So I watched “The Walking Dead” last night…

… and I enjoyed it.  It didn’t really grab me, in the way that something truly fresh and exciting tends to do, but it was a faithful adaptation of the comic’s beginning.  Not slavish in the way that “Sin City” and “Watchmen” set out to be as there were some additions to the shootout that sends Rick into his coma and the ending scene with the tank was brand new.  Yet these additions still felt true to the spirit of the comic.  In fact, I’d be very surprised to find out that Robert Kirkman himself didn’t have a hand in the additions to the shootout.  There was something very Kirkman-esque in the way it showcases an awareness of the conventions of such a scene before it serves up the twist.

As for the man behind the camera, Frank Darabont delivers up the action and the story in the same measured pace that has served him well as a filmmaker.  Some might find the pace of the opening episode slow, but I appreciated the way he took his time in setting up Rick’s character before things go bad.  There are also some really nice shots of Atlanta in its desolation, and the zoom-out showing the zombies swarming over the tank and horse was very cool.

Though it’s a faithful adaptation so far, the preview of future episodes suggests that we’re going to get more new material over the course of the next five episodes.  I’m also guessing that by the end of this season we’ll have covered only the first volume.  Based on what I’ve seen here, the show is in good hands and while it certainly won’t supplant the comic in my mind it should wind up complementing it nicely.