5 Things You Didn’t Know About ‘The Walking Dead’

It’s said to be the most popular show on television, and there doesn’t seem to be many people who don’t love it. However, despite its insanely huge fan base and the fact that you probably haven’t missed an episode, there still may be a few things you don’t know about The Walking Dead…

1. It Isn’t a Show About Zombies

At least not technically. Sure, dead people come back to life as ravenous monsters who crave human flesh, but that doesn’t make them zombies. In fact, the word hasn’t been mentioned once during the entirety of the show. Walkers, biters, floaters, lurkers, roamers and herd, yes. But zombies? Never. Go back and check if you don’t believe me!

2. Like the Rest of Us, They Really Love ‘Breaking Bad’

This one is a bit of a no brainer (see what I did there) considering that both The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad air on AMC. So far there have been two distinct references to everybody’s favourite drugcentric show (Sorry, Weeds). Firstly, during the first season Daryl was carrying a bag that contained some very distinctive blue meth. Secondly, Glen steals the same red Dodge Challenger that Walt bought Flynn in season X of Breaking Bad.

• Dale can be seen smoking Morley cigarettes. These are a fictional brand that were smoked by none other than the Cigarette Smoking Man in the X-Files.
• Speaking of Dale, in his RV you may be able to spot a sign that says “How about a nice cup of shut the hell up?” This is a shout out to an iconic quote from Dawn of the Dead – “The plan is you drink a nice tall glass of Shut The Fuck Up!”
• If you can stomach looking closely at The Governors fish tank of heads you may notice that Ben Gardner’s severed head from Jaws makes a cameo appearance.

3. Daryl Doesn’t Exist in the Comics

Daryl is arguably one of the most beloved characters on the show. Not only does he kick all kinds of ass, but he has an immense amount of soul and depth. Women want him, men want to be him and almost no one can resist those ‘come to bed’ eyes. That’s why I’m so grieved to tell you that he doesn’t exist in the comic books, and he never will.

Due to the wild popularity of the character on the show, comic creator Robert Kirkman has been asked repeatedly if Daryl will ever appear in the books. Although he did toy with the idea for awhile, he felt that his character was better suited to the realm of television. Apparently it also goes both ways and therefore some of the characters that you may know and love from the comic may never hit your screens.

4. ‘The Walking Dead’ #1 is Worth $10,000

Okay, so perhaps I should clarify somewhat. Mint condition, first edition copies of The Walking Dead #1 can be worth $10, 000. In fact, one copy sold on eBay for that much in 2012.

Usually, high priced comic books are reserved for important issues of classics series from Marvel and DC. Think Action Comics #1. However, The Walking Dead is finding itself being compared to these greats. So why is such a new comic (10 years does still make it new, comparatively speaking) worth so much? Well firstly there is the popularity of the show. Secondly, the initial print run of #1 was only 7,300, which makes first edition copies quite rare and of significant value to a collector. The series wasn’t expected to become as popular as it did, in fact, the first issue came dead last out of all of the new titles that were launched in the same month. How quickly things change.

5. Walkers Are Serious Business

No, really.  So much so that actors have to go to a special school, to learn how to walk and move like the undead. And if that wasn’t enough, the actors who play walkers are segregated from those playing humans during mealtimes. You gotta keep that rivalry going!