Skybound X To Celebrate Publisher's 10 Year Anniversary With New Rick Grimes and Clementine Stories

Beginning in July, Image Comics and Skybound Entertainment will launch a five-issue, limited comic [...]

By Russ Burlingame

Beginning in July, Image Comics and Skybound Entertainment will launch a five-issue, limited comic book series titled Skybound X. In the series, fans will get to meet Clementine, the heroine from Telltale's The Walking Dead video game series, for the first time on the comics page. The story will also elaborate on the non-canonical alternate ending presented by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Ryan Ottley in The Walking Dead #75, which will here by a five-part tale titled "Rick Grimes 2000." The five-issue series will run weekly, and feature a murderer's row of Skybound talent, including not just Kirkman and Ottley, but also Tillie Walden, Donny Cates, Joshua Williamson, Chip Zdarsky, James Harren, and Daniel Warren Johnson, who will "contribute stories from the best Skybound series past, present, and future."

Each issue of Skybound X will be oversized, and will kick off with a chapter from "Rick Grimes 2000." The story from The Walking Dead #75 presented the zombie plague as alien in origin, and gave the characters from the series a sci-fi twist. It might allow Kirkman to revisit some long-lost fan-favorite characters, too, since in the story a number of dead The Walking Dead characters were alive, while characters living at the time of its publication died in the story.

"Surprise! Did you REALLY think we would let Skybound's ten-year anniversary pass us by without bringing back some of our favorite characters?" Kirkman said in a statement. "We are forever thankful for our community's support over the past decade and are honored to share this special series with the larger Skybound family. None of these characters have such monumental journeys without the fans, so SKYBOUND X is for all of you!"

Skybound X will also include new stories from the worlds of Assassin Nation, Excellence, and Manifest Destiny.

With the end of The Walking Dead and the death of Rick Grimes, some fans likely thought they had seen the last of the character in comics. After all, it is not as though there was a lot of unexplored time between when he woke up in the first issue and when Carl had to kill him in the last. The issue #75 ending gives Kirkman an opportunity to play with (a version of) Rick again in a way that fans can enjoy.

Skybound X will be available at comic book shops and digital platforms including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, comiXology, and Google Play, starting with issue #1 on Wednesday, July 7, 2021. You can see the solicitation text and some of the covers below.

Skybound X #1

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(Photo: Image/Skybound)

SKYBOUND X #1
STORY: ROBERT KIRKMAN, TILLE WALDEN, JAMES HARREN & CHRIS DINGESS
ART: RYAN OTTLEY, TILLIE WALDEN, JAMES HARREN & MATTHEW ROBERTS
COVER A: RYAN OTTLEY (Diamond Code MAY210037)
COVER B: JAMES HARREN (Diamond Code MAY210038)
COVER C: TILLIE WALDEN (Diamond Code MAY210039)
COVER D: CHARLIE ADLARD (Diamond Code MAY210040)
COVER E: BLANK SKETCH COVER (Diamond Code MAY210041)

JULY 7 / 52 PAGES / FULL COLOR / M / $4.99

Celebrate a sensational 10 years of Skybound with a cavalcade of your favorite creators for all-new stories of your favorite series past, present and future! Each issue of this oversized, weekly series will kick off with a new chapter of a serialized THE WALKING DEAD story—RICK GRIMES 2000—by Robert Kirkman & Ryan Ottley!

In addition, we'll be debuting all-new series and characters every issue, starting with the First Appearance of the most requested WALKING DEAD character of all-time: Clementine, star of the bestselling Telltale's The Walking Dead video game series!

Did we mention new ULTRAMEGA and MANIFEST DESTINY stories?! If you want to know what to expect in Skybound's next 10 years, it all starts here!

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Skybound X #1 - Harren Cover

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(Photo: Image - Skybound)
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Skybound X #1 - Walden Cover

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(Photo: Image - Skybound)
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Skybound X #1 - Adlard Cover

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(Photo: Image - Skybound)
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Skybound X #2

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(Photo: Image - Skybound)

SKYBOUND X #2
STORY: ROBERT KIRKMAN, CHIP ZDARKSKY, DANIEL WARREN JOHNSON, IRMA KNIIVILA & TRI VUONG
ART: RYAN OTTLEY, RAMON K. PEREZ, DANIEL WARREN JOHNSON, TRI VUONG & IRMA KNIIVILA
COVER A: CLIFF RATHBURN (Diamond Code MAY210042)
COVER B: ANDREI BRESSAN (Diamond Code MAY210043)
COVER C: TRI VUONG & IRMA KNIIVILA (Diamond Code MAY210044)

JULY 14 / 44 PAGES / FULL COLOR / M / $4.99

The second chapter of the wildest WALKING DEAD story ever--RICK GRIMES 2000! Plus, the debut of a major new STILLWATER character, a rip-roaring MURDER FALCON throwdown, and the First Appearance of EVERYDAY HERO MACHINE BOY!

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Skybound X #2 - Vuong Cover

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(Photo: Image - Skybound)
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Skybound X #3

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(Photo: Image - Skybound)

SKYBOUND X #3
STORY: ROBERT KIRKMAN, JOSHUA WILLIAMSON, KYLE STARKS
ART: RYAN OTTLEY, ANDREI BRESSAN, ERICA HENDERSON, CORY WALKER
COVER A: ARTHUR ADAMS (Diamond Code MAY210045)
COVER B: CORY WALKER (Diamond Code MAY210046)
COVER C: ERICA HENDERSON (Diamond Code MAY210047)
COVER D: DANIEL WARREN JOHNSON (Diamond Code MAY210048)

JULY 21 / 44 PAGES / FULL COLOR / M / $4.99

The third chapter of RICK GRIMES 2000! Plus, a surprising coda to the BIRTHRIGHT saga, a spotlight on ASSASSIN NATION fan-favorite, F*ck Tarkington, and the latest installment of the greatest genius canine adventurer, SCIENCE DOG!

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Skybound X #4

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(Photo: Image - Skybound)

SKYBOUND X #4
STORY: ROBERT KIRKMAN, DONNY CATES, BRANDON THOMAS, MAIRGHRED SCOTT
ART: RYAN OTTLEY, LISANDRO ESTHERREN, KHARY RANDOLPH, PABLO TUNICA
COVER A: CHARLIE ADLARD (Diamond Code MAY210049)
COVER B: KHARY RANDOLPH (Diamond Code MAY210050)
COVER C: PABLO TUNICA (Diamond Code MAY210051)

JULY 28 / 44 PAGES / FULL COLOR / M / $4.99

The fourth chapter of RICK GRIMES 2000! Plus, new REDNECK and EXCELLENCE stories, and the First Appearance of SEA SERPENT'S HEIR!

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Skybound X #5

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(Photo: Image - Skybound)

SKYBOUND X #5
STORY: ROBERT KIRKMAN, KYLE STARKS & SEAN MACKIEWICZ
ART: RYAN OTTLEY, JASON HOWARD, CHRIS SCHWEIZER & NIKO WALTER
COVER A: DAVID FINCH (Diamond Code MAY210052)
COVER B: CHRIS SCHWEIZER (Diamond Code MAY210053)
COVER C: JASON HOWARD (Diamond Code MAY210054)

AUGUST 4 / 44 PAGES / FULL COLOR / M / $4.99

RICK GRIMES 2000 concludes! Plus, new THE SIX SIDEKICKS OF TRIGGER KEATON and GASOLINA stories! ALSO, something COMPLETELY NEW from ROBERT KIRKMAN & JASON HOWARD! SECRETS!

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