It’s more than fair to say The Walking Dead is perhaps the most popular and widely enjoyed zombie horror fiction in recent memory, especially in of the original comic by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore. That iconic Image Comics series set the stage for the massive following cultivated by the hit AMC television show, while also proving that zombie apocalypse stories can thrive within the comic book medium.

However, just because The Walking Dead might be the most well known ‘zombie comic’ around, doesn’t mean it’s the only one worth horror fans’ attention. In other words, move over The Walking Dead, these are the Top 10 most terrifying zombie outbreaks in comic history.

10 28 Days Later

Fans of the original 2002 film will absolutely love this comic book continuation that’s set between the events of the first movie and its sequel film. 28 Days Later by Michael Alan Nelson, Declan Shalvey, and Alejandro Aragon throws readers back into this horrific world filled with Rage zombies that want nothing more than to sink their nails and teeth into uninfected flesh, either spreading the pathogen or simply killing their victims. The plot of this 28 Days Later comic continuation makes it stand out from the original movie while also staying true to its established canon in an incredibly satisfying way.

9 Empire of the Dead

Speaking of comics following iconic zombie movies, this one isn’t a direct adaptation or continuation, but was created by perhaps the greatest filmmaker in zombie-horror history: George A. Romero. Romero arguably invented the ‘zombie movie’ as fans know it today with Night of the Living Dead, and his comic series is no less spectacular. Empire of the Dead by George A. Romero, Alex Maleev, Dalibor Talajic, and Andrea Mutti features zombies that are similar to those depicted in Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, which is the same style of zombie as The Walking Dead. This series is perfect classic zombie-horror fans, with the creative mind behind it being proof enough of that.

8 Blackgas

Blackgas by Warren Ellis and Max Fiumara adds a new layer of horror to the zombie apocalypse subgenre by not only giving it a uniquely claustrophobic element, but also disturbing visual horror as well. The series takes place on an island on which the main characters are trapped, and where a mysterious black gas is transforming people into zombie-like monsters that ‘bleed’ black goo from their eyes. The setting is suffocating (as is the titular black gas), and the monsters are repulsively horrific, making Blackgas a fantastic read for zombie-lovers.

7 Daybreak

This graphic novel is a bit more of a fun, comedic read than one of true horror. Its aesthetic is arguably similar to The Walking Dead in its black-and-white style as well as the presence of zombie-like monsters, but it’s also vastly different in basically every other way. Daybreak by Brian Ralph has been described as ‘an arthouse take on the classic zombie genre’, with the minimalist artwork, the main character breaking the fourth wall, and the overall ‘indie’ feel to the whole book. While there’s plenty of drama, strong storylines, and - of course - zombies, Daybreak is a fun departure from comics like The Walking Dead while also retaining some of the best elements from classic zombie-fiction. Fans who need a break from emotionally heavy or insanely terrifying zombie stories, but who still want to delve into that type of post-apocalyptic wasteland, will find that Daybreak might as well have been made just for them.

6 Victorian Undead

Victorian Undead is perhaps the most unique zombie series on this list, as it’s not just about a group of people fighting for their lives against the undead, but it’s about two of the most iconic characters in all of fiction fighting for their lives against the undead: Sherlock Holmes and Watson. While the wider Victorian Undead continuity has Watson and Holmes tangling with the likes of Jekyll/Hyde and Dracula, the initial five-issue storyline by Ian Edginton and Davide Fabbri is all about their conflict with zombies. In classic Sherlock Holmes fashion, there’s of course a mystery behind the outbreak with someone who thinks they’re as smart as the world’s greatest detective secretly pulling the strings. This absolutely fantastic addition to both Sherlock Holmes and zombie fiction is an absolute treat for horror and mystery fans alike.

5 The New Deadwardians

The New Deadwardians by Dan Abnett and I.N.J. Culbard is assuredly unlike any zombie-fiction fans have ever seen, as zombies aren’t necessarily horrific monsters craving the flesh of the innocent, but are just the lower class of post-Victorian England. Not only that, but vampires are the upper class of this strange society consisting of a wide spectrum of the undead. Similar to Victorian Undead, there is a murder-mystery surrounding these supernatural characters, and things aren’t what they seem. While these zombies aren’t tearing down human society, and instead make up the entirety of the lower class, The New Deadwardians is an unarguably unique dive into a zombie-ridden world that fans of the horror genre will assuredly find very entertaining.

4 Revival

Revival by Tim Seeley and Mike Norton is far more haunting than the classic zombie tale, and way more of a ‘horror’ comic than the last few entries on this list. In this story, the undead are known as revivors, and they aren’t empty-minded entities with rotting flesh and unending hunger, they’re fully sentient and effectively immortal. The revivors heal from any wound, and anytime they experience negative emotions, they become extremely violent while they simultaneously cry tears of blood. There are other entities as well known as creeps, who are ghost-like figures that live in the woods. Like Blackgas, Revival is claustrophobic (as it takes place in a small, snowy town in Wisconsin) while also being just as visually terrifying as any other zombie-horror. Plus, there’s a uniquely supernatural and occultist element behind how and why there are zombies plaguing this small corner of the world that is sure to shock and terrify those who read it.

3 Stitched

Fans of Garth Ennis are assuredly familiar with the 2011 horror short film that was written and directed by him titled Stitched, which followed three NATO operatives in Eastern Afghanistan who stumble upon a horde of grotesque, mutilated undead. The short film was released ahead of the comic series of the same name by Garth Ennis and Mike Wolfer both as a way to promote the Stitched comic series while also setting the stage for its established canon. Between the film and the comics, Stitched is a fully immersive experience, and is perfect for those who love both The Walking Dead TV show and the comic, but just wished they were part of the same continuity.

2 Crossed

Another piece of ‘zombie-fiction’ from Ennis is Crossed (by Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows) which is decidedly much darker than not only Stitched, but any other entry on this list (including The Walking Dead). Crossed introduces readers to a ‘zombie’ virus that doesn’t raise the dead or transform people into mindless cannibals, but instead makes people carry out their most evil thoughts. Not only that, but the infected contract a cross-like rash on their faces, which is why they are known as the Crossed. While the Crossed are essentially forced to commit atrocities against their will due to the infection, they are still completely cognizant and intelligent, making them less like the classic ‘zombie’ and more like wasteland mutants akin to Mad Max (only way more messed up). The stuff the Crossed do to their fellow humans is repulsive, and truly exhibits the absolute worst of humanity. In other words, horror fans will love it.

1 Crossed +100

Technically the same continuity as Garth Ennis’ original series, Crossed +100 by Alan Moore and Gabriel Andrade definitively stands on its own while elevating the established lore of the Crossed universe. The original Crossed was hyper-focused on how shockingly deranged the infected were, while Crossed +100 adds a bit more of an overarching menace to an already horrific world. Set one hundred years after the first series, Crossed +100 introduces a serial killer named Salt, who was infected with the virus but wasn’t impacted by it given the fact that he already had the urge to commit horrific atrocities against his fellow human, and knew how to keep those urges in check. With Salt, Crossed +100 found itself an overarching, sinister villain, which not only separated it from the original Crossed, but also almost all other forms of zombie fiction. Indeed, on a storytelling level, Moore made this universe his own, which only added to the horrifying legacy of the Crossed universe and the zombie-horror subgenre as a whole.

While there are plenty of other zombie-like storylines across a plethora of comic book titles - including from more mainstream comics like Marvel Zombies, DCeased, and Star Wars’ "Dark Droids" - these Top 10 choices each have the unmistakable factors of amazing zombie-fiction that fans of The Walking Dead will assuredly enjoy.