The Walking Dead, which began in 2003, is arguably one of the most important comic series of the modern era. Although neither the zombie genre nor the apocalypse genre was new at the time, writer Robert Kirkman's character-driven storylines in this genre mashup has made this series shine from the start. In 2010, the series won the Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series. Also in 2010, the AMC television adaptation premiered and can be credited with driving the series' popularity to new heights. While the zombies are savage and gruesome, the series gets even more shock value in the face of the apocalypse from the cruel actions of its human villains, the depths of human depravity, and its fascinating social and civil structures.
