Robert Kirkman (b. 1978) is probably best known as the creator of The
Walking Dead. The comic book and its television adaptation have
reinvented the zombie horror story, transforming it from cult curiosity
and parody to mainstream popularity and critical acclaim. In some ways,
this would be enough to justify this career-spanning collection of
interviews. Yet Kirkman represents much more than this single comic book
title.
Kirkman's story is a fanboy's dream that begins with him financing his
irreverent, independent comic book Battle Pope with credit cards. After
writing major titles with Marvel comics (Spider-Man, Captain America,
and X-Men), Kirkman rejected companies like DC and Marvel and publicly
advocated for creator ownership as the future of the comics industry. As
a partner at Image, Kirkman wrote not only The Walking Dead but also
Invincible, a radical reinvention of the superhero genre.
Robert Kirkman: Conversations gives insight to his journey and explores
technique, creativity, collaboration, and the business of comics as a
multimedia phenomenon. For instance, while continuing to write
genre-based comics in titles like Outcast and Oblivion Song, Kirkman
explains his writerly bias for complex characters over traditional plot
development. As a fan-turned-creator, Kirkman reveals a creator's
complex relationship with fans in a comic-con era that breaks down the
consumer/producer dichotomy. And after rejecting company-ownership
practices, Kirkman articulates a vision of the creator-ownership model
and his goal of organic creativity at Skybound, his multimedia company.
While Stan Lee was the most prominent comic book everyman of the
previous era of comics production, Kirkman is the most prominent comic
book everyman of this dynamic, evolving new era.
