The Walking Deadis one of the most popular zombie comics ever made, but many people, myself included, have avoided getting into the comic for one very specific reason: the black-and-white art style. However, now that theDeluxeedition has been released, rendering the series in fully-colored panels, it might just be time for the series to gain some new fans.
When Robert Kirkman’sThe Walking Deaddebuted, the series was striking for the fact that it was presented in full black-and-white. This stood out, as the vast majority of comic books are presented in full color, with black-and-white usually only being a thing for stylized comics, such asSin City.
It is somewhat unusual for an American comic to be in black-and-white,and as uncultured as it may sound, I honestly think that could impact how many people get into the book.I know one of the reasons I never got around to it is because it wasn’t in color.
Naturally,since there are a lot of zombies in this comic, a lot of people end up being eaten. Literally torn limb from limb in gruesome detail as they’re consumed by the dead. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say that the majority of fans of the zombie media are here for the gore. They want to see every fleshy red bit torn from people. Even the oldest zombie movies still featured some surprisingly gory scenes, even though they were in black-and-white. That’s whyThe Walking Deadis as well, but it doesn’t exactly endear itself to a modern audience.
Nothing Special About It: How a Little Lie Helped The Walking Dead Become an Instant Classic
The Walking Dead is the king of zombie comic books, but it never would have reached this level without one little white lie from Robert Kirkman.
I know how that might sound, and don’t worry, I think black and white things are great. I grew up on the old Marx Brothers movies; yet there’s a big difference between seeing Groucho doing a mirror gag and seeing some poor unsuspecting man get his guts torn out. I want to see the blood. I think that adds to the horror,and now that The Walking Dead is finally in full color,I can enjoy my zombie apocalypse to the fullest, as I see society fall apart in full color and can enjoy every gory detail.
While Black And White Is Stylistic, But Not As Scary
To be fair, I get that there are strengths toThe Walking Deadsblack and white art style; first and foremost, it’s a perfect homage to thezombie media that clearly inspired Kirkman’s work.It also works to show how the world is lifeless now. All the color is gone, seemingly drained out of the world the moment the zombies took over. It’s a great visual, and while it certainly adds to the atmosphere of this bleak new world, it’s simply not an aesthetic that I’ve ever really cared for.
When it comes to the end of the world, I enjoy the juxtaposition of color and death. The fact that the world can still be vibrant, there can still be color, and yet, there’s no life. It gives it this eerie feeling, like things should be okay, but they aren’t.The juxtaposition of a beautiful suburb with green trees and overgrown grass, beneath a blue sky, but the only things moving around are these horrible dead monsters;that’s what I really find horrifying about zombie media, and it’s why I prefer color so much more.
The Full ColorDeluxeVersion Allowed Me To Finally Truly EnjoyThe Walking Dead
I’ve Waited For This
While the undead are a massive threat in this series, they are not an omnipresent threat. Often inThe Walking Dead, the human characters are in a village that is completely free of the undead. For these brief moments, it can actually seem like everything is okay. When the story is just focusing on a town and the relationships within it, it’s easy to forget the world has ended, especially while everything isn’t draped in that oppressive black and white. Then, when the zombies do show up again, it’s just as much of a shock to the reader as the characters.
For people like myself, who prefer to see all the gory details in full color, that’s now an option as well.
At the end of the day, it all comes down to personal preference, but that’s also what I think is so cool about this. If people prefer black and white, then they can read the entireWalking Deadcomic in the intended black and white. But for people like myself, who prefer to see all the gory details in full color, that’s now an option as well. Basically, what I’m trying to convey is thatif someone is a fan of zombie media, there’s really no reason not to readThe Walking Deadat this point.
