Walking Dead Wiki

Attention! Please be aware that spoilers are not allowed on the wiki and a violation of this policy may result in a ban. Information (character deaths/fates, screenshots, etc.) from episodes released early on AMC+ may not be added to the wiki until the episode officially airs at 9pm EST on the Sunday it is scheduled for. Thank you.

READ MORE

Walking Dead Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Walking Dead Wiki

Issue 2 is the second issue of Image Comics' The Walking Dead and the second part of Volume 1: Days Gone Bye. It was originally published on November 12, 2003. The deluxe colored version was released on November 4, 2020.

Plot Synopsis[]

After traveling all night, Rick arrives in Georgia. He finds a gas station and is frustrated that it's out of gas, just like the previous ones. He continues driving until he runs out of gas. Continuing his journey on foot, he goes to inspect a nearby farm. After knocking on the door and receiving no answer, he enters the house. To his horror, he discovers the entire family dead, having committed suicide. After rushing outside and vomiting, he goes to inspect the barn. There he finds a horse and a hatchet inside and continues traveling to Atlanta on horseback. On the way to Atlanta, he starts rambling to the horse about when Carl was born to make him feel better, but it doesn't.

Rick finally makes it to Atlanta and initially finds it deserted. Some zombies spot him and start to follow him, with their numbers growing slowly but surely. It isn't long before Rick runs into a street full of zombies. He tries to turn around, but the way he came is blocked by zombies as well. He gets thrown from his horse and, as most of the zombies attack and devour the horse, others turn their attention to Rick. He uses the hatchet he found at the barn to protect himself, but is soon surrounded and begins to use his gun. He runs into an alley when suddenly, a young man named Glenn Rhee grabs Rick and tells him to follow him and to stop shooting. Glenn grabs the ladder to the fire escape and hurries Rick to follow him. Rick says he's never seen so many zombies, but Glenn assures him that's nothing and that, if he had gone fifty feet more into the city, he wouldn't have survived. They climb to a rooftop and Glenn proceeds to jump to the roof of the other building. Rick is hesitant, but jumps when he realizes he has no choice. From that point they make it down the building and make a run for the woods, which are about a block away. Glenn says that the zombies are slow and that they should easily maneuver around them. He also warns that one bite from a walker will kill you.

The two finally make it to the edge of town near a wooded area. Glenn is surprised Rick is so inexperienced, but Rick explains that he was in a coma. Rick asks Glenn what happened to the people in Atlanta, and Glenn informs him the zombies were those people. Glenn explains that the government tried to herd everyone into the cities, but people started dying and turning into walkers. In the space of a week everyone in Atlanta had died. Rick falls to the ground as he fears that his wife and son are now dead. Glenn consoles Rick and tells him that he is with a small camp of people and brings him along. Glenn tells him the camp is mostly made up of latecomers who tried to get into Atlanta, but couldn't, so they set up camp in the woods. Rick asks if that's safe, but Glenn assures him they have cars for shelter and take turns keeping watch. He adds that they're camping close to the city as they figured it'd be easier for the government to find them when they stopped the outbreak.

Just as Rick gets to the camp, he sees his wife, Lori, and his son, Carl. All three embrace, happily reunited.

Credits[]

Deaths[]

Trivia[]

  • First appearance of Lori Grimes. (Physically)
  • First appearance of Carl Grimes. (Physically)
  • First appearance of Glenn Rhee.
  • First appearance of Andrea.
  • First appearance of Allen.
  • First appearance of Jim.
  • First appearance of Ben.
  • First appearance of Billy.
  • First appearance of Sophia.
  • Rick finds a hatchet, which he is currently using as a primary weapon.
  • On one of the billboards, there is an image that looks like Homer Simpson.
  • This is the first issue to get a second printing.

Issue Highlights[]

  • Rick runs out of gas, and is forced to continue on foot.
  • He finds a horse in barn of an abandoned farmhouse, and decides to ride it to Atlanta.
  • With Atlanta overrun with zombies, he is eventually surrounded and thrown from his horse, which is devoured.
  • He is saved by Glenn, who helps him get away from the zombies using the rooftops.
  • Glenn takes Rick back to his camp, where he is reunited with his wife Lori and son Carl.

Cutting Room Floor[]

  • Rick was originally going to take a brief stop on his way to Atlanta, sleeping in an abandoned car with the horse tied to it.
  • Atlanta was originally going to be a bombed-out wasteland.
  • Rick breaking down over Lori and Carl after meeting Glenn was added in after the plot was done.

Goofs/Errors[]

  • When Rick walks into the room with the dead family, you can see he already has his hatchet in his holster. Then up until he opens the barn on the next page and the hatchet is on the table, it's not there anymore.

Deluxe[]

  • A few characters are given different coloured clothes than on the original Tony Moore covers.
    • Glenn's hat is coloured entirely in white whereas the grey tones in the original, as well as every Moore cover and various other instances depict the front part of the cap to be blue.
      • This was done because Charlie Adlard's design for Glenn's hat is a lot more simplified, and giving the two depictions the same colour keeps a sense of consistency. However they could also be different hats.
    • Lori's plaid shirt is only green without the red. Her shirt underneath is also purple instead of white.
    • Carl's hoodie is grey instead of red.
    • Shane's shirt is blue instead of white.

References[]

Advertisement