Robert Kirkman (born November 30, 1978) is an American comic book writer best known for creating The Walking Dead and Invincible for Image Comics, in addition to Ultimate X-Men and Marvel Zombies for Marvel Comics. He has also collaborated with Image Comics co-founder Todd McFarlane on the series Haunt. He is one of the five partners of Image Comics, and the only one of the five who was not one of its co-founders.
Early life
Robert Kirkman was born on November 30, 1978 in Richmond, Kentucky.
Career
Robert Kirkman's first comic book work was the 2000 superhero parody Battle Pope, which he co-created with artist Tony Moore, and self-published under the Funk-O-Tron label. Later, while pitching a new series, Science Dog, Kirkman and artist Cory Walker were hired to do a SuperPatriot miniseries for Image Comics. While working on that book, Kirkman and E. J. Su created the 2002 Image series Tech Jacket, which ran six issues.
In 2003, Kirkman and Walker created Invincible for Image's new superhero line. The story surrounded the adolescent son of the world's most powerful superhero, who develops powers and starts his own superhero career. Walker later failed to meet the monthly title's deadlines and was replaced by Ryan Ottley. In 2005, Paramount Pictures announced it had bought the rights to produce an Invincible feature film, and hired Kirkman to write the screenplay.
Shortly after the launch of Invincible, Kirkman began The Walking Dead (2003). At first Image didn't want to publish it because they felt zombies were too cliche, so Kirkman came up with at future plot where it was revealed that the zombies were actually created by aliens, using them to wipe out humanity before they could take over the world. After it had been accepted and the first issues were out, Kirkman admitted there would never be any aliens in the comic, it was just something he made up to get it published. Artist Tony Moore was replaced by Charlie Adlard, beginning with issue #7. Moore continued to draw covers until issue 24 as well as the first four volumes of the trade paperbacks for the series.
Kirkman was first hired by Marvel Comics to pen a revival of the 1990s Sleepwalker series, but it was canceled before being published; the contents of its first issue were included in Epic Anthology No. 1 (2004). He soon became a mainstay at Marvel, writing the "Avengers Disassembled" issues of Captain America vol. 4, 2004's Marvel Knights 2099 one-shots event, Jubilee #1â€"6 and Fantastic Four: Foes #1â€"6, a two-year run on Ultimate X-Men and the entire Marvel Team-Up vol. 3 and the Irredeemable Ant-Man miniseries.
At Image, Kirkman and artist Jason Howard created the ongoing series The Astounding Wolf-Man, launching it on May 5, 2007, as part of Free Comic Book Day. Kirkman edited the monthly series Brit, based on the character he created for the series of one-shots, illustrated by Moore and Cliff Rathburn. It ran 12 issues. Kirkman also co-produced the spin-off to The Walking Dead, the series code-named "Cobalt".
Kirkman announced in 2007 that he and artist Rob Liefeld would team on a revival of Killraven for Marvel Comics. Kirkman that year also said he and Todd McFarlane would collaborate on Haunt for Image Comics.
In late July 2008, Kirkman was made a partner at Image Comics, thereby ending his freelance association with Marvel. Nonetheless, later in 2009, he and Walker produced the five-issue miniseries The Destroyer vol. 4 for Marvel's MAX imprint.
In 2009, Kirkman and Marc Silvestri took over the 2009â€"2010 Pilot Season for Top Cow Comics. The 2009/2010 Pilot Season contains a series of five one-shot pilot comics that readers will be able to vote on which becomes an ongoing series. Each series is co-created by Silvestri who also provides cover art.
In 2010, he also began producing the television adaption of his comic book series The Walking Dead, the pilot of which was directed by Frank Darabont. Kirkman has written or co-written six episodes of the series.
In July 2010, Kirkman announced he would launch and run a new Image Comics imprint called Skybound Entertainment.
On February 9, 2012, Tony Moore filed a lawsuit alleging that Kirkman, in 2005, had deceitfully engineered him into surrendering his rights to The Walking Dead comic book and eventual TV series in exchange for payments that never materialized. Kirkman said in a statement the following day that he and Moore "each had legal representation seven years ago and now he is violating the same contract he initiated and approved and he wants to misrepresent the fees he was paid and continues to be paid for the work he was hired to do." Kirkman in turn sued Moore. On September 24, 2012, the two released a joint statement saying they had reached a settlement "to everyone's mutual satisfaction."
In November 2013, Cinemax purchased a TV pilot based on Kirkman and artist Paul Azaceta's then-upcoming six-issue exorcism comics miniseries, Outcast. The first issue of the comic was released in June 2014 to positive reviews.
Kirkman is executive producing his first film, the science fiction thriller AIR, starring The Walking Dead '​s Norman Reedus and Djimon Hounsou, to be released in early 2015. It is the first feature film to produced by Skybound Entertainment.
Personal life
Kirkman and his wife live in Kentucky. He named his son Peter Parker Kirkman after Spider-Man's civilian identity, Peter Parker.
Bibliography
Funk-O-Tron
- Battle Pope
- Battle Pope (2000) #1â€"4
- Battle Pope: Shorts (2001) #1-3
- Battle Pope: Mayhem (2001) #1, 2
- Battle Pope: Christmas Pope-Tacular (2001) #1
- Battle Pope: Wrath Of God (2002) #1-3
- The above were done in collaboration with Tony Moore, Matt Roberts, Jonboy Meyers, Cory Walker and E. J. Su, (2000â€"2002)
- Battle Pope Presents: Saint Michael #1â€"3 (with Terry Stevens, 2001)
Image Comics
- SuperPatriot:
- SuperPatriot: America's Fighting Force #1â€"4 (with Cory Walker, 2002)
- SuperPatriot: War on Terror #1â€"4 (with E. J. Su, 2004â€"2007)
- Tech Jacket #1â€"6 (with E. J. Su, 2002â€"2003)
- Invincible #1-ongoing (with Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley, 2003â€"...)
- Masters of the Universe Icons of Evil - Beast Man #1
- Capes #1â€"3 (with Mark Englert, 2003)
- The Walking Dead #1-ongoing (with Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard, 2003â€"...)
- Noble Causes #2: "Rite of Passage" (with Cory Walker, 2004)
- Youngblood: Imperial (with Marat Mychaels, Arcade, one-shot, 2004)
- Savage Dragon: God War #1â€"4 (with Mark Englert, 2004â€"2005)
- Four Letter Worlds: "Blam" (with Matt Roberts, graphic novel, tpb, 144 pages, 2005, ISBN 1-58240-439-9)
- Image Holiday Special '05: "The Walking Dead" (with Charlie Adlard, one-shot, 2005)
- Suprema: Supreme Sacrifice (with Jon Malin, Arcade, one-shot, 2006)
- The Astounding Wolf-Man #1-25 (with Jason Howard, 2007â€"2010)
- Image United #1-3
- Sea Bear & Grizzly Shark: "The Origin of the Bear, and the Origin of the Shark" (with Jason Howard and Ryan Ottley, 2010)
- Guardians of the Globe #1â€"6 (with Benito J. Cereno III, Ransom Getty and Kris Anka, 2010â€"2011)
- Spawn #200: "Prologue" (script and art, 2011)
- Outlaw Territory: "Man on a Horse: A Dawson Brothers Tale" (with Shaun O'Neil, anthology graphic novel, tpb, 240 pages, 2011, ISBN 1-60706-321-2)
- Super Dinosaur #1-ongoing (with Jason Howard, 2011â€"...)
- The Infinite #1-4 (with Rob Liefeld, 2011)
- Thief of Thieves #1-ongoing (co-writer, 2012â€"...)
- Outcast (2014-ongoing)
Marvel Comics
- Epic Anthology: "Sleepwalker: New Beginnings" (with Khary Randolph, Epic, 2004)
- X-Men Unlimited #2: "All the Rage" (with Takeshi Miyazawa, 2004)
- Spider-Man Unlimited #4: "Love Withdrawal" (with Cory Walker, 2004)
- Captain America #29â€"32: "Super Patriot" (with Scot Eaton, 2004)
- Jubilee #1â€"6 (with Derec Donovan, 2004)
- Marvel Team-Up (with Scott Kolins, Jeff Johnson, Paco Medina, Cory Walker, Andy Kuhn and Roger Cruz, 2005â€"2007)
- Fantastic Four: Foes #1â€"6 (with Cliff Rathburn, 2005)
- Amazing Fantasy #15: "Monstro" (with Khary Randolph, 2006)
- What If?.. featuring Thor (with Michael Avon Oeming, one-shot, 2006)
- Marvel Zombies:
- Ultimate X-Men #66â€"93, Annual No. 2
- New Avengers: America Supports You: "Time Trouble" (with Alex Chung and Scott Hepburn, one-shot, 2006)
- The Irredeemable Ant-Man (with Phil Hester and Cory Walker, 2006â€"2007)
- Destroyer #1â€"5 (with Cory Walker, 2009)
- X-Force Annual No. 1 (with Jason Pearson, 2010)
Other publishers
- 9-11 vol.1: "Untitled" (with Tony Moore, anthology graphic novel, tpb, 196 pages, Dark Horse, 2002, ISBN 1-56389-881-0)
- Top Cow: Hardcore (2012, ongoing)
- Tales of Army of Darkness: "Weekend Off" (with Ryan Ottley, Dynamite, one-shot, 2006)
- Masters of the Universe Icons of Evil - Tri-Klops #1
- Masters of the Universe Icons of Evil - Mer-Man #1
- Masters of the Universe Icons of Evil - Trap Jaw #1
- Tales of the Realm #1â€"5 (with Matt Tyree, MVCreations, 2003â€"2004)
Novels
Kirkman has also written a series of non-graphic The Walking Dead novels:
- The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor, with Jay Bonansinga, Thomas Dunne Books, 2011.
- The Walking Dead: The Road to Woodbury, with Jay Bonansinga, Thomas Dunne Books, 2012.
- The Walking Dead: The Fall of the Governor, with Jay Bonansinga, Thomas Dunne Books, 2013 & 2014.
The Walking Dead (TV series)
- 1.04 - "Vatos"
- 2.01 - "What Lies Ahead" (co-written with Ardeth Bey)
- 2.13 - "Beside the Dying Fire" (co-written with Glen Mazzara)
- 3.08 - "Made to Suffer"
- 4.03 - "Isolation"
- 4.09 - "After"
- 5.02 - "Strangers"
References
External links
- Official website
- The Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
- Buy My Books, a column by Robert Kirkman.
- Robert Kirkman at the Comic Book DB
