Summary
According to series creator Robert Kirkman, there is one aspect ofThe Walking Deadcomic series that he finds frustrating – to the point where he admonished himself not to make the same mistake while writing future stories. Looking back on the groundbreaking zombie comic in retrospect,Kirkman admitted that he finds the series' reliance on expository dialogue to be “tedious” at times.
The Walking Dead Deluxe#93 – written by Robert Kirkman, with art by Charlie Adlard – contains the latest batch of annotations from the author, exploring the behind-the-scenes process of the series' creation. Frequently throughout this return toThe Walking Dead, Kirkman has been critical of his own work, with his active dislike of the dialogue in this issue being another stand-out example.
These insights into the creation of the long-running comic have beenthe most exciting aspect of theDeluxerereleaseof the series, which also offers a full-color reprint of the original black-and-white art.
Walking Dead’s Creator Names “The Main Draw of the Series” (Other Than Zombies)
While admitting zombies were the main attraction of The Walking Dead, series creator Robert Kirkman believes something more kept readers coming back.
Robert Kirkman Explains The One Major Change He Would Make To The Walking Dead
As Kirkman explained, rather than taking issue with the dialogue itself, his problem is with the static scripting of the dialogue scene as a whole.
Inhis notes onThe Walking Dead, Robert Kirkmanhas not pulled any punches – while he has defended his work from criticism at times, he has also not shied away from emphasizing what he would do differently now, as a mature artist. With hiscomments published inThe Walking Dead Deluxe#93,Kirkman seems especially impatient with his own use of exposition, which dominates a chunk of the issue. The author wrote:
…we get a tedious page of Rick giving characters specific direction. Is it okay to admit I don’t care for these pages? They’re…tedious, as I said. I don’t think they’re very effective. There’s probably a more creative, more visual way to get all that information across. The next time I’m finding myself writing a page like this, I hope I put the work in to think of those different options.
Though the example inThe Walking Dead#93 that sparked this criticism may be particularly egregious,Kirkman’s complaint seems to stem from the accrual of his dissatisfaction with this repeated “tedious” style of set-up throughout the series.He stated plainly:
I’m a little embarrassed how often I wrote pages like this in the series.
While revisitingThe Walking Deadhas been largely positive for Kirkman, comments like this make it clear that he has also been subjected to the occasional cringe at his past creative self. For fans of Robert Kirkman’s work, it will be worth keeping track of in future stories, to see if he took this self-taught lesson to heart.
They Can Learn From His Mistakes
Even Robert Kirkman’s harshest criticisms of his own writing inThe Walking Deadhave some crucial creative value.
Robert Kirkman’s analysis of his “tedious” use of exposition reflects a longstanding observation about the structure ofThe Walking Dead. Throughout the series, Kirkman often devoted nearly entire issues to setup, while others delivered emphatic payoffs that largely justified the month-to-month pacing of the series. Exposition-heavy issues likeThe Walking Dead Deluxe#93 play an important role in the overall schematic of the series – though according to the author, there could have been, and should have been, a more dynamic way to depict these moments.
Ultimately,Robert Kirkman takes this blame on himself, alleviating his artistic collaborator Charlie Adlard of any responsibility for these “tedious” partsofThe Walking Dead. Kirkman wrote:
Poor Charlie having to draw all those heads just listening as Rick told people to “find toilet paper and stack it up in two-foot-tall stacks.” Sheesh.
Though at this point Kirkman can do little more than cite his chief concerns withThe Walking Dead, it is likely he will bepleased if any aspiring author is able to learn from his mistakes, and avoid too much static delivery of expositional dialogue in their work. In that way, even Robert Kirkman’s harshest criticisms of his own writing inThe Walking Deadhave some crucial creative value.
The Walking Dead
Cast
The Walking Dead is a television series that premiered on Aug 25, 2025. It follows Sheriff’s deputy Rick Grimes, who awakens from a coma to find a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies. He embarks on a journey to locate his family, encountering various survivors amidst the chaos.
