Robert Kirkman addresses the events of The Walking Dead issue 192

After the shocking events from issue 192 of The Walking Dead comics, creator Robert Kirkman had quite a bit to say about why he did what he did.

If you have been keeping up to date on The Walking Dead comics, you know that something major happened in the last two months. One of the things readers thought would never happen in the pages of the book actually happened.

Of course, if you aren’t caught up with what happened, it is highly advised that you either read up on what has happened to this point or at least check out the COMPLETE RECAP of the June 2018 issue.

Fans who read the comic got to see the Letter Hacks section of issue 192. In that part of the book, creator Robert Kirkman along with Sean Mackiewicz address questions sent in by readers. However, Kirkman instead took to the space to discuss the decision to kill off a major character.

First, Kirkman explained that the decision to kill off Rick Grimes was a tough one that he had planned for a long time.

"“I’ve been working toward this since I started writing…issue #1. It doesn’t make it any easier, but it’s been something I’ve been getting more and more used to as the years got down to months and then weeks…I knew it was coming.”"

Kirkman had been teasing for years that everyone dies eventually in the world of The Walking Dead and that Rick was no different. He had planned the main character’s death at the Commonwealth by Sebastian since the start and executed that plan in this month’s issue.

The comics will be very different without Rick Grimes and that might not be something many readers are prepared for. However, Robert Kirkman ensures fans that there is much more to this story of survival in the zombie apocalypse than following the life of Rick Grimes.

"“While this was always Rick’s story thus far, as written about in the first issue, that doesn’t mean he needs to be alive to be a presence in this series. This is the story of a world, not a man…it’s the story of a world profoundly affected by that man, as we’ll see starting next issue…but it isn’t exclusively Rick’s story.”"

Thankfully, the world of The Walking Dead comics is full of characters readers have grown to love over the years. Rick will be missed, but his legacy will live on as the story of Carl, Michonne, Maggie, and others should be more than enough to keep the series going strong.

As Kirkman stated in issue 192, he should have earned the trust of readers who have stuck with the story this long. The ups and downs of the story have been crazy over the years…and while this is a major time of mourning for comic fans, it doesn’t mean the future for the series can’t be extremely bright.