The Walking Dead comic book series makes surprise return with issue devoted to Negan

New book has been made to help comic stores struggling after pandemic

Eleven months after coming to a sudden end, The Walking Dead has made a surprise return.

The comic book series – which scored legions of fans throughout its 193 issues and was adapted into one of the biggest TV shows of all time – drew to an unexpected close in July 2019.

Creator Robert Kirkman said at the time: “I got to tell my story exactly how I wanted to and end it on my terms, with no interference at all along the way... at any point.”

Now, Kirkman and artist Charle Adlard are back with a standalone issue focused on Negan, the character played in the series by Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

Negan left the comic books in issue number 174, and this new release fills in readers on what he’s been up to following events seen in last year’s final issue. It’s called “Negan Lives #1”.

The reason behind the return is an admirable one – Kirkman and Adlard made the new issue in an attempt to help comic shops struggling after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Publishers Image and Skybound have made it completely free to retailers, with 100 per cent of the revenue generated from the book going to the stores selling it.

“While Charlie Adlard and I had laid the series to rest, this felt like something special we could do for the store owners who made our series a success to begin with,” Kirkman said.

“The retailer community does backbreaking work to get comics into the hands of our loving fans, we should all be doing more in these trying times to show them how appreciated they are.”

The new issue will be released on 1 July. Find out how The Walking Dead comic books ended here.