Robert Kirkman Spills The Beans On ‘The Walking Dead’ TV Vs. Comic Book Storylines In Season 6

With Season 6 of AMC’s The Walking Dead fast approaching, fans are trying to work out just how much of the source material — the comic books the TV series is based on — will be included. Recently, Robert Kirkman expanded on how much of the comic books will work their way into the next season.

WARNING: This article contains potential spoilers for Season 6 of AMC’s The Walking Dead and definite spoilers for the comic books series. Please proceed with caution if you are not up to date with either.

The recent announcement from The Hollywood Reporter that AMC has promoted three Walking Dead characters to series regulars has gotten fans wondering if this will indicate particular storylines from the comics. Most notably, will the storylines surrounding Deanna (Tovah Feldshuh) and Spencer Monroe (Austin Nichols) unfold as they do in the comic books — ie. Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs) losing an eye? With an extremely blurry image surfacing on The Spoiling Dead that looks like Carl with an eye patch, it seems likely this storyline could eventuate in Season 6 of The Walking Dead.

But what does the man who created The Walking Dead universe, Robert Kirkman, have to say about Season 6? Recently, when he was interviewed by Entertainment Weekly, and he was hesitant to give away spoilers in relation to whether Walking Dead fans can expect plenty of comic book storylines this season.

“I can’t tell you how closely season 6 will follow the comics! We have to keep people guessing. If you’re paying attention, the material around volume 13 or so of the comic series has been getting adapted into the show most recently, but we always reserve the right to stray from the source or even jump back or ahead and do things out of order.”

He did, however, mention that there would be “big differences” for Walking Dead characters Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) and Carol (Melissa McBride). Of course, Daryl isn’t in the comics and, as Kirkman points out, Carol from the comics is ” never as cool as the TV version” at this point in the books. He also points out that Morgan (Lennie James) is another character from the comics that is quite different to the comic counterpart by this stage.

While Kirkman was not very forthcoming in information tying comic book storylines to Season 6 of the television version, he was impressed at how The Walking Dead showrunner, Scott M. Gimple, could take source material from the comics and expand on it is ways Kirkman “never could have imagined.” Kirkman seems very eager for Walking Dead fans see what Gimple has done with the source material this season, stating that some “very beloved” parts of the comics will be expanded on in Season 6 “in ways that die-hard fans are going to love.”

The Walking Dead returns to AMC with Season 6 on Sunday, October 11, 2015.

Which comic book storylines do you think we will see in Season 6 of The Walking Dead? Let us know your thought by commenting below!

[Image credit: AMC]