The Walking Dead: Compendium One TPB [2009]

THE WALKING DEAD: COMPENDIUM ONE TRADE PAPERBACK

This collection collects the first eight trade paperbacks released during the first four years by Robert Kirkman. In a world ruled by the dead, we are finally forced to finally start living. Image Comics premiered The Walking Dead in 2003 one year after 28 Days Later premiered in 2002 by director Danny Boyle. Kirkman describes the series as consistently evolving as the exploration of the fall of civilization. He reveals issue 65 came out when AMC decided to make it into a television series. 

Following the first two seasons of The Walking Dead on AMC, these trades have been in high demand to following the adventures of Rick Grimes and his gang across various environments. The first trade volume loosely follows the first season of The Walking Dead. The death of Shane is the conclusion of the second season giving readers suspense as the first season ended.

VOLUME 1: DAYS GONE BYE

Officer Rick Grimes wakes up in the world of walkers after begin shot a few weeks prior. Rick meets with Morgan Jones and his son Duane as he heads towards Atlanta to find his family. Rick manages to find his wife Lori and his son Carl. He meets the others including his former partner Shane, Glenn, Dale, and Andrea. Rick decides he needs to head to the city to retrieve more guns for the group. He takes Glenn and soak themselves in walker blood to hide their scent. After getting the guns, Rick gives everyone training including his son Carl. However the walkers arrive and attack the camp killing one and biting another. Shane attempts to kill Rick so things will go back to the way they were however Carl shoots him dead.

Collects The Walking Dead #1-6

VOLUME 2: MILES BEHIND US

The second book loosely follows the second season of The Walking Dead. After burying Shane, Rick and the group find other survivors and Lori reveals she is pregnant however we do not know who the father is. Tyreese joins the group along with his daughter Julie and boyfriend Chris. The group finds the gated community of Wiltshire Estates without realizing the sign reading All Dead Do Not Enter. As one of their own fall, the group leaves the gated community and begins to hunt for food.

Carl gets shot and Rick takes him to Hershel Farm where the bullet is taken out. Hershel reveals to Rick the walkers are inside the barn. However while putting a walker into the barn, the others inside try to escape and kill two of Hershel’s children. Hershel tells Rick’s group to leave as Glenn stays for love. The group hunts for food until they come across a prison full of walkers. Rick decides to make it their new home.

Collects The Walking Dead #7-12

VOLUME 3: SAFETY BEHIND BARS

The third book leads into the third season of The Walking Dead on AMC and incorporates the Governor. Both Rick and Tyreese clean up the sections of the prison of walkers when they approach the cafeteria within to find unharmed prisoners. Rick heads back to Hershel farm to bring to the prison to start a new life.

Tyreese’s daughter Julie has a suicide pact with her boyfriend Chris and decides to shoot one another however her daughter is killed first and turns into a walker. Chris shoots Julie as a walker then Tyreese chokes Chris to death.

Rick realizes that they may be all infected so he goes and finds Shane who is a walker. Rick shoots Shane and heads back to the prison where Rachel and Susie are found decapitated by Hershel. The heads of Rachel and Susie revert into walkers. The prisoner Dexter is mistakenly imprisoned for the crimes while Thomas Richards attempts to kill Andrea however Rick beats him nearly half to death and plans to hang him for his crimes. However Maggie shoots him and his body is devoured by the walkers. Dexter manages to retrieve the riot gear and tell Rick to leave the prison.

                                                 

Collects The Walking Dead #13-18           

VOLUME 4: THE HEART’S DESIRE

Dexter tells Rick he got the guns from armory in Block A when he realizes walkers were roaming around inside. The gang takes on the walkers and just when it’s about to end Rick takes out Dexter. Michonne arrives with her walker boyfriend and his best friend in tow to save Otis outside the prison and earns her keep inside. The original of Michonne was recently revealed within the April 2012 issue of Playboy shortly after the finale of the second season of the Walking Dead on AMC. 

Rick, Dale, Axel, Tyreese, and Allen begin cleaning out A Block when Allen is bitten by a walker and Dale and Tyreese finds a generator. Rick cuts off Allen’s foot so he will live. Michonne gives Tyreese a blowjob and afterwards Andrea catches her talking to herself. Carol slits her wrists after breaking up with Tyreese who punches Rick for taunting him for what happened to Carol. Allen dies and Rick shoots him before he turns. A committee is formed to make decisions.  

                                                                                  

Collects The Walking Dead #19-24

VOLUME 5: THE BEST DEFENSE

The arc introduces the Governor who is set to appear in season three of The Walking Dead. Rick and Glenn wearing body armor find fuel for the generator as they see a helicopter fly above them. However the helicopter crashes and Rick, Glenn, and Michonne search for survivors but someone beat them to it and took the survivors. Rick takes them to Woodsbury where they meet the Governor who uses real live people and walkers as sport.

The Governor wants to know where Rick and the others came from however they refuse so the Governor chops off Rick’s hand. Michonne bites off the Governor’s ear and the Governor rapes her repeatedly. Later the Governor heads home to his walker daughter and tells Rick he let Glenn go so he will lead him to the prison.

Back at the prison two days has past since Rick, Glenn, and Michonne have gone missing. Tyreese went searching for them however only found the abandon vehicle. The Governor lied to Rick about letting Glenn go to test his reaction about the existence of the prison.

Collects The Walking Dead #25-30

VOLUME 6: THE SORROWFUL LIFE

Rick, Glenn, Michonne, along with other members of the Governor’s gang including Doctor Stevens, nurse Alice, and the guard Martinez attempt to escape the compound. Doctor Stevens dies while Michonne heads back to settle the score with the Governor by cutting off his arm and one eye. Rick returns back to the prison only to find it overrun by walkers. Meanwhile Morgan Jones and his son Duane celebrate Christmas by giving his son a Nintendo Game Boy.

Andrea and Dale show up and inform Rick everyone is in hiding within the prison. Glenn finds a ring on one of the walkers. Martinez slipped away to tell the Governor the location of the prison. Rick takes the trailer to track him down and chokes him to death. Glenn proposes to Maggie and Rick prepares his gang to get ready for the people of Woodbury coming to the prison.

Collects The Walking Dead #31-36

                                                                              

VOLUME 7: THE CALM BEFORE

Glenn and Maggie are married by her father while the gang decides to find the National Guard Station to supply themselves with more weapons to take on the upcoming Woodbury attack. After finding the National Guard Station, they blow it up so the people of Woodbury will not be able to use it again. However while stopping at Walmart to get supplies, the group run into armed assailants from Woodbury.

After taking out the armed assailants, the group heads back to the prison as Lori gives birth during the evening hours. The generators need to be kept so Dale and Billy get gas from the parking out. Dale is bitten by a walker and the gang returns from the National Guard Station. Lori delivers a baby girl named Judith while the gang cuts off Dale’s foot.

Dale gets jealous after seeing Andrea and Tyreese shooting together. Alice wants to examine a walker within the perimeter of the outer fence. After having sex with Billy, Carol commits suicide by throwing herself at the same walker. After the burial the group regroups and reflects on what has happened. The final of the arc ends as the Governor rides a tank heading towards the prison with armed Woodbury citizens.

                                                         

Collects The Walking Dead #37-42

VOLUME 8: MADE TO SUFFER

The Governor has recovered from his torture and rallies the people of Woodbury to launch an attack against the prison and kill them all. Andrea and Michonne put up a fight against the Governor and his men so they retreat however Rick has been shot. Tyreese and Michonne decide to go after the Governor and his men. Dale plans to leave the prison with Andrea, Sophie, Glenn, and Maggie.

Tyreese is captured by the Governor’s men while one of the claims he kill Michonne. The Governor decapitates Tyreese in front of the prison and heads back to base camp. Unknown to the Governor, Michonne is back pointing an Uzi to his head. The Governor’s men shoot Michonne but she manages to escape.

The Governor and his men return to the prison to launch their final attack killing Axel. However Dale and Andrea returns and starts firing at the Governor’s men. The Governor drives the tank through the fence of the prison allowing his men inside the prison walls. Patricia, Billy, Hershel, and Alice die during the shooting. While Rick tries to escape with his family, both Lori and baby Judith dies during the escape. After the death of Lori, the shooter turns the gun on the Governor and shoots him and throws his body to the walkers. 

Collects The Walking Dead #43-48

This paperback collects

The Walking Dead #1-48

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED – 5 OUT OF 5