The deluxe reissues of The Walking Dead continue to provide new, exciting insights into Robert Kirkman’s genre-defining zombie comic – and now, in the letters section of the latest installment, Kirkman has given fans more hope than ever for a reboot of the series’ continuity. While it may be nothing more than an effective tease, the author was surprisingly receptive to the idea of rewriting Walking Dead, starting with one of its most pivotal moments.
As with all issues of Image’s “director’s cut” re-release of the iconic zombie series, The Walking Dead Deluxe #79 – reprinting the original issue written by Robert Kirkman, with art by Charlie Adlard – adds new context to the series’ original run, not just with new material, but with Kirkman’s engagement with fans in the letters page.
Kirkman’s responses to readers have highlighted subtle details about the series, revealed early, alternate story ideas, and stoked fan speculation, most recently by at least playfully not ruling out the idea of exploring an alternate timeline, one where Glenn was not killed by Negan.
“I Just Couldn’t Kill Glenn”: Walking Dead’s Glenn Was Meant to Die Way Earlier, Creating Dark Stalker Subplot for Maggie
Glenn’s death from the Walking Dead comic’s 100th issue is infamous – but it almost came way earlier, and looked way different than it ultimately did.
A Fan Theory Suggests “Deluxe” Could Become “Walking Dead 2.0”
In a series rife with horrific violence, Walking Dead’s defining moment of brutality – for many fans of the franchise, both in its original comic book iteration, and its subsequent mega-successful AMC adaptation – is Glenn’s murder in issue #100. Though the series was already well-known for dispatching long-time, fan-favorite characters without hesitation, Glenn’s death was nevertheless a true gutpunch, a shock to the system many readers never quite recovered from. The TV series subsequently adapted the scene of Glenn’s demise, as an unavoidable part of the franchise’s narrative, though the show did double-down, having Negan also execute Abraham.
The idea that Robert Kirkman might revisit, and revise, Glenn’s death would seem incredibly far-fetched, had the author himself not stoked the flames of fan speculation in the letters page to The Walking Dead Deluxe #79, by responding to Andy Bobo, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, who wrote:
“I figured out the big surprise of this series, reading this issue tonight. So, at issue 100, you are going to pull a classic Kirkman swerve, because you love doing unannounced surprise issues to shake things up. You will change the events of the monumental issue 100, and the direction of the series will change, and Walking Dead Deluxe #101 will be the first issue of new alternate Walking Dead stories moving forward!”
“This is a REALLY cool idea…and that’s all I’ll say,” Kirkman wrote in response. Given the opportunity to definitively deny this as a possibility, the series’ creator demurred. While the actual probability of the reader’s suggestion remains low, it raises the question of why Robert Kirkman included this in the letters’ page.
A Walking Dead Reboot Is Unlikely – But Fans Should Keep Asking “What If?”
The simplest explanation for the inclusion of Andy Bobo’s theory in the letters page to Walking Dead Deluxe #79 is that it really is a cool idea, one Kirkman wanted to shout out, though it will ultimately not come to fruition. At the extreme other side of the spectrum of possibilities, Bobo could be right, and that Kirkman could reboot the comic version of Walking Dead, either at issue #100, or earlier, or perhaps with a sequel series. There is also the potential for a one-off, a “What If?”-style look at an alternate timeline where Glenn lived.
In any case, the reader’s speculation, and Kirkman’s response, point to the enduring popularity of Glenn, and Walking Dead as a whole. Given the franchise’s continued success on television, and the appetite for more on the page – proven by the positive reception for the Deluxe editions – it seems inevitable there will be future Walking Dead comics. Knowing Robert Kirkman left the door open, however faintly, for an alternate Walking Dead continuity where Glenn survives, should get fans excited. It should also leave them weary, knowing that survival in the harsh world of the franchise is often worse than death.
