Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead Ready to Take a Bite Out of Prime Time

I’m probably not the best blogger in the world, especially for a geek.  I’m mean, blogging is all about sorting through tons of info, commenting on info, or adding to it.  That equals lots and lots of time dashing up, down, across, and through the information super-highway.  Yeah, I don’t do that.  I spend my time on the net, but lots more away from it.  When I get breaking info of the geekish or nerdy variety, I usually get it from my friendly local comic/gaming store.  Call me old fashion, but I like interacting with people I can see while leaning on a counter or perusing shelves of books or boxes of comics.  Just can’t do that online.  That is why, no doubt, that when I do find out something, it’s usually a few weeks or months old.  Sometimes years.

What, you well ask yourself, does that have to do with The Walking Dead and television?

Not a lot really.  But it was at my favorite comic shop (big shout out to Brian over at Cavalier Comics in Wise, VA – Hoody Hoo!) where I got the scoop.  Scoop, of course, being a relative term for me, but it has only been a few weeks since the announcement.  Okay, hold on to your hats lovers of the undead: AMC has given the green light for a pilot episode of The Walking Dead.

For those who aren’t familiar with it, The Walking Dead is one of the greatest things to come along since zombies started hanging out in shopping malls.  The main story follows the trials and tribulations of a police officer’s trek from small town Kentucky,  down to Georgia, and as of now, up to D.C.  Family members are found and lost, friends are made and lost, and all the while, zombies are everywhere.  The writing is intense, and the art is fantastic.   I recommend starting from the beginning, which is easy to do thanks to the trade collections.  And once bitten . . . (heh, heh, heh)

Anyway, AMC (of Mad Men fame) gave the green light for a pilot as of this January.  Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption and The Mist) is set to direct.  Kirkman himself will act as an executive producer.

Will it follow the storyline of the comic?  Who knows and who cares?  It’s Kirkman and zombies!  Either way, it’s a win-win situation.  Actually, it would be great to see what’s going on elsewhere in his zombiefied America. 

Over at Cavalier Comics, we’ve dreamed of this moment for years.  The Walking Dead is everything that’s great about a George Romero film, but with a much bigger canvas and more developed characters.  I doubt it will have the gore of a film, but even with Romero work, it’s the story that makes or breaks the work.  AMC, however, has been pushing the envelope with its current programming, so we’re bound to see some of the ultra-intense, ultra-violent scenes that make Kirkman’s reader’s jaws drop.  This seems like a project that will take a whole lot of effort to screw up.