Robert Kirkman is an American comic book writer best known for his work on The Walking Dead, Invincible for Image Comics, as well as Ultimate X-Men and Marvel Zombies for Marvel Comics. He has also collaborated with Image Comics co-founder Todd McFarlane on the series Haunt. He is one of the five partners of Image Comics, and the only one of the five who was not one of the original co-founders of that publisher.
Robert Kirkman's first comic books were self-published under his own Funk-o-Tron label. Along with childhood friend Tony Moore, Kirkman created Battle Pope which was published in late 2001. Battle Pope ran for over 2 years along with other Funk-o-Tron published books such as InkPunks and Double Take.
In July of 2002, Robert's first work for another company began, with a 4-part SuperPatriot series for Image, along with Battle Pope backup story artist Cory Walker. Robert's creator-owned projects followed shortly thereafter, including Tech Jacket, Invincible and Walking Dead.
After the intense cliffhanger from Issue #26, I had high hopes and a feeling of unease as I opened the pages of The Walking Dead #27. This issue marks a turning point in the series, as we venture closer to the introduction of one of the most notorious antagonists in the series—The Governor. With Rick, Michonne, and Glenn on the move, I was eager to see how the group’s discovery of the helicopter crash would lead them into this mysterious new world. The anticipation of what lay ahead kept me on edge.
The issue begins with Glenn, Rick, and Michonne scoping out the site of the helicopter crash. Glenn, ever observant, tries to analyze the number of people that may have been at the crash site. However, in the midst of his calculations, he’s inadvertently left behind by Rick and Michonne, prompting a quick chase to catch up with them. There’s a mix of tension and humor as Glenn sarcastically calls out his friends for almost leaving him stranded. Rick, ever the pragmatic leader, apologizes but quickly explains their distraction—an eagerness to find potential survivors and supplies.
Back at the prison, the dynamic shifts to a much more unsettling scene. Carol approaches Lori with an unexpected and bizarre proposal—she asks Lori if she and Rick would like to marry her. It’s a surreal moment, and Lori is understandably stunned. Carol’s reasoning is steeped in the post-apocalyptic breakdown of societal norms; she argues that the old rules don’t apply anymore and that they could be happy together as a family unit. But Lori, although empathetic, rejects the idea. Lori gently but firmly points out that despite the bond Carol thinks they share, it’s not built on love, and Carol’s proposal seems driven by her own emotional fragility following her breakup with Tyreese. This scene delves deep into Carol’s mental state and emphasizes how broken she has become, clinging desperately to the hope of a new kind of family. Lori’s calm handling of the situation highlights her understanding of the emotional turmoil everyone is enduring, but it also signals that Carol may be starting to spiral into a darker place. The tension between them grows as Lori brings up Sophia, questioning if Carol even thinks about her daughter anymore. The scene ends on a cold note as Carol, visibly insulted, takes Sophia and leaves. It’s a complex, emotionally charged interaction that adds layers to both characters, particularly in how the apocalypse has changed their perspectives on relationships.
Meanwhile, Tyreese and Axel are stationed outside, guarding the fences. They share a quiet conversation, highlighting the exhaustion and tension of their long wait for Rick and the others to return. Tyreese’s calm demeanor contrasts Axel’s slight anxiety as they try to stay alert, positioned just far enough from the gate to avoid drawing more roamers toward it. This exchange shows how their world has changed even in terms of simple daily routines—waiting and watching have become a matter of survival.
Glenn, Rick, and Michonne’s journey takes an intriguing turn when they stumble upon tire tracks, leading them to speculate about the survivors of the helicopter crash. Their decision to follow the tracks, despite the looming darkness and potential danger, feels like a foreshadowing of something bigger. The mile marker sign indicating they are only one mile away from Woodbury heightens the tension as they make their way toward what seems like another community of survivors. Rick’s curiosity about Woodbury is palpable, and there’s an air of foreboding as they approach this unknown territory.
Back at the prison, Lori’s conversation with Carl is both heartwarming and poignant. Carl, despite his young age, tries to reassure his mother that Rick will be fine, noting that he always comes back. His innocence and growing maturity are shown in the way he speaks about his father, but Lori’s nervousness is too deep to be calmed. It’s a tender moment that contrasts the growing tension outside the prison walls.
As night falls, Tyreese and Axel continue their vigil, discussing how strange it is that they’ve found solace in a prison surrounded by fences and bars. Axel’s comment that he prefers this new world to the old is particularly striking, revealing how differently people have adapted to the apocalypse. This small moment of reflection adds depth to Axel’s character and highlights the psychological effects of their situation.
Maggie’s scene with her father, Hershel, is brief but emotionally impactful. With Glenn still out on the road, she seeks comfort in sleeping next to her father, unable to bear the loneliness of their shared room. This vulnerability shows Maggie’s deep attachment to Glenn and the fear that lingers in every survivor’s mind—will their loved ones return from the dangerous world outside the prison walls?
The trio’s approach to Woodbury is unnervingly quiet at first, with Glenn noticing the absence of roamers. Michonne, with her heightened senses, quickly corrects him, explaining that they’re being followed by a group of undead. It’s a haunting reminder that danger is always lurking just beyond their peripheral vision, and the tension builds as they push forward, knowing they can’t afford to stop.
Once they reach Woodbury, the moment of suspense is shattered by blinding lights and gunshots, killing the zombies that were following them. A man named Wes Strunk drags Rick, Glenn, and Michonne inside, confiscating their weapons as a precaution. This immediate disarming sets the tone for what’s to come, as they are introduced to Martínez, who welcomes them to Woodbury and mentions that they’re simply being cautious due to the “crazies” they’ve encountered before. There’s a sense of false security in Martínez’s hospitality, as he leads the group to meet their leader—the Governor.
The introduction of the Governor is brilliantly executed. He appears as a charismatic, almost jovial leader, offering Rick and the others a tour of the town. His initial politeness feels like a façade, and as they walk through the town, Rick’s unease grows. The Governor’s pride in his title and his explanation of Woodbury’s history paint him as a capable and pragmatic leader, but there’s an undercurrent of menace in his words. The revelation of the makeshift arena, where survivors fight each other while surrounded by chained-up zombies, is disturbing. The Governor’s casual explanation that it’s a form of entertainment for the restless town folk is chilling, and Rick’s discomfort is palpable. The Governor’s nonchalant attitude toward feeding zombies “strangers” is the final shock, leaving readers horrified as the issue ends on this dark note.
This issue is packed with tension, character development, and foreboding. Carol’s proposal to Lori was a strange and unsettling moment, revealing just how deeply affected she is by her trauma. Lori’s calm but firm rejection of the idea shows her strength and her commitment to keeping her family grounded in reality, even in a world where the old rules no longer apply.
Rick’s decision to follow the tracks to Woodbury felt like a dangerous gamble, but it highlights his growing desperation to find resources and allies in this increasingly hostile world. The scenes at the prison, with everyone worrying about their absent group members, reinforce the idea that this group has become more than just survivors—they’re a family, bound by shared trauma and experiences.
The introduction of the Governor was masterfully done. His initial charm and hospitality quickly gave way to a sense of dread, especially with the revelation of the gladiator-style fights and his use of zombies for entertainment. The final line about feeding strangers to the biters was a horrifying twist, leaving me eager (and a bit terrified) to see what’s next.
This issue sets the stage for the dark and brutal storylines to come, and it’s clear that Woodbury is far from the safe haven it appears to be. The Governor’s reign is just beginning, and I can’t wait to see how Rick and the others navigate this dangerous new territory.
Being a huge fan of the show, I wanted to see how the original writing started and how the show writers followed and deviated from the comics. My dislikes were that the comics are much more crude, crass, and unnecessarily violent. I did like the change in relationships and how people worked together differently, and the comics have a different creepiness feel than you get watching it on TV. Overall, I prefer the show, and probably will not finish out the comic book series.
Rick Grimes is a strong-willed deputy who missed the end of the world because he was in a coma for a month after getting shot in the line of duty. Shaken, starving and confused, Rick escapes the horror of the abandoned hospital only to be met with something far more terrible. Not only has the world ended, but the dead have learned to walk and to kill without mercy. After learning that his wife and son have fled to Atlanta from a single survivor and his son, Rick goes on a journey to reunite with his family and search for more survivors.
Rick quickly has to come to terms with the fact that the world has ended and only a select few survived. The dead have risen from their graves and they prey on the living. In a world where every minute feels like hours, where there's no such thing as law and order, where finding a small meal is a tremendous task, the walking dead are quite possibly the least threatening thing for the survivors to have on their breaking minds. Humanity is pushed to the brink of destruction, forcing them to embrace their cruel and primal nature in order to survive. Sometimes you have to be more concerned about who you let into your community so they don't kill you in your sleep and steal everything you once cared about. Rick has no choice but to abandon the ways of law and order that he's upheld as an officer for so long in order to protect the few loved ones he has left. He has to become a monster to protect his crew or risk being devoured by those who became more monstrous than him and even the walking dead.
Despite zombies running the world and having the series named after them, what really sets this series apart from the average zombie apocalypse tale is the focus on realism and the daily struggles, flaws and depth of the characters. There's plenty of badass zombie killing action, but the action often takes a back seat to give the characters plenty of times to share their extremely tragic yet endearing stories, grow through mutual suffering and learn to adapt to a world that has left them to die. Even after the world has ended, many people still can't see eye to eye. They turn on each other and kill each other when they should come together. Others form alliances in spite of their differences and try to rebuild over the corpse of everything that was lost. The daily human drama and conflict is more intense than any monster apocalypse could hope to be.
We watch Rick struggle to balance his old moral code with the many necessary evils he has to commit in order to survive and make the world a better place for the ones he holds close. We watch people like Glen, Dale and Maggie attempt to find love in spite of having every reason to be filled with fear, hate and self-loathing. Characters like Michonne have to learn how to forgive themselves and convince themselves they deserve to be loved despite all the blood on their hands. We watch the weak like Carl and Andrea become strong and sometimes the strong become evil like The Governor. Even monsters like the wicked yet oddly lovable Negan are given the chance to find new ways of redeeming themselves by struggling alongside the other survivors that have all been changed by the horrors of the fallen world.
The pacing is extremely slow and I can understand why that may be a turnoff for a lot of people, but I eventually learned to enjoy watching the characters grow, overcome their trauma, find meaning in life and learn to love again. The characters are forced to do many terrible things to survive and it haunts them every waking moment. The ways they overcome these regrets is very realistic, human and hopeful. The slow pacing really gives the feeling that we're living beside these people. The way every tiny detail of their lives and who they are is explored makes them feel very real and believable.
When I first started reading the series, I wasn't expecting it to have such an uplifting ending. It seemed so bleak and nihilistic for a long time and things would go horribly wrong even when they seemed to be going so well, but the finale channels all the pain, suffering and betrayal of the previous volumes and tops it off with a very touching and inspiring finish. This was never a story about hopelessness. It's about learning to appreciate the little things, learning to forgive yourself and learning to move on even when it's hard. When everything seems lost there's always more to be found, even when we believe otherwise because we convince ourselves that we don't deserve to be happy ever again. Instead of dwelling on what was lost, strive to try and make things better than they were before.
I've never been a huge fan of zombie apocalypse stories, but The Walking Dead had enough heart and strong social commentary to make me stick by the characters until the end and I enjoyed every moment of their long trial.
Uh oooooooh, they found Woodbury & The Governor. You know it's going to get a whole lot of juiciness now. But before that, Tyreese and Axel are waiting for Glenn & Co. to return, not knowing where they've got to, they'll probably have a super long wait by the looks of things. Lori, rightful so, let's rip into Carol at how ridiculous her proposition is, plus she's super stressed about Rick not being home yet. But back to Glenn, Rick and Michonne. They find a charming gentleman by the name of The Governor, but the second they enter the encampment they basically fudged up. It's fight night, two people enter an arena with docile zombies around them for entertainment. How are they docile? They feed them strangers. Who be the stranger tonight? Michonne, Rick & Glenn. Oh boy. x
The search team don't find anyone at the crash site, yet they find a lot of footprints. This leads them to Woodbury. Carol wants to marry Rick and Lori and lets her know the old rules of society no longer apply. This was a bit strange for me, and really didn't connect with this issue, but still hard to put down.
The whole proposal thing was weird, I'm glad that was nipped in the butt quickly. Rick should know by now not to be so eager to meet up with new people, so what happens to him is all on him at this point. Michonne being a walking zombie detection device is a thing, I guess.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
The Walking Dead Issue#27 Volume#05 Robert Kirkman
The town of Woodbury They are arrested and their weapons are confiscated Welcomes to Woodbury, the "last little town on Earth" And we meet The Governor And the fighting Pit
Rick, Glenn and Michonne finally found more survivors, but they will not be very friendly and things will get a little bit messy.
The Best. The Governor and Woodbury get introduced. You can tell that Rick is amazed and surprised to find another organized vast group of survivors. And who can't be impressed by it. They have walls that are manned by armed guards. Tyreese and Axel seem to be coming to an understanding with each other about the new world order of things. Axel sees the situation as much better than it was before. Carl is being more stable than anyone else as time goes by, finally understanding that as much as he worried before Rick came back and every time since, he has always came back fine, so there is no need to worry now the way his mother is doing.
The Worst. The Governor giving them a tour of Woodbury and he takes them to a stadium where walker fights have been set up. While explaining what that means, he also explains that he has been feeding them strangers to keep them calm between fights. Rick, Glenn and Michonne realizing that they are strangers to this group find themselves in a very bad situation rather quickly. I can only imagine how much grief Lori is going to give Rick if and when he makes it back to the prison.
The Differences. Rick, Glenn and Michonne don't stumble into Woodbury. Andrea and Michonne are "found" (captured) and brought there. Michonne leaves, making her way to where she finds Glenn and Maggie. After over hearing a conversation between Glenn and Merle, Merle having been trying to go after Michonne, Michonne finds the location of the prison. After watching Merle take Glenn and Maggie hostage, Michonne makes her way to the prison which is where we first see her with Rick's group. Rick and Michonne go after Glenn and Maggie which is the start of where Rick is introduced to Woodbury.
Those Remembered. Walkers.
Recommend. To the fans of The Walking Dead Universe, zombies, horror dramas, prisons and apocalypse style stories.
I really think it was stupid of Rick, Michonne and Glenn to keep trying to find the people from the helicopter crash, once realizing the people were not in the helicopter.
I can not believe that I am gonna type this, but I agree with Lori on this. Carol does not know anything about Lori or Rick and their lives before the dead started walking.
As I said just now, I agree with what Lori is saying. However, she took it too far when she made it sound like Carol did not think or care about Sophia.
I have to admit, I am really liking how well Axel and the group are getting along and I hope it stays that way. So far, it seems like Axel is the only one of the prisoners that Rick and the group can trust.
Rick, Michonne and Glenn are stupid to just approach a place and what could be a huge group of people that they do not know. They have no idea what they are getting into and these people could kill them.
Rick, Michonne and Glenn have only JUST met a few people from Woodbury and I already can tell these people are creeps and that Rick and his group need to kill them.
The Governor is crazy and stupid as shit, putting zombies into a ring with people for entertainment. I do not understand why he would risk killing people, when he might need them later to help defend the place.
Oh shit, when the Governor said, "Well stranger, we're feeding them strangers.." I would have been freaking the fuck out and trying to get the hell out of there.
So, I almost gave this issue five stars for how interesting it was ... then we got to the Governor. I knew about him from reading the Free Comic Book Day issue. Michonne starts explaining to him how they came to be there, and he totally brushes her off with some misogynistic bullshit. Sure, it might be true to his character (which we do not fully know yet), but there has been so much of it up to this point, I can't readily dismiss it as part of the character. This is starting to feel like it is part of Kirkman's mentality. Me no likey.
In any case, they have found (practically) a whole town that is being protected by a group of survivors lead by this "governor." He seems to be running the place like a Roman emperor. He's about to throw Rick, Glenn, and Michonne into the "gladiator ring" to fight each other and some zombies. Either he's joking or the next issue is going to be REALLY "fun."
Back at the prison, Lori has sorta dealt with Carol. I understand why Lori isn't for this dual relationship idea Carol has ... but it would have been interesting to see something like that develop. Actually, I am surprised the story ISN'T going in that direction.
The walking dead comic is different from the TV series so I'm eager to know what will happen next. Specially the people who die and turn? It's different. Sophia is still alive in the comic but in the TV series she was lost in the woods trying to get away from the walkers and she of cause was turned into a walker and was locked up in Hershel's barn. And this is not how they found Woodbury in the series. So much more differences. I hardly can wait to know if Carl's gonna kill Lori as it was in the series, his own mother after she gave birth to her baby. I kinda enjoy reading the comic more than the series though.... =)
حقا لا أصدق ما أراه بعينى من وصول الرسوم الكاريكاترية إلى هذا المستوى كم هى رائعة بما تحتوى من تفاصيل مذهلة تشعرك وكأنك داخل المشهد بالإضافة أنه يروق لى أسلوب الحوار بين الأشخاص بشدة
قصة ذلك العمل تدور حول انتشار أحد الأوبئة التى جعلت البشر أشبه بالزومبى من آكلى لحوم البشر ويستعرض محاولات بعض الناجين البقاء على ظهر الأرض فى ظل عدم وجود أدنى أمل فى استمرار الحياة بقيادة الشرطى ريك
بالاستمرار فى القراءة أشعر بروعة متابعة الأحداث ، فالقصة مشوقة حقا لا عجب حين تكون الصورة الأصل مبهرة هكذا ، فتكون النسخة -العمل التليفزيونى- أكثر من رائع
El cómic número 27 de The Walking Dead es fantástico. Los supervivientes deciden investigar cuando de repente se encuentran con una urbanización, ese lugar, les parece algo extraño ¿peleas de zombies, gente armada, pero que es esto? No puedo hablar más ya que ya he echo algunos spoilers pero el final es FANTÁSTICO te dija con una intriga y con unas ganas de matar al tío ese...Ojalá pudieras atravesar las páginas y matar a personajes.
Michonne, Rick and Glenn head into Woodbury.. straight into the path of The Govenor. Calm before the storm.
Pretty cool setup seeing Woodbury though it feels reminiscent of George Romero's Land of The Dead (even though Kirkman mentions it wasn't inspired in any way).