The Walking Dead Season 7 Will Follow The Comics Closer Than Before

With The Walking Dead Season 7 premiere upon us, the iconic moment of Glenn having his head bashed in by Negan from issue #100 may be realized on television - if the show follows the comics.

The thing is, The Walking Dead TV series doesn't always follow Robert Kirkman's graphic novels. For example, in the comics, the Governor cut off Tyreese's head while we all know by now that the one-eyed menace decapitated Hershel for TV. Ultimately, the unvierse has a way of course correcting, of course. Tyreese was killed of a couple of months later.

So, with Season 7 coming up, we're all wondering how closely the show will mirror the comics with the best known arc being adapted for the new episodes. Speaking to The Walking Dead executive producer Greg Nicotero in an exclusive interview, ComicBook.com asked just that.

"There are some great moments from the comic books that we're going to get a chance to experience," Nicotero said. "To me it feels like we may be a little closer in nature to certain beats in the graphic novel than we have in the past, but that could just be my interpretation of it."

If the executive producer says it - it has to be true.

The Walking Dead Season 7 will follow the comics more closely than prior seasons which might spell disaster for several of fan-favorite characters but readers are certainly rejoicing. The 'March to War' and 'All Out War' story arcs from the comics are some of the most highly acclaimed arcs of Kirkman's work by readers. No issues have been more dissected, discussed, or flat-out unforgettable than the runs which show Rick and Negan's preparations for war.

The first moment which comes to mind is Glenn's death. With Negan whacking the brains out of someone's skull to end Season 6 and start Season 7, fans of the former pizza boy are worried about his fate following such news.

Fans are already aware of one bold step the show is taking to follow Kirkman's work which will push the limits of television. Nicotero's team is bringing Shiva the tiger to the series through a combination of CGI and animatronics on set. According to the executive producer, we'll be seeing "a lot" of the jungle cat this year.

Should The Walking Dead continue to follow the comics beyond Season 7, the show may actually find a way to be more brutal than ever before. Not only will Rick's Alexandria group rally with the Hilltop and Kingdom to take on the Saviors in the bloodiest battles in the series' history but after a time jump, they will find themselves caught up with a savage group called The Whisperers...but that's another story for another day.

The Walking Dead returns for its seventh season on October 23 at 9 p.m. ET on AMC. For complete coverage and insider info all season long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.