Is the Walking Dead ever coming out?

[earth2tom]

I know there was another thread like this, but I am freakin' lazy. Lazy like whoever is holding up the latest issue of The Walking Dead. Has anyone heard any news on this yet? I thought that Kirkman prided himself on getting his books out on time. What the hell happened? The only thing that I can think of is the "con season syndrome". Maybe he has just been to buzy schmoozin.

[amlah6]

Originally posted by earth2tom
I know there was another thread like this, but I am freakin' lazy.


clearly (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=44984) :p

[The_Adventurer]

Jeez it's not THAT late.

I mean, it's no Waterloo Sunset.

Or Jack Staff

or Thieves and Kings

or another chronicly late book that I love.

[thingone]

Originally posted by earth2tom
I thought that Kirkman prided himself on getting his books out on time.
Kirkman's definition of "on time," at least based on his comments in the TWD letters column, is much different than what most of us would consider on time to be.

I'm lazy, and I'm not going to dig out the issues for an exact quote, but Kirkman seems to believe that if something keeps a fairly regular monthly schedule, it's on time.

On the other hand, most people would say that if a comic is released on the date it is promised in its solicitation, it is on time. If it's released before its promised date, it is early. If it is released after its promised date, it is late. Similarly, if I have a job interview scheduled for 10:00: If I arrive at 10:00, I'm on time; if I arrive at 9:45, I'm early; if I arrive at 10:15, I'm late.

Just because Kirkman has expressed irritation in his letters columns when the subject of TWD's lateness is raised, I tracked down the following from text versions of Previews and the Diamond shipping list archive:

--------------------------------------------

The first number is the issue number
The first date is the promised release date as given in the solicitation.
The second date is the actual release date

#01.....10/01/03.....10/08/03
#02.....11/05/03.....11/12/03
#03.....12/03/03.....12/10/03
#04.....01/XX/04.....01/28/04 *
#05.....02/25/04.....03/17/04
#06.....03/31/04.....04/21/04
#07.....04/28/04.....05/12/04
#08.....05/26/04.....06/09/04
#09.....06/30/04.....07/28/04
#10.....07/XX/04.....09/09/04 **
#11.....08/04/04.....09/22/04
#12.....09/01/04.....11/10/04
#13.....10/06/04.....11/17/04
#14.....11/03/04.....12/29/04
#15.....12/01/04.....02/09/05
#16.....01/05/05.....03/02/05
#17.....02/02/05.....04/06/05
#18.....03/02/05.....04/20/05
#19.....04/13/05.....06/02/05
#20.....05/11/05.....07/13/05
#21.....06/15/05.....08/24/05
#22.....07/13/05
#23.....09/14/05
#24.....10/12/05
#25.....11/16/05
#26.....12/14/05

* -- I couldn't find the solicitation; I was able only to find it in the Previews customer order form with no expected date.

** -- Here's what was written in the May 2004 Previews text version I found: "On sale X July, 2004."

--------------------------------------------

So, of the 24 issues of The Walking Dead that were to have been released by this week, at least 23 were/are late.

I think readers, especially folks who preorder, have every right to be irritated by TWD's chronic lateness. And Kirkman, who seems like a good guy, probably shouldn't lash back if the subject is raised.

[grphxkindaguy]

Originally posted by thingone

So, of the 24 issues of The Walking Dead that were to have been released by this week, at least 23 were/are late.

I think readers, especially folks who preorder, have every right to be irritated by TWD's chronic lateness. And Kirkman, who seems like a good guy, probably shouldn't lash back if the subject is raised.

Does anyone have an idea WHY the book is so late?

is it the fault of the writer?

the artist?

the colorist?

what?!?

[Blind Assassin]

Originally posted by grphxkindaguy
Does anyone have an idea WHY the book is so late?

is it the fault of the writer?

the artist?

the colorist?

what?!?

will it make a difference who is to blame?

[thingone]

Originally posted by Blind Assassin
will it make a difference who is to blame?
No.

A more understanding attitude is what I want. Understanding that it's natural for someone to get frustrated when they pay for something two months in advance and what they paid for is not delivered on time.

[The_Adventurer]

All of the above reasons for sure.

In the immortal words of someguy lost to history.

Stuff Happens

[grphxkindaguy]

Originally posted by thingone
A more understanding attitude is what I want. Understanding that it's natural for someone to get frustrated when they pay for something two months in advance and what they paid for is not delivered on time.

I just hope TWD doesn't pull an "Astro City".

Astro City, for those of you who don't recall/weren't around, was an awesome monthly title "back in the day". But unforseen circumstances caused delay after delay after DELAY on the title, until it finally stopped coming out altogether.

It recently returned in assorted mini's and one-shots, but its not the same anymore. The magic is GONE.

If these delays on TWD persist, I just may switch to trades...

[CoffinDancer]

According to Kirkman Issues 22-24 are done and should all be released soon. He said that somewhere at his messageboard, can't remember where.

[grphxkindaguy]

Originally posted by CoffinDancer
According to Kirkman Issues 22-24 are done and should all be released soon. He said that somewhere at his messageboard, can't remember where.

Waitasecond, WHY have 3 issues been SITTING in a desk drawer all this time?!?

WTF?!? :mad:

[thingone]

Originally posted by grphxkindaguy
If these delays on TWD persist, I just may switch to trades...
I've made that decision. I cut #26 from my December preorder.

[Neuromancer]

quote:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by grphxkindaguy
If these delays on TWD persist, I just may switch to trades...

Originally posted by thingone
I've made that decision. I cut #26 from my December preorder.

I actually only get this in trades myself, not so much because of lateness, but because not only did I jump on this title later, but also, while it's of great quality, it's not so compelling to me that I can't wait for the trades.

[Blind Assassin]

Originally posted by thingone
No.

A more understanding attitude is what I want. Understanding that it's natural for someone to get frustrated when they pay for something two months in advance and what they paid for is not delivered on time.

I know just what you are talking about.

I didn't mean to come off like a dick. What I meant was that it won't make any difference who is to blame, the book is still late.

And as a person who works at a comic shop, it affects me, too.

Sorry if I came off insensitive.

[The_Adventurer]

Originally posted by grphxkindaguy
Waitasecond, WHY have 3 issues been SITTING in a desk drawer all this time?!?

WTF?!? :mad:

That's not how it works. It just happens that all three issue came together at the same time. Perhaps by design to get the book back on time, but more then likly there were all in varias stages of completeness and all got finished at the same time.

[grphxkindaguy]

Originally posted by The_Adventurer
That's not how it works. It just happens that all three issue came together at the same time. Perhaps by design to get the book back on time, but more then likly there were all in varias stages of completeness and all got finished at the same time.

sorry, but that excuse sounds kinda thin to me...but better then nothing!

Here's HOPING that TWD will resume a more regular schedule in the future...

[grphxkindaguy]

Originally posted by Blind Assassin
I know just what you are talking about.

I didn't mean to come off like a dick. What I meant was that it won't make any difference who is to blame, the book is still late.

And as a person who works at a comic shop, it affects me, too.

Sorry if I came off insensitive.

I didn't know you worked at a comic shop, BA.

Where do you work at, if I may ask?

[thingone]

Originally posted by Blind Assassin
What I meant was that it won't make any difference who is to blame, the book is still late.
BA, I understood what you were saying, and I agree. Kinda like: "Why worry about pointing the big finger of blame? That doesn't serve much of a purpose." I didn't think you were being insensitive.

What I was saying is, I'm not really concerned with the whos and whys. It's just frustrating to put money up front for something -- hold up my end of the bargain -- and then constantly be let down when the other party doesn't hold up theirs. I was asking Kirkman to understand it from the preorderer's point of view and, when someone brings up lateness, rather than lash out when with comments such as, (and I'm paraphrasing here) "I'm sick of hearing about lateness; talk about the book," say something like, "Sorry about that; we're working hard to get back on schedule."

[earth2tom]

Originally posted by The_Adventurer
That's not how it works. It just happens that all three issue came together at the same time. Perhaps by design to get the book back on time, but more then likly there were all in varias stages of completeness and all got finished at the same time.

Man, if that is the case, they should release them suckers all in the span of a month. Of course I got a sneaking suspicion that they will hold them back for monthly releases. It sure would be cool though to read three new issues of TWD in a month.

[Blind Assassin]

Originally posted by grphxkindaguy
I didn't know you worked at a comic shop, BA.

Where do you work at, if I may ask?


I am the manager of comicopia in Kenmore square in Boston

http://www.comicopia.com

[grphxkindaguy]

Originally posted by Blind Assassin
I am the manager of comicopia in Kenmore square in Boston

http://www.comicopia.com

Ah, cool. If I'm ever in the area, I'll be sure to drop by. I have a friend who lives in RI who goes up to Boston a lot, I'll see if he knows your store...

Will I be permitted to buy stuff, even if I walk in wearing a Yankee's jersey? ;)

[Randy A]

I posted a comment on his board questioning how late the Walking Dead HC would be and was ignored. I even put in there that im not trying to be a troll or anything, im just trying to prepare for Christmas.

[majorjoe23]

Charlie Adlard had a baby (well, his wife did) recently, I think that and the con season are what screwed things up. Kirkman was everywhere this summer.

[thingone]

Originally posted by hal0
im just trying to prepare for Christmas.
You're talking about Christmas 2006, right? ;)

Seriously, hal0, TWD has not come out within two weeks of its promised date since #8 a year and a half ago. TWD trades have never come out sooner than three weeks later than their promised dates, and that was for Vol. 1; Vols. 2 and 3 were a month or more late. I'd say chances are somewhere in the range of 0 percent, give or take 0 percentage points, that the TWD Delux HC, promised Dec. 14, will be released by Christmas.

[grphxkindaguy]

As much as I'm disappointed w/the delays to TWD, I would really be pissed if INVINCBILE was this late...

now THAT book rocks!!!

do you guys read that as well?

[Randy A]

Originally posted by thingone
You're talking about Christmas 2006, right? ;)

Seriously, hal0, TWD has not come out within two weeks of its promised date since #8 a year and a half ago. TWD trades have never come out sooner than three weeks later than their promised dates, and that was for Vol. 1; Vols. 2 and 3 were a month or more late. I'd say chances are somewhere in the range of 0 percent, give or take 0 percentage points, that the TWD Delux HC, promised Dec. 14, will be released by Christmas.

Yea, after sitting down and thinking about it i ended up deciding i was just going to buy the thing for myself. (I was originally going to put it on my Christmas list, but i know how my in-laws are and they would be upset if they ordered something for me for Christmas and it didn't get here by then.)

I wonder why i don't just switch to the trades on this.. ive already got the first one...

[buji]

Originally posted by hal0
I posted a comment on his board questioning how late the Walking Dead HC would be and was ignored. I even put in there that im not trying to be a troll or anything, im just trying to prepare for Christmas.

where is his board? i tried robertkirkman.com but there's just a pulsating graphic with his name on it.

[Electric Glove]

On the Image forums.

[Randy A]

Originally posted by buji
where is his board? i tried robertkirkman.com but there's just a pulsating graphic with his name on it.

Here. (http://www.imagecomics.com/messageboard/viewforum.php?f=2&sid=800aaa228dc711d0f08836e258c5ec96)

[GOSD]

Originally posted by grphxkindaguy
As much as I'm disappointed w/the delays to TWD, I would really be pissed if INVINCBILE was this late...

now THAT book rocks!!!

do you guys read that as well? Oh yeah, GREAT book!

BTW, TWD is slated for a 10/19 delivery!

Woot!!

[thingone]

Originally posted by hal0
I wonder why i don't just switch to the trades on this..
Because TWD has the best cliffhangers in the land of comics?
Because TWD has the best letters column in the land of comics?

The psychological and emotional impact of a great cliffhanger -- the squirm effect -- is significantly diminished when one need only turn the page for a resolution. And, the letters columns, into which Kirkman pours so much blood, sweat and tears, are not, to my knowledge, not reproduced in the trades. I find his letters columns to be extremely entertaining and utterly fascinating.

[buji]

Originally posted by thingone
Because TWD has the best cliffhangers in the land of comics?
Because TWD has the best letters column in the land of comics?

The psychological and emotional impact of a great cliffhanger -- the squirm effect -- is significantly diminished when one need only turn the page for a resolution. And, the letters columns, into which Kirkman pours so much blood, sweat and tears, are not, to my knowledge, not reproduced in the trades. I find his letters columns to be extremely entertaining and utterly fascinating.

and it's for this reason that i buy both the trades and the single issues.

the trades are for reading for years to come, but you can't beat the jaw-dropping cliffhangers that leave you screaming because you NEED to know what happens next. no matter how long the next issue takes to get to me, i'll still be drooling like one of pavlov's dogs.


*PS: thanks hal0, & Electric Glove

[Randy A]

Originally posted by thingone
Because TWD has the best cliffhangers in the land of comics?
Because TWD has the best letters column in the land of comics?

The psychological and emotional impact of a great cliffhanger -- the squirm effect -- is significantly diminished when one need only turn the page for a resolution. And, the letters columns, into which Kirkman pours so much blood, sweat and tears, are not, to my knowledge, not reproduced in the trades. I find his letters columns to be extremely entertaining and utterly fascinating.

yea, that pretty much covers it. I'm Kirkman's bitch.

[grphxkindaguy]

Originally posted by GOSD
TWD is slated for a 10/19 delivery!

Woot!!

"We'll see, my young padawan, we'll see..." :p

[The_Adventurer]

I buy all my comics in singles rather then trades because I want the story NOW rather then Latter.

If I'd desided to wait for the trade on TWD I probibly wouldn't be reading it right now. Because I'd lose interest over the 6 odd months it'd take to be announced and be released.

[bob_at_york]

Originally posted by Blind Assassin
will it make a difference who is to blame?

Maybe it would. If anybody but Kirkman is to blame then no it probably won't matter, but if it is Kirkman who is holding up the book then maybe we could petition the guy to stop writing so many books at the same time! I found this comic yesterday. It is an issue of a 4-issue miniseries that he started last year and I don't think he has finished it yet! It is a problem if his books are suffering for it.

[Blind Assassin]

the new walking dead will be out this wednesday (10/19) according to our invoice.

[bob_at_york]

Originally posted by GOSD
Oh yeah, GREAT book!

BTW, TWD is slated for a 10/19 delivery!

Woot!!

BA, GOSD already said that.

[Blind Assassin]

Originally posted by bob_at_york
BA, GOSD already said that.


yeah, I know.

I was confirming.

sometimes you get a list of books that are due out on a certain date, but util I get my confirmed invoice, I don't believe it.

sorry for repeating something that was already said.

[bob_at_york]

Originally posted by Blind Assassin
yeah, I know.

I was confirming.

sometimes you get a list of books that are due out on a certain date, but util I get my confirmed invoice, I don't believe it.

sorry for repeating something that was already said.

Oh.... okay!

[thingone]

Originally posted by bob_at_york
I found this comic yesterday. It is an issue of a 4-issue miniseries that he started last year and I don't think he has finished it yet! It is a problem if his books are suffering for it.
That would likely be Savage Dragon God War or Superpatriot War on Terror.

Last summer, Kirkman had those on his plate at Image along with TWD, Invincible and possibly an issue of Brit. There was also his planned work on Youngblood Imperial for Arcade. Oh, and over at Marvel, he was writing Jubilee, Captain America and the five 2099 one-shots, with upcoming launches of Fantastic Four Foes and Marvel Team-Up.

Here's a thread (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=17303&highlight=kirkmania) from last summer about his rather stuffed writing agenda, which included 12 issues of various comics scheduled for release in September 2004.

When Kirkman's Marvel work increased, his Image series suffered delays. Coincidence? Possibly but unlikely. I think the quality in Invincible began to plummet around that time.

A couple of months later, Liefield announced he was removing Kirkman from the Youngblood thing because Kirkman was seriously late, as announced in this thread: (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18917&highlight=youngblood+AND+kirkman)

"So for the record, Kirkman, great guy, very busy, late on plot had to switch writer's as result," Liefield wrote.

That drew much snickering from fanboys.

I switched online retailers beginning with my preorder in February. As of today, I still have four comics on the books at my previous supplier -- comics I preordered through that have not been canceled but have not yet shipped. All four were to have been written by Kirkman:

-- Superpatriot War on Terror #3, which Image promised would be released Sept. 8, 2004
-- Youngblood Imperial #0 (Sept. 29, 2004)
-- Savage Dragon God War #4 (Oct. 6, 2004)
-- Superpatriot War on Terror #4 (Oct. 13, 2004)

Interestingly, Youngblood Imperial #1 did actually come out in the spring or summer, but I don't think any subsequent issues have been released.

[bob_at_york]

I was talking about God War. But I saw an ad for the Superpatriot mini and I thought it looked alright. Too bad it hasn't finished either!

[grphxkindaguy]

Originally posted by bob_at_york
I saw an ad for the Superpatriot mini and I thought it looked alright. Too bad it hasn't finished either!

I also wanted to pick up Superpatriot after hearing about it last week. I've been hunting down the back issues on eBay, but only issue #s 1 & 2 are being offered. Now I know why!!!

[majorjoe23]

Robert posted this at the Image Boards:

Walking Dead 23 is at the printer right now.

Going to the printer this week is:

Savage Dragon: God War #4
Invincible #27
The Walking Dead #24
The Walking Dead script book
Battle Pope #4

There's going to be a couple BIG weeks here soon.

[Randy A]

Originally posted by majorjoe23
Robert posted this at the Image Boards:

Walking Dead 23 is at the printer right now.

Going to the printer this week is:

Savage Dragon: God War #4
Invincible #27
The Walking Dead #24
The Walking Dead script book
Battle Pope #4

There's going to be a couple BIG weeks here soon.

I don't suppose that its actually possible the hardcover might be out on time?!? naww.. i know better.