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The Walking Dead -title comes up in different media. There are the comics starting from 2003, the TV-series starting from 2010 and the computer game series starting from 2012.

All of these are very much acclaimed. So since I like the theme, I'd prefer to read, watch and play all of them.

But: What is the relation between the different stories? Are they the same story? Do they happen in the same world? Do the stories happen at different times, or concurrently? Do they have any of the same characters?

What would be the preferred order of experiencing them, or is it irrelevant? Would there be any problems from diving into all of them concurrently? And most important of all: Do any of them contain major spoilers for the other ones (about the characters, or about the world)?

I'd love to reasearch this myself, but it's a bit difficult to do while avoiding spoilers... So no spoilers, please.

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The TV series is an adaptation of the comics, though the story has diverged considerably in places, the core narrative is essentially the same. You can safely just pick one and experience it on it's own terms.

The video game is roughly contemporaneous with the other media, but it is a wholly separate story. A few familiar characters have cameos (for the most part, before they appear in the timeline of the main Walking Dead storyline), but you're not going to spoil yourself in any way by experiencing one story or the other first. All of these appearances are (relatively) minor, having been written around the existing canon established by the book/tv show.

Oh, and stay very very far away from The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct. You didn't link to it, but in case you come across it, it is a terrible game that does not in any way advance the core narrative, nor provide an interesting one of it's own. Also the gameplay is awful. It's just bad licensed shovelware.

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    I haven't played the games, but I would agree for the most part on the TV series and the comics. Pick one and go with it to make your "main source" and the others will likely keep your interest as a go between if you find yourself waiting for the next comic or episode. It is a great series... have fun! As a side note, if you come across the web series (at least the ones I have seen), they won't spoil your viewing either as they take place outside of the current timeline and deal with characters that aren't in the main story. They do tell some interesting stories though!
    – Dragus
    Commented Jun 16, 2013 at 0:54
  • Thanks! I'll take the TV-series then, and read the comics afterward in case the story is good enough to spark interest in the original version too. I guess I'll do the game after the first story, since the prequel-cameos probably are more meaningful if you already have the context for them. Commented Jun 20, 2013 at 5:09
  • @Dragus Thanks for the tip about the web series! Commented Jun 20, 2013 at 5:09
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I've not yet read the comics, but have heard comments from people who have. I have, however, played the games created by Telltale Games.

As I understand the comics, they tell, more or less, the same story as the TV series, albeit with a few changes (I'm told that the Shane/Rick/Lori love triangle is worked out a lot faster in the comics, something they should have done in the series).

The games by Telltale are a completely different story, although there are links to the series/comics. For example, in the first 'episode' in the game, you find out how Hershel's son dies, and in a later episode, you are part of a group that also contains Glenn (at the end of the episode, he leaves for Atlanta to try to find some friends, setting him up for the TV series).

For the most part though, they are completely different storylines.

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Hershel Greene shows up in the game. The game describes a lot about this character and why he acts the way he does in the show, (why he doesn't like people staying on the farm for too long) and Lee's actions ultimately effect part of the show's story with Hershel. Then there is Glenn, obviously, who wouldn't have survived or gone on to meet Rick and the others had Lee not met up with the group. This ultimately saved Rick indirectly.

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