# Is "The Walking Dead #1" by Robert Kirkman & Tony Moore a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Walking Dead #1 by Robert Kirkman & Tony Moore (Image Comics, 2003) is identified by: Single issue #1, cover-dated October 2003, Image Comics; black and white interiors, cover price 2.95 US. The true first is single issue #1 (2003), the first appearance of Rick Grimes.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Single issue #1, cover-dated October 2003, Image Comics; black and white interiors, cover price 2.95 US. First printing has no printing notation in the indicia
- Two first-printing cover states exist for the MATURE READERS block below the price box: an earlier press-error state with the text in black ink, and the corrected state with the text in white
- The black-ink state is the earlier printing error, estimated at roughly ten percent of the run
- Correct publisher/imprint: Image Comics

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Kirkman & Tony Moore |
| Publisher | Image Comics |
| Year | 2003 |
| True first | world edition |
| Format | Comic / graphic novel |
| Key point | Single issue #1, cover-dated October 2003, Image Comics; black and white interiors, cover… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Single issue #1, cover-dated October 2003, Image Comics; black and white interiors, cover price 2.95 US. First printing has no printing notation in the indicia. Two first-printing cover states exist for the MATURE READERS block below the price box: an earlier press-error state with the text in black ink, and the corrected state with the text in white. The black-ink state is the earlier printing error, estimated at roughly ten percent of the run.

## Is this the true first?
The true first is single issue #1 (2003), the first appearance of Rick Grimes. Later printings (second, third, fourth) are clearly marked on the cover and in the indicia.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Multiple printings exist. The first printing carries no printing statement and shows either the black or white MATURE READERS block; the black state is the earlier press error.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Walking Dead #1* by Robert Kirkman & Tony Moore a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-walking-dead-1
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.