Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Walking Dead Survivors' Guide #1Walking Dead Survivors' Guide #1 of 4
Image Comics
Kirkman, Adlard, Rathburn, Grace & Daniel

I realize this isn't everyone's cup of tea. After all, most people that read comic books like their stories to be a) original and b) a story. This is arguably neither. However, I bought it and was impressed enough that I thought it would be something a lot of people would overlook but ultimately would enjoy the read if they purchased it.

This book covers twenty profiles of characters throughout the series where their first names start with the letter A through some of the C names. Two of the characters get themselves two pages (Carl and Andrea) while the rest get a page a piece. The basic setup is the same for all of the characters.

Each profile has issue numbers for their first and last appearance (if they've died) and a rundown of occupation (past and present) and how the characters entered and departed the fray. Each character has a breakdown by trade title of what that character has done. For example, Aaron, has been around for roughly twelve issues so his profile groups his description by "Life Among Them" and "No Way Out", which is basically the two trades he is to appear in.

The outline goes beyond a recap of the characters though as it gives information that may not have been obvious when reading the series. For example, Allen's need to assert himself as a man of action within the group after moping around after his wife dies. Additionally, the page is left with a white background if the character is alive and shaded totally black if they are dead. Alexander Davidson's is half and half. The profiles are also up to date. It outlines the cliffhanger/stunner from the most recent issue.

Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle ReviewsThere are some missteps with the issue though. First, the issue contains no original artwork within the profiles. I can understand why the book should stay true to the original material, but it wouldn't have been a bad idea to stick in one new head shot a piece. Second, oddly enough, Tony Moore has no credit within the issue despite the fact that at least two profiles contain his work. Finally (to nitpick), Andrea's profile lists her former occupation as unknown, but her write up's first sentence mentions she used to be a law clerk.

I would think if you are reading this series you would want to pick this up. If you are reading this in trades you will probably wait until this is collected. However, if you are interested in this series and are looking to jump in or just to see what this book is about you should buy this and read about the horrors that some of these characters have been through. For three bucks you can't go wrong.

4 out of 5 Geek Goggles