The creator of The Walking Dead comics, Robert Kirkman may be a man of great imagination and invaluable talent but even legends like him often run into a roadblock in their creative journey. The resulting product often ends in a cul-de-sac that in hindsight looks as bleak as rain in the winters.
![The Walking Dead [Credit Image Comics]](https://fwmedia.fandomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/29130716/The-Walking-Dead-Credit-Image-Comics.jpeg)
However, for Kirkman, the stars and moons aligned perfectly to ensure he fulfilled his destiny. So even though the comic genius served up a dose of X-Files-inspired drama along with his undead creation, in the end, it was his original vision that persevered and spawned a universe that is yet to die down in critical acclaim and fan frenzy.
Aliens Aided in Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead Success
Coming up with the pitch for The Walking Dead for Image Comics in 2003, Robert Kirkman had already hit the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The television adaptation of his work would go on to capture the world’s attention in 2010 and rage on even 14 years down the line, only elevating its fanbase in the era of streaming. However, even a creation such as this needed a boost to get the publisher’s approval after Kirkman’s manuscript fell short of the editor’s expectations at the time.
In a world saturated with the undead and their cinematic adaptations, Image Comics was not wrong in wanting there to be an extra something in Robert Kirkman’s issue of The Walking Dead #1. However, no one could have expected that aliens would have done the trick.
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As reported in an interview with Bleeding Cool, Kirkman revealed his proposal about zombies being sent to Earth by aliens. The extra hook finally got him the job, although that plotline was immediately abandoned in favor of his original idea. Ultimately, The Walking Dead ran for 193 issues before ending abruptly in 2019.
The Walking Dead Refuses to Stop Its Global Domination
Robert Kirkman’s initial pitch about the zombie-alien storyline, although never explored in its full potential, did eventually find an outlet. The author retained his word by introducing aliens in The Walking Dead #75 in a non-canonical bonus ending as an homage to his original pitch to Image Comics.
Now, 14 years later, The Walking Dead is a fully realized universe with a television series that ran for 12 years and spawned multiple media properties that involve series spin-offs and video games. Currently, The Walking Dead shares its universe with 6 other live-action series: Fear the Walking Dead, World Beyond, Tales of the Walking Dead, Dead City, Daryl Dixon, and The Ones Who Live. Additionally, multiple video games, webisode series, and additional literary publications have comprised the world of the undead as Robert Kirkman’s universe keeps bearing fruit well into the future.
The Walking Dead complete comic series is available for purchase on Amazon.
