Rick Grimes is the
protagonist and a former police deputy. The story begins when he wakes up from his
comatose state in a hospital. Though he is initially separated from the two, Rick soon joins his wife
Lori and his son
Carl and their new group of survivors. Among the survivors are his former best friend Shane (who secretly has a sexual relationship with Rick's wife, Lori), firm clerk and college graduate
Andrea, her sister
Amy, a mechanic named Jim, a pizza delivery boy named
Glenn, car salesman
Dale, shoe salesman Allen and his wife, Donna, as well as their children, Ben and Billy. Lori and Carl form friendships with other survivors such as
Carol and
Sophia. After leaving the camp, Rick gains a right-hand man and forms a close friendship with
Tyreese, a man accompanied by his daughter and her boyfriend. They soon find a farm run by
Hershel Greene, after one of his hunters, Otis, accidentally shot Carl while hunting a deer. Among Hershel's seven children is
Maggie Greene, who forms a relationship with Glenn. As the group settle at a prison, they become conflicted with a group of surviving prisoners. Otis meets a katana-wielding survivor named
Michonne, who is brought into the group, but struggles to acclimate, facing her own demons. Michonne, Rick and Glenn are later held in captivity by
The Governor, a leader of a town called Woodbury who plan to take over the prison. Other Woodbury residents include Alice Warren, who changes sides to Rick's group and delivers Lori's baby,
Bob Stookey, an army medic responsible for saving The Governor's life and
Lilly, one of The Governor's soldiers. After the prison assault, the remaining survivors regroup at Hershel's farm, and meet
Abraham Ford,
Eugene Porter and
Rosita Espinosa. The group travel to
Washington DC where they are hunted by
Chris, encounter
Gabriel Stokes, a priest, and are then recruited by
Aaron and Eric to join the Alexandria Safe-Zone, a city run by congressman
Douglas Monroe. Among the residents are Heath and Dr. Denise Cloyd, who quickly become close allies to the core group, and eventually the conflicted Nicholas. Douglas's son, Spencer tries to form a relationship with Andrea. Rick falls in love with Jessie Anderson, an abused wife. Abraham forms a relationship with Holly, a member of the construction crew. A group of men, known as The Scavengers, tries to conquer Alexandria; the fight attracts a pack of walkers that invades the safe zone, which led to the death of many Alexandrians. After this, Rick and Andrea form a long-standing relationship. Later, the safe zone starts a trading network with the Hilltop Colony, with help from its scout
Paul "Jesus" Monroe. However, their safety is again threatened by the psychopathic
Negan and his group known as The Saviors, who reside in a factory. The Hilltop and Alexandria join with The Kingdom, which is run by
King Ezekiel, in a war against the Saviors. The war ends thanks to
Dwight, a savior who decided to betray Negan. After the war, newcomers such as
Magna and
Dante are introduced into the series. Oceanside, another community out at sea, is established, as well as safety perimeters across the DC area, which are violated by the presence of the Whisperers, a tribe of people disguised as the dead who have rejected the notion of re-establishing civilization. The leader,
Alpha, antagonizes Rick as her daughter,
Lydia, forms a romantic relationship with Carl. When Alpha's second in command,
Beta, takes leadership of the group, he declares war against the communities.
The undead/reanimated Rick's group classifies the undead as either walkers, roamers or lurkers, the former being more likely to venture toward a loud noise in search of human prey. Other names have been used by characters in the series, including biters and stinkers. The undead follow and mimic each other, which can result in enormous hordes travelling together, "walking nonstop, following a sound they've all forgotten," as Abraham puts it. When asked about the origins of zombies, Kirkman claimed that there was an answer but that it was unimportant to the story-line. At the same time, it was reported that when Kirkman pitched the series he had claimed that the virus was an alien
biological attack in preparation of a
full-scale invasion but that he had no intention of following this idea. == Reception ==