I see your points but as someone who has not read the comics I have nothing else to compare the show to so I'm spared any disappointments...I wish it was that small of changes.
1. They let Shane live as long as he did
2. They killed off Sophia (She is still alive in the comics)
3. They killed off Dale WAY too soon. Which is why they changed it to be Herschel that got bit.
4. Michonne doesn't help Andrea out in the comics, she helps when they are clearing out the prison.
5. Shane doesn't kill off Otis, also Otis isn't some fat slob and he is alive while they are at the prison.
There are more, these are just ones that popped into my head. They may sound minor but the characters they killed off play a decent role later in the comics. And yes I understand they want to surprise even the fans that know the story line but I feel there are other areas to do so. They could kill off some of the characters that they introduced in the show, or add scenes that didn't exist before like the gangsters they ran into in season 1.
/rant
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