Sounds pretty similar to the comics. I haven't seen Season 2 yet, but I have read all of the Walking Dead comics to date. Kirkman slows the story down a bit to help build character. Then when you least expect it, everything goes to hell and people start dying. It isn't the constant thrill rush of most zombie movies, but I think it gets you more vested in the people. And when the action turns back on it's more of a surprise and more exciting because you've let your guard down a little. The storytelling approach reminds me a lot of LOST, without the flashbacks. You get a lot of day-to-day "here's how we're surviving" for a while, then some crazy turn leaves your jaw hanging open.
By the way, there is a big letters column at the end of the comics, where people write in about both the show and the comic now. I've tried to skip any TV spoilers, but this last issue had a lot of discussion about differences in the storyline. Kirkman is very much treating these as two entirely different universes. The characters are generally the same, but they may act very different in one story versus another. Big plot points like the CDC or certain people dying/not dying are very different between the two stories. I'm looking at you, Shane. Anyway, for anyone afraid of reading the comics/GN's because of plot spoilers, have no fear.