The Walking Dead Fans Are Grateful This Aspect Of The Comics Isn't Televised
AMC's "The Walking Dead" has enjoyed a comfortable spot in the pop culture mainstream for some time now, which it didn't take long to earn after its October 2010 debut. Fans of drama and zombie media alike flocked to it early on, swiftly turning it into one of AMC's top programs throughout the 2010s. While it's not exactly at its peak as it moves into the third part of its 11th and final season, it's still a television phenomenon that has established an extended franchise around itself. At the same time, it wouldn't have become the juggernaut it is today without source material.
Given its status as a TV staple, it's easy to forget that "The Walking Dead" got its start in a comic book format. Created by Robert Kirkman, illustrated by Tony Moore and later Charlie Adlard, and published through Image Comics, "The Walking Dead" print series ran from 2003 to 2019, encompassing 193 issues. During that run, it became quite popular — likely thanks in part to the fanbase behind the show — and told some compelling stories that AMC was eager to adapt. Although, there are more than a few elements that the "TWD" show either glossed over or avoided entirely.
Some would be quick to call out AMC's "The Walking Dead" for taking liberties with its take on Kirkman's work, but in this regard, most are rather thankful that this hasn't made it into live-action.
Fans are glad the Walking Dead show isn't as graphic as the comics
Considering "The Walking Dead" is all about violence and death, the show has gotten pretty graphic over the years — with both the living and the undead. Still, in most cases, it has proven relatively tame compared to the "Walking Dead" comics, which, as pointed out by u/OhmyMary on Reddit took things to extremes every now and again. In their post, they attach photos of the panels where the vile Governor horrifically murders an infant Judith Grimes as well as her mother, Lori. They, along with several other Redditors, voiced their appreciation for the show's restraint from televising such displays of brutality.
Speaking specifically on the Judith example, not everyone was glad that the show didn't decide to follow in the footsteps of the comics. Unsurprisingly, one of the most vocal about the situation was Robert Kirkman himself, who revealed that he tried to bring about her TV death multiple times to no avail. "I have pitched the death of Judith so many times it's not even funny," he said at a 2018 New York Comic-Con panel (via ComicBook.com), but he's since come around on the program's use of her. Kirkman praised how the minds behind it have depicted the older Judith (played by Cailey Fleming) and admitted that he's happy with the deviation from his comics.
At the end of the day, AMC's "The Walking Dead" isn't for the faint of heart, with decapitations and blood splatter galore. However, let's all keep in mind and be thankful that it doesn't go nearly as far as the comics did.