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The Walking Dead Graphic Novel/TV Comparison (TV and GN SPOILERS)


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Oh, so people must have been psyched when the *real* Tyrese showed up! (and a good actor, too)

What was the general reaction to adding the characters of Daryl and Merle? They've become fan favorites for the TV viewers; what was the response like from GN fans?

Hope it is OK to ask these questions; I am a newcomer to your club. :)

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Oh, so people must have been psyched when the *real* Tyrese showed up! (and a good actor, too)

What was the general reaction to adding the characters of Daryl and Merle? They've become fan favorites for the TV viewers; what was the response like from GN fans?

Hope it is OK to ask these questions; I am a newcomer to your club. :)

I've always liked Daryl but that's because cross/bows are always cool. Merle I thought was stupidly pushing everyone's buttons and being a racist douche in a diverse group of survivors was asking for trouble. I'm enjoying him more this series despite his stupid action figure arm.

I can't recall if smithers/milton was in the comics or not but he's being fairly fun.

I also like how some of the actors bring out a different version of the comic book version - the guy playing Herschel has clearly changed the arc for that character and for all the complaints about Michonne and Carol, people forget how much more awesome Maggie is in the show vs the comic.

I'm still hoping that T-Dogg will get to appear in the comics - hopefully with a prequel one-shot/series called "Georgia - Atlanta?" in which the long lasting question is finally answered. Although i fear this could ruin the character in much the same way as giving Wolverine all his memories back.

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I love the Dixon brothers.

I was disappointed with Andreas tv character. But thrilled with the changes with Carols character. Carol was creepy in the comics. I was glad they kept Shane as long as they did and with Sophia I was shocked that they killed her off.

I'm extremely bummed they've waited so long to evolve Michonne's character. Tyrese I still hold out hope for.

And finally, I love the tv Gov. The comic book version was pretty cartoonish and I mean, if you were to meet him in RL you'd immediately know he was a creep. Tv Gov, not so much. Tv Gov has charisma.

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I most surprised they kept Shane alive into the second season. From a tv perspective, I reckon it made sense and it still circled back nicely to Carl shooting him. Also, Lori's prison arc was pleasantly surprising, and also provided the hardening of Carl in a way different from the comic.

And I like most of the changes in characters except Andrea. She is Lori Jr on the annoying scale.

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TV Andrea is pretty awful.

Not sure what they are doing with Tyrese, but then he hasn't done much of anything in 7 episodes. I am glad that T-Dog was not intended as a replacement.

I understand why they didn't use the comic version of the Gov, but the TV version has been underwhelming. Not much charisma or menace. I am not familiar with the actor from anything else, so I wouldn't completely write him off, but he has not made an impression on me here.

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I read the GN as I waited for the second season. The biggest surprise for me was to learn we got rid of Shane sooner in the comics, and I wish things had gone like that on the show, though I understand why that didn't happen. The biggest disappointment was how they chose to waste Andrea's potential on the show, and how Dale simply became a whiny old man whose death we could barely regret (though he was right about everything, of course). The best surprises, in terms of characters and not plot, were TV!Hershel, and Daryl - they're just great.

And then there's the Governor... Tbh, I had serious doubts about David Morrissey. I had only watched him on that Doctor Who episode, and didn't like him much. Considering that, and how he looked like the opposite of Danny Trejo, I started watching season three ready to hate his Gov. Instead the guy managed to make me fall in love with the character. I hate him.

Seriously, though, I agree GN!Governor would have been ridiculous on TV, and I'm glad they opted for such a different approach. It's disturbing how Morrissey manages to make that character, who we know is a sadistic bastard, appear that charming. No wonder people who didn't read the GN hated Michonne, when there didn't seem to be any reason why she acted that way around this exceedingly charismatic character.

So the Dixon brothers are not loathed by readers as a just-for-TV creation comparable to, for example, Ros on Game of Thrones? :D

Well, unlike Ros they actually have a purpose on the show, weren't just created as an excuse to show naked women on sex scenes... :dunno:

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This latest episode, S3E14, put me over the edge on the Andrea idiocy issue and I had to rant on it. Here's a S3 recap emphasizing how I see Andrea's poor yet understandable choices in the S3 deteriorating in to a full on decent in to a wasteland of contrived, stupidly stupid stupidity awash in stupidness.

S3E1-Michonne's instincts saved Andrea's ass all winter, keeping them both alive. Andrea is all, "Yeah, Michonne!"

S3E3-Michonne's instincts tell her there's something "off" about Woodbury, but it's totally understandable Andrea wanting to believe her eyes and not Michonne's instincts. Andrea is all, "Chill, Michonne!"

S3E4-Michonne suspects foul play with the Natl. Guard soldiers and tells Andrea she has alarm bells going off like crazy about this place. Let's keep going for the coast. Andrea is hearing, but she ain't seeing or believing. After eight months living day to day she is desperate for normalcy. A poor choice yet understandable given the circumstances. Andrea is all, "Fuck off, Michonne!"

S3E5-Michonne reluctantly leaves Andrea behind where Andrea witnesses the toothless biter fights between Merle and Martinez. Andrea is immediately disgusted and chide's the Gov/ who offers up an excuse as using it as a morale booster. Andrea is all, "Michonne who?"

S3E6-A good night's sleep cures Andrea of her doubts about the Gov. and his zombie fights. Oh, and Milton is now her BFF in experimenting on zombies. WTF? She fools herself in to believing there was no way Michonne was right, and watching that racist scumbag Merle use the undead as entertainment is fun--foreshadowing the onslaught of stupid that is coming for her, but it's all stil arguably understandable decisions. Andrea is all, "Me so horny! derp"

S3E7-Experimenting on zombies w/ her new BFF Milton her feel useful even though she knows it's pointless. An arguably relatively understandable level of stupidity. Andrea is all, "Hold me daddy, Governor, Phillip."

S3E8-Andrea walks in on the whole Penny walker head aquarium room of crazy as the Governor weeps over his zombie daughter's remains. She sees Michonne was right all along but rather than thank her friend for coming back for her, she tells Michonne to fuck back off to wherever she came from and consoles the crazy one-eyed guy cradling a zombie. The Governor tries to Thunderdome the Dixon brothers. Andrea is all, "I know Robert Downey Jr. said you never go full retard, but I'm gonna do it anyway!"

And from here on out Andrea is eyes wide open on the Governor. She has zero excuses for her bad choices being "reasonable." They're just stupid.

And her stupidity somehow escalates in S3E14:

She jumped the fence out of Woodbury in to the zombie waste land with nothing more than a paring knife for protection. That's just fucking stupid. Way more stupid than even TV Andrea would've been. It was yet another "writer's moment" where a character behaves "out of character" in order to force a dramatic situation. That's contrived drama, something this show is usually good at avoiding.

Instead of Andrea taking the truck after she "biter bombs" the Gov., the writers again make Andrea out to be an idiot and she continues to run to the prison instead. Thus leaving the opportunity to have that predictably contrived scene where she almost gets Rick's attention. I will admit though, that was a nice character beat for Rick in that scene. That moment where he thinks he saw her then silently shakes it off and gets mad at himself for "seeing shit" again.

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Yes please. It's been a long time since I read that arc.

Killed by walkers while helping Rick's group escape Woodbury. He differs somewhat from the TV series in that he is shown to be unsympathetic to the Governor from the start. (less Smithers-esque)

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Instead of Andrea taking the truck after she "biter bombs" the Gov., the writers again make Andrea out to be an idiot and she continues to run to the prison instead. Thus leaving the opportunity to have that predictably contrived scene where she almost gets Rick's attention. I will admit though, that was a nice character beat for Rick in that scene. That moment where he thinks he saw her then silently shakes it off and gets mad at himself for "seeing shit" again.

Your whole post is one of those that makes me miss the "Like" button.

I agree with your assessment of Andrea, overall, and I think the worst thing about the episode you mention above is that, while it's somehow understandable that she wouldn't get the truck since the Governor probably had the keys, why didn't she at least use that knife on the tires?! Still, even with all her stupidity, I still have hopes she might survive this season and finally become her awesome self.

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Killed by walkers while helping Rick's group escape Woodbury. He differs somewhat from the TV series in that he is shown to be unsympathetic to the Governor from the start. (less Smithers-esque)

Assuming this is who you meant- http://walkingdead.w...Comic_Series) -I don't think that guy and Milton are the same, they didn't have much in common aside from their glasses. He was an actual doctor, Milton is not, and he wasn't researching zombie brain function, he just patched people up, and as you said, he did not much like the Gov. Apparently the female doctor from early in the season has the same name as the guy from the comic http://walkingdead.wikia.com/wiki/Dr._Stevens_%28TV_Series%29

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Anyone have any ideas on who torched the walkers? The show leads you to believe it was Milton but I have my doubts.

Just saw a part of talking dead where Laurie Holden (andrea) gives it away it was milton.

It was kinda obvious, wasn't it?

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I went back and reread the prison battle today (and that's as far as I am in the comic, so I have no idea what's coming). I'd like to think that Tyreese won't meet the same fate in the show, but since they haven't really done much to develop his character I have a really bad feeling.

And I agree with those upthread re: TVGov having a much more believable characterization. If they played the Gov as he's written in the books he'd be way too over the top batshit nutso to have anyone following him. Morrissey's subtlety brings a much more threatening aspect to the character.

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It was kinda obvious, wasn't it?

It was once the Gov asked milton but I was hoping for the intro of a new character from the GN as a reader...Oh well.

I went back and reread the prison battle today (and that's as far as I am in the comic, so I have no idea what's coming). I'd like to think that Tyreese won't meet the same fate in the show, but since they haven't really done much to develop his character I have a really bad feeling.

And I agree with those upthread re: TVGov having a much more believable characterization. If they played the Gov as he's written in the books he'd be way too over the top batshit nutso to have anyone following him. Morrissey's subtlety brings a much more threatening aspect to the character.

Cutty was one of my fav characters from "The Wire" the hands down best show ever. Dont argue. the walkind dead isn't in the same league. So I hope his character has more to give than a half season of nothing.

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<snip>

...I hope his character has more to give than a half season of nothing.

:agree: My hope is that Tyreese will survive and take his place as an important part of whatever is left of the prison group next season. Since they didn't bother to involve him much at all this season.

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:agree: My hope is that Tyreese will survive and take his place as an important part of whatever is left of the prison group next season. Since they didn't bother to involve him much at all this season.

we can only hope. It would be poor writing to see him leave the show after his small or non existant part..The GN kept me wanting more every single issue...The show does not make me feel the same. in fact I would jump for joy to see Negan bash in Glenn's skull about now. show has taken a less dark turn and it isnt the same.

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