The Walking Dead #100.

Congratulations to Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard as the 100st issue of their highly succesful comic book series 'The Walking Dead' is released by Image Comics this week, just in time for the 42nd Comic-Con, taking place on July 12-15 in San Diego.

This special event is celebrated throughout a long list of comicbook stores in the US, while the issue itself brings together several high profile artists from Image doing guest art for the various covers and with guys like Todd McFarlane (cover left) and Marc Silvestri (cover right) chipping in to the festivities, you might want to think twice which variant cover you'll be getting (or, as the publisher would have it, get them all!)

Adlard also does two covers himself, including a wraparound which also has another chromium variant edition and will be available as a poster. If you're not familiar with this comic book series, you might have heard of the popular TV series based on the comics, which airs on AMC weekly and is currently awaiting it's third season. In the series, creator Robert Kirkman, paints a picture of a world where human kind is no longer threatened by the gruesome dangers of a third World War or a nuclear winter. Instead, the apocalypse has presented itself in a much more 'feastable' way, as the world's population has turned into zombies, leaving only a handful on the planet to defend themselves from becoming dinner.

Above: Yep, Kirkman (left) and Adlard (right) are having fun at Image. Check the shows hordes of zombies for a couple of cameos from them!

The story of the series is told in arcs of six issues each, with the 100th issue being part of the 'Something to Fear' arc. The art was first done by Tony Moore, but Charlie Adlard replaced him after the first arc ('Days Gone Bye'). Main character in the series is police officer Rick Grimes, who was in a coma himself when the world changed, and awakens to find his wife Lori and partner Shane have become more than friends in the meantime.

Below: In the last issue of the first arc we see Shane and Rick fighting for Lori. Rick's son Carl has to Kills Shane to defend his dad, a somewhat challenged scene for AMC. In the TV show, the scene was changed and takes place moments before the end of season 2, after Shane had turned into Zombie (Artwork by Tony Moore with graytones by Cliff Rathburn).

Below: Much of the stuff Kirkman writes for the comic is played down for the TV show. While Rick and Lori try to make the best of it with their son Carl, they find a save haven with a group of fellow survivers at Hershel Greene's farm. One of the survivors (Glenn) starts a relationship with Hershel's daughter Maggie (issue #10).

After the discovery of a horde of zombies at Hershel's farm the group discovers an abandoned prison wih plenty of food and takes refuge there. Although the TV show should pick up from here in season 3, it will also introduce 'The Governor', one of the major antagonists, who played a large role in the recently published novel 'The Walking Dead:Rise of the Governor' , written by Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga. The first of a trilogy published by St.Martin's Press (Thomas Dunne Books). The Walking Dead season 3 will premiere this October on AMC.

Below: On the TV show the zombies are called 'Walkers', while orginally they're refered to as the 'roamers' in the comics ( from TWD #18, art by Charlie Adlard with Rathburn).