| This article is about the Comic Series character. You may be looking for his TV Series counterpart. For other pages with the same name, see: Shane |
| “ | You really did it for me, buddy! You really did it! Oh, yes you did! I'm nothing now, Rick! NOTHING! I've got nothing, Rick!! No friends! No family!! No respect!! No fucking life!! This fucking world! This fucking God-forsaken world of shit! There's nothing for me here Rick!! Nothing! I thought I could make it... I thought I could hold out... wait until they came and rescued us. They would have brought us nice beds... and hot showers... and fresh clothes! They were coming Rick! WE WERE GOING TO BE OKAY!!
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” |
Shane Walsh[2] is a survivor of the outbreak and later an antagonist in Image Comics' The Walking Dead. He grew intimate feelings for Lori and led her and her son to safety during the initial outbreak. Shane was the leader of the Atlanta Survivor Camp before sharing the role with his sheriff's deputy partner, Rick. He served as the primary antagonist of Volume 1: Days Gone Bye and the first antagonist of the Comic Series in a post-apocalyptic world.
Overview[]
Originally a good friend to Rick and his family, Shane's downward spiral began after his presumed-dead partner arrived to the camp and was reunited with his family. This friction between Shane and his best friend was primarily caused by Shane's infatuation with Lori, with whom he shared one passionate night with after both assumed Rick was dead. It is also implied that Shane had feelings for Lori even before the apocalypse. After Rick's return, however, Lori completely spurns him, leaving Shane heartbroken and deteriorating his mental health. As the conditions in the camp worsen, Rick and Shane begin to butt heads with increasing frequency over whether or not to move the camp. While Rick correctly surmises that staying close to the city is dangerous, Shane almost delusionally believes the government is coming to rescue them, despite it becoming more and more apparent this isn't the case. After a walker attack on the camp that leaves Amy and Jim dead, the tension between Rick and Shane finally boils over and leads to a fight which culminates in Shane punching Rick. When Rick attempts to reconcile with him, Shane pulls a gun on him and is prepared to murder the man he once called his best friend. During his unhinged rant, Shane blames Rick for derailing his life, ruining his chances with Lori and slowly usurping his leadership. Because of this, Shane held out hope that the government would come and rescue them, but snapped once he was confronted with the truth, as in his eyes it meant that he was left with nothing. Despite Shane turning on him, their relationship was strong enough that Rick felt obliged to travel back to the campsite weeks later and put down the now-reanimated Shane. Shane's transformation from his best friend to a desperate and unstable emotional wreck haunts Rick for years to come, and serves as a reminder that even the best people can turn into monsters under the right circumstances.
Pre-Apocalypse[]
Cynthiana, Kentucky[]
Shane was born in 1978. Before the outbreak, both he and Rick were stuck in a firefight with an escaped convict, both debating how to deal with the situation. Rick, unfortunately, ended up getting shot in the incident, with Shane taking care of the convict.
Post-Apocalypse[]
While Rick survived, he was left in a coma, and it is then the dead started rising. With the population being ordered into the major cities by the government, Shane, seeing the crisis worsen, accompanied Rick's wife, Lori, and her son, Carl to Atlanta to find shelter.
Shane proved instrumental in getting the two to Atlanta. As they neared the city, Lori became depressed over Rick's assumed death, and the fact that they essentially abandoned Rick in their town's hospital. Shane, however, comforted Lori and the two became closer. Eventually, Lori was so desperate for closeness that she had a passionate night with Shane on the highway to Atlanta, something Shane had wanted for a long time (hinting that he could have had a long-term fixation with Lori even before this). Afterward, Shane assumed the two were now lovers in a relationship and asked Lori, assuming the crisis would end soon, if she would tell Rick about their relationship if Rick was still alive. Lori, however, confessed she didn't know. Unbeknownst to the two of them, Shane had impregnated Lori, being that she is revealed to be pregnant not long after Rick returns. The three, unable to enter the zombie-overridden city of Atlanta, settled on its outskirts and joined up with Dale and the survivor group he had formed. Shane, an authority figure, became the group's de-facto leader, and the group of survivors, eventually expanding, lived on the outskirts of the city, with Shane repeatedly preaching the government would arrive and save everyone.
Days Gone Bye[]
When Rick eventually arrives and joins the group, Shane comes up to greet Rick. Rick is happy to see him and Lori says that Shane helped her and Carl escape to Atlanta. Shane then shows Rick around the camp and introduces everyone. The young man that helped Rick in the city is Glenn. There is Allen and Donna and their twin boys, Ben and Billy, Dale (who owns the RV), Jim, Carol and her daughter Sophia, and sisters Amy and Andrea. Everyone leaves Rick and Lori to be reacquainted.
The next morning, Rick wakes up and meets Shane as he comes out of his tent. Shane mentions that Dale's camper has a working shower and he wants to go hunting with Rick after he takes one. Rick takes his shower and upon exiting, meets Dale. Dale tells Rick that he shouldn't trust Shane. He says Shane is a good man and helps out around the camp, but Shane isn't happy that Rick is back because he has had his eye on Lori. Rick appreciates Dale's concern, but reassures him that Shane was only keeping Lori and Carl safe. Rick laughs it off as he leaves the camper and heads off with Shane to hunt. Meanwhile, Lori, Carol, and Donna go down to a stream to wash clothes. The others stay at camp to watch the kids.
As Rick and Shane are hunting, Shane mentions to Rick that he is glad that he brought some guns. So far they only had Shane's side arm and Dale's rifle. It's been hard to hunt, and they have only been eating what Glenn can get from his trips into the city. They hear a rustle and come across a zombie, named "Front", eating a deer. They note that it is oblivious to them standing there. They question whether it would be safe to eat the deer. The two are debating taking the deer when the walker finally notices them. It starts to stand up but Rick impales it in the head with his axe. They suddenly hear a gunshot and run back to the camp. They get back to see that Allen has shot the head of the walker that attacked. Allen tells Dale that they should get the body into the woods and away from the camp. Rick immediately runs up to Lori and consoles her as Shane looks at the couple with jealousy.
That night, after the zombie attack, Shane is keeping watch. Rick visits with him and the two discuss the situation. Rick believes that the group needs to move on. He feels that it's too dangerous to be near Atlanta where so many zombies could attack the small group. Shane believes the group should stay put, believing that the government is coming to clean up the mess and if the group stays put, they will be easily found by rescuers. Rick finally concedes, but, says that they need to train everyone to use a gun and that everyone should be armed. Shane asks how they will get enough guns and Rick says he will think of something. Later in the morning, Rick and Glenn went into town to get weapons. Meanwhile, back at camp, Shane and Lori are talking. Shane tries to console Lori, saying that Rick will be fine. He tells her to come back to the camp, and that he will keep her company. Lori refuses Shane and tells him that he needs to stop trying to make advances at her since Rick is back. Shane says, "But what about that night when we - on the road down here?" Lori, her back to Shane, says, "That night was a mistake."
Three weeks after getting the guns, Rick and Shane are teaching everyone how to shoot. Rick compliments Donna, saying that she has come a long way since they started. She thanks him, but adds that she's nowhere near as good as Andrea, but Rick admits that he and Shane probably aren't either. Both Rick and Shane compliment Andrea's shooting, but she brushes it off as nothing too complicated. Rick jokes that she should try telling his wife, before going to fetch Carl for target practice. As Carl runs off in excitement, Lori angrily glares at Rick. During practice, Rick commends Carl for his shooting. Carl asks if this means he will get to carry a gun like everyone else, and Rick supposes it does. With that, Shane concludes the practice and invites everyone back to camp, determining that everyone is now capable of defending themselves. Rick announces that Carl will now be armed, and while he acknowledges that some may be uncomfortable with this, he reaffirms his stance that everyone at the camp should carry a firearm, and assures the others that he will take Carl's gun away if he ever pulls it out outside of an emergency. Afterwards, Rick tries to convince Lori that Carl is safer this way, but Lori snaps back that Carl is seven years old. She doesn't believe it to be a good idea, and bitterly supposes that the end of the world means she doesn't get a say in parenting her own son. Rick reiterates that he will take Carl's weapon away if he treats it like a toy, but Lori angrily storms off. As the group heads back, Dale complains about the distance of the range from the camp, but Shane points out it's better than them attracting a pack of zombies to the camp with their shots. A couple of days later, Rick, Shane, and Dale go to get firewood. Rick mentions how Donna keeps complaining about Andrea and Amy sleeping with Dale in the camper, to which Dale adds that Donna hasn't shown any gratitude to him for saving her life. Rick jokes that Dale has earned the right to the company of two pretty young woman, since they'd be screwed without his camping equipment. Dale stresses that nothing is going on, and admits that he is too old for such adventures anyway. He explains that the two simply keep things clean, and give him some comfort since his wife passed away a couple months ago. Rick assures him that he doesn't have to explain himself to them, and dismisses Donna as "just an old housewife who doesn't have soap operas to keep her small mind occupied". After chopping wood for a while, Dale suggests they head back to camp, believing it to be enough for the cookout. Rick isn't so sure, and says that it will probably get quite cold tonight. This prompts Shane to suddenly snap at Rick that he is tired of his complaining, as he knows it's getting cold. He stresses that they're going to be fine, and refuses to move the camp. Both Rick and Dale are taken aback by Shane's outburst, with Dale commenting that Shane has problems when the latter leaves.
That night, the group gathers around a fire and feasts on a deer Shane shot earlier. Rick praises Dale's camping equipment, before asking the others what they did before the outbreak. Each of the group tells their story, Rick and Shane also tell their stories too. Amy excuses herself and goes to the RV to use the bathroom. She is startled by a zombie, but fails to notice a zombified Reggie sneaking up behind her. The survivors watch in horror as Amy is bitten on the neck, before Rick and Shane gun down the undead assailants. Rick and Andrea try to save Amy, but to no avail, as she bleeds out moments later. Shane alerts Rick to the presence of more zombies, which begin to swarm into the camp. Rick instructs Lori to hide with the children inside one of the cars, while the rest of the group pull their guns out to fight off the invaders. Dale tries to get Andrea to safety, but the latter refuses to abandon her sister. Lori leads Donna, Allen, Carol, and the children to safety, but the group is cornered by some zombies. Lori attempts to shoot a zombie advancing towards her, but fumbles and drops her gun. Before she is killed, Carl picks the gun up and shoots the zombie in the head. Carol is nearly bitten as well, but is saved by Glenn. As the group continue to fight, Jim is grabbed by a zombie and tumbles with it to the ground. He furiously beats it with the but of his gun while yelling at it for killing his family, until he is stopped by Shane. Once the attack is over, Andrea shoots Amy in the head to prevent her from turning into a zombie. Lori apologizes to Rick for doubting him. As they embrace, she is alarmed when she notices Jim has been bitten on the forearm, but the latter dismisses it as "just a scratch".
The next day after the undead attack, the survivors hold a funeral for Amy. Shane says he loved Amy because she always had something to say. Donna also says how Amy and her may have not gotten along, but she loved her. She states how she loves everyone and that everyone loved Amy, especially. Jim has perhaps his biggest speech and says nobody deserves to die like this and that she should have lived her life and went to college. Rick and Dale also bring forth their sadness. While everybody leaves, Andrea is still crying over Amy's grave. Meanwhile Rick, Carl, and Shane go hunting and Carl tells Rick that they don't need as much food, because Amy is dead and Jim is too sick to eat. Shane yells at Rick saying it wasn't his fault. Rick tells him they should have left the camp when they had a chance. Shane still thinks the army is going to save them. Carl is seen crying and runs off. Rick goes after him. Meanwhile, Dale is trying to cheer Andrea up, and Donna tells everyone Jim's request. They bring him to Atlanta and leave him under a tree where he tells them to leave him, and that maybe he will meet his family once again. They say their goodbyes and then depart.
The following day they wake up and Shane tells Rick to get ready to go hunting. Rick tells him to give him a couple of minutes to wake up and I'll be ready to go. Carl asks if he can go with them, to which Rick apologizes to Carl, saying that not this time. Shane tells Rick why don't Carl come with them. Rick tells Shane that they need to talk. Shane asks what they need to talk about and Rick raises his voice at him saying "What the hell do you think?". Shane is furious and punches Rick in the face, yelling at him that it wasn't his fault. Lori seeing this calls him a son of a bitch and slaps Shane in the face. Lori goes to Rick and tells Shane to stay away you fucking lunatic and what's wrong with you. Shane tries to say something, but seeing everyone looking at him in horror, he starts to cry. Shane runs into the woods and Rick sighs and tells Shane to wait and runs after him and Carl follows his father in turn.
Rick catches up with Shane in the woods and yells at him to stop. Shane turns to face Rick with his gun raised at Rick, screaming at him what he wants from him, to rip the heart out of my chest. Rick is shocked and does not understand what Shane is talking about and asks him to be careful with the gun. Shane says go ahead and rip it out, he doesn't need it anymore and take it. Rick asks him to put the gun down but Shane says that Rick did this to him and that he has nothing now. No friends, no family, no respect, no life in this damn world, he has nothing here. Shane thought that he could hold out and wait until they were all rescued and everything would be okay. Rick tries to calm him down by saying that we still are, Shane everything's going to be fine. But Shane says he can't live like this anymore, he thought he could, but he can't. He mutters that he thought, he could and he did, everything was going so good and that she would have come around eventually, that he knows it, she would have. Rick is confused, and Shane says that everything was perfect until Rick came back. Shane loses his mind and points a gun at Rick. Rick tells him to stop this, but Shane says no and this is the only way, this is what has to happen, you weren't meant to come back, you weren't meant to live. Rick begs him not to do this, Shane is about to shoot him when Carl shoots Shane in the neck. Shane dies, choking on his own blood.
Miles Behind Us[]
A flashback is shown with Lori, waiting outside the city where her parents are located. She is confronted by Shane, and she confides in him about how horrible she feels leaving Rick in the city. After a short conversation, Lori and Shane kiss, and Lori adds that she "needs him." The two of them end up having sex.
In the present, the group buries Shane outside of the camp, leaving Shane's Police hat on his cross. Enraged over his actions, Lori spits on Shane's grave and Rick grieves Shane's descent into insanity and the loss of his best friend, telling Allen that if the current world could change a man like Shane so drastically, then "we're in deeper shit than we thought."
Safety Behind Bars[]
After learning that everyone is infected, Rick returns to the Atlanta Camp Site. He grabs a shovel. Rick goes to Shane's grave and digs him up. When a reanimated Shane sits up, Rick tells him that his suspicions about the virus have now been confirmed. Rick tells Shane that he was a good man and wonders, if the situations were reversed, if Shane would come back to put him down or leave him to rot underground, still "alive or whatever". Rick says that he has to put things right before shooting Shane in the head. He tells the now dead Shane he has to get back and informs him that he won't be burying him again.
The Calm Before[]
Shane shows up for the last time begins with a flashback when the dead began to rise. Lori and Shane are having sex on the grass at the side of a road. After they're done, Shane checks in on Carl. He informs Lori that he is fine and she thanks him. They begin talking about Rick's situation, and Shane says that everything will be fine. He says that when he wakes up, he'll go home and so will they. Shane asks her if they are going to tell to him about them. Lori starts to answer that she doesn't know.
Death[]
- Killed By
- Carl Grimes (Alive)
Shane loses his mind after coming to the conclusion that all the troubles began with Rick's return. Shane then points his gun at Rick, and is about to shoot him when Carl shoots Shane in the neck. Shane dies, choking on his own blood.
- Rick Grimes (Zombified)
After the group discovers that everyone who dies will turn, regardless of the manner of death, Rick travels back to the Atlanta and digs up a now zombified Shane.
Rick tells Shane that he was a good man and wonders, if the situations were reversed, if Shane would come back to put him down or leave him to rot underground, still "alive or whatever". Rick says that he has to put things right before shooting Shane in the head and putting him down.
Killed Victims[]
This list shows the victims Shane has killed:
Relationships[]
For a more in-depth look at Shane's relationships, read here; Shane Walsh (Comic Series)/Relationships
Allies[] |
Enemies[]
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Appearances[]
Comic SeriesVolume 1: Days Gone ByeVolume 2: Miles Behind Us
Volume 3: Safety Behind Bars
Volume 7: The Calm Before
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| Issues | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book One | ✔ | 👁 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||||||
| Book Two | ✔ | ||||||||||||
| Book Three | |||||||||||||
| Book Four | ✔ | ||||||||||||
| Book Five | |||||||||||||
| Book Six | |||||||||||||
| Book Seven | |||||||||||||
| Book Eight | |||||||||||||
| Book Nine | |||||||||||||
| Book Ten | |||||||||||||
| Book Eleven | |||||||||||||
| Book Twelve | |||||||||||||
| Book Thirteen | |||||||||||||
| Book Fourteen | |||||||||||||
| Book Fifteen | |||||||||||||
| Book Sixteen |
| ✔ | Appears | ✔ | Voice is heard |
| 👁 | Appears with no lines | ✔ | Appears in a flashback |
| ✔ | Appears as a walker | 🖼 | Appears in a photograph/video |
| ✔ | Appears as a corpse | ✔ | Appears in a hallucination/dream |
Gallery[]
- For more images of Shane, please visit Shane Walsh (Comic Series)/Gallery.
Trivia[]
- It is revealed that Shane is 25 years old in the script book.
- Shane's last name was revealed in the artwork gallery of The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series.
- Shane, Rick, and Reggie are concurrently the first characters in the Comic Series to be introduced.
- Shane also speaks the first line of dialogue in the Comic Series.
- Shane is the first person seen in the Comic Series to attempt to kill another survivor.
- Shane is the first antagonistic survivor of the post-apocalyptic world.
- Shane is the first living character to be killed by another living character.
- Shane is the first character who was introduced as ally but later becomes an antagonist.
- Shane is the first primary antagonist of the Comic Series.
- Robert Kirkman has said that early on, he was willing to kill Rick in Issue 6, instead of Shane and show how it would affect Carl, having a dead father with Shane being with Lori, etc.
- In the Deluxe version of this issue, Kirkman elaborates that Carl was supposed to witness Shane murdering Rick, without Shane knowing about it. Carl would be too scared to tell Lori, out of fear that Shane would murder her, too. The focus of the book would shift to Carl, while Shane was to act as the first major antagonist of the comic, being someone who is a part of the group but still an enemy.
- Shane and Glenn are the only survivors of the Atlanta survivor camp whose relatives are unknown.
- Shane's killers are the opposite of the TV series: in the TV show, Rick killed him as a human and Carl killed him as a zombie, but in the comic, Carl killed him as a human and Rick killed him as a zombie.
- In both the TV series and the comics, Shane turning confirms for Rick that everyone is infected and will turn no matter what after having previously learned of the possibility in another manner.
- In the comics, Rick learns of the possibility after witnessing Julie and Chris turn after being shot and strangled respectively.
- In the TV Series, Rick learns of it from Dr. Edwin Jenner, but he later admits that he didn't really believe it until Shane turned in front of him due to how insane Jenner had become.
- Robert Kirkman has hinted at a potential prequel graphic novel centered on Shane in the early days of the apocalypse before being reunited with Rick. The graphic novel would be titled "The Walking Dead Volume 0" and would focus on Shane protecting Lori and Carl during the initial outbreak and the trio's journey to the Atlanta Camp. While Kirkman has shelved the project for now, he might, in his own words, "do that someday".[3][4]