The Walking Dead #5
The Walking Dead #5 delivers the first full-scale zombie assault on Rick's survivor camp — a watershed story beat that raises the permanent cost of life in Kirkman's world from theoretical to visceral. Amy's death and Andrea's act of mercy-killing her sister crystalize the series' central emotional thesis: that grief and violence are inseparable in the apocalypse. Carl shooting a zombie to save Lori marks the earliest on-page moment of the child's forced adulthood, a character trajectory the series would pursue for years. The issue also quietly establishes Andrea as the group's deadliest marksperson, planting a defining trait that shaped her decades-long run as a fan-favorite lead.
In "The Best Defense," Rick, Michonne, and Glenn venture beyond the prison's walls after spotting a crashing helicopter, leading them to the unsettling town of Woodbury. There, they encounter a community under the control of a charismatic but dangerous leader known only as "The Governor." Cover by Charlie Adlard, this pivotal issue from Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard's early run delivers a tense, character-driven turn in the series, marking a significant shift in the group's journey.
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Issue #5 was written by Robert Kirkman and drawn by Tony Moore — the childhood friends who launched the series together in October 2003 under Image Comics. The issue shipped on February 1, 2004, a remarkable four days after issue #4, making it the fastest back-to-back release in the entire 193-issue run. Moore illustrated all interior art and cover for the original printing; he would remain interior artist through issue #6 before Charlie Adlard took over from #7 onward, though Moore continued providing covers through issue #24. In 2020, Image Comics and Skybound Entertainment republished the issue as The Walking Dead Deluxe #5 (December 16, 2020), fully colorized by Dave McCaig and augmented with 'Cutting Room Floor' material — including Kirkman's handwritten scripts and commentary on scenes that were drafted but cut before publication.
Trivia · 9 facts
- Originally published February 1, 2004 by Image Comics — the fifth part of Volume 1: Days Gone Bye — written by Robert Kirkman with interior art and cover by Tony Moore.
- This issue was released only four days after issue #4, making it the fastest consecutive-issue turnaround in the entire Walking Dead run.
- First zombie attack on the survivors' Atlanta-area camp: Amy is fatally bitten by a zombified Reggie — the same escaped convict who shot Rick in issue #1, providing a full narrative callback across the opening arc.
- Andrea shoots her dying sister Amy in the head to prevent reanimation — the first time a primary character is killed and mercy-shot by a loved one, establishing a recurring moral motif of the series.
- Carl Grimes saves Lori by shooting a zombie when she drops her gun — his first act of lethal violence in the comic, which Kirkman used to set up the child-soldier theme running through the series.
- Jim is revealed to have been bitten during the attack but conceals it (dismissing the wound as 'just a scratch'), seeding his arc into issue #6.
- Andrea's superior marksmanship is first explicitly acknowledged by Rick and Shane, establishing the character trait that would define her throughout the comic's run.
- The Deluxe colorized reprint (The Walking Dead Deluxe #5, December 16, 2020) features full color by Dave McCaig, cover variants by David Finch and Tony Moore, a connecting Charlie Adlard variant, and 'Cutting Room Floor' bonus content from Kirkman; the first print sold out, prompting a second printing with new David Finch main cover art.
- The issue is collected in The Walking Dead Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye trade paperback, the hardcover Book 1 edition, and subsequent omnibus and compendium collections; it was also reprinted as part of the weekly single-issue reprint program launched by Image Comics in January 2011 following the AMC television premiere.
Cast · 23 characters
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Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
When a helicopter is sighted crashing outside the prison, Rick, Michonne and Glenn travel to see if there are survivors. In the town of Woodbury they find more survivors, ruled by "The Govenor" who has become an evil leader.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).