The television series has blown me away so I picked up the first volume of the graphic novel. After reading the comic, I'm even more impressed with Frank Darabont.
The basic elements are here in Robert Kirkman and Tony's Moore comic. Rick has come out of coma only to find the place overrun with walking dead. Glenn saves him in the city and brings him to the camp. Rick's reunited with his family. Shane is jealous because he's in love with Rick's wife.
However, in the comic, Shane hasn't slept with Lori. That's a huge difference. I have to side with the comic's version on this issue. Rick's been in a coma for a month. In the show, Lori happily goes for a romp with Shane. Only a month has passed. And the end of the world is near. It doesn't seem plausible that Lori would get with Shane so quickly.
That's about the only thing though that works better in the comic. Darabont is able to bring so much more emotional heft to the material. The comic is a sketch. The series is a full-blown painting. Rich with many layers and levels.
This volume ends with Carl shooting Shane dead. Darabont changes this. Instead, he puts in a scene where Rick and Shane are hunting and Shane lines the unsuspecting Rick up in his sites. It's a powerful moment. You watch breathlessly to see if Shane will pull the trigger. He doesn't. And then Darabont raises the ante brilliantly by having Jim observe all this. And Shane turns and sees Jim and realizes Jim knows what he was going to do. The emotional conflict in this scene is just a small example of the complexities Darabont has added to the material.
Like Stephen King, Kirkman should get down on his knees and thank Darabont for elevating his material.
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