Robert Kirkman, the creator of The Walking Dead, recently hinted that his beloved zombie comic could return in the future. He suggested that this might happen after the full-colour reprint, The Walking Dead: Deluxe, reaches its final issue.
Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead is the most popular zombie comic of all-time. The series ran for 193 issues from 2003 to 2019. Initially, Kirkman hinted that the series may run for upwards of 300 issues. However, he ultimately pulled the plug in 2019, and it took everyone by surprise. He even sent out fake covers to retailers, tricking everyone into thinking a conclusion wasn’t coming anytime soon.
But alas, The Walking Dead comics are over, at least for now. The television franchise lives on through a slate of spinoff shows: Dead City, Daryl Dixon, and beyond. The TV side of things is still going strong, with the spinoff sequels gaining great reviews. Both Daryl Dixon and Dead City will return for new seasons in 2025. And while AMC hasn’t announced any new projects, it’s likely that we’ll see more in the coming years.
With all of that said, however, the comics are undergoing something of a resurgence right now. In October 2020, Image Comics announced a reprint of the original comics, but with full-colour pages by Dave McCaig (Superman: Birthright). The reprint has proven incredibly popular, with the newly coloured panels adding an extra pop compared to the gritty, black-and-white original art — which did have its own charm.
Now that he’s seeing his iconic comic come back to life with The Walking Dead: Deluxe, Robert Kirkman has already hinted at the idea of continuing the series. In the notes section of issue #100 (as brought to our attention by Screen Rant), Kirkman pondered with the idea of simply continuing the saga once the full-colour version gets up to date.
“It’s possible we just keep going with Walking Dead Deluxe #194,” he teased. “Who knows what the future may hold!”
Of course, Kirkman famously likes to prank and tease his fans, like the time he sent out fake issue covers. But also, Kirkman is already returning to his beloved Invincible Universe in 2025 for a Battle Beast series. Who’s to say he won’t one day return to The Walking Dead?
Image Comics published new issues of The Walking Dead: Deluxe bi-monthly. Keep an eye out!
