| Robert Kirkman | |
|---|---|
 Kirkman at the 2023San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Born | (1978-11-30)November 30, 1978 (age 46) Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Area(s) | Writer, publisher, producer |
Notable works | |
| Awards | Inkpot Award (2012)[1] |
| Spouse | Sonia Kirkman |
| Children | 2[2] |
Robert Kirkman (/ˈkɜːrkmən/; born November 30, 1978)[3] is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for co-creatingThe Walking Dead,Fear the Walking Dead,Invincible,Tech Jacket,Outcast,Oblivion Song, andFire Power forImage Comics, in addition to writingUltimate X-Men,Irredeemable Ant-Man andMarvel Zombies forMarvel Comics. He has also collaborated with Image Comics co-founderTodd McFarlane on the seriesHaunt.[4]
He is one of the five partners of Image Comics currently serving asCOO, and the only one of the five who was not one of its co-founders.[5]
In 2010, Kirkman co-founded the entertainment companySkybound Entertainment in order to develop properties in traditional and new media, including comics, television, and film. The company also manages the license forThe Walking Dead andInvincible. In 2018, Skybound expanded to create Skybound Games to develop video games based on its intellectual property.
Kirkman is also known for creating and producing the television series'Outcast andInvincible, both adaptations of his own comic book series. He has also written a number of episodes forThe Walking Dead andFear the Walking Dead. He is executive producer of theAMC seriesRobert Kirkman's Secret History of Comics, and the Korean pre-apocalyptic drama,Five Year.[6]
Kirkman was born November 30, 1978,[3] inLexington, Kentucky, and was raised inCynthiana, Kentucky.[7]
Kirkman grew as a fan ofzombie films such as theNight of the Living Dead series andZombi 2, as well aszombie video games such asResident Evil.[8]
His first comic book work was the 2000superhero parodyBattle Pope,[4] which he co-created with artistTony Moore, self-published under the Funk-O-Tron label, and was adapted into a season of 8 animated webisodes that appeared onSpike TV's website in 2008.[9] Later, while pitching a new series,Science Dog, Kirkman and artistCory Walker were hired to do aSuperPatriotminiseries forImage Comics. While working on that book, Kirkman andE. J. Su created the 2002 Image seriesTech Jacket, which ran six issues, and the one-shot title,Cloudfall.
In 2003, Kirkman and Walker createdInvincible 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 byRyan Ottley.[10] In 2005,Paramount Pictures announced it had bought the rights to produce anInvincible feature film, and hired Kirkman to write the screenplay.[11] However, due to a lack of significant development, the rights expired and reverted to Kirkman.
Shortly after the launch ofInvincible, Kirkman and Moore beganThe Walking Dead (2003). Kirkman said in 2012 that Image had balked at publishing a comics series featuring what it felt was simply another zombie story, prompting him to say the zombies were part of an alien plot—a notion he had no intention of using except as a means of selling the project.[12] ArtistCharlie Adlard replaced Tony Moore with issue #7.[13] Moore continued to draw covers until issue 24 as well as the first four volumes of the trade paperbacks for the series.
In 2003, Kirkman was hired byMarvel Comics to pen a revival of the 1990sSleepwalker series,[14] but it was canceled before being published; the contents of its first issue were included inEpic Anthology No. 1 (2004). He soon became a mainstay at Marvel, writing the "Avengers Disassembled" issues ofCaptain America vol. 4, 2004'sMarvel Knights2099 one-shots event,Jubilee #1–6 andFantastic Four: Foes #1–6, a two-year run onUltimate X-Men and the entireMarvel Team-Up vol. 3 and theIrredeemable Ant-Man miniseries. He continued his exploration of zombies by creating the seriesMarvel Zombies, in which an alternative Marvel universe's superheroes become zombies.[15]
At Image, Kirkman and artistJason Howard created the ongoing seriesThe Astounding Wolf-Man, launching it on May 5, 2007, as part ofFree Comic Book Day. Kirkman edited the monthly seriesBrit, based on the character he created for the series of one-shots, illustrated by Moore andCliff Rathburn. It ran 12 issues.
Kirkman announced in 2007 that he and artistRob Liefeld would team on a revival ofKillraven for Marvel Comics.[16] Kirkman that year also said he andTodd McFarlane would collaborate onHaunt forImage Comics.[17]
In late July 2008, Kirkman was made a partner at Image Comics, thereby ending his freelance association with Marvel.[18][19] Nonetheless, later in 2009, he and Walker produced the five-issue miniseriesThe Destroyer vol. 4[20] for Marvel'sMAXimprint.
In 2009, Kirkman andMarc Silvestri took over the 2009–2010Pilot Season forTop 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.[21]
In 2010, he also began producing the television adaption of his comic book seriesThe Walking Dead,[22] the pilot of which was directed byFrank Darabont.[23] Kirkman has written or co-written seven episodes of the series. Kirkman also created and serves as an executive producer on the show's companion series,Fear the Walking Dead.[24]
In July 2010, Kirkman announced he would launch and run a newImage Comicsimprint calledSkybound Entertainment.[25]
On February 9, 2012, Tony Moore filed a lawsuit alleging that Kirkman, in 2005, had deceitfully engineered him into surrendering his rights toThe 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."[26] 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."[27]
Kirkman made an appearance in a 2012 episode ofAdult Swim'sRobot Chicken as himself where he tries to tell The Nerd and Daniel a hint, but gets eaten by zombies.
In November 2013,Cinemax purchased aTV pilot based on Kirkman and artist Paul Azaceta's then-upcoming six-issue exorcism comics miniseries,Outcast.[28] The first issue of the comic was released in June 2014 to positive reviews.[29]
Kirkman was a producer of the science fiction thrillerAir, which starredThe Walking Dead'sNorman Reedus, andDjimon Hounsou. The film was released in 2015. It was the first feature film to be produced by Skybound Entertainment.[30][31]
Kirkman's latest[when?] television project known asFive Year will be a joint venture between Skybound andViki.com. It will be filmed for TV in Korea and available everywhere on Viki.com. The pre-apocalyptic story centres on a family dealing with an impending meteor strike. It was picked up for an initial 1 season run of 16 episodes with a plan for 5 seasons. Filming begins in late 2016.[32]
Around November 7, 2016, Kirkman's production company Skybound Entertainment was set to produce a remake of the filmAn American Werewolf in London. The remake was to be written and directed byMax Landis, son of the original directorJohn Landis. Kirkman and David Alpert would be executive producers on the film.[33] However, after the sexual misconduct allegations against Landis, it is currently unknown if it is still happening.
On April 4, 2017, it was announced thatSeth Rogen andEvan Goldberg would direct/write/produce a live-action adaptation ofInvincible forUniversal Pictures, with Kirkman also serving as a producer on the project.[34] In 2021, Kirkman reaffirmed that the project was still in the works.[35]
In 2018, it was announced thatAmazon Prime Video had given a series order for ananimated adaptation ofInvincible for a first season consisting of eight episodes. Simon Racioppa serves as showrunner for the series and also serves as executive producer alongside Kirkman, David Alpert, Catherine Winder, Seth Rogen, and Evan Goldberg.[36][37] The series starsSteven Yeun,J. K. Simmons,Sandra Oh,Mark Hamill,Seth Rogen,Gillian Jacobs,Andrew Rannells,Zazie Beetz,Walton Goggins,Jason Mantzoukas,Zachary Quinto,Khary Payton,Chris Diamantopoulos,Malese Jow,Kevin Michael Richardson, andGrey Griffin. In April 2021, the series was renewed for a second and third season.[38]
Kirkman pitched the story forRenfield, a horror-comedy aboutCount Dracula's henchmanRenfield. The film was announced by Universal Pictures in November 2019. It is directed byChris McKay and starsNicholas Hoult andNicolas Cage as Renfield and Dracula, respectively.[39]
In February 2023, it was announced that Kirkman would reunite with Lorenzo De Felici to launchVoid Rivals, a new series that would kick-off a new shared comic universe.[40] In June 2023, it was later revealed that the book would launch theEnergon Universe and that Kirkman's production company, Skybound, would publish comics based onTransformers andG.I. Joe.[41]
Kirkman and his wife lived in Kentucky until 2011.[42][43] Their son was born on April 25, 2006.[44]
Kirkman and his family currently live inLos Angeles having moved there in 2011.[45][46]
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In 2012, he received a special Innovator Award at theSaturn Awards for his work adapting his comic books to the screen as well as serving asexecutive producer ofThe Walking Dead.[47]
The Walking Dead garnered nominations for Best New Series and Best Television Series Drama at the Writers Guild of America Awards 2011 and the 68thGolden Globe Awards.[48] Not stopping at nominations, the show clinched prestigious honors including Television Program of the Year by the American Film Institute in 2010 and 2012, along with IGN's Best Horror Series in 2012 and 2016. Additionally, it secured twoEmmy Awards[49] for Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup in 2011 and 2012.
In 2020, he was granted a special award ("Fauve d'honneur") at theAngoulême International Comics Festival for his overall achievement.[50]
| Title | Issues | Publication date |
|---|---|---|
| Battle Pope | #1–14 | 2000–2002 |
| Invincible | #1–144 | 2003–2018 |
| The Walking Dead | #1–193 | 2003–2019 |
| Marvel Zombies: Dead Days | #1 | 2006–2008 |
| Marvel Zombies | #1–5 | 2006–2008 |
| Marvel Zombies 2 | #1–5 | 2006–2008 |
| The Irredeemable Ant-Man | #1–12 | 2006–2007 |
| The Astounding Wolf-Man | #1–25 | 2007-2010 |
| Image United | #1–3 | 2009–2010 |
| Super Dinosaur | #1–23 | 2011–2014 |
| Outcast | #1–48 | 2014–2021 |
| Oblivion Song | #1–36 | 2018–2022 |
| Fire Power | #1–30 | 2020–2024 |
| Void Rivals | #1-ongoing | 2023–Present |
| Skinbreaker | #1-ongoing | 2025–Present |
| Year | Title | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Air | No | Yes |
| 2023 | Renfield | Story | Yes |
Kirkman has written a number ofThe Walking Dead TV episodes.
Fear the Walking Dead is a companion series toThe Walking Dead, set in Los Angeles, California and starting prior to the apocalypse. Robert Kirkman is co-creator of the series alongsideDave Erickson. He is also an executive producer and has co-written episodes of the series.
Outcast is a horror series based on the comic series of the same name onCinemax.
Invincible is an animated adaptation of the comic series of the same name on Amazon Prime Video. Kirkman, in addition to serving as creator and executive producer, wrote the series premiere, the season one and two finales, episode 7 of season 3, the season three finale, as well as the special episodeInvincible: Atom Eve.
| Preceded by | Youngblood writer 2004 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Captain America writer 2004 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Marvel Team-Up writer 2004–2006 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ultimate X-Men writer 2006–2008 | Succeeded by |
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