AMC The Walking Dead TV Series
THE COMIC BOOKS

The Walking Dead is one of the most successful and popular graphic novels of all time. Since its debut in October 2003, the comic has gained legions of fans worldwide, regularly occupying a spot on The New York Times Bestseller List, and garnering Comic Con’s most coveted award, The Eisner Award, for Best Continuing Series in 2010. The Walking Dead has not only stood the test of time, but also thrived for the past seven years as creator/writer Robert Kirkman, illustrator Tony Moore (1-6) and illustrator Charlie Adlard (7-present) continue to populate the post-zombie apocalypse with compelling characters and surprising plot twists.



From the beginning, everyone involved with “The Walking Dead" agreed that for it to succeed the comic, the series would need to follow a similar path, but not be a panel-by-panel adaptation. The characters and their dilemmas would be explored in greater depth than in the comics, and new storylines would be developed to introduce new characters and storylines.

“Kirkman has given us a fantastic template with the comic books,” says renowned Executive Producer, Writer and Director Frank Darabont. “The frisson of thrill and horror is there, but it’s not the tail wagging the dog. It’s an appendage to all the good storytelling that is happening there, all the real human stuff that would apply in any kind of genre or story format. I always like to say that if you take the walking dead out of the equation, are you still telling a good story? Is it still going to be something that holds the audience’s attention? Will they be rewarded for the investment? I think the answer here is yes, and that’s certainly what we’re trying to pursue. We’re not making it just about the zombies or the effect of the horror of the moment. We’re digging a lot deeper than that and striving to keep the characters and their experiences at the forefront because I think that makes for the best television.”

Comments Kirkman, “Everyone is really trying to do good by the comic; the care with which they have adapted the material, and just how into the comic everybody is – from Frank to the production designer to the set decorator – is amazing. There are scenes that are…straight out of the comic and I think that fans are going to be thrilled. But at the same time, Frank is vastly improving the material, expanding the narrative and taking detours that I completely encourage. There are a lot of new, cool twists that are going to make the show even more entertaining for fans of the comic, and will appeal to new audiences as well. This is a show that, I believe, will appeal to everyone because it has an emotional core to it. We’re seeing very real people deal with very real problems and struggling to survive, which is something I think everybody can relate to.”