Let’s start with this season’s threads. To find the examples, on each page I did a text search for “comic” and then manually scanned the full page for spoiler boxes. It’s possible that there even more comic references than the examples I found with my quick search and scan technique.
The Walking Dead; 5.01 “No Santuary” (open spoilers)
Comics are discussed. It’s mentioned that the comics are as much about rebuilding as they are about fighting zombies. Someone says they want the spin-off to leave the comics behind. Not one single complaint or even mention that comics are off-topic for the thread.
The Walking Dead; 5.02 “Strangers” (open spoilers)
The comics come up many times. Nobody ever changes clothes because that’s how comic books work. Someone says they like Father Gabriel better in the show than the comics, and they’re excited to see what elements of the comics are used for him. A spoiler box explains a comic plotline about the preacher. Another spoiler box explains that in the comics, the zombie lady with glasses that freaks the preacher out was his wife. Not one single complaint or even mention that comics are off-topic for the thread.
The Walking Dead; 5.03 “Four Walls and a Roof” (open spoilers)
The comics come up. Someone mentions that Abraham and Eugene don’t feel like real people; they have a distinct comic book quality to them. Someone else comments that while reading the entire comics run, it occurred to them that we’re all member of the walking dead. A reply spoiler boxes that Rick says exactly that early on in the comics. Not one single complaint or even mention that comics are off-topic for the thread.
The Walking Dead 5.04 “The Slab” (open spoilers)
No mention of the comics. I’m frankly surprised that there was any thread this season where the comics didn’t come up.
The Walking Dead; 5.05 “Self Help” (open spoilers)
Someone asks if Eugene was in the comics, and if so was he more believable? It’s answered that yes, and comic Eugene is roughly the same as tv show Eugene, but his lie was more believable in the comics. It’s also mentioned that the guy who plays Abraham explained the backstory to the grocery store massacre on the Talking Dead. Special note: On the Talking Dead, he explicitly explained that he was describing the backstory from the comics. It’s here when people make up a new rule about “comics don’t exist” and it snowballs from there.
I stand by what I said in the thread:
I think I’ve shown here that the “comics don’t exist” has not been a rule so far this season. I may do a similar breakdown for the other seasons depending on how motivated I get.