WARNING POSSIBLE SPOILERS!!!
Now the main problem with the seires (and most people who have watched the show say this to) is that it is very SLOW. Now I know this series aim is to show how ordinary people can come to terms with near impossile situations and adapting to a new and dangerous world. The zombies are just a vessel to use as a way of adapting the characters, which is different to all Zombie movies where everyone just shoots these dead guys gets away and thats it, no character development just lots of zombies killed and humans (or zombie fodder) eaten. Its great that they can go for a more relatable and somewhat realistic approach when it comes to the characters (something that is achieved well in the comics) but in this TV adaption it is just too slow. A prime example of the show's pacing would be in episode one. Now I understand all modern TV series need to take a while to establish the story and the characters (I mean I thought episode one of Heroes wasnt that great, but I LOVED that show!). But for an hour long not a lot happened.
First we are treated to a little conversation between the main character; Rick Grimes (played Andrew Lincoln) and Shane Walsh (played by Jon Berthnal) to establish more of a connection between the two 'good friends' something that wasnt seen in the comics until after the zombies came out to bite. Then the two are called out to a shoot out where Rik is then shot down and blacks out. Something that happens for about twenty or so minutes (one page in the comic). In the episode Rik wakes up in a hospital and then eventually walks out while sounds and groans can be heard outside the hospital but you do not see the walking dead (to establish more tension, which i thought was a nice touch). He then leaves the hospital and steals a bike from a garden where he first meets his first 'half' of a Zombie, basically craps himself (not really) and cycled off.
He then visits his house and we are then shown his emotional break down as he cannot find his wife and son. He then leaves and his smacked with a shovel by a survivor and his father thinking he was a zombie. They then take him in and give him food where they tell him about the 'walkers' and the way the world is now. Rik then goes to Atlanta where it is supposedly safe. But of course it's over run with walkers. Rik gets in a fight with zombies, the horse gets eaten (forgot to mention he had a horse by this point) and he jumps into a motionless tank and locks himself in while the zombies crawl all over it trying to get at him. 
This was all done at a very slow pace in about an hour. While in the comics it got to this part in about two issues (about 20 minutes to read). All I'm trying to say is, it basically is stretching out the first two issues and taking the small amount that's in them to fit the hour long time slot. The reason I believe they're doing this is because this sereis is the 'Pilot' if you will. Which is why there are only six episodes and why they have used as little of the source material as possible, even adding parts of the story only seen in the TV show to flesh it out as much as possible (but I wont get into that well except...) like the ending of the series which involves Rick and the rest to discover military base with a doctor still alive and working on a cure for the outbreak! Now this is incredibly early to be discussing elements like this! I mean the comics, which are still going still havn't even mentioned a cure or the making of one. It just seems like AMC already released something quite big this early!.
Anyway the woman mentioned when I saw her and the comicbook artist Charlie Adlard at this year's Birmingham comic convention that if this series does well then they will do more and more in one series two and so on. But overall it's still a good show and I'm sure it'll get better once series 2 can use more from the comics and stops dragging it's feet (no zombie pun intended). I mean it would be a shame if it doesnt seem as fantastic as the comics as they are incredibly entertaining and keeps a good balance of character development and retalability aswell as breaking it down with Zombie mayhem that will keep you hooked throughout the exprience. Something I believe the TV show still needs to grab hold of and something I beleive will happen if another series will come about. But anyway check out the TV seires! I give it a 7/10 as it is still good enough to watch but not as gripping and entertaining as other recent programs coming from the U.S. Oh by the way, to your right you will see this post's drawing which isnt a very recent one but I thought I'd better put it up as it is my work... and it has Zombies in it!
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