The Walking Dead Surprises Readers With Final Issue

If this is the first time you’ve heard about this, consider this a spoiler Warning, although the headline is a dead giveaway. In a move that surprised almost everyone, The Walking Dead ended this week with the release of its 193rd issue. Later issues had been solicited, but those were all done to keep the final issue a surprise. In the final pages, series creator and writer Robert Kirkman wrote, “In a way, killing this series has been a lot like killing a major character. Much, much harder… but the same feeling. I don’t want to do it. I’d rather keep going. But the story is telling me what it wants and what it needs. This needs to happen. Whether I want it or not.”

This follows on the heels of the previous issue’s death of Rick Grimes. Kirkman managed to pull that off as he had with many surprise, by putting out solicitations that had nothing to do with the issue. He went one step further with this surprise, by soliciting future issues, knowing full well that those issues would never ship. We are in an era where nothing ever is a surprise. Diamond Distributors solicits cover art and synopses months ahead of time. The Internet has endless discussion on every leaked bit of artwork and page of art. By the time an issue hits stores, somewhere, a fan theory is true about the comic.

We’ll have a review first chance we get to sit down with the issue, so stay tuned.