you wait a couple of days to see what happens, and they still haven't added AMC back (hey, they still don't have ABC Family HD back), it's not really ample time to switch to cable/Directv in time to catch this special.

Just have to hope for good news on an agreement before the end of this month.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/d...amc/signatures

Thanks mike1977 for the link to sign the petition. I hope they are listening - I don't want to miss the premier or (gasp) have to go to some non-dish network site to watch on another carrier.

Can't wait for the new season to begin. I need a zombie fix to hold me over till then.

The Walking Dead creator designs zombie-proof car

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-blog/walking-dead-creator-designs-zombie-proof-car-005942210.html

So I've watched all eps of walking dead and am now thinking of getting into the comics. I don't really want to start at beginning and rehash stuff that've been on the show (and want to save a bit of money, for that matter). So what issue or TPB should I start with, that's approximately where we're at on the show?

Just start from the beginning. It only takes about 20 comics (of like 97) to get past season 2. It's worth reading from the start to see the differences... like Lori not being the world's worst mother in the comics.

I read the comics a few weeks ago and breezed through them in like 4 nights. You will be shocked at most of the events that occur. I can't imagine the prison/governor story line on the show being anywhere as brutal as the comics.

There are sixteen trade paperbacks currently, and they're all about $8-10 on Amazon (used ones on there may save a few $). I would say it is definitely worth reading from the beginning as the first episode is the only one that was truly scene for scene from the comics essentially. The first episode lines up with about the first 1/3 of the vol. 1 trade paperback. There are different characters in the comics than in the show so you may miss out on some people starting later in the books.

A reminder for those interested. There's a new hour long Talking Dead on tomorrow (7/8) discussing season 3.

I'm burning my way through the comics and holy cow, does it go to some dark places. I don't know how the TV series is ever going to go there.

The comics is quite a bit different than the show. They start out at the same point and then diverge into parallel universes. I think the comic gets to a certain point a little too quickly and therefore loses some dramatic build up (I'm thinking of Shane's death, for example) while the TV drags things out too long and tries our patience (the Shane/Rick/Lori triangle). TV Rick is more of a boyscout than comics Rick, who seems closer than TV Shane in the I'll-do-anything-to-keep-my-family-safe stance. The Tyreese and Michonne characters make T-Bone even more of an embarrassing token character than he already is. The TV producers seem intent on putting Carl in the middle of everything; the side effect is it makes Lori look like a horrible mother, whereas in the comics people seem to have retained the concept of parent supervision, or just plain old baby sitting. Comics Lori isn't a great character either; she just seems there to cause trouble for Rick. TV Lori is prettier

All in all, the show has its pluses and minuses. It makes good dramatic uses of certain things that are just throwaways in the comics (like the tank) or not fully exploited (the zombies in the barn). OTOH, it drags out certain things way too long just because of budget constraint (the farm). The virtue of the comics is if you don't care for a certain situation, at least it won't drag on for a whole season. Of course, I'm reading through the trades. If I were reading the floppies as they come out, I might feel it drags too. I'm reading Saga now and man it's tough waiting a month for the next issue.

I agree on every point.

I have never watched any episodes until Saturday. The wife was out shopping with a friend and it was raining so I figured I would check it out. The first episode I watched was when Rick rode into Atlanta on the horse and got trapped in the tank. I then watched them all day long and the last one was when Lori told Rick she was pregnant. I did not have a chance to watch anymore yesterday.

I have one key question and that is how did it all start - where did the zombie disease come from? Also if I start watching the new season how lost would I be?

1 - we don't know, and that doesn't really matter anyway
2 - just a little with regards to new/missing characters

More than likely there will be another marathon before the new season starts, so you will have another chance to catch the episodes you missed on Sunday.

Did you guys see that Robert Kirkman wrote an actual novel (not a comic) about the Governor and how he got started. Apparently it is going to be a 3 part series. I might have to pick that one up.

I assume this "Governor" is a character from the books who we -- us wretched slobs who haven't read the comics -- haven't seen yet? Think it's a good idea to be talking about it here?

I for one, think it does matter and would like to see some backstory on the Zombie creation at some point ..

Is 'Talking Dead' considered part of this thread? They did discuss it on the Weekend special edition of Talking Dead.That was the first I had heard of or knew anything about this Governor either.

I have no idea, having not read the comics, this is the first I have heard about his new book from Kirkman and sounded cool since it is not a comic. But I am leary on getting it since I have no idea if it will ruin the new season, or if I should wait for this season to be over, or even the next season. Not sure which way to go.

I think they also mentioned him in the final talking dead last season since the prison was shown at the end of the ep.

Kirkman (the writer and co-creator of the comic series) has gone on record with a couple of things that are about as much as you'll ever see in terms of an origin.

1. "The Walking Dead" essentially takes place in a world like George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead"... basically he sees the Walking Dead as a "what if" we saw other characters in that world and followed them around for a while.
2. Kirkman himself said he doesn't know how the zombie apocalypse started and it isn't important to his story. He has no intentions of doing an origin OR a cure... this simply is the zombie apocalypse and his story is the story of how people survive, react, and adapt to that reality.

So... in terms of the Walking Dead... you're never going to see an origin. The comic is about to hit issue #100 and has been running for years... The first two seasons of the TV show roughly correspond to the first 20 issues of the comic. At that rate, it could take 4-6 more seasons of the show to catch up to "now" in the comics... and so far Kirkman still has ideas for the comic... and none of those ideas are about an origin.

In other words he doesnt want to have to explain it because then some fanboy will say, "Well then how come in season 2 episode 6 blah blah blah happened ?"

I am surprised this is not on video on demand!!

Plus, once you start talking about origin, then you have to talk about the cure. With the cure comes the end of the series, whether the cure is possible or not. Either cure comes out and everyone is fine, or characters find out it's impossible to be cured and lose hope. Either way, the story ends.

I believe Season 1 is available streaming on Netflix and Season 2 will be once Season 3 starts.

Exactly... and truth be told, the zombie apocalypse really doesn't have to be an apocalypse. I've said before that IF this happened in the real world, it would be more like what happened with something like AIDS. It was a huge blow and surprise... and spread like wildfire until people learned how it spread and how to treat it... now the spreading had slowed and being HIV diagnosed isn't the death sentence it once was... and society has moved on to a new normal.

The initial "WTF?" reaction to dead coming back to life would surprise everyone... and a lot of people would die... but once the word got out, all you have to do is kill off all the current zombies... and from that point forward, anyone who "dies" you have to behead them or burn the bodies or whatever... Basically, catch up to the existing mob of zombies, then stop future problems by always cremating and always doing it VERY quickly after death. Be mindful of the possibility of someone dying in their sleep and take precautions so as not to be surprise attacked by a family member who dies and resurrects while you are asleep.

There's no "cure" necessary here... just kill all the reanimated, and stop new ones from coming back via cremation. Done, and done.

That's why it really doesn't matter how it started or IF there is a cure. The meat of the story is in the journey of mankind from the old norm to the new norm.

I was mainly wondering if something escaped from CDC or one of our many enemies did something. From the responses I am getting the zombies must just start showing up.

Is that all, kill off the tens of millions or hundreds of millions that are infected? And spreading extremely fast? Easier said than done. And you would be talking worldwide. Once you get to a certain tipping point, it would not be possible to stop it. Sure you would have enclaves of uninfected, but supplies are still limited. At a certain point billions would be infected. There is no way you could stop it after a certain point.

Well, at the risk of sounding facetious, what's possible in a zombie apocalypse - the "physics" of the story - is simply what the author says it is. I think you could go either way and create a believable world. However, in terms of storytelling, that leads you in two dramatically different directions. One has hope that civilization can be rebuilt, which may lead to more noble, altruistic actions. One doesn't have that hope, replacing it instead with the simple will to survive another day - a much darker place. Not having read the comics (and don't intend to until this show is done), I'm not sure where Kirkman is going. That's fine; surprise me.

The "spreading" is happening by people dying... You'd have the same problem if the killer bees went out of control killing people or a pack of hungry wolves that nobody ever stops. IF you keep letting the wolves multiply and kill you, then yeah... you never will dig out of it.

But the thing is... most of the zombies are pretty dumb and even slow. The TV show hasn't gotten there yet, but the comic shows them wiping out bunches of zombies at various points. You can use knives, swords, an axe, etc and not fire off all your bullets. Knives are basically infinitely reloadable

You by yourself is tough... but the groups of people... if they keep their head straight... living people are smarter and more resourceful than dead people. Just clear a path and keep working. The more you kill the less there are. True it is probably worldwide, but several continents are isolated from each other... so you really only have to worry about clearing your continent.

I'm not saying it is easy... and the dead had an advantage of surprise at first... but people are smart and resourceful... we should be able to get on top of the situation, and then you watch the living and when they die, you burn them before they come back...

Again, its about learning to live with the new normal.

The first people evolving out of caves didn't have to fend off zombies... but LOTS of other wild animals that might kill, attack, eat them... and that was back in the times of rocks and sticks to fight with! That a small group of people survived and evolved (or if you are religious, Adam & Eve started from 2 and begat all of civilization starting from behind against all of nature) over thousands and thousands of years to get to now... it just requires a level reset in people's heads to move past it.

The thing about the zombies... they can't reproduce... living people can! So you make yourselves a safe area to keep the zombies out... you start growing food... you burn your newly dead bodies... and you reproduce yourself some new living people. It will take time... but look how fast the population can grow if everybody has a couple of kids... meanwhile, the zombies you burn aren't coming back and they aren't having babies.

I don't agree ... a GOOD Writer should easily be able to come up with decent scenarios where there is "a cure", without it simply meaning everone is either fine or otherwise "the story ends" ....
off the top ....:

* What if the cure only effects the living, & prevents them from becomming Zombies when they die - doesn't really change the current situation a lot, & that's what they all originally thought anyway ...
* What if the cure both cures the Living, AND also kills infected zombies, BUT you have to inject it into the body of the zombie, not "crop dust" them ...
* What if the cure requires ingriedients and/or laboratory production methods / expertise that are very scarce, generally unavailable or can't yet be found in this apocolyptic world, Rick could carry the formula in his pocket for a long time, occasionaly getting a dose made once per season ....
* What if the cure wears off, &/or you need more or regular doses....
* What if the cure is kept in very limited tight supply, by Bad, evil but good-looking sexy rich people that wear tight fitting clothes, living "somewhere unknown" for secret reasons we don't yet know ...
* Or any mix / match combo of the above, as well as loads I haven't thought of ...
Edited by MeatChicken - 7/12/12 at 1:44pm