With its issue #193, Robert Kirkman wrapped up his run on The Walking Dead last year, bringing a conclusion to one of the most beloved series. Since the series has come to an end, there has not been an additional content to peek into the world of those characters who survived the final issue, but Kirkman, artist Charlie Adlard, Skybound Entertainment, and Image Comics are changing that with a special one-off issue which will benefit comic book shops titled Negan Lives. Ahead of its launch this Wednesday, Kirkman took to social media to show a preview of the issue.
Kirkman didn’t dive into any of the content of the book but he did show it off in physical for with a few of the variant elements of the book on display. The variants call for different colors being assigned to the Negan Lives titles, including gold, silver, and red. Kirkman briefly opened up the book but ultimately closed it before any spoilers were shown!
Videos by ComicBook.com
Check out the preview of Negan Lives and other books Kirkman is excited to share in the video below.
This Wednesday is a big day for comics from me! Check it out!! pic.twitter.com/pqxHC8qufp
โ Robert Kirkman (@RobertKirkman) June 29, 2020
Pre-orders for the comic book, priced at $4.99, are now sold out on the Megabrain website. Negan Lives #1 will be getting a digital release, and will only be available exclusively at comic book stores. This gives shops another welcome boost for a book that everyone is surely going to be interested in.
“I’ve been inspired by Steve Geppi and Diamond’s efforts to shine a light on how essential the Direct Market is to our beloved industry with their #backthecomeback campaign,” said Kirkman. “While Charlie Adlard and I had laid the series to rest, this felt like something special we could do for the store owners who made our series a success to begin with. To that end, I’m happy to report that 100% of the revenue generated from this book will go to the stores selling it. The retailer community does backbreaking work to get comics into the hands of our loving fans, we should all be doing more in these trying times to show them how appreciated they are.”
The synopsis for Negan Lives offers some insight into the fate of the character for the first time since he disappeared from The Walking Dead comics in issue #174. “Spurned by a slowly rebuilding society, Negan lives a life of desperate isolationโฆ or does he?” the synopsis reads. “In the tradition of Here’s Negan, this all-new story in Negan Lives #1 gives readers a glimpse into what has happened to one The Walking Dead’s most popular characters in the time since his last appearance in The Walking Dead #174.”
Negan Lives #1 reaches comic store shelves July 1.