In the premiere issue of THE WALKING DEAD, writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore introduce readers to Officer Rick Grimes, a sheriff's deputy injured in the line of duty who wakes up from a coma to find that the world he remembers has turned upside down and the world is filled with flesh-eating monsters. After a couple close encounters with the undead, Grimes escapes from the hospital and tries to go home to reunite with his family and finds the rotting corpse of a young woman in the grass, still alive somehow despite being unable to survive with such a ravaged body. Unable to cope with the horrors of what he has witnessed, Rick becomes emotional. When he goes home, he is knocked unconscious by a shovel to the back of the head.
Rick reawakens and meets Morgan Jones and his son, Duane, who fills in the awakened officer on events since his coma in the hospital. Grimes finds out that most of the surviving population has relocated to the major cities, so before going off to find his family in Atlanta, the trio of survivors visit Rick's police station to gear up on weapons and vehicles. Rick and Morgan depart as friends and Rick gives Morgan and Duane a squad car, some weapons and permission to stay in his neighbor's home.
Rick returns to the remains of the undead woman that startled him earlier. Feeling sorry for the creature, he puts a single bullet into her brain before starting off on his journey to find his wife and son.
The first issue of THE WALKING DEAD is collected in Volume One of The Walking Dead trade paperbacks titled "Days Gone By".
In addition to this issue introducing Rick Grimes and Morgan and Duane Jones, The Walking Dead #1 is also the first appearance of Rick's best friend and future antagonist, Shane Walsh.
Considered by some to be one of the key modern comics released in the 21st century, at its peak, a CGC 9.8 graded copy of The Walking Dead #1 sold on Ebay for over $10K dollars.
The pilot episode of AMC's THE WALKING DEAD is almost directly adapted from this issue. AMC also produced an 8-minute animated short featuring Tony Moore's artwork and a professional voice cast as well. Phil Lamarr (Samurai Jack; Justice League Unlimited) provided the voice of Rick Grimes.
The Walking Dead #1 also includes a five page preview of Cloudfall.