Robert Kirkman, one of the most groundbreaking comic auteurs for his series The Walking Dead. In it Kirkman tells a zombie apocalypse caused by a space spore which takes a backseat to the human drama. Because frankly nobody cares where The Walking Dead comes from. Which is a shame because it’s comic book absurdity like that can transition into meaningful stories. Just take a look at Kirkman’s other huge series Invincible.
Robert Kirkman Writing An Image
Kirkman’s superhero epic is the result of making connections across Image Comics as it bears fruit. Starting out with artist Tony Moore for their indie series, Battle Pope, they spend time making calls to publishers. Getting on the radar of Image, Kirkman takes the opportunity to mingle with Image’s founders. Spending a great deal of time with Erik Larsen, Kirkman decides to try his hand at superheroes. But with so many gritty series like Shadowhawk Kirkman needed a different angle. Taking cues from Larsen’s Savage Dragon, Kirkman’s ideas feature absurdly paced action mixing with wish fulfillment.
With his first attempt Tech Jacket not making a huge impact, Robert Kirkman releases Invincible. In this series, Kirkman treats superheroes as any other comic fan does, a part of everyday life. With superheroes becoming so widespread, fans like Kirkman need a deeper look on why they matter. Like how does a world function when it’s in danger so often? And how does that affect people emotionally? Turns out quite a lot.
Marvel Vs. Image
Naturally Invincible is a stark contrast to mainstream superheroes who reset themselves after almost every main run. But then again it’s times like those where fans can bring about ideas where they fit most. Some of the people Kirkman works with like his artist in Marvel Knights 2099 (Steve Epting) finds his place in Ed Brubaker’s Captain America. Kirkman himself worked with Cap for a short while and might’ve been one of the people to endorse Epting. Wishful thinking aside, Kirkman values his time meeting other creatives at Marvel despite leaving on bad terms.
If you want proof, look no further than The Irredeemable Ant-Man. Kirkman and regular artists Cory Walker and Phil Hester create a story about the absurdity surrounding the concept of Ant-Man. Think of every juvenile fantasy that comes with shrinking and how people can abuse it. Of course there also comes with how such a man-child can actually function as a hero. Most of his acts of heroism are just dumb luck, often in cartoonish fashion. This Daffy Duck-like character is just so entertaining because he embraces comics’ weirdness. Perhaps Kirkman’s biggest contributions come with looking at how human characters are even as the life drains out of them.
The Walking Zombies by Robert Kirkman
The Walking Dead is probably among Image Comics’ biggest milestone as it transitions from superheroes into more diverse genres. Because let’s face it, superheroes are hits and misses for non-mainstream comics. Even then using what’s familiar as a base can lead to something bigger than anyone expects. Zombies are pretty much a go-to tool for how society crumbles. Because what really separates someone from their base instincts? More often then not, it’s self-reflection. As such the biggest threats aren’t the undead but the people who tend to act like them.
The same holds true of Kirkman’s other zombie franchise Marvel Zombies. In it, zombified versions of Marvel superheroes confront the nature of their hunger. This in turn allows the characters to reveal what makes them heroes, especially the namesake of Kirkman’s son Spider-Man.
Robert Kirkman Is Skybound
Kirkman’s notoriety reaches a precipice when after much cooperation, he becomes an Image Comics partner. Now a co-owner among the ranks of Todd McFarlane and Marc Silvestri, Kirkman founds Skybound Entertainment. Yet even the sky’s not the limit for Kirkman with everything he makes out of his IPs. The Walking Dead propels Kirkman to fame to the point of receiving a special award for his entire career. One that unfortunately drove a wedge between him and Tony Moore; one where they end on mutually beneficial terms.
Finding the Next Longform
Before and after Walking Dead and Invincible’s ends, Kirkman tries his hardest to find a new long-running story. Each with different degrees of enthusiasm to philosophical looks at life in different genres. Sci-fi stories like Super Dinosaur and Oblivion Song are opposing sides of the spectrum of this approach. Super Dinosaur has all of the fun and high-tech gadgets of boy adventure series complete with cheesy dialog. Oblivion Song meanwhile explores the complexities of wanting to find where someone belongs; especially when both sides of something like civilization or relationships give up on one another. I wonder if Kirkman’s relationships in real life serve some kind of basis in this.
Some series like the heists Thief of Thieves get stolen by different hands like Andy Diggle. Because let’s face it doing too many projects at once would be a burden, just ask Geoff Johns. By 2019, Kirkman tries his hand at two series that embrace the absurd nonsense of comics. Die, Die, Die! (WordPress is a pain) is a collaboration spy/assassination series between Kirkman, Scott M. Gimple, Nathan Fairbairn, and Chris Burnham that uses twists and conspiracies for laughs. Because when you make friends in situations like that it can lead to major developments. Case in point, Fire Power.
Hyping The Flames
Kirkman is very excited to be working with talented artists like Chris Samnee. It’s to the point of releasing a prelude months before the main series. While drawing a lot of parallels to Marvel’s Iron Fist, the released preview display two important aspects of martial arts. For main character Owen Johnson, it’s about connecting with his Chinese heritage. For the temple he trains at, it’s about empowering themselves. The key conflicts come from how people use those disciplines. But whether anything pays off remains to be seen. At least people won’t complain about a white savior trope.
Robert Kirkman believes a person’s story develops overtime with other persons they encounter. Some people change and do things they never would before, but never immediately. Life just has its ups and downs that build up overtime. Kirkman merely tries to communicate that it’s best to enjoy what you have until it’s time to move on.
The ink’s not dry yet so check back often for developments. As always thanks for coming and remember to look between the panels.