About The Walking Dead
Published by Image Comics, The Walking Dead is a post-apocalyptic zombie survival comic book series that ran for 193 issues. It was originally presented in black and white and has since been released in colour under the name “The Walking Dead Deluxe.” It was written by Robert Kirkman and illustrated by Tony Moore (first 6 issues) and Charlie Adlard (remaining 187 issues), and lettered by Russ Wooton. Whereas, Dave McCaig colored The Walking Dead Deluxe issues.
The Walking Dead focuses on main character Rick Grimes who wakes up in hospital (after an accident) to find the world he knew is in the middle of a zombie outbreak. He quickly reunites with his wife and son and their group of survivors. Together again, he attempts to lead them on into a world forever changed by the zombie apocalypse. However, Rick soon discovers that his fellow humans can be even more dangerous than the zombies themselves!
Below you’ll find my recommendations of comic books to read if you like The Walking Dead.
1. Crossed
Published by Avatar Press, Crossed is an ultra violent post-apocalyptic comic book series written by Garth Ennis and illustrated by Jacen Burrows.
Crossed is what happens when the apocalypse looks at zombie fiction, cracks its knuckles, and says, “Hold my blood-soaked beer.” The series follows scattered survivors trying to stay alive after a mysterious infection turns everyday people into deranged murder-machines marked by a crimson cross rash across their faces. But these aren’t your shambling zombies – they’re fast, gleefully sadistic, and weaponise every depravity a human brain can conjure.
Across its many arcs; society collapses, morality snaps, and the world becomes a rolling nightmare where every choice is a gamble and every day is a fresh chance to die horribly. It’s bleak, brutal, and deliberately transgressive – like a grindhouse fever dream scribbled in the margins of humanity’s obituary.
2. Wolverine: Old Man Logan
Published by Marvel Comics, Wolverine: Old Man Logan is grim dystopian alternate future to the Marvel Comics 616 Universe. It’s written by Mark Millar and illustrated by Steve McNiven.
Marvel: Old Man Logan drops Wolverine into a dust-choked, post-apocalyptic America where the villains finally won and carved the country into their own twisted fiefdoms, leaving heroes as ghosts, memories, or corpses. Logan – traumatised into pacifism after one of the bleakest reveals in Marvel history – scrapes by as a broken family man until a blind, cranky Hawkeye ropes him into a road trip across this outlaw wasteland.
Along the way, they dodge inbred Hulk clans, tyrant kings, and the rotting legacy of a world that forgot how to be heroic. Eventually, Logan snaps out of retirement in the most violent way possible, embracing the claws he swore never to use so he can avenge his family and leave a blood-red footprint on a world that tried to bury him.
3. Geiger
Published by Image Comics, Geiger is a post-apocalyptic comic book series written by Geoff Johns and with artwork by Gary Frank.
Geiger turns the post-apocalypse into a neon-glowing ghost story with a moral compass made of radioactive fallout. Set years after nuclear war has turned America into a wasteland of roaming scavengers and makeshift kingdoms, the series follows Tariq Geiger – a man who survived the bombs by sheer will and now stalks the desert as a glowing, almost mythic figure powered by deadly radiation. While warlords hoard resources and rule from crumbling casinos, Geiger protects the last remnant of his family’s life: a hidden fallout shelter containing the memories of the loved ones he lost.
As he’s hunted, feared, and whispered about like a campfire legend, the book blends Mad Max grit with haunting superhero energy – painting a world where hope mutates, justice glows in the dark, and the scariest thing in the wasteland isn’t the radiation… it’s the man who walks through it.
4. Y: The Last Man
Published by Vertigo, Y: The Last Man is a post-apocalyptic comic book series written by Brian K. Vaughan and with art by Pia Guerra.
Y: The Last Man kicks off when a mysterious global event wipes out every mammal with a Y chromosome – every man, every male animal – except two extremely confused survivors: Yorick Brown and his capuchin monkey, Ampersand. What follows is a cross-continental scramble through a planet suddenly reshaped by grief, chaos, and rapidly shifting power structures, as Yorick teams up with the lethal Agent 355 and genius geneticist Dr. Mann to uncover why he lived and whether humanity can be saved.
Along the way, factions rise, governments fracture, and cults form around the last dude on Earth, turning Yorick’s road trip into a constantly mutating blend of danger, politics, and existential dread. It’s equal parts dystopian odyssey and “holy hell, this got dark fast,” wrapped in a world learning what breaks – and what thrives – when half of humanity disappears overnight.
5. God Is Dead
Published by Avatar Press, God Is Dead is a violent, philosophical and religious driven comic book series written by Jonathan Hickman and with art by Mike Costa.
God Is Dead opens with every pantheon you’ve ever heard of – Greek, Norse, Egyptian, Aztec, you name it – descending to Earth all at once like an apocalyptic battle royale no one asked for. Instead of metaphors or bedtime stories, these gods are flesh-and-blood warlords carving up the planet into divine territories, turning humanity into terrified collateral. As nations crumble and ancient deities flex their long-dormant egos, a desperate band of scientists hatches a blasphemous plan: create new gods to fight the old ones.
What follows is a spiralling clash of mythology, science, and cosmic arrogance, where divinity becomes just another arms race and the apocalypse feels like a constantly escalating group chat from hell. It’s bombastic, brutal, and gloriously chaotic – like watching every religion crack open at once and discovering all of them came ready to throw hands.
6. Hinterkind
Published by Vertigo Comics, Hinterkind is a post-apocalyptic fantasy written by Ian Edginton and art is by Francesco Trifogli.
Hinterkind drops you into a future where humanity has face-planted off the food chain and the Earth has taken the wheel with a vengeance. After a mysterious plague wipes out most humans, the “Hinterkind” – all those mythical creatures we filed under folklore, fairy tales, and “definitely not real” – crawl out of hiding to reclaim the world. Elves, ogres, satyrs, and stranger things stake their claim while the last surviving human pockets try to avoid extinction-level humiliation.
The story follows Prosper Monday and her best friend Angus as they venture beyond their ruined settlement, only to discover the monstrous politics, ancient grudges, and straight-up predatory weirdness waiting outside. It’s a post-apocalyptic fantasy mashup where the human race becomes the endangered species and the things that once haunted bedtime stories now run the neighborhood like they’ve been waiting centuries to flex.
7. Post Americana
Published by Image Comics, Post Americana is a post-apocalyptic comic book series written and illustrated by Steve Skroce. A comic book which blends grim dystopia with satire, Post Americana takes place in a future that has torn apart by war, corruption and the collapse of civilisation.
Post Americana focuses on main character, Janey, who is on a mission to avenge her family who were killed in a raiders attack. Her quest, however, is chaotic. Often running into warlords, dangerous mercenaries and treacherous humans who have their own agendas – which usually include killing her. Despite this, Post Americana is a road-trip of sorts littered with dark humour and danger at every turn as Janey gets closer to avenging her family.
It’s grotesquely enjoyable thanks to Steve Skroce’s distinctive artwork which displays his razor sharp wit, satirical leanings and gratuitous amounts of gore. While Skroce worked on storyboards for The Matrix, this comic book series is anything but. In fact, you’re probably more to enjoy Post Americana if you’re a fan of Judge Dredd or Mad Max – because this is one messy post-apocalyptic comic book tale.
8. Oblivion Song
Published by Image Comics, Oblivion Song is a sci-fi comic book series written by Robert Kirkman and illustrated by Lorenzo De Felici. It’s set 10 years after a catastrophic events, called “The Transference”, causes a portion of Philadelphia and its inhabitants to swap places with an alien dimension called Oblivion.
The crux of the story follows Nathan Cole, a scientist, who becomes obsessed with finding the inhabitants (and his brother) who got caught in the transference. So obsessed that he creates a device which allows him to teleport between Oblivion and Earth at the risk of his own life. Which brings forth themes of loss, survivor’s guilt and trauma as Nathan, his brother, and their loved ones come to grips with moving forward – despite what has happened to them.
As the series progresses it gets revealed what Oblivion is and who the mysterious faceless aliens are that inhabit Oblivion. Resulting in a huge conflict between the aliens and humankind. The idea of what “the ultimate sacrifice” can be is truly tested in this comic book series.
9. Savage Highway
Published by Humanoids, Savage Highway is a brutal post-apocalyptic comic book written by Mathieu Masmondet and with art Zhang Xiaoyu. It’s a tale of two opposites who are forced to unite to survive in a violent post-cataclysmic world. In which an ancient highway spans the wasteland and its cracked surface has become a migratory route for the anarchic hunters and marauders who dwell in this barren, future Earth.
Along the highway, Helene, an educated young woman on a grave mission to save her sister, encounters Mo, a solitary hunter, and Jin, an Asian warrior. Together they begin a legendary journey to a Paris in ruins, where a new social “order” is being forged. Clocking in at only 3 issues, this is a great grimdark post-apocalyptic tale to absorb on a quiet afternoon.
10. Wasteland
Published by Oni Press, Wasteland is a post-apocalyptic comic book series written by Antony Johnston and drawn by Christopher Mitten. It’s set one hundred years after the Big Wet, an unspecified disaster that destroyed modern society and, it is assumed, changed the world’s coastlines. Clocking in at 60 issues, this series takes place somewhere in America, now a barren desert and dustbowl without modern technology.
The Characters in this story, who are largely illiterate, are surviving the best way they can by forming small communities and trading for whatever they can. Like all good post-apocalyptic stories, the residents have their secrets and pasts as well as underlying traumas. But when this new trader, Michael, rolls through town, it becomes clear he has more secrets than most of the citrizens in this wasteland town.
11. Grendel: War Child
Published by Dark Horse Comics, Grendel: War Child is an Eisner-Award winning post-apocalyptic vigilante comic book written/inked by Matt Wagner and with art by Patrick McEown. It tells the tale of this post-apocalyptic Grendel-ruled planet that lies in ruins.
War Child is a story about Grendel Prime, a cyborg created and trained by Grendel Kahn, Orion Assante. Grendel Prime’s purpose is to protect Assante’s sole heir in the event of his death. Throughout this story, Grendel Prime must protect 10-year-old Jupiter Assante from zombies, mutants, rednecks, bikers, vampires, and worst of all his stepmother Laurel Kennedy Assante. It’s a wild ride!
12. Scout’s Honor
Published by Aftershock Comics, Scout’s Honor is a post-apocalyptic comic book mini-series written by David Pepose, illustrated by Luca Casalanguida, colored by Matt Milla and lettered by Carlos M. Mangual. It’s told through the lens of Boy Scout culture and so tackles many themes around survivalism, faith and identity.
Scout’s Honor follows a young scout named Kit living in a post-apocalyptic America where society has been rebuilt using the Scouts Guide rule book as a guide. The result being that only boys can be in the Scouts which is a problem for Kit who is secretly a girl. As the story progresses Kit begins to question her faith and undying devotion to the Scouts. A faith which is tested right at the end of the story.
13. Year Zero
Published by AWA Studios, Year Zero is a zombie apocalypse comic book series written by Benjamin Percy, illustrated by Ramon Rosanas, colored by Lee Loughridge and lettered by Sal Cipriano. It tells the zombie apocalypse story from different perspectives from different characters around the globe, highlighting a different catastrophe that takes place.
Year Zero follows five main stories and their stories of survival. The first one is set in Mexico and is about a hitman who uses his skills to fight off zombies. The second one is set in the United States and is about a doomsday prepper struggling to stay sane during his isolation. The third one is set in Afghanistan and is about a young Afghan boy trying to survive both a war torn region and one filled with zombies. The fourth one is set in Japan and is about a scientist who is overcome with guilt due to her role in the zombie outbreak. And the fifth and final one is set in Norway and is about a wealthy recluse struggling to survive on his own. All of which tell unique stories of post-apocalyptic survival.
14. Loving Dead
Published by Humanoids, Loving Dead is a post apocalyptic graphic novel originally released in Italian, but has since been published in English, which was created by Stefano Raffaele and colored by Dave Stewart. As the title suggests, it’s a play on “The Living Dead” and incorporates themes of romance into a story set in the zombie apocalypse.
The story is about two zombies, Alan and Lynn, who still remember who they were before they were turned. As well as having a capacity for emotion which shows them display love and empathy for one another. But despite all that a zombie’s gotta eat, right?
15. 28 Days Later
Published by Boom Studios, 28 Days Later is a comic book adaptation that is set between the events of the first film, 28 Days Later, and the second film, 28 Weeks Later. It’s written by Michael Alan Nelson, illustrated by Declan Shalvey, colored by Nick Filardi and lettered by Ed Dukeshire. With everyone in the UK having turned into hyper-aggressive killers, the entire region has been designated a “no-go” zone.
This 28 Days Later adaptation follows Selene, one of the original characters of the first film, as she’s living in Norway and struggling to deal with the trauma she experienced (as depicted in the original film). She is then convinced by Clint, a journalist, to return to the UK to document what’s happened so the whole world knows the truth about the rage virus.
Have you read any of these comics?
Do you think any of these comics are like The Walking Dead? Are there any other comics I missed?
Let me know in the comments.
