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As AMC’s The Walking Dead grows increasingly popular, chances are good that viewers will want to check out the original zombie mayhem unleashed in the comic book upon which the TV show was based.
Now, just in time for the Sunday start of The Walking Dead‘s second season, Image Comics is releasing Robert Kirkman‘s comic book series through the socially minded digital platform Graphicly, which will make the acclaimed comic available on web browsers, iPad (via iOS 5 Newsstand), Nook Color and Amazon.com’s Kindle Fire.
The service, which allows people to share and comment on comics through networks like Facebook and Twitter, is offering Issues 1 through 88 just prior to the return of the AMC show based on Kirkman’s books (click “Read” above to see a preview of the first issue, “Days Gone Bye”). Image Comics made the books available through Graphicly in an attempt to branch out into digital realms beyond distributor comiXology, said the imprint’s publisher Eric Stephenson.
“Something that Graphicly focused on more than anybody else was the social networking aspects of stuff and creating a community around their platform,” Stephenson told Wired.com. “Within the comics app people can actually go in and comment on specific panels…. You can read those comments right there instead of going to a forum — that’s something that they did on their own before anybody else.”
That ability to instantly grab new issues on various devices could give Walking Dead comics n00bs a way to catch up quickly and join the discussion about how the TV show follows the original storyline — and how it diverges (which it looks like it will do more this season than last).
For those who want a digital version of The Walking Dead but aren’t inclined to use Graphicly’s set-up, comiXology is offering the series for half off all day Sunday.
And with that, a random prediction from Tom Hanks’ character Josh Baskin in Big (almost) comes to life.
Season 2 of The Walking Dead premieres Sunday at 9 p.m./8 p.m. Central on AMC.
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