The Twilight Zone: Walking Distance

Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone

by Mark Kneece, Rod Serling

Step off the beaten path as Martin Sloan takes the journey of a lifetime when his car breaks down within walking distance of his home town. Martin is shocked to find that he has somehow walked into his own past. Can he find a way to warn the boy he once was to seize the day and save his future happiness?

Genres: Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Horror, Fiction, Comics, Short Stories, Graphic Novels Comics

Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Mark Kneece has written stories for numerous comics, including Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight. He helped found the sequential art department at the Savannah College of Art and Design and teaches comics writing as a professor of sequential art. He lives in Savannah, Georgia.

Reviews

[Tina Haigler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time travelling is my favorite trope, and this book is essentially my favorite Twilight Zone episode in a graphic novel format. The art was well drawn, and the color palette felt true to the atmosphere of the original TV show. It was a short, yet enjoyable read that touched on all the important plot points. Now I need to rewatch the original and watch the new show--I love Jordan Peele's horror--and see if I can get ahold of the other volumes. Sadly my library only has the one. I recommend this to anyone who likes sci-fi. The Twilight Zone, strange tales, or time travel.

[Gary Butler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is less than 80 pages which is the cut off line for a book to be entered onto my all time book list. I do not really consider this to be a book at all. This is a only 72 pages, which gets it a written review instead of a video review. This is graphic novel based on an episode of Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone. The story is almost word for word the dialog of the episode of the same name from the shows first season. This version is not as compelling as the televised version as it does not have the additional help of a visual set and sound. The creepiness and surprise of the episode is lost in this graphic novel. The art work is not great, but not awful either. I suggest you pass this by and watch the original episode. 3 out of 5.

[Sassy Katt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite episodes!

[Dann · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Twilight Zone: Walking Distance adapts one of the show’s most acclaimed episodes into a full-length graphic novel. The story follows a 39-year old advertising vice president whose car breaks down, and while waiting for it to be repaired he accidentally travels back in time to his hometown where his longing for the past starts to overwhelm him. Unfortunately the time travel aspect has some problems translating and isn’t that impactful; as the ‘60s seem just as old-timey as the ‘40s compared to today. And while some of the extra scenes that have been added to Serling’s original script help to flesh out the plot, most of them only serve to make the main character crazier and more pathetic. The artwork is rather unimpressive as well, and seems more suited for a comic strip. Pretty mediocre and unimaginative, The Twilight Zone: Walking Distance lacks the craft and earnestness of the television episode and comes off as fairly generic.

[Taylor]

it was kind of weird but goodish

[Sara Zentner · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun 20 minute read. The author does a great job simplifying the narrative while keeping the essence of the story. Great idea for a graphic novel series.

[Aimeekay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved watching Twilight Zone reruns when I was a kid. I don't actually remember seeing this one on t.v. though. Which I think is a good thing because then I wasn't comparing it to the original.

The book itself has a nice intro before the story itself giving a bit of the background on the phenomena that was The Twilight Zone. I liked finding out the little extra details.

The story itself was definitely classic Twilight Zone. I kinda did expect some of the twists. (Maybe I did see this episode?), but not all of them. Since the story stayed true to the original episode there weren't any additions of cell phones or gps. But even without it being modernized I think the story over all is still as relevant today as it was when it first came out.

Honestly if I have any problems with the book at all, it is that it pretty much fell apart on me when I began reading it. (and I bought it new) So I really was agitated about that. But that itself doesn't relate to the review of the story, I know, I just wanted to vent to someone.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

This really kind of dragged on. I was surprised that for such a simple narrative, Mark Kneece felt he needed so many panels to tell the story. And as far as its target audience is concerned, I don't know a single teen that would be able to relate to the "enjoy your youth while you can" moral. Martin's father tells the adult Martin, "This is [young Martin's] summer... He can't hear advice about it, and he sure can't share it." Are teens really going to be able to get much more out of that than young Martin would have been able to? There are so many other good Twilight Zone episodes to choose from; I hope this unwise introduction to the comic series doesn't have too negative an effect on sales and interest, because I'm all for adapting the Twilight Zone to comics...
For a much better example of the potential of the series, check out The After Hours, also adapted by Kneece.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Graphic novel adaptations of Rod Sterling's Twilight Zone TV scripts. I enjoyed this quite a lot. I think the graphic novel catches the sense of the show very nicely. Large colorful panels make the book very appealing and enhance the feel of viewing a TV episode. Sure to generate a whole new interest in the shows.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barely made a 3-star - and only because I love Twilight Zone.

[Cheryl]

I just watched the episode on DVD and I gotta say, I couldn't get over him walking a mile and a half in the dusty heat in suit and tie and dress shoes, with no water, and knowing he'd have to return the same way. Then he gets there and does tons of walking, and running, never loosening that tie. Seriously? Were ppl that fit and tough six decades ago?

The ending had that nice little TT twist, just the one echo'd change. But I wonder if he'll now stop to smell the roses sometimes....

[Lilly Pink · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has to be the best one yet of the twilight zone series of graphic novels. It did not disappoint I actually agree with the guy when he wants to be back at his home town. But things change. This is why I recommend this particular novel or episode of the twilight zone is very interesting and is entertaining on the last like the rest of the series

[Donald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good story! It was interesting - I've never seen that episode! It's a decent one though, a man finds out whether you can, or can't, go home again, in that Twilight Zone kind of way! Decent read!

[The Inked Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Erikka · Rating 4 out of 5]

The truest one to the episode, by far. I have always enjoyed this episode and it's deeper meaning of chasing a childhood we can never get back.

[Suzann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A faithful adaptation, but the artwork leaves a lot to be desired.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was okay time travel for me is a bit basic for the twilight zone still fun read tho! Very fast

[Shed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Season 1. Episode 5. I loved this episode. Huhu.

[Rachel Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the Twilight Zone but I'm not the biggest fan of graphic novels, however I thought this book was okay.

[Brynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good. Having already watched this episode before, the graphic novel didn't have a great impact on me.

[Michael Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good adaptation of the episode with some good art and an easy enjoyable read.

[Stefan Grieve · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great message that I feel can resonate to all people who meet a certain level of maturity, although one part of the twist has been done alot (and even previously in the Graphic novel series) and the plot consequences to me, didn't make too much sense.

[Conan Tigard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Walking Distance is an episode I have seen a few times, but do not remember it well. While reading this story, the episode came back to me more and more as I flipped the pages and absorbed the details. By the end of the story, I fully remembered the episode and was very happy that I had read Walking Distance.

The adaptation from Mr. Serling's television script by Mark Kneece is terrific, and the illustrations by Dove McHargue are great. This is the type of story that really makes you wonder what you might do if you were able to go back in time and visit the younger version of yourself. What would you tell yourself? Would you tell him/her things that would change the future? Can you change the future by altering your past? A lot of these types of questions are answered in this story.

I love the fact that Walker Books is publishing wonderful stories like this in Graphic Novel format and bringing these stories to the younger generation. After all, I grew up watching The Twilight Zone on KTLA out of Los Angeles every weekend and absolutely loved the show. I have seen every episode, most of them multiple times.

Overall, Walking Distance is an excellent first story for the new The Twilight Zone Graphic Novel series. I look forward to more wonderful stories in the future. Hmmm . . . what will be next?

I rated this book a 9 out of 10.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by LadyJay for TeensReadToo.com

Courtesy of Teens Read Too, Aug 13 2008


"You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind....."

If you are familiar with those words, then you must be a fan of Rod Sterling's The Twilight Zone series. I must say that I have watched many re-runs of the show and was delighted to see Sterling's scripts become the basis of several graphic novels.

In WALKING DISTANCE, Martin Sloan lives a fast-paced life. Being VP of an ad agency has made him extremely wealthy, but happiness has not come with the package. After almost getting into a car accident, Martin realizes that he is very close to his hometown. Martin remembers a simpler, happier time -- and that's where the Twilight Zone takes over.

The illustrations in this novel are exceptionally drawn. Lines are very clear and the coloring is vibrant. Text bubbles are easy to read and follow, a plus since they can become problematic if there are too many of them.

This is an excellent addition to the world of graphic novels!

[Genevieve Goldstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book, there is a man and he went back in time, which he doesn't know of. His car broke down, but he needed to go to town. So he waked until he was there. The town looked familiar to him. Even the houses, it was where he grew up. He didn't remember until he saw a little boy playing marbles on the street. The little boy was afraid of the man. So he ran to his house, he dropped something. A pocket knife. The same one the man had. Then he thought, the boy must be him. He ran for the boy to tell him things not to do. When he saw the parents, they knew it was his parents. They thought he was crazy. That night, he saw the little boy on the merry go rind he needed to talk to him. When he was going to talk to him, the boy slipped off the edge of the inside part where it rotates. He hurt his leg, then the man started limping. The man walked back to the repair shop just in time because his car was fixed, he then left.

[Ruel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love all things Twilight Zone, so I probably overrated this by a star. It's a decent adaptation of the episode "Walking Distance," which tells a story of nostalgia and time travel. I wasn't the biggest fan of this story when I saw it the first time, but as the years go by, it resonates with me more and more.

The graphic novel format is a favorite of mine, but it doesn't totally work for a half-hour television show. What was interesting, though, was Rod Serling's opening and closing narration: it's perfect for the written word and there's no wondering why his work has endured for so long and is so highly respected.

While I can't totally recommend this (you're better off binging on Twilight Zone episodes on Netflix), if you can find it at your local dollar store like I did, then it's a good buy for a buck.

[Natalie Bethke · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the month of October, I read the book The Twilight Zone Walking Distance By Rod Sterling. I enjoyed the book, mostly because it is a graphic novel. The main setting in this book is a small town called Homewood. The main character in this story is Martin Sloan. The main conflict of this story is that a man is stressed as a business man in New York, so he decides to go back to visit his hometown. When his cars tire blows he stops at the closest auto stop, and he figures he can just walk the other mile and a half. He finally gets there, but he is in for a big surprise when he gets there. I would definitely recommend this book to people who are interested in Science-Fiction. I would recommend it to these people because this story is a Science-Fiction graphic novel.

[Lucy (The Countess of) Monte Cristo · Rating 2 out of 5]

My Rating: 2.5 stars

I did "enjoy"(and I use that term loosely) this book slightly more than the one I read before this,The Twilight Zone: The Midnight Sun. What I liked about this book was its message. I think we often wish we could go back in time and somehow fix our mistakes before they happen. The message I got from this book is, "Don't be regretful of your past, it's what made you who you are today." Within the first couple of pages, I already figured out what this story would be about. This is why I can't give it a higher rating.

[Nina Levine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overwhelmed by his hectic life finds himself walking down memory lane through a trick of space and time, a specialty of The Twilight Zone. While waiting for car repairs just a short walk from his hometown, Martin decides to see what the town looks like now. He is surprised to find that it seemingly hasn't changed at all. The ice cream soda is still $.10 for three scoops. But seeing his parents and his younger self are not all he might wish.

The feel and sounds of the Twilight Zone are preserved for a new generation in this graphic novel.

[Gayle Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Borrowed from the Dallas Public Library.
I love the Twilight Zone, especially the original series. This is a quick read and a nice version of the episode. Since it follows the original story exactly there is nothing new in it for TZ fans, but it might be a great introduction to the old show for young folks today who like to read graphic novels.