"I think Walking Dead is one of the friendliest new reader type books in that every time a new trade is shipped out, a new issue is shipped out at the same time." -- Robert Kirkman
Robert Kirkman is an American comic book writer best known for his work on The Walking Dead, Invincible for Image Comics, as well as Ultimate X-Men and Marvel Zombies for Marvel Comics. He has also collaborated with Image Comics co-founder Todd McFarlane on the series Haunt.
"Fights in real life between real people only last so long before someone gets seriously hurt.""I definitely have character arcs in mind for each character unless I kill them.""I don't presume to think I'm great at anything.""I have things planned for every character like what they're doing down the road and coming to different realizations but I don't have how they overlap.""I have trouble writing if I can't picture how things are going to look.""I know there are a lot of readers that think I've got a very crappy marriage just because of the things going on with Rick and Lori but there's really nothing that's been like a mirror. I'm just making this stuff up.""I like good stories above all else... and kickin' art really goes the final stretch to ensure a comic is good.""I make a lot more off the trades and Image than Marvel.""I think Walking Dead is more of a stretch for me because I'm a light hearted superhero kind of guy.""I want to spend my time exploring the characters we've already got here. I want to give them more time to shine before the team gets to have 400 members.""I will say that Rick will probably die before the end of the book. I'll go ahead and put that in print. Nobody's safe. I've almost killed him three times already.""I will work on Invincible until I am made to quit.""I write the way I write.""I'm all for selling books, but when guys are burning my house down, that's where I draw the line.""I'm only 24 so I like to think I'm still close enough to 17 to still remember what it was like. Besides, I could just fake it and get away with it... it's not like there are any teenagers that still read comics.""If I'm grumpy I sure do enjoy writing The Walking Dead.""It's nice to know that what you're doing is being read and enjoyed by a good deal of people.""It's no secret that I love the Ultimate line.""June 2005 is the five year anniversary of the debut of Battle Pope.""Last year I think I made more from my Image books than anywhere else.""Tech Jacket shares the same tone as Invincible, but the subject matter is very different. Where Invincible is about perfection, Tech Jacket is about flaws.""The important information you need at the beginning of an issue. Like way they did the old Frank Miller Daredevil issues in the first five pages he always had to state his origins and how he got his powers.""Well see, I'm a good enough writer that not everybody in my books talks exactly like I do.""Well, don't tell Steve Niles but I just don't think horror works in comics."
Robert Kirkman's first comic book work was the 2000 superhero parody Battle Pope, which he co-created with artist Tony Moore, and self-published under the Funk-O-Tron label. Later, while pitching a new series, Science Dog, Kirkman and artist Cory Walker were hired to do a SuperPatriot miniseries for Image Comics. While working on that book, Kirkman and E.J. Su created the 2002 Image series Tech Jacket, which ran six issues.
In 2003, Kirkman and Walker created Invincible for Image's new superhero line. The story surrounded the adolescent son of the world's most powerful superhero, who develops powers and starts his own superhero career. Walker later failed to meet the monthly title's deadlines and was replaced by Ryan Ottley. In 2005, Paramount Pictures announced it had bought the rights to produce an Invincible feature film, and hired Kirkman to write the screenplay.
Shortly after the launch of Invincible, Kirkman and Moore began The Walking Dead (2003), a series set in a world inspired by George A. Romero's zombie movies. Moore, himself struggling to keep deadlines, was replaced by Charlie Adlard, beginning with issue #7. Moore continued to draw covers until issue 24 as well as the first four volumes of the trade paperbacks for the series.
Kirkman's work for Marvel Comics has included a revival of the 1990s Sleepwalker series; it was canceled before being published, with the first issue eventually included in Epic Anthology #1 (2004). He soon became a mainstay at Marvel, writing, among other titles, Captain America vol. 4, #29—32 (2004), Marvel Knights 2099 (2004), Jubilee #1—6 (2004), Marvel Team-Up vol. 3, #1—25 (2005), Fantastic Four: Foes #1—6 (2005), Marvel Zombies #1—5 (2005—2006), Ultimate X-Men (starting with issue #66), and Irredeemable Ant-Man #1—12.
Kirkman and artist Jason Howard created the Image series The Astounding Wolf-Man, launching it on May 5, 2007, as part of Free Comic Book Day. Kirkman edited the monthly series Brit, based on the character he created for the series of one-shots, illustrated by Moore and Cliff Rathburn. It ran 12 issues.
Kirkman announced in 2007 that he and artist Rob Liefeld would team on a revival of Killraven for Marvel Comics. Kirkman that year also said he and Todd McFarlane would collaborate on Haunt for Image Comics. In late July 2008, Kirkman was made a partner at Image Comics, and would no longer write for Marvel. In 2009, however, he and Walker produced the five-issue miniseries The Destroyer vol. 4 for Marvel's MAX imprint. He is set to produce the television adaption of his comic The Walking Dead, the pilot of which is directed by Frank Darabont.
In 2009 Kirkman and Marc Silvestri took over the 2009/2010 Pilot Season for Top Cow Comics. The 2009/2010 Pilot Season contains a series of five one-shot pilot comics that readers will be able to vote on which becomes an ongoing series. Each series is co-created by Silvestri who also provides cover art. Kirkman narrated the television adaption of The Walking Dead at San Diego Comic-Con International 2010. In July 2010, Kirkman announced he would launch and run a new Image Comics imprint, Skybound.
