The following is a list of characters from The Walking Dead comic book series, created by Robert Kirkman. Plot structure and characterization between the comic and television series can be similar, derivative, or in many cases almost entirely irrelevant.
The following table graphically shows each recurring character's status in each volume of the comic sorted by which volume they first appeared; a character marked as absent in one issue may appear in a later volume.
Rick is the main protagonist of the series and the group's de facto leader. He is Lori's husband and Carl's father. Before the zombie apocalypse, Rick is a sheriff's deputy in the small town of Cynthiana, Kentucky. While in a shootout against an escaped convict with his partner and best friend, Shane Walsh, Rick is wounded and subsequently awakens from a coma some time later. After finding his family in Atlanta camp, Rick quickly assumes the role of the leader of the survivor community. As the story progresses, Rick adopts a more dark and assertive nature. He lost his wife and daughter during the fall of the prison. Lori's death leaves Rick in emotional wreck. Rick suffers frightening hallucinations of her, and for a while seems to hear conversations with her on an old phone. For the heavy loss of lives occurred, Rick constantly blames himself. At the same time, he never backs away from a difficult decision affecting his community. Rick is very protective of Carl, while at the same time feels detached from Carl's now bleak outlook of the world. Eventually Rick begins a romantic relationship with Andrea in Alexandria. Rick is the leader of the Alexandria survivors community. As the war with Negan escalates, Negan forces Dwight to shoot Rick with a bolt (possibly with walker blood on it to infect Rick with the walker-virus), but as Rick does not turn, Dwight is proven a trustworthy ally and not a surreptitious foe. He takes Negan captive and ends the war. Two years later, he is still leading the Safe-Zone and dating Andrea. After The Whisperers attack the Safe-Zone during the fair, Rick's leadership is questioned. To divert this, Rick manages to move the survivors anger towards The Whisperers through propaganda and army campaigns. Rick begins to trust Negan after the latter brings Alpha's head to him.
Carl is the son of Rick and Lori as well as Judith's elder brother. He is the secondary protagonist of the series. Carl begins as a normal and innocent child, but as the events of the new world order force him to grow up, he becomes colder and competently makes sometimes brash decisions for the good of his group of friends. When the group arrives at the prison, Carl starts dating Carol's daughter Sophia. However, their relationship ends as they part ways during the conflict with Negan. During an invasion by walkers at the Alexandria Safe-Zone, he is accidentally shot in the eye and loses it. As a teenager, Carl resides at the Hilltop Colony as a blacksmith apprentice but still remains close friends with Sophia, while contacting and later forming a sexual relationship with Whisperer, Lydia. He currently is protecting Maggie Greene at the Hilltop Colony.