For over twenty days , readers have been clamoring to screw what caused the zombie outbreak inThe Walking Deadcomic serial publication – but repeatedly during the series ' run , and to this day , Robert Kirkman has stressed the fact that the lack of an answer is an important part of the story ’s success .

In an old audience with IGNfrom early inThe Walking Dead’srun , Kirkman confirmed that , up to that dot , he had zero interest group in shew a unequivocal cause of the zombi uprising . The author held to this standard upthrough the end of the serial , but even still , it is one of the world-class questions that fans still involve about the book .

However , there are several valid creative reasons Robert Kirkman cite as far back as 2007 , and at many other decimal point throughoutThe Walking Dead’srun , that it make sentience to go out this plot distributor point undisclosed .

Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon and Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead with a bloody background

Despite Its Zombie-Horror Premise, Robert Kirkman Strove For A Sense Of “Realism” In His Story

The Walking Dead’sLiterary Genre, Re-Examined

The quick , easy answer to the enquiry " what isThe Walking Deadabout ? " is " zombies " – but anyone who has invested time in the dealership , either as a witness of the TV series , or particularly as a reviewer of Robert Kirkman ’s original comic Christian Bible , knows that it is really about its human characters ' reaction to a in truth bloodcurdling goal - of - the - world scenario . Zombies are a narrative mechanism , used to push the character reference to their rank limit . As Kirkman explained to IGN back in 2007 :

If you take aside the zombies from the Walking Dead , it ’s really just an approachable story about the great unwashed ’s lives in an extreme position .

As the writer explain , this was key to his decision to withhold an account for the zombie outbreak .

peanuts' charlie brown and snoopy

The Walking Dead ’s Robert Kirkman was work by much while writing his story , with Kirkman bring out the comic ’s creation was his parent blame !

Kirkman elaborated further :

I sense that if you were to sit down and say , you know , a space spore landed on Earth and infected a clustering of people … There ’s no account for the zombies that does n’t push you further into the realm of science fiction , and I experience like it would kind of kill the believability , as odd as that sounds for a Holy Scripture about a bunch of dead multitude walk around .

Feral and Once Upon a time at the end of the world

This is an interesting second to unpack , because it basically amounts toThe Walking Dead’screator declare oneself an apology – that is , a defense – for his tale ’s non - actual element , while endeavor to accentuate that the realism of the story is more critical than its sci - fi or fantasy elements . Still , it is not unwarranted , as for many audience members , the zombie spirit premise of the series immediately classify it to a blue position than other " realist " fable , and here , Kirkman hope to make reader rethink that .

Zombies Get All The Attention When It Comes To “The Walking Dead,” But The Franchise Has Never Been “About” Them

Come For The Undead, Stay For The Living

What is and is not literary realism is an problematical question , butWalking Deadauthor Robert Kirkman rightfully points out that the realist elements of his serial publication are what pull in it one of the great franchises of the twenty-first century so far . The zombies are a hook , which get fans to check out the comics , or the shows , but what keep them engaged are the quality , and the realistic drama of their response to the traumatic consideration they have been thrust into .

Because of his centering on case , rather than lore , and his restriction to a modified band of characters , without divulge too much about the news report ’s all-inclusive world , Kirkman made revealingThe Walking Deadcomic ’s zombie outbreak origin unnecessary .

TheTV adaptation ofThe Walking Deadnotably diverged from Robert Kirkmanby unwrap the origin of its zombie outbreak , but as the creator of the enfranchisement explained as too soon as 2007 , he did n’t desire to risk " what the Koran [ had ] going for it " by fill readers ' desire to know more about the eruption . Ultimately , because of his nidus on fictional character , rather than traditional knowledge , and his confinement to a limited set of characters , without revealing too much about the fib ’s wider populace , Kirkman made revealingThe Walking Deadcomic ’s zombie outbreak descent unnecessary .

The Walking Dead’s Rick Grimes looking at zombies from the comic series.

Source : IGN Robert Kirkman Interview ( 2007 )

Summary

The Walking Dead is a massive multimedia enfranchisement that began with a comic book series created by Robert Kirkman , Tony Moore , and Charlie Adlard . The franchise gained widespread popularity with the launch of the goggle box series The Walking Dead in 2010 on AMC , which chronicle the living of survivor in a post - apocalyptic reality overrun by automaton , referred to as " footer . " The success of the original show has lead to numerous spin - offs , web serial , video games , novels , and other mass medium . The franchise explore themes of survival , human nature , and the partitioning of company in the face of an experiential threat , making it one of the most successful and influential repulsion series of the 21st one C .

Comic book art: Zombie horde in full color, from The Walking Dead Deluxe

Zombies from The Walking Dead.

The Walking Dead (2010) Movie Poster

Comics

The Walking Dead