Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead seldom featured characters indulging in drugs and alcohol – something that the author explained was a result of his total lack of experience with either. The pioneering zombie comic did occasionally acknowledge substance use, and abuse, by characters, but alcohol and drugs rarely factored into the series overall.

As part of the ongoing full-color reprint of the series, The Walking Dead Deluxe #91 – written by Robert Kirkman, with art by Charlie Adlard – contains the author’s annotations of the issue’s story. Interestingly, he cites the scene in which Aaron and Eric share a bottle of scotch as one of the rare exceptions in which alcohol appeared in the series.

Ultimately, the tender scene between the pair stands out as perhaps the most prominent appearance of alcohol in the longrunning Walking Dead comic book.

Robert Kirkman’s Lack Of Familiarity With Alcohol Led To Its Rare Use In The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead Deluxe #91 – Written By Robert Kirkman; Art By Charlie Adlard; Color By Dave McCaig; Lettering By Rus Wooten

According to Robert Kirkman, he didn’t make a purposeful effort to avoid including alcohol, or any kind of substances, in The Walking Dead, but that as a teetotaler, it didn’t even occur to him. That is, until his solitary effort as the sole writer of the Walking Dead comic led to collaborative work on the early seasons of the AMC television adaptation. As Kirkman wrote in The Walking Dead Deluxe #91:

Fun fact: I’m a total square and have never partaken in any drugs or alcohol. I know, I know. So if you pay attention, you’ll notice that it’s quite rare for drugs or alcohol to ever come up in one of my stories. “Write what you know” and all. So this scene with Aaron and Eric is one of the few instances in THE WALKING DEAD comic that shows alcohol even existing – which probably only exists because while working in the writers room on the show, the other writers pointed this oddness out and really…it was the first time I’d realized it.

While there are several moments throughout The Walking Dead where alcohol is referenced, Aaron and Eric’s scene in issue #91 is the most prominent, and certainly the most poignant.

The Walking Dead #91 opens with a moment of peril for Aaron and Eric, and the scotch scene later in the issue is a sweet moment of relief for them after returning home safely from another zombie encounter. Aaron is at first shocked when Eric reveals he has snuck a bottle of scotch back with him, unbeknownst to the other survivors – but his consternation quickly gives way to mutual smiles, and professions of love, as they prepare to share a secret nightcap. Brief as the scene is, it is among The Walking Dead’s most effective positive emotional moments.

Substance Abuse Existed On The Margins Of The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead #146 – Written By Robert Kirkman; Ink By Stefan Gaudiano; Color By Cliff Rathburn; Lettering By Rus Wooten

Several other notable examples of alcohol from The Walking Dead include a scene from issue #72 in which Glenn pretends to be drunk at a party hosted by Alexandria’s leadership, and several brief panels in issue #146, depicting characters abusing alcohol to cope with the loss of members of their community. While Aaron and Eric’s exchange in The Walking Dead #91 is lighthearted, these other examples make it clear that substance issues are still very much a problem for many of the zombie outbreak’s survivors.

The latter example, from The Walking Dead #146, makes it especially apparent that these struggles are taking place at the margins of the series’ tale of humanity’s struggle for survival. As a non-drinker, Robert Kirkman was not in a position to center this as a larger part of the narrative, but it is clear that – especially after the writing staff of the TV series brough it to his attention – the author acknowledged alcohol and drugs played a role in the world of The Walking Dead, even if they were not regularly featured in his story.