Summary
Even though AMC’sThe Walking Deadhit screens all the way back in 2010 with that iconic first episode of Rick Grimes waking up from a coma in a hospital crawling with walkers, its comic book series predates the beloved post-apocalyptic series by six years. Created by Robert Kirkman, the comic series was initially going to be a follow-up to George A. Romero’sNight of the Living Deadand taking part in the 1960s, but Kirkman and artist Tony Moore decided to swerve that idea for a more modern take on the zombie genre.
The Walking Deadnot only had some of the best and most harrowing storylinesseen on TV at the time, but its incredible cast helped piece its narrative into something truly special. Taking many aspects from the original comic series, the zombie survival show saw many acclaimed moments that went down in TV history, like the shocking scene surrounding the birth of Judith,Carl getting shot in the eye, Rick revealing what Dr. Edwin Jenner had told him to the group and poor Hershel getting beheaded by Michonne’s katana, but one particular savage Rick moment posed a problem later on for Robert Kirkman with how he would continue with his story.
Robert Kirkman Reveals That Rick’s Hand Chopping Moment “Led to Some Difficulties”
As highlighted byScreen Rant, Robert Kirkman was asked by a fan in the “Letter Hacks” section at the back of the recent publication ofThe Walking Dead Deluxe #105comic if he regrettedchopping Rick Grimes' hand offin issue#28 of The Walking Deadwhen it first came out in 2006. Although Kirkman states that he isn’t sorry for giving Rick’s hand the old heave-ho, he does say that in doing so it certainly did lead to “some difficulties” with the protagonist’s narrative. In the comic, Rick ended up losing his hand afterthe Governorchopped it off because he wouldn’t reveal the location of his camp, which is quite different from how the TV series played out.
“Every now and then Rick does something he just shouldn’t be able to do”
The fan also stated in their question that the brutal removal of Rick’s hand changed him as a person, leading him to become the character he is later in the series. Kirkman replied that even though he agreed with this, expressing that he didn’t regret any narrative aspect of the series, Rick not being able to use his hand for the remainder of his time did make it more challenging due to only being able to survive with one arm, where the creator needed to adapt “storytelling cheats” like giving Rick a hook so that he could fight off walkers and maintain his status as a leader. Kirkman reveals that he had to constantly conjure up 100-plus issues and creative ways to make sure Rick wasn’t at the mercy of his severed arm and that he could fight and survive just as well as any of the other characters - probably even more so.
Recently, Kirkman also revealed aninteresting fact about one ofThe Walking Dead’s most ruthless and cruel villains, who he apparently named after his high school bully. For fans who have missed seeing original characters such as Maggie and Negan, season two ofThe Walking Dead: Dead Cityairs this year. However, a release date hasn’t been disclosed as yet.
