The Walking Dead Universe: from Comics to TV Shows and Games

The thing that allowed this novel to go wide and remain relevant for so long is that it’s not just a horror story about zombies. It’s about deep feelings like the fear of isolation, collapse, and the end of the familiar world. The producers managed to show it in a visual language, making the audience think about life values and relations in society.

Robert Kirkman used to describe such an approach this way:

‘To me, the best zombie movies aren’t the splatter fests of gore and violence with goofy characters and tongue-in-cheek antics. Good zombie movies show us how messed up we are, they make us question our station in society.’

Since the audience can’t experience such circumstances in real life, such movies or games are the way to show what the alternative world could be like.

The ‘This isn’t a democracy anymore’ quote that belongs to Rick Grimes, the main character played by Andrew Lincoln, shows that it’s a survival world with new rules, and Negan’s ‘You earn what you take’ also proves it.

However, Robert Kirkman also said: ‘Try to find where you belong. Try to look ahead to a better future.’ Thus, his work makes the audience reflect more deeply on their place in society and reconsider their approach to life.

The growth of the franchise would be impossible without people who wait for the new episodes or strive to play a game with these characters. The fans of the The Walking Dead brand are the key element that keeps it active and enduring over time.

It is the fans who buy the merchandise, create mods, cosplay as characters, engage in online debates, and share their interpretations of the story. In October 2024, there was New York Comic Con with panels for The Walking Dead: Dead City and The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol. 

One more activity worth mentioning is creating Interactive Maps inspired by the universe that allow users to explore and visualise locations and items according to the plot.

For now, it’s no longer just the work of a single person behind the project, but a living cultural experience shaped by a group of people united by a common passion.

The work of Tony Moore, the professional artist, allowed the audience to imagine what the main characters look like. Then, the professional work of makeup artists and actors brought it to life on the screen. That’s why the behind-the-scenes world is the universe of its own.

Rick Baker, a legendary makeup effects artist who was one of the leading specialists, said:

‘I was always just fascinated with monsters in movies, and when I realised that someone actually did that and you could do it as a job, I just became obsessed with it.’

Each walker was designed with its own decay progression, depending on how long they are supposed to be undead. Thus, even a single scene required hours of preparation, not to mention episodes with large hordes, even when they appeared for only a few minutes.

Such a deep immersion in the storyline wouldn’t be possible without the professional cast, and in some cases, the actors understood their characters even more deeply than intended. For example, that’s what Norman Reedus said about the portrait of Daryl:

‘If you put me in a large room full of people, and people are looking at me, I get a little nervous. I don't know how to deal with that. I always want to go outside and sneak a cigarette, and just want to escape. So I think there's a lot of Daryl in me.’

The incredible work of set designers and location scouts also added to the overall atmosphere, especially details like abandoned towns and rusted vehicles in collapsed cities. Attention to such minor yet essential elements allowed the movie to grow into a renowned project with great potential.

The Walking Dead is all about evolution and adapting to today’s reality. Its plot shows that both the zombies and characters evolve to survive, and the franchise owners do the same to help the project remain trending and popular among different audiences.

It’s a living media brand that continues to adapt to new formats and audience interests, be it a video or a casino game, a mobile app with favourite characters, or just an item from the AMC Shop.

Inventing new ways to engage those who want to interact with the world of The Walking Dead on their terms is an approach that is certain to bring even more dedicated products in the future. Thus, it’s not the end of the universe's growth, and its fans can expect more solutions in the future.