'The Walking Dead' to End? Robert Kirkman Clarifies Closing Comic Series After 14 Years
Is "The Walking Dead" heading towards a definitive ending? Creator Robert Kirkman, who launched the comic book series 14 years ago, has known for years how the story will come to close and it looks like he's steering this towards a final chapter.
Kirkman made this pronouncement during the Comic-Con weekend event in San Diego. He also told the audience he could've ended "The Walking Dead" years ago but he still had plenty of "cool stuff" to do as the process of creating the comic books went on. He has published 169 issues since.
"I think about two or three years ago, I had a pretty good idea for a definitive ending," Kirkman said. "I have known that since then and been working towards that, so I know exactly where I'm going and what's going to happen when I get there."
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Kirkman, however, issued a clarification on Twitter that he is not yet ending "The Walking Dead" comics. He just knows how it will end, should that time ever come.
One sure thing fans can expect from future stories of "The Walking Dead" is that Rick Grimes, the main protagonist and leader of the group, won't survive but his death will not be the end of story. Kirkman reiterated that he already said this before in other interviews.
"It was years ago so you guys probably forgot," Kirkman said. "But I foresee there being more story after his eventual demise."
Kirkman also talked about the process of the story development of "The Walking Dead." He said that since a lot has happened in the series, he has to constantly find ways to keep things fresh and interesting. For him, this has not always been easy when he is also doing the same stories for the TV show.
Speaking of which, the stories from the comic books are at least 60 or 70 issues ahead of the TV series. If Kirkman decides he's done with the printed versions, the show could still go on for years.
"If the show is gaining on the comic book, it's at a very slow pace," Kirkman told The Hollywood Reporter in April.
"The Walking Dead" season 8 will premiere in the fall on AMC.
