# Robert Kirkman
**Robert Kirkman** (born 1978 in Richmond, Kentucky) is an [American comic book](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-comic-book) writer and entertainment producer, best known as the creator of the zombie horror series *The Walking Dead* and the superhero series *Invincible*, and as co-founder of [Skybound Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/skybound-entertainment).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3079117/) His comics have been adapted into television series, films, and video games, and he serves as Chief Operating Officer of Image Comics, the publisher that carries his work.[2](https://imagecomics.com/creators/robert-kirkman) • [3](https://comicbooks.com/creator/robert-kirkman)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1978, Richmond, Kentucky[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3079117/) |
| Signature works | *The Walking Dead* (2003–2019), *Invincible* (2002, 146 issues over fifteen years)[4](https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7560/331804) • [5](https://live.euronext.com/sites/default/files/company_press_releases/attachments_oslo/2026/03/11/667978_7-2026%20Invincible%20VS%20Allen%20the%20Alien.pdf) |
| *The Walking Dead* sales | 45 million copies sold[6](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/horror-shows/before-the-walking-dead-sold-45-million-copies-author-robert-kirkman-was-told-zombie-books-dont-sell/) |
| Television | AMC's *The Walking Dead* (2010– ), described by Image as the highest-rated basic cable drama of all time; co-creator of *Fear the Walking Dead*[2](https://imagecomics.com/creators/robert-kirkman) |
| Skybound | Co-founded in 2010 with David Alpert; Kirkman is Chairman[7](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1867925/000164117225007915/formcara.pdf) • [2](https://imagecomics.com/creators/robert-kirkman) |
| Image Comics role | Partner and Chief Operating Officer, the only Image partner not among the company's original founders[3](https://comicbooks.com/creator/robert-kirkman) |
| Recent work | Writer of *Transformers* from issue #25; co-writer of the new superhero series *Terminal* (debuted July 22, 2026)[8](https://www.gamesradar.com/comics/image-comics/the-walking-dead-creator-robert-kirkman-is-taking-over-transformers-with-plans-to-methodically-expand-the-energon-universe-but-dont-worry-about-buying-567-monthly-titles-to-keep-up-were-not-looking-to-blow-up-anyones-budget/) • [9](https://imagecomics.com/press-releases/comics-megastars-robert-kirkman-joe-casey-andy-kubert-david-finch-arthur-adams-announce-new-superhero-series-terminal) |
## Early career
Kirkman began as an independent creator financing his irreverent comic *Battle Pope* with credit cards, a beginning that has become a standard part of his career narrative in collected interviews about him.[10](https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/R/Robert-Kirkman) He built his reputation almost exclusively as a writer rather than an artist, working in creator-owned comics at [Image Comics](https://www.edgepedia.org/image-comics), where he eventually became a partner.[3](https://comicbooks.com/creator/robert-kirkman) His first major success came in 2002 with *Invincible*, about a young would-be superhero struggling to launch a crime-fighting career while confronting his legacy as the son of the world's most powerful hero.[11](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/robert-kirkman/)
## The Walking Dead
*The Walking Dead*, Kirkman's zombie horror series, launched in 2003 and ran until 2019, following [Rick Grimes](https://www.edgepedia.org/rick-grimes) and his fellow survivors as they flee the living dead and seek community.[4](https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7560/331804) • [12](https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/iges_fac_articles/8/) According to former Image publisher Jim Valentino, Kirkman was initially told that "zombie books don't sell"; the series went on to sell 45 million copies.[6](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/horror-shows/before-the-walking-dead-sold-45-million-copies-author-robert-kirkman-was-told-zombie-books-dont-sell/) The series won the Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series.[13](https://www.undertheradarmag.com/interviews/robert_kirkman)
**Television adaptation.** In 2010 the comic was developed into an AMC television series, which Image describes as the highest-rated basic cable drama of all time and which TV Insider describes as Emmy-winning.[2](https://imagecomics.com/creators/robert-kirkman) • [11](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/robert-kirkman/) Kirkman chose the filmmaker [Frank Darabont](https://www.edgepedia.org/frank-darabont) to spearhead the adaptation after Darabont, a fan of the series, sought him out, and he served as a writer and executive producer on the show.[13](https://www.undertheradarmag.com/interviews/robert_kirkman) • [11](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/robert-kirkman/) The franchise expanded into the companion series *Fear the Walking Dead*, which Kirkman co-created, wrote, and produced, and into the talk show *The Talking Dead*, on which he serves as consulting producer.[2](https://imagecomics.com/creators/robert-kirkman) The property also extended into a game franchise and a licensing business.[2](https://imagecomics.com/creators/robert-kirkman)
## Invincible
*Invincible*, co-created with Cory Walker and with contributing creator Ryan Ottley, ran for fifteen years at Image Comics across 146 issues.[5](https://live.euronext.com/sites/default/files/company_press_releases/attachments_oslo/2026/03/11/667978_7-2026%20Invincible%20VS%20Allen%20the%20Alien.pdf) It is Kirkman's second longest running comic book series.[2](https://imagecomics.com/creators/robert-kirkman) Since 2021 it has aired as an adult animated television series on Prime Video, streaming in more than 240 countries and territories, with its fourth season debuting March 18, 2026.[5](https://live.euronext.com/sites/default/files/company_press_releases/attachments_oslo/2026/03/11/667978_7-2026%20Invincible%20VS%20Allen%20the%20Alien.pdf) Kirkman co-showruns the series with Simon Racioppa, and the two have said the show will end on television rather than with a feature-length film finale; Kirkman has suggested the story would need roughly 7 to 8 seasons to cover the comics faithfully, a plan he calls somewhat malleable.[14](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/superhero-shows/invincible-co-showrunners-robert-kirkman-and-simon-racioppa-say-it-wont-go-the-way-of-stranger-things-and-end-with-a-feature-length-finale/) A live-action *Invincible* movie for Universal has also been in development, with Kirkman as executive producer.[2](https://imagecomics.com/creators/robert-kirkman)
## Skybound and creator rights
In 2010 Kirkman co-founded Skybound Entertainment with his longtime business and producing partner David Alpert, with the stated belief that there was a better entertainment model, one that empowers creators with more control of their intellectual property.[7](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1867925/000164117225007915/formcara.pdf) Kirkman has been vocal about his dislike for the standard business model in which creators sign away most of their creations in exchange for a steady paycheck, and he describes Skybound, which works across comics, television, film, and gaming, as a way of countering that model.[15](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/mar/15/walking-dead-robert-kirkman-sxsw-comics) He serves as Chairman of Skybound Entertainment.[2](https://imagecomics.com/creators/robert-kirkman)
Skybound began as a Walking Dead-centric company for about a year, according to Kirkman, before expanding to manage other creators' projects and licensed properties.[16](https://www.brandsuntapped.com/skybound-entertainments-robert-kirkman-and-sean-mackiewicz-on-bringing-surprises-shocks-and-passion-to-their-transformers-comics/) The company reports a library of over 150 properties and has been the home of *The Walking Dead* and *Invincible* since 2010.[17](https://www.skybound.com/about-us) In corporate filings, Kirkman is listed as Skybound's Co-Chairman, Chief Creative Officer, and Manager, and through his entity Robert Kirkman, Inc. he holds a Master License Agreement granting Skybound exclusive rights to commercialize his comic books as merchandise, video games, and screen projects.[18](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1867925/000187285626000199/SBOfferingStatement.pdf)
## Image Comics
Kirkman is a partner at Image Comics, the publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of bestselling artists, and serves as its Chief Operating Officer.[19](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1867925/000119312526198934/d146052dex99.pdf) • [2](https://imagecomics.com/creators/robert-kirkman) He sits on the company's six-member Board of Directors alongside Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri, Jim Valentino, and Eric Stephenson, and Skybound Entertainment is one of Image's five major houses.[20](https://imagecomics.com/about-us) He is notably the only Image partner who was not among the company's original founders.[3](https://comicbooks.com/creator/robert-kirkman)
## Other comics and adaptations
Kirkman's catalog spans more than 600 credited issues from 2001 onward.[3](https://comicbooks.com/creator/robert-kirkman) Beyond *The Walking Dead* and *Invincible*, his comics include *Oblivion Song*, *Die!Die!Die!*, *Outcast*, *Super Dinosaur*, *Battle Pope*, *The Astounding Wolf-Man*, and *Thief of Thieves*.[2](https://imagecomics.com/creators/robert-kirkman) His demonic-exorcism comic *Outcast* was adapted and produced for Cinemax.[2](https://imagecomics.com/creators/robert-kirkman) He also served as executive producer of the AMC series *Robert Kirkman's Secret History of Comics* and of the Korean pre-apocalyptic drama *Five Year*.[2](https://imagecomics.com/creators/robert-kirkman)
## Recent work: the Energon Universe and Terminal
Skybound's [Energon Universe](https://www.edgepedia.org/energon-universe-comics) is a shared [Transformers](https://www.edgepedia.org/transformers) and [G.I. Joe](https://www.edgepedia.org/g-i-joe) continuity launched with the series *Void Rivals*, which introduced the Transformers into its story as a surprise; Kirkman has said the surprise launch "worked out splendidly" and created lasting excitement around the books.[8](https://www.gamesradar.com/comics/image-comics/the-walking-dead-creator-robert-kirkman-is-taking-over-transformers-with-plans-to-methodically-expand-the-energon-universe-but-dont-worry-about-buying-567-monthly-titles-to-keep-up-were-not-looking-to-blow-up-anyones-budget/) After writer Daniel Warren Johnson and artist Jorge Corona stepped down from *Transformers* after a planned 24-issue run, Kirkman took over as writer with artist Dan Mora as of *Transformers* #25, aiming for a seamless transition while slowly and methodically expanding the Energon Universe.[8](https://www.gamesradar.com/comics/image-comics/the-walking-dead-creator-robert-kirkman-is-taking-over-transformers-with-plans-to-methodically-expand-the-energon-universe-but-dont-worry-about-buying-567-monthly-titles-to-keep-up-were-not-looking-to-blow-up-anyones-budget/)
**Terminal.** In February 2026, announcing the series in his keynote address at ComicsPro, Kirkman returned to the superhero genre for the first time since *Invincible* with *Terminal*, co-written with Joe Casey, with art by Andy Kubert, David Finch, and Arthur Adams, colors by Dave McCaig, and letters by Rus Wooton.[9](https://imagecomics.com/press-releases/comics-megastars-robert-kirkman-joe-casey-andy-kubert-david-finch-arthur-adams-announce-new-superhero-series-terminal) The series is set in a world where two violent superpowered factions wage a secret war that blurs the line between good and evil, and follows Marilyn Howe's search for her missing sister Alessandra.[9](https://imagecomics.com/press-releases/comics-megastars-robert-kirkman-joe-casey-andy-kubert-david-finch-arthur-adams-announce-new-superhero-series-terminal) The first issue arrived in comic shops on July 22, 2026, accompanied by a blind bag program with covers of varying rarity.[9](https://imagecomics.com/press-releases/comics-megastars-robert-kirkman-joe-casey-andy-kubert-david-finch-arthur-adams-announce-new-superhero-series-terminal) • [21](https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/61686/robert-kirkman-launch-new-superhero-series-terminal) Kirkman has said he wants at least 100 issues of the series.[22](https://www.comicsbeat.com/sdcc-26-robert-kirkman-talks-terminal-invincible-and-transformers-in-robert-kirkman-live/) His other recent projects include *Skinbreaker*, a fantasy tale with artist David Finch set on an alien world where ancient traditions conflict with modern ideals, whose first issue was released September 24, 2025.[23](https://www.gamesradar.com/comics/image-comics/the-walking-dead-creator-explains-the-creative-process-that-led-him-to-chart-new-territory-in-an-alien-fantasy-epic-i-was-trying-to-get-out-of-the-way-as-much-as-possible/)
## References
1. [Robert Kirkman, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3079117/)
2. [Robert Kirkman, Image Comics creator page](https://imagecomics.com/creators/robert-kirkman)
3. [Robert Kirkman, comics creator, ComicBooks.com](https://comicbooks.com/creator/robert-kirkman)
4. [Out of the Gutters: Obscenity, Censorship, and Transgression in American Comics, JSTOR](https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7560/331804)
5. [Invincible VS press release, Euronext company filings](https://live.euronext.com/sites/default/files/company_press_releases/attachments_oslo/2026/03/11/667978_7-2026%20Invincible%20VS%20Allen%20the%20Alien.pdf)
6. [Before The Walking Dead sold 45 million copies, author Robert Kirkman was told "zombie books don't sell", GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/horror-shows/before-the-walking-dead-sold-45-million-copies-author-robert-kirkman-was-told-zombie-books-dont-sell/)
7. [Skybound Holdings LLC Form C-ARA, SEC](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1867925/000164117225007915/formcara.pdf)
8. [Robert Kirkman is taking over Transformers, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/comics/image-comics/the-walking-dead-creator-robert-kirkman-is-taking-over-transformers-with-plans-to-methodically-expand-the-energon-universe-but-dont-worry-about-buying-567-monthly-titles-to-keep-up-were-not-looking-to-blow-up-anyones-budget/)
9. [Comics megastars announce new superhero series Terminal, Image Comics press release](https://imagecomics.com/press-releases/comics-megastars-robert-kirkman-joe-casey-andy-kubert-david-finch-arthur-adams-announce-new-superhero-series-terminal)
10. [Robert Kirkman, University Press of Mississippi](https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/R/Robert-Kirkman)
11. [Robert Kirkman, Comic Book Writer, Producer, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/robert-kirkman/)
12. [Negotiating Community in the Interregnum: Zombies and Others in Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead, UNLV](https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/iges_fac_articles/8/)
13. [Robert Kirkman interview, Under the Radar Magazine](https://www.undertheradarmag.com/interviews/robert_kirkman)
14. [Invincible co-showrunners on the series finale, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/superhero-shows/invincible-co-showrunners-robert-kirkman-and-simon-racioppa-say-it-wont-go-the-way-of-stranger-things-and-end-with-a-feature-length-finale/)
15. [The Walking Dead's Robert Kirkman sets out to fix TV, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/mar/15/walking-dead-robert-kirkman-sxsw-comics)
16. [Skybound's Robert Kirkman and Sean Mackiewicz on Transformers comics, Brands Untapped](https://www.brandsuntapped.com/skybound-entertainments-robert-kirkman-and-sean-mackiewicz-on-bringing-surprises-shocks-and-passion-to-their-transformers-comics/)
17. [About Skybound](https://www.skybound.com/about-us)
18. [Skybound Offering Statement, SEC](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1867925/000187285626000199/SBOfferingStatement.pdf)
19. [Skybound Holdings Form C-AR, SEC](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1867925/000119312526198934/d146052dex99.pdf)
20. [About Us, Image Comics](https://imagecomics.com/about-us)
21. [Robert Kirkman to Launch New Superhero Series, 'Terminal', ICv2](https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/61686/robert-kirkman-launch-new-superhero-series-terminal)
22. [SDCC '26: Robert Kirkman talks Terminal, Invincible and Transformers, Comics Beat](https://www.comicsbeat.com/sdcc-26-robert-kirkman-talks-terminal-invincible-and-transformers-in-robert-kirkman-live/)
23. [The Walking Dead creator explains Skinbreaker, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/comics/image-comics/the-walking-dead-creator-explains-the-creative-process-that-led-him-to-chart-new-territory-in-an-alien-fantasy-epic-i-was-trying-to-get-out-of-the-way-as-much-as-possible/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Literature and written works › Writers and literary biographies › Children's, comics, and media-genre writers › Comics and graphic-novel writers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license