Adapted from an ongoing comic series by the same name, the Walking Dead television series has garnered critical acclaim. Unfortunately, the series has not been without its fair share of flaws and even major proponents for the show still maintain that the comic series is far superior, and here are five reasons why.

1. The writing. Everything from the storytelling to the dialogue in the comics was done with a kind of surreal self-awareness that was very evocative of a very real sense of disbelief in our heroes and their plight. Unfortunately, something was lost in translation during the transition from comic to television and the actors seem to have a hard time committing to any of the words coming out of their mouths which greatly diminishes the drama.

2. The pacing. In the comic, Rick was reunited with his wife and son, resolving that story arc quickly to make room for darker and more intricate plots. Most of the first season of the Walking Dead television series followed Rick as he struggled to cope with this world and find his wife. While there were other things happening in the story, the focus was mostly on his search for his family that was dragged out longer than it needed to be.

3. The drama. The comics are very bleak and sometimes zombies are the least threatening thing around. Things like starvation, depression, sickness and other human tragedies are prevalent in the world of the comic and everything from the drawings of the characters to the stark, black-and-white color scheme all purvey a sense of melancholy that is sorely missing from the television counterpart.

4. The scope. The overall scope of the story in the comic series is both large and small – the overall survival of Rick and his group and their day-to-day survival. It’s broad and allows the storyteller to create a believably long or short saga. Unfortunately, every post-Lost television drama needs some sprawling mythology allowing writers to make up nonsense as they move along and that is, unfortunately, the trend that the television series seems to have taken.

5. The zombies. There were a hell of a lot more of them in the comic than there have been in the television series. Maybe it was the hope of the producers of the television series to follow the comic’s lead and focus on the human drama FRAMED within the zombie setting but that’s not why people are watching television – they want the violence.

All this being said, the television show is still a decent enough program and if you got your television through a provider like www.satellitetv.net and you get AMC, you should definitely check it out. However, you should also see if you can get your hands on the comics when you get the chance because if you like the TV show, you’ll love the comics.