It’s only inevitable that some choices can seem hasty in retrospect when creating the world of a significant crossover entertainment series. Still, in the case of The Walking Dead, author Robert Kirkman has one regret that stings more than any other. Kirkman recently disclosed one of his least favorite elements of the grim yet adored story, and the response might surprise you. He is currently commenting on his popular comic book in a color re-release named The Walking Dead Deluxe.
From 2003 until 2019, Image Comics released #193 issues of The Walking Dead, which later spawned an empire of Walking Dead television series, video games, and other media. TWD hail by fans and critics alike for its masterful world-building. Kirkman, Readers were taken through a post-apocalyptic America filled with zombies that never seemed to stop in Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard’s graphic novel. The story revolves around the legendary Rick Grimes and his band of beleaguered survivors.
It would be unexpect if Kirkman didn’t have doubts about at least one of his many plot points, and according to his most recent notes, one of them is the in-universe name he gave the zombie groupings—”herds”—in the real world. The comic book is renowne for having a complicated storyline and a big cast.
Writing in the “Cutting Room Floor” section of The Walking Dead Deluxe #54, Kirkman went on at length about his dislike for the term he came up with, saying, “it makes me think of cows,” before embarking on a tirade that can only describe as venomous against his choice, calling the phrase “herd” “not very threatening” and “LAME,” concluding by writing, “to be honest, I shudder a bit when I hear it or read it. The main reason for that is that I recognized “HORDE” would have been a MUCH BETTER name nearly IMMEDIATELY after it started appearing in print. Ugh.”
Should Have Been “Hordes” Rather Than “Herds” of Zombie
While it’s customary for artists to criticize their work years after it’s complete, especially to make improvements in subsequent iterations, it’s uncommon to see the creator of a huge entertainment property lament what is a rather small issue in such obnoxious terms. Small Walking Dead controversies, on the other hand, the writer feels stand out like a sore thumb in an immersive world like TWD. Kirkman said that to correct this alleged error, he did have subsequent characters in The Commonwealth refer to zombie groups as “hordes.”
A “crash” of rhinoceroses or an “eloquence” of attorneys are two examples of venerable nouns use to describe collective organizations. Terminology for groups can be a fascinating subject. Robert Kirkman is implying that he wished he had come up with a more appropriate and brilliant term by his standards. However, when it comes to the greater Walking Dead universe, it seems more appropriate to attach a more commonplace and informal word to such a cluster. After all, zombies are just a fact of life for the characters of The Walking Dead.