Robert Kirkman unexpectedly concluded The Walking Dead comics in 2019 after 193 issues. The sudden ending was a mighty shock; Kirkman even took measures to hide the fact that he was finishing the series by sending out mock covers for future issues. Since the comic's ending, The Walking Dead TV show show has also reached its conclusion, but continues to endure through a series of spinoff projects.
As for the future of The Walking Dead comics, things are a little more uncertain. It doesn't help that Kirkman plays tricks on his fans almost as a hobby. Since the ending of the main series, there have been two volumes of Tillie Walden's Clementine graphic novel, a sequel to Telltale's Walking Dead video game, which is canon to the comics. But other than that, Kirkman has not returned to his beloved zombie world.
In the fan letters page of The Walking Dead: Deluxe — a full-color reprinting of the original series — Kirkman responded to fan questions. One fan asked whether The Walking Dead comic universe will continue. "Never say never," he wrote, per ScreenRant. “Once Clementine Book 3 releases, there won't be any new The Walking Dead comic book material... ever."
However, Kirkman went on to say that when The Walking Dead: Deluxe reaches his original ending, there will be a temptation to simply keep on going. “I mean, it's possible we just keep going with Walking Dead Deluxe #194 and beyond! Who knows what the future may hold!" If the story continues, it'll no doubt cover the 'Old man Carl' story that was briefly teased in the final issue.
Robert Kirkman reveals one of his biggest Walking Dead regrets
In a more recent issue of The Walking Dead: Deluxe, Kirkman dished on some regrets he has about the comic. One of his biggest is killing off fan-favorite survivor Glenn Rhee, played by Steven Yeun on the AMC TV show. He doesn't regret killing the character specifically, but rather the build-up to the infamous event. He believes he made the shock moment a little too obvious. "We even have Rick saying he's going to miss the hell out of Glenn. Yeesh. Laying it on pretty thick, Robert!" Kirkman wrote.
When writing, Kirkman had a "a solid plan for constantly making the reader think characters were goners," but in the case of Glenn, "it could have been way better if I landed those moments."
At least comic fans were completely fooled in the TV version of the event. In the episode "The Day Will Come When You Won't Be," Negan kills Abraham before later shockingly taking out Glenn as well.
The Walking Dead: Deluxe continues to drop new issues monthly. Look out for them in your local comic book store!
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