Robert Kirkman

A theoretically exciting Maggie-and-Carol episode can’t help but feel like a rote diversion.

A brutal, efficient episode manages to make the wait for Negan bearable.

A primer on a unique TV industry – and where to watch some of its best series.

A quiet episode avoids overt missteps and continues the series’ recent sentimental streak.

A cataclysmic episode spotlights a rare element for The Walking Dead: hope.

“Start to Finish” is essentially when the survivors of Alexandria have to finally stop and ask: Is this place really worth it?

Since the premiere of The Walking Dead in 2010, various showrunners  who’ve adapted the Robert Kirkman comic book, from Frank Darabont to Scott Gimple, have offered their own contributions in the form of original characters. The Walking Dead has strayed considerably from its source material since its premiere, and the writers have offered new characters …

The second arc of Outcast closes with more questions than answers. This seems to be the way the comic likes to operate. Throughout the first twelve issues Kyle and Revered Anderson have encountered countless demons and those possessed but know relatively little about how to fight them. Also, whenever Kyle saves someone they are sometimes worse for ware. Robert Kirkman is hinting in Outcast #12 that the answers are to come. Until there are adequate answers to the burning questions in Outcast this comic could easily become rote and follow the same pattern of demon encounter, faith questioned by Kyle, faith trusted in by Reverend Anderson, then possible exorcism. These issues need some form of answer or Outcast will get old fast.

Kyle Barnes hasn’t been very forthcoming about why he and Allison got a divorce. In past issues Kyle says he hit Allison. In Outcast #11 Kyle says that Allison may have done something to spook their daughter Amber, but this is another mystery that Robert Kirkman is keeping wrapped. It’s these looks into the life of Kyle that are what’s most interesting and rewarding about Outcast. Sure, the ghostly aspects of the series are exciting, but the more human oriented horror about Kyle’s past is what keeps the series fresh. It would be easy for Outcast to tell the same exorcism story over and over again and get boring, but that’s not how this series works.

Ten issues in and Robert Kirkman throws a curveball: there are no physical demons in this issue of Outcast, rather it’s the emotional demons that cut the deepest. Kyle is still furious with Reverend Anderson after their meeting with Sherry. The main line of demarcation between the two is deftly explained, as Reverend Anderson believes she’s better off and Kyle believes the girl isn’t. Kyle is seen as a man without faith but who would blame him? Kyle knows that Sherry will forever live laying in a bed just like his mother.

Finally, we’re getting somewhere: Kyle and Reverend Anderson continue their aimless journey throughout town to discover what has happened to some of the Reverend’s past exorcism patients. The duo encounter Sherry, the girl who evaded them in the last issue and someone the Reverend thinks he hasn’t helped. During the encounter Kyle forces out whatever demon that was inside Sherry. At the end of the issue he finally understands that it is him, and only him that cause the demons to leave. Ironically they also derive their power from his proximity. How Kyle helps is still uncertain as is Sherry’s life.

It’s not easy to come back from failure. Revered Anderson is being haunted by his past mistakes and is trying to right his wrongs. Kyle is upset that Reverend Anderson thinks he may know what’s going on in this issue of Outcast. It’s easy to step into Kyle’s place and assume the Reverend is more of a hindrance than help. But once Reverend Anderson shows Kyle just how deeply he’s been cut the tone changes.

There is a departure from the normal story flow in this issue. Kyle and Reverend Anderson are more secondary characters while we follow Megan’s adventure into the city to meet Allison and have a standoff with Donnie. It’s a welcome change to see the world of Outcast isn’t just demons and exorcisms. Although we find out that Kyle seems to be as committed to the cause as Reverend Anderson.

Coming from The Walking Dead‘s Robert Kirkman is the new horror and drama series Outcast, which has just been picked up for a 10-episode run on Cinemax. Outcast stars Patrick Fugit (Gone Girl) as a man who lives across the street from a young boy appearing to be possessed by a demon. Kirkman is the …

The Walking Dead spin-off series has been in development for well into a year now and still very little has been clarified on what the new series will be like. The new show is being developed by Robert Kirkman, the comic books creator, and former Sons of Anarchy scribe, Dave Erickson, which have stated that …

After last week’s action extravaganza, “Strangers” is unsurprisingly a much quieter episode of The Walking Dead. Written by comic creator Robert Kirkman, “Strangers” follows the entire group traveling side by side, and introduces us to a new character (the mysterious Father Gabriel played by Seth Gilliam). The group takes shelter in a church, before making a decision about Abraham’s proposed plan for D.C.; meanwhile Bob discovers a new horror lurking in the woods. Gareth and his Terminus buddies are back for more disgusting cannibal mayhem.

TVLine has posted some more hints at what the in-development Walking Dead companion series on AMC will bring with a brief breakdown of the leading characters. SEAN CABRERA | A Latino male in his early 40s, Sean is a good man trying to do right by everyone in his life. CODY CABRERA | Sean’s whip-smart and rebellious teenage …

Walking Dead issues in the middle of an arc tend to be the least interesting. It’s not their fault except that it’s an issue of structure, and Kirkman’s writing means that the middle issues are setup for eventual payoff. There’s nothing wrong with it in the grand scheme of things. It’s just that we as readers won’t really appreciate until we know where it was taking us. The fact that this issue is likely tossing the readers a red herring in lieu of further plot developments bogs it down a bit.

The Walking Dead 128 Written by Robert Kirkman Art by Charlie Adlard, Stefano Gaudiano, and Cliff Rathburn Published by Image Comics  After last issue, it’s inevitable that Walking Dead 128 will feel a bit slower in comparison. This is an issue that’s mostly devoted to exposition and developing the setting, which means that there isn’t …

Walking Dead #127 takes some pretty bold leaps in storytelling, and for this reason, this is one of my favorite issues of all time. Comic books often fall into the trap of circular storytelling, rehashing the same types of conflicts over and over again so that the drama becomes stale. Kirkman, it seems, will not be falling into that particular pit trap, and he does so by moving us two years into the future.

After the devastating events at the end of the mid-season finale, which saw the conflict between Rick’s group and the The Governor’s men end in a bloody conclusion, “After” attempts to deal with the fallout from that attack by focusing only on three of the many characters scattered to the wind. In what is a stark contrast to the beginning of season 4, we open with a beautiful ariel shot of the aftermath at the prison. What was once considered a self-sustaining safe haven, now burns to the ground with hordes of walkers invading its premises. No longer are Rick and Carl planting vegetables, nor is Carol teaching the children how to use weapons during reading time. The prison is once and for all destroyed, and as the walkers swarm the grounds, feasting on the insides of a dead horse, the camera pans by the body a dead Governor – putting to rest any rumours that he may still be alive. Following the comic book’s route fairly faithfully, the episode found Rick defeated in every way possible – Rick’s declining health makes him more of a liability than an asset, to the point where he spends half the episode in a state of deep and usually prolonged unconsciousness. When he’s unable to take a Walker down with an ax to the head, Carl is left with no choice but to waste a bullet and shoot the Walker down himself; an act that will come back to haunt him later on.

By far the best of the first three episodes of season four, “Isolation,” written by Robert Kirkman continues to devote more time to both the characters we already know and care about, while offering some moments for the more interesting newbies to strut their stuff. “30 Days Without An Incident” was a fairly satisfying instalment, but left me with concerns that the writers would continue to introduce new characters and kill them off within the very same episode (R.I.P. Zack).

Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead and Invincible comic book series, announced a new development deal with Fox International Channels (FIC). With record breaking ratings for the season three midseason premiere of The Walking Dead ((12.3 million viewers to be exact), Fox International Channels wants Kirkman to bring exorcism to television. The international distributor …