Not really posted in this thread alot, but just wanted to weigh in with my experience, for what it's worth.
When the show first started & didn't have amc, so I figured I'd wait for the DVDs & start reading the comic to prepare myself. I've gotta tell you, I was NOT a fan of the comic. So much so that It was half way through the second season before I ever even gave it a chance, but when I did, I preferred the show by leaps & bounds. After reading others reactions on here & thinking about it, there are two ways that I approach the show that helps.
First, they are completely different animals in my book. IMO that's the ONLY way to really enjoy the show for what it is. The comic is these characters in that world & the show is the same folks in this world. Different experiences in different worlds will fundamentally change the character. For example, I don't know if Maggie is in the comics, but, in that world, had the Governor had raped her, I would expect the Maggie in the comics to be different in the show. When we talk about Mischonne, just because we know the backstory there, we can't make assumptions on how the show's version of her developed.
I could see alot of outrage if amc had just bought the rights & went their own way & betrayed what Kirkman had intended, but from what I've seen & read, he's very involved in story development. He, as the creator, is just telling a different version of the same survival story. I think we as fans tend to lose sight of the fact that art, in its purest form, is the outlet in which an artist expresses themselves. Then we take ownership of the art & feel that we have the right to dictate our expectations of how we want to be entertained. As I've said before, whenever a creator ends their vision as they see fit,(LOST, The Matrix, Fringe, Star Wars) fans feel betrayed or that it 'sucks', because it wasn't what they wanted. That's what I see over & over & I just don't look at this show that way.
Second, The title of the show is about the survivors, not the walkers themselves. I know we all want to see the best 'zombie kill of the week', & we sometimes get that particular itch scratched, but ultimately, the show is about the living & that's why I keep tuning in. I personally would question the collective intelligence of any group of survivors who were putting them selves in a position to fight off hordes of walkers week after week.
When the show first started & didn't have amc, so I figured I'd wait for the DVDs & start reading the comic to prepare myself. I've gotta tell you, I was NOT a fan of the comic. So much so that It was half way through the second season before I ever even gave it a chance, but when I did, I preferred the show by leaps & bounds. After reading others reactions on here & thinking about it, there are two ways that I approach the show that helps.
First, they are completely different animals in my book. IMO that's the ONLY way to really enjoy the show for what it is. The comic is these characters in that world & the show is the same folks in this world. Different experiences in different worlds will fundamentally change the character. For example, I don't know if Maggie is in the comics, but, in that world, had the Governor had raped her, I would expect the Maggie in the comics to be different in the show. When we talk about Mischonne, just because we know the backstory there, we can't make assumptions on how the show's version of her developed.
I could see alot of outrage if amc had just bought the rights & went their own way & betrayed what Kirkman had intended, but from what I've seen & read, he's very involved in story development. He, as the creator, is just telling a different version of the same survival story. I think we as fans tend to lose sight of the fact that art, in its purest form, is the outlet in which an artist expresses themselves. Then we take ownership of the art & feel that we have the right to dictate our expectations of how we want to be entertained. As I've said before, whenever a creator ends their vision as they see fit,(LOST, The Matrix, Fringe, Star Wars) fans feel betrayed or that it 'sucks', because it wasn't what they wanted. That's what I see over & over & I just don't look at this show that way.
Second, The title of the show is about the survivors, not the walkers themselves. I know we all want to see the best 'zombie kill of the week', & we sometimes get that particular itch scratched, but ultimately, the show is about the living & that's why I keep tuning in. I personally would question the collective intelligence of any group of survivors who were putting them selves in a position to fight off hordes of walkers week after week.