Saying The Walking Dead comic is a success is an understatement if anything, so much so that anything directly based on it is similarly well recieved. Case in point, both Telltale's game series and the huge buzz surrounding AMC's television show. But base something on that, and, well...you get a Street Fighter: The Movie the game type scenario. The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct, anyone?
Creator Robert Kirkman was well aware of that, poking fun at Activision's abortion during a recent Reddit AMA. The questions mostly involved the comic and television show, but Kirkman also took the time to praise Telltale for the outstanding work they had done, and even offered a bit of info as to the history, development, and what was to come for the series in gaming.
When asked how much invovlement he had with Telltale's series, Kirkman responded that he "was slightly more involved in season one, I think, but really it was just a matter of me approving their story when they ran it by me. The team there did an enormous amount of work to get the tone and feel in line with what I do in the comics before they ever came to me. Before we started season 2, they asked me a lot about where I was going in the comic and some things they should avoid, and I gave them some notes, but for the most part, those guys have taken the ball and run with it... to what I think we can all agree is great success. It's no SURVIVAL INSTINCT."
Despite the show being based on his property, Kirkman only holds so much sway with AMC's decisions. Case in point, he wasn't the biggest fan of certain additions made to the show. Or, once again, Survival Instinct.
"I thought revealing what was going in FRANCE during the CDC storyline wasn't the best idea. Mostly I'm really happy with everything... aside from SURVIVAL INSTINCT (should Is stop making that joke? I love you, ACTIVISION.)"
With all the (deserved) shots at Activison's FPS, Kirkman made sure to avoid any and all credit for that fiasco. When asked why he allowed the publisher to make the game, he responded, "I'm pretty sure there's an AMC logo before the title of that game and not a picture of my face. If there was a picture of my face in front of the logo then I'd be completely responsible for that. I can only oversee/be involved in so much... and my efforts were focused more on the TELLTALE games series. In all honesty, it was at least cool getting to play Daryl Dixon, right? RIGHT? Come on, guys."
As hardcore Dead fans know, Clementine, Lee, and a few other characters of Telltale's series were wholly original. With characters from the comic had scattered appearances in the game here and there, fans are curious of the same could be applied to the comic / show, ergo, would we see Telltale's original characters in The Walking Dead in other mediums?
