WALKING DEAD, THE 671
the hodgepodge group of people who vary considerably in size, shape, intelligence,
orientation, philosophy, and so on, which fuels tension, problems, and feuds within
the group; this internal threat often seems as serious as the external threat of the
zombies.
As leader, Rick fi nds himself arming Carl and other children, teaching them to shoot
to kill, and providing a new moral code that is nothing like any he himself has expe-
rienced or readers of the comic series are likely to experience. Rick’s arc as a leader is
a challenging one, fi lled with hard decisions that have irrevocable consequences that
sometimes include losing loved ones or people that he has fought alongside and gained
a deep respect for.
After a period of wandering, attempting to fi nd the last vestiges of civilization,
Rick and his group settle down in an abandoned but intact prison, believing that it
will provide protection from the zombies. In the backdrop of this, they have lost and
gained people; characters have formed conventional and unconventional relationships;
and some, including Lori, are having children. Settling into the prison entails regulat-
ing living quarters and delegating day-to-day responsibilities such as farming. Much
as in Romero’s Dawn of the Dead (1978), zombies become only one of the legitimate
threats to the group. During this period of stability, the group encounters another camp
of survivors in a nearby town named Woodbury; but, unlike the egalitarian nature of
Rick’s group, this second group is ruled by a tyrannical governor, a sadistic and deviant
being. Rick and two others are captured by the Woodbury camp that plan to use them
as entertainment in their gladiator arena where humans face off against zombies. In the
ensuing altercation, the Governor chops off Rick’s right hand, but, Rick escapes and
returns back to the prison camp.
Th e camp prepares for the inevitable battle with the other group, and characters
clash over whether to stay and fi ght it out or to run and get free of the Woodbury
camp. Th e crux of the battle occurs over issues #43–48 in which the prison defenses are
irreparably destroyed and those who survive the battle with the Woodbury camp fl ee in
diff erent directions. Lori, their new baby, and Rick’s close friend Tyrese lie among the
dead. Now more than ever, Rick’s ability to lead is held suspect—more by himself than
anyone else. In the aftermath, Rick becomes quite ill from the wounds sustained by
the battle, and Carl is left to take care of his ailing father alone while also dealing with
the zombies. Th ough Rick physically recovers, it becomes clear that his sanity is barely
intact and that he cannot allow himself to lead the group any further.
Th e series became instantly popular and continues to gain much accolades for
Kirkman’s masterful storytelling, often pushing the story in irreversible directions and
not hesitating to set an entirely new and unexpected course as was best exemplifi ed in
the gruesome deaths of Rick’s wife and newborn daughter. Th e compelling and diverse
characters with their own agendas often take precedence over the zombie-fi ghting,
which (according to Kirkman) is the point. In several interviews, he has emphasized
that the zombies are the back story and that the main story involves the attempts
of the characters truly to rethink some very fundamental and philosophical beliefs.
