The creator of The Walking Dead gets his game on in this series of video interviews.
By the time Robert was 14, he had already started creating his own characters, often crafting entire comic books, inspired by his heroes who left comic monolith Marvel Comics to found Image Comics in 1992.
"Image Comics made a huge impression on me, especially Erik Larsen's Savage Dragon, which was the pinnacle of comic books to me at that time," Kirkman explains. "The way he delved into more grounded and realistic story lines was really inspirational. There was something about his whole approach and the freedom he had due to the fact that Savage Dragon was his own character. That really spoke to me, even then."
As his high school graduation approached, Robert’s life was thrown into flux. His family was moving to Florida, and he had to make a choice, either move with them or find a way to live on his own. Choosing to stay in Kentucky, Robert took a full-time job at a lighting supply store and for the next three years, he supported himself by supplementing his time at that job by working nights and weekends at the comic book store.
His hard work paid off and at only 19, Robert bought his first house. Encouraged by the relative success of making it on his own, Robert contemplated his next move. He realized there was more to gain from hard work and commitment, so he began investing his time and money into creating his own comics.
Battle Pope, a religious superhero satire, was his first title accepted for distribution by Diamond Comics Distributors. Robert was thrilled to receive an order for 1,200 copies for the first issue. Its humble beginning was a turning point in Kirkman’s career. In 2000, a trip to market his books at Wizard World Chicago very nearly bankrupted him, but there he met his hero, Erik Larsen, and over the course of the weekend, convinced him to allow Savage Dragon to guest in an issue of Battle Pope. From there, things fell into place quickly.
