ATLANTA —
After more than 15 years of Robert Kirkman’s Image Comics landmark comic book series, ‘The Walking Dead,’ an unexpected ending has come for the fan-favorite. Beware, not of the dead, but of spoilers.
The comic’s final issue, ‘The Farm House,’ was revealed Wednesday taking readers to the future of Carl Grimes. Charlie Adlard, who handled the signature artwork for the majority of the series' run, was the artist behind the visuals.
“Oddly, as unsure as I feel about ending the story, I feel confident in how I ended it,” Kirkman said in a farewell essay at the end of the final issue.
The post-apocalyptic comic first made its debut on shelves in 2003. It has since then added thirty-two volumes to its name.
Although the comic features notable characters from the television show like Carl and Rick Grimes, it portrays vastly different storylines from its television counterpart.
In the comic's final scene, set some years following the events of the rest of the series, Carl Grimes recounts the legacy of his father, Rick, who is remembered as a hero. He sits with his daughter, Andrea, as they look back at his personal obstacles.
A teaser of the final issue was tweeted by Kirkman on July 1 to warn fans about potential leaks.
In a statement to the publisher’s website, Eric Stephenson, publisher and chief creative officer at Image Comics, said he supports Kirkman’s ending.
“THE WALKING DEAD has always been full of twists, but one thing that has never been surprising is Robert Kirkman’s absolute commitment to telling the best story he could on his own terms,” Stephenson said.
The publisher also referenced back to its first issue in a Twitter post.
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