Is The Walking Dead graphic novel the same as the TV show?

My friend really enjoys The Walking Dead TV show on AMC, and I was thinking about buying him the first graphic novel in the series for Christmas. I want to know if so far (as we're only 5 episodes in), does the TV show follow the graphic novel extremely accurately, or is it different at all? I ask because I don't really know if he will be that interested in reading the graphic novel if he knows what is going to happen already. Thanks in advance!|||it is along the same lines, but it has different characters. I would recommend buying it. I actually started buying the comics when they were coming out in 2006 (lucky me working next door to a comic book store). I would even buy him the first volume, it might make for fewer cliffhangers.|||yea,I think so.