Issue 1

Issue 1 is the premiere issue for The Walking Dead. It is part 1 of Volume 1: Days Gone Bye.

Synopsis
Rick Grimes, Sheriff of a small town in Kentucky awakes in a hospital. Comatose after being shot while on duty, Rick finds the world abandoned of all things living and is faced with walking undead, who attack him on sight. He returns home to find his family, son Carl and wife Lori, gone. He meets his new neighbor, who points him towards Atlanta. After retrieving supplies from the abandoned Police Station, Rick sets off to Atlanta to search for his family.

Story
The story opens with Officer Rick Grimes and his partner, Shane, in a standoff with a criminal that has escaped from prison. As Rick attempts to flank the criminal, he is shot.

It immediately cuts to Rick in a hospital bed waking up. With no nurses or doctors around, he slowly makes his way out of the room to discover that the hospital is overrun by zombies. He is attacked, but able to get away unscathed. He attempts to find some means of transportation and, only finding a bicycle, rides to his home which has been ransacked and deserted. Upon exiting, he is hit over the head with a shovel by Duane Jones, and knocked unconscious. Duane's father, Morgan, comes running up and scolds the young boy, telling him that Rick is alive and not a zombie.

Rick wakes up in the Jones' residence and, after having dinner, Rick and Morgan explain their situations. Rick reveals how he was shot, in a coma, and doesn't know what is going on. Morgan tells Rick that not much is known about what caused the outbreak, but that the media was informing everyone to relocate to large cities so that everyone could be protected. Morgan decided to take his chances in a small town, and says the power has since gone out and he knows nothing else. Rick mentions his wife had family in Atlanta and that she may have gone there with their son.

After talking, Rick, Morgan, and Duane go to the police station where Rick works. Rick equips himself with guns and a car. He also gives Morgan some guns and a car. Morgan and Duane plan on staying in the small town, so Rick and Morgan wish each other well and Rick mentions he will come back later for the two. Rick leaves for Atlanta.

Credits

 * Rick Grimes


 * Shane Walsh


 * Morgan Jones


 * Duane Jones


 * Unnamed bandit

Deaths

 * Probably the unnamed bandit

Trivia

 * First Appearance of Rick Grimes.


 * First Appearance of Shane Walsh


 * First Appearance of Morgan Jones.


 * First Appearance of Duane Jones.


 * Currently the only issue to show a scene before the zombie outbreak.