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The Walking Dead (Single Issues)
The Walking Dead #51
Rick and Carl found some food, more guns, a relative safe house. Things were stating to look up, when suddenly Rick got a mysterious phone call. Could this mean a sign of salvation or is Rick finally losing what's left of sanity inside him?
28 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2008
5 people are currently reading
168 people want to read
About the author
Robert Kirkman
2,777 books6,963 followersRobert Kirkman is an American comic book writer best known for his work on The Walking Dead, Invincible for Image Comics, as well as Ultimate X-Men and Marvel Zombies for Marvel Comics. He has also collaborated with Image Comics co-founder Todd McFarlane on the series Haunt. He is one of the five partners of Image Comics, and the only one of the five who was not one of the original co-founders of that publisher.
Robert Kirkman's first comic books were self-published under his own Funk-o-Tron label. Along with childhood friend Tony Moore, Kirkman created Battle Pope which was published in late 2001. Battle Pope ran for over 2 years along with other Funk-o-Tron published books such as InkPunks and Double Take.
In July of 2002, Robert's first work for another company began, with a 4-part SuperPatriot series for Image, along with Battle Pope backup story artist Cory Walker. Robert's creator-owned projects followed shortly thereafter, including Tech Jacket, Invincible and Walking Dead.
Robert Kirkman's first comic books were self-published under his own Funk-o-Tron label. Along with childhood friend Tony Moore, Kirkman created Battle Pope which was published in late 2001. Battle Pope ran for over 2 years along with other Funk-o-Tron published books such as InkPunks and Double Take.
In July of 2002, Robert's first work for another company began, with a 4-part SuperPatriot series for Image, along with Battle Pope backup story artist Cory Walker. Robert's creator-owned projects followed shortly thereafter, including Tech Jacket, Invincible and Walking Dead.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 2, 2018
They finally have some time to grieve. With everything that has happend they didn't have the time to do that.
The calls tho. (Accurate, like the tv show). So sad. *sigh*
The calls tho. (Accurate, like the tv show). So sad. *sigh*
October 27, 2024
After the intense ordeal Rick and Carl endured in Issue #50, I was eager to see how they would move forward—if Rick would fully recover, if they'd reconnect with their group, or perhaps meet new survivors. There's an uneasy feeling knowing they’re still alone, and with Rick’s recent close call, I hoped they’d proceed cautiously. The isolation in their journey has made each interaction feel even more suspenseful, especially now with just Rick and Carl against the world.
The issue opens with Rick on the mend, waking up from the severe aftermath of his overdose on antibiotics. Carl, having watched over his father these past two days, reads quietly, clinging to a small sense of normalcy while he waits for Rick to pull through. Rick eventually stirs, showing signs of recovery, and Carl, ever resourceful, gathers canned goods to prepare for their journey. They both seem weary but focused, packing essentials as they prepare to leave the house that had briefly sheltered them.
Then comes a moment that catches both Rick and the reader off guard—a phone rings inside the seemingly abandoned house. Driven by hope and curiosity, Rick dashes back inside to answer it. The voice on the other end belongs to a woman, and the two begin to talk about their circumstances, a potential lifeline that makes Rick optimistic about joining up with others. For a moment, there’s a flicker of hope in the bleakness, as Rick shares this news with Carl, who also seems relieved at the prospect of connecting with others. But there’s a heavy sense of unease—it feels almost too good to be true.
Later, Rick and Carl venture into the forest to hunt, with Rick offering Carl an alternative to his limited canned food diet. But the hunt takes a dark turn when they hear someone screaming. The two sprint towards the sound and discover a survivor who’s already being overtaken by walkers. Carl is ready to shoot and help the man, but Rick holds him back, knowing the situation is hopeless—the man is as good as dead and could risk bringing a horde down on them. It’s a brutal moment, a stark reminder of the painful choices they have to make to survive. Nearby, they find the man’s car, loaded with supplies—an unspoken clue that he may have been planning to die, similar to Carol. They take what they can and return to the house, weary but armed with new provisions.
As the issue progresses, the phone calls continue. Rick’s conversations with the woman grow longer, and his excitement and hope intensify. He shares his optimism with Carl, expressing his faith in finding safety in numbers again. Each call feels like a lifeline pulling him back from the brink. Yet, there’s something off about it all—a sense that these conversations might be too much of a good thing in such a desolate world.
The final call is a revelation that delivers a chilling twist. Rick asks for the woman’s name, and her response, “Rick, it’s me… it’s Lori,” hits like a ton of bricks. In a horrifying moment of realization, we understand that these calls are not real. Lori’s voice is an echo of Rick’s mind, a phantom conversation born from his grief and guilt. He’s confronted with the reality that he has been talking to himself all along, grappling with the loss of Lori and their group. The anguish in this moment is deeply unsettling, capturing how trauma and guilt can manifest in ways that blur reality. The "conversation" forces Rick to confront the pain of his choices, with “Lori” offering him comfort and an opportunity to voice his regrets. Finally, after this haunting confrontation, he unplugs the phone, even though he still hears her voice on the other end. He tells Carl they’re leaving and dismisses the caller as "crazy," attempting to protect Carl from the painful truth of his mental state.
In a final, haunting moment, Rick returns to the house and retrieves the phone, packing it in his bag—a painful memento of his loss and the inner battles he’s fighting. With the house now behind them, Rick and Carl move forward, but they’re both visibly changed.
This issue delivered an emotional punch that left me feeling hollow. Watching Rick unravel, desperate to hold onto the comfort of hearing Lori’s voice again, was one of the most haunting experiences in the series. There’s a cruelty to this moment—Rick is stripped of even the comfort of his illusions, forced to confront his guilt and loss head-on. The entire phone sequence was so well done, capturing a mix of horror, sadness, and the toll of isolation on Rick’s psyche. For a brief moment, I believed the call was real, and the realization that it wasn’t was like having the rug pulled out from under me.
Carl’s resilience was also striking in this issue. Despite being so young, he’s forced to make difficult decisions and grapple with the brutal realities of survival, such as leaving the dying man behind. It’s heartbreaking to see how much he’s had to mature, almost numbing himself to pain for the sake of survival.
In many ways, this issue was one of the most painful and revealing yet. The phantom phone call with Lori brought an unsettling new depth to Rick’s character, showing how deeply he’s been scarred by the losses he’s endured. The way he clings to the phone even after discovering the truth says so much about his need to hold onto some part of his past. This was a raw, heartbreaking chapter, and it left me feeling both saddened and unsettled. The horrors of The Walking Dead aren’t always the walkers or the violence but the quiet, gut-wrenching moments where characters are forced to face their darkest fears alone.
The issue opens with Rick on the mend, waking up from the severe aftermath of his overdose on antibiotics. Carl, having watched over his father these past two days, reads quietly, clinging to a small sense of normalcy while he waits for Rick to pull through. Rick eventually stirs, showing signs of recovery, and Carl, ever resourceful, gathers canned goods to prepare for their journey. They both seem weary but focused, packing essentials as they prepare to leave the house that had briefly sheltered them.
Then comes a moment that catches both Rick and the reader off guard—a phone rings inside the seemingly abandoned house. Driven by hope and curiosity, Rick dashes back inside to answer it. The voice on the other end belongs to a woman, and the two begin to talk about their circumstances, a potential lifeline that makes Rick optimistic about joining up with others. For a moment, there’s a flicker of hope in the bleakness, as Rick shares this news with Carl, who also seems relieved at the prospect of connecting with others. But there’s a heavy sense of unease—it feels almost too good to be true.
Later, Rick and Carl venture into the forest to hunt, with Rick offering Carl an alternative to his limited canned food diet. But the hunt takes a dark turn when they hear someone screaming. The two sprint towards the sound and discover a survivor who’s already being overtaken by walkers. Carl is ready to shoot and help the man, but Rick holds him back, knowing the situation is hopeless—the man is as good as dead and could risk bringing a horde down on them. It’s a brutal moment, a stark reminder of the painful choices they have to make to survive. Nearby, they find the man’s car, loaded with supplies—an unspoken clue that he may have been planning to die, similar to Carol. They take what they can and return to the house, weary but armed with new provisions.
As the issue progresses, the phone calls continue. Rick’s conversations with the woman grow longer, and his excitement and hope intensify. He shares his optimism with Carl, expressing his faith in finding safety in numbers again. Each call feels like a lifeline pulling him back from the brink. Yet, there’s something off about it all—a sense that these conversations might be too much of a good thing in such a desolate world.
The final call is a revelation that delivers a chilling twist. Rick asks for the woman’s name, and her response, “Rick, it’s me… it’s Lori,” hits like a ton of bricks. In a horrifying moment of realization, we understand that these calls are not real. Lori’s voice is an echo of Rick’s mind, a phantom conversation born from his grief and guilt. He’s confronted with the reality that he has been talking to himself all along, grappling with the loss of Lori and their group. The anguish in this moment is deeply unsettling, capturing how trauma and guilt can manifest in ways that blur reality. The "conversation" forces Rick to confront the pain of his choices, with “Lori” offering him comfort and an opportunity to voice his regrets. Finally, after this haunting confrontation, he unplugs the phone, even though he still hears her voice on the other end. He tells Carl they’re leaving and dismisses the caller as "crazy," attempting to protect Carl from the painful truth of his mental state.
In a final, haunting moment, Rick returns to the house and retrieves the phone, packing it in his bag—a painful memento of his loss and the inner battles he’s fighting. With the house now behind them, Rick and Carl move forward, but they’re both visibly changed.
This issue delivered an emotional punch that left me feeling hollow. Watching Rick unravel, desperate to hold onto the comfort of hearing Lori’s voice again, was one of the most haunting experiences in the series. There’s a cruelty to this moment—Rick is stripped of even the comfort of his illusions, forced to confront his guilt and loss head-on. The entire phone sequence was so well done, capturing a mix of horror, sadness, and the toll of isolation on Rick’s psyche. For a brief moment, I believed the call was real, and the realization that it wasn’t was like having the rug pulled out from under me.
Carl’s resilience was also striking in this issue. Despite being so young, he’s forced to make difficult decisions and grapple with the brutal realities of survival, such as leaving the dying man behind. It’s heartbreaking to see how much he’s had to mature, almost numbing himself to pain for the sake of survival.
In many ways, this issue was one of the most painful and revealing yet. The phantom phone call with Lori brought an unsettling new depth to Rick’s character, showing how deeply he’s been scarred by the losses he’s endured. The way he clings to the phone even after discovering the truth says so much about his need to hold onto some part of his past. This was a raw, heartbreaking chapter, and it left me feeling both saddened and unsettled. The horrors of The Walking Dead aren’t always the walkers or the violence but the quiet, gut-wrenching moments where characters are forced to face their darkest fears alone.
July 8, 2020
Being a huge fan of the show, I wanted to see how the original writing started and how the show writers followed and deviated from the comics. My dislikes were that the comics are much more crude, crass, and unnecessarily violent. I did like the change in relationships and how people worked together differently, and the comics have a different creepiness feel than you get watching it on TV. Overall, I prefer the show, and probably will not finish out the comic book series.
November 19, 2020
This is a review of the entire series.
Rick Grimes is a strong-willed deputy who missed the end of the world because he was in a coma for a month after getting shot in the line of duty. Shaken, starving and confused, Rick escapes the horror of the abandoned hospital only to be met with something far more terrible. Not only has the world ended, but the dead have learned to walk and to kill without mercy. After learning that his wife and son have fled to Atlanta from a single survivor and his son, Rick goes on a journey to reunite with his family and search for more survivors.
Rick quickly has to come to terms with the fact that the world has ended and only a select few survived. The dead have risen from their graves and they prey on the living. In a world where every minute feels like hours, where there's no such thing as law and order, where finding a small meal is a tremendous task, the walking dead are quite possibly the least threatening thing for the survivors to have on their breaking minds. Humanity is pushed to the brink of destruction, forcing them to embrace their cruel and primal nature in order to survive. Sometimes you have to be more concerned about who you let into your community so they don't kill you in your sleep and steal everything you once cared about. Rick has no choice but to abandon the ways of law and order that he's upheld as an officer for so long in order to protect the few loved ones he has left. He has to become a monster to protect his crew or risk being devoured by those who became more monstrous than him and even the walking dead.
Despite zombies running the world and having the series named after them, what really sets this series apart from the average zombie apocalypse tale is the focus on realism and the daily struggles, flaws and depth of the characters. There's plenty of badass zombie killing action, but the action often takes a back seat to give the characters plenty of times to share their extremely tragic yet endearing stories, grow through mutual suffering and learn to adapt to a world that has left them to die. Even after the world has ended, many people still can't see eye to eye. They turn on each other and kill each other when they should come together. Others form alliances in spite of their differences and try to rebuild over the corpse of everything that was lost. The daily human drama and conflict is more intense than any monster apocalypse could hope to be.
We watch Rick struggle to balance his old moral code with the many necessary evils he has to commit in order to survive and make the world a better place for the ones he holds close. We watch people like Glen, Dale and Maggie attempt to find love in spite of having every reason to be filled with fear, hate and self-loathing. Characters like Michonne have to learn how to forgive themselves and convince themselves they deserve to be loved despite all the blood on their hands. We watch the weak like Carl and Andrea become strong and sometimes the strong become evil like The Governor. Even monsters like the wicked yet oddly lovable Negan are given the chance to find new ways of redeeming themselves by struggling alongside the other survivors that have all been changed by the horrors of the fallen world.
The pacing is extremely slow and I can understand why that may be a turnoff for a lot of people, but I eventually learned to enjoy watching the characters grow, overcome their trauma, find meaning in life and learn to love again. The characters are forced to do many terrible things to survive and it haunts them every waking moment. The ways they overcome these regrets is very realistic, human and hopeful. The slow pacing really gives the feeling that we're living beside these people. The way every tiny detail of their lives and who they are is explored makes them feel very real and believable.
When I first started reading the series, I wasn't expecting it to have such an uplifting ending. It seemed so bleak and nihilistic for a long time and things would go horribly wrong even when they seemed to be going so well, but the finale channels all the pain, suffering and betrayal of the previous volumes and tops it off with a very touching and inspiring finish. This was never a story about hopelessness. It's about learning to appreciate the little things, learning to forgive yourself and learning to move on even when it's hard. When everything seems lost there's always more to be found, even when we believe otherwise because we convince ourselves that we don't deserve to be happy ever again. Instead of dwelling on what was lost, strive to try and make things better than they were before.
I've never been a huge fan of zombie apocalypse stories, but The Walking Dead had enough heart and strong social commentary to make me stick by the characters until the end and I enjoyed every moment of their long trial.
***
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Rick Grimes is a strong-willed deputy who missed the end of the world because he was in a coma for a month after getting shot in the line of duty. Shaken, starving and confused, Rick escapes the horror of the abandoned hospital only to be met with something far more terrible. Not only has the world ended, but the dead have learned to walk and to kill without mercy. After learning that his wife and son have fled to Atlanta from a single survivor and his son, Rick goes on a journey to reunite with his family and search for more survivors.
Rick quickly has to come to terms with the fact that the world has ended and only a select few survived. The dead have risen from their graves and they prey on the living. In a world where every minute feels like hours, where there's no such thing as law and order, where finding a small meal is a tremendous task, the walking dead are quite possibly the least threatening thing for the survivors to have on their breaking minds. Humanity is pushed to the brink of destruction, forcing them to embrace their cruel and primal nature in order to survive. Sometimes you have to be more concerned about who you let into your community so they don't kill you in your sleep and steal everything you once cared about. Rick has no choice but to abandon the ways of law and order that he's upheld as an officer for so long in order to protect the few loved ones he has left. He has to become a monster to protect his crew or risk being devoured by those who became more monstrous than him and even the walking dead.
Despite zombies running the world and having the series named after them, what really sets this series apart from the average zombie apocalypse tale is the focus on realism and the daily struggles, flaws and depth of the characters. There's plenty of badass zombie killing action, but the action often takes a back seat to give the characters plenty of times to share their extremely tragic yet endearing stories, grow through mutual suffering and learn to adapt to a world that has left them to die. Even after the world has ended, many people still can't see eye to eye. They turn on each other and kill each other when they should come together. Others form alliances in spite of their differences and try to rebuild over the corpse of everything that was lost. The daily human drama and conflict is more intense than any monster apocalypse could hope to be.
We watch Rick struggle to balance his old moral code with the many necessary evils he has to commit in order to survive and make the world a better place for the ones he holds close. We watch people like Glen, Dale and Maggie attempt to find love in spite of having every reason to be filled with fear, hate and self-loathing. Characters like Michonne have to learn how to forgive themselves and convince themselves they deserve to be loved despite all the blood on their hands. We watch the weak like Carl and Andrea become strong and sometimes the strong become evil like The Governor. Even monsters like the wicked yet oddly lovable Negan are given the chance to find new ways of redeeming themselves by struggling alongside the other survivors that have all been changed by the horrors of the fallen world.
The pacing is extremely slow and I can understand why that may be a turnoff for a lot of people, but I eventually learned to enjoy watching the characters grow, overcome their trauma, find meaning in life and learn to love again. The characters are forced to do many terrible things to survive and it haunts them every waking moment. The ways they overcome these regrets is very realistic, human and hopeful. The slow pacing really gives the feeling that we're living beside these people. The way every tiny detail of their lives and who they are is explored makes them feel very real and believable.
When I first started reading the series, I wasn't expecting it to have such an uplifting ending. It seemed so bleak and nihilistic for a long time and things would go horribly wrong even when they seemed to be going so well, but the finale channels all the pain, suffering and betrayal of the previous volumes and tops it off with a very touching and inspiring finish. This was never a story about hopelessness. It's about learning to appreciate the little things, learning to forgive yourself and learning to move on even when it's hard. When everything seems lost there's always more to be found, even when we believe otherwise because we convince ourselves that we don't deserve to be happy ever again. Instead of dwelling on what was lost, strive to try and make things better than they were before.
I've never been a huge fan of zombie apocalypse stories, but The Walking Dead had enough heart and strong social commentary to make me stick by the characters until the end and I enjoyed every moment of their long trial.
***
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My YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPs...
My Instagram Account: https://www.instagram.com/michael_sor...
My Wattpad Account: https://www.wattpad.com/user/Michael-...
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October 19, 2019
This one was more of a psychological study of someone losing it.
Rick looks to be on the mend physically but mentally he seems to have taken a sharp decline. He starts hearing the phone ringing in the house, he believes it's a woman from a group of 14, they don't trust him and he doesn't trust them. They phone over the course of 2 or 3 days only on the last day it's reveal that he was talking to 'Lori' the whole time. His guilt coming into play, feeling like he could have prevented everyone's death if he just left the prison when he had the chance (ahem, which is true).
Poor, old Rick. He decided it's best to leave with Carl, get away from the house but only returning to take the phone, almost like, even though he knew he wasn't really talking to Lori he still wanted to hear her 'voice' on the phone if he ever feels the need to.
x
Rick looks to be on the mend physically but mentally he seems to have taken a sharp decline. He starts hearing the phone ringing in the house, he believes it's a woman from a group of 14, they don't trust him and he doesn't trust them. They phone over the course of 2 or 3 days only on the last day it's reveal that he was talking to 'Lori' the whole time. His guilt coming into play, feeling like he could have prevented everyone's death if he just left the prison when he had the chance (ahem, which is true).
Poor, old Rick. He decided it's best to leave with Carl, get away from the house but only returning to take the phone, almost like, even though he knew he wasn't really talking to Lori he still wanted to hear her 'voice' on the phone if he ever feels the need to.
x
June 7, 2019
This is more of a psychological issue. We are dealing with suicide and also grief. Both of these were depicted well in the tv series, and actually the parts were Lori may have been better in the graphic novel. In the graphic novel Rick can feel he is responsible for Lori's death whereas in the series Rick wasn't even around and if he was what could he have done?
December 26, 2021
I was hooked the first couple pages, love the art and especially the zombies and the post apocalyptic setting 😻🤩🧟♂️🔥🔫
May 19, 2022
2,5⭐
Essa parte, o Rick está conversando com a Lori - pelo telefone - eu prefiro na série, ficou muito mais emocionante
Essa parte, o Rick está conversando com a Lori - pelo telefone - eu prefiro na série, ficou muito mais emocionante
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 6, 2025
Emotional issue. Poor Rick. 😓
May 12, 2016
I'm glad that Rick's awake and seemingly okay. I like that Carl is starting to like reading. As a big fan of reading myself, it's good to hear that a kid wants to read. Even if it's just in a comic book.
Okay, so all of a sudden a phone works? Out of the blue? Come on, that's crap. It's got to be a hallucination or a dream or something like that. There's no one to control the power, so there's
no way a phone would work.
That's a load of crap. Someone just happens to call, who has room for him and Carl? Oh please. Like I said in the paragraph above, it's not real. Rick's just dreaming this or something.
I understand where Rick's coming from, not wanting to lead the zombies after him and Carl. But it still sucks big time that he didn't try ANYTHING to save that poor guy.
Too bad for the man who fed himself to the zombies. Though I'm glad Rick and Carl were able to get the man's car and all of his supplies and get back to the house they're staying at.
So, has Carl even heard the phone ring even once? Because that's one way to tell if Rick's hallucinating or dreaming about the phone and the voice on the other end of the line.
I think it was really stupid of them to be lying down in plain sight in the grass trying to hunt. What if a bunch of zombies had showed up? They'd be screwed, just lying there on the grass with only two gun's between them.
Ha! And THERE's my proof that Rick's dreaming or hallucinating. Why the hell else would he be on the phone with his wife? His DEAD wife, at that.
Rick's seriously lost it. He' s talking to a dream or hallucination of his dead wife. And then the idiot tells Carl to get into the car and lock himself in. Why the hell would you leave your son alone?
It might just be for a few minutes, but hey, all it takes is a few minutes for some very bad shit to go down. I wonder where they're going to go now. I hope they end up finding some of the others from their group.
Okay, so all of a sudden a phone works? Out of the blue? Come on, that's crap. It's got to be a hallucination or a dream or something like that. There's no one to control the power, so there's
no way a phone would work.
That's a load of crap. Someone just happens to call, who has room for him and Carl? Oh please. Like I said in the paragraph above, it's not real. Rick's just dreaming this or something.
I understand where Rick's coming from, not wanting to lead the zombies after him and Carl. But it still sucks big time that he didn't try ANYTHING to save that poor guy.
Too bad for the man who fed himself to the zombies. Though I'm glad Rick and Carl were able to get the man's car and all of his supplies and get back to the house they're staying at.
So, has Carl even heard the phone ring even once? Because that's one way to tell if Rick's hallucinating or dreaming about the phone and the voice on the other end of the line.
I think it was really stupid of them to be lying down in plain sight in the grass trying to hunt. What if a bunch of zombies had showed up? They'd be screwed, just lying there on the grass with only two gun's between them.
Ha! And THERE's my proof that Rick's dreaming or hallucinating. Why the hell else would he be on the phone with his wife? His DEAD wife, at that.
Rick's seriously lost it. He' s talking to a dream or hallucination of his dead wife. And then the idiot tells Carl to get into the car and lock himself in. Why the hell would you leave your son alone?
It might just be for a few minutes, but hey, all it takes is a few minutes for some very bad shit to go down. I wonder where they're going to go now. I hope they end up finding some of the others from their group.
August 4, 2014
This issue shows a little bit of hope for what few characters we have left.
April 3, 2015
If this happened to me, I would be as crazy as Rick!!
December 12, 2015
Great! I'm really enjoying these comics. It's cool to see the differences between the TV series and the comic.
June 15, 2016
I gotta say, this is way better than the tv show's ohlookitsmywifeonthephonelelrickurcrazystopplsokhershelthx. The comics really present rick's trauma in a more tasteful and realistic way
December 21, 2016
Awesome look into Rick's psyche
January 2, 2017
rick cray cray
November 19, 2022
It just kinda feels silly
November 29, 2022
One HELL of a prank call!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews