As part of his retrospective look back atThe Walking Deadcomic series, creator Robert Kirkman has been quick to acknowledge his foibles as an author, as much as his triumphs – perhaps even putting more focus on the former, rather than the latter, as with his latest self-nitpick about a recycled line of dialogue, which he calls his equivalent of a “Stan Leemoment.”
The Walking Dead Deluxe#103 – written by Robert Kirkman, with art by Charlie Adlard –contains an annotation from Kirkman in which he calls himself out for duplicating a line of dialogue, delivered by the infamous and iconic Negan, which had appeared in a nearly-identical context in a prior issue.
Kirkman’s evocation of Stan Lee is a reference to the legendary Marvel writer’s notoriously bad memory, which was, in fact, what gave rise to thetrope of alliterative superhero names, from Bruce Banner to Peter Parker.
Robert Kirkman Couldn’t Pass Up The Opportunity To Point Out His Own “Stan Lee Moment” In This Pivotal Early Negan Scene
Negan is a pivotal player inWalking Deadfranchise lore, particularly given his redemption arc inboth the comics and TV adaptation; for better or worse,Negan’s arc changedThe Walking Dead’strajectory, but at the time of his violent introduction inThe Walking Dead#100, he was depicted as the franchise’s most unhinged antagonist yet. InWalking Dead#103, he ominously asserts his dominance over Rick Grimes' group of survivors by teasing them with the “little pig, little pig” line –except as Robert Kirkman pointed out, this had already been done by an earlier, less monumental enemy.
While fans can chalk the mirrored moments up to in-continuity coincidence…it is a reminder of the vast scope of a project likeThe Walking Dead.
InThe Walking Dead Deluxe#103, Kirkman cites this moment of Stan Lee-esque forgetfulness, noting:
Yes, this is a bit of a Stan Lee moment for me. Negan arrives saying, “Little pig, little pig, let me in.” I didn’t remember at the time that I’d ha a random group of marauders do the exact same thing about 20 issues prior. Is it believable two people would do that? Sure? Was it intentional? Definitely not.
While fans can chalk the mirrored moments up to in-continuity coincidence – or even attempt a retcon of sorts, imagining that the earlier “marauders” were current or former members of Negan’s Saviors – as a behind-the-scenes anecdote, it is a reminder of the vast scope of a project likeThe Walking Dead, or thecreation of the Marvel Universe as contemporary readers recognize it. As such, while it might be irksome to Kirkman, it is a fun fact for fans of the franchise.
Negan Might Not Have Delivered The “Little Pigs” Line First, But It Meant More When He Said It
A “Second Draft,” So To Speak
Robert Kirkman himself owned upto the fact that small repetitions, mistakes, and even plot holes are inevitable in a long-running series likeThe Walking Dead, concluding his apologia for the “little pigs” double-up inDeluxe#103 with:
Try as I might to keep 103 issues (eventually 193) straight in my head…I’m only human.
For readers, it is perhaps better to look at this instance not as an error, but rather as an indication that this moment felt so evocative to the author that it stuck with him, even after he had already written a version of it.
“Stan Lee Didn’t Like It”: The Boys Creator Garth Ennis Reveals Stan Lee Hated This Dark Marvel Series
Stan Lee and Garth Ennis are two creators who have contributed a lot to Marvel Comics, with Stan disliking one of Ennis' best series with a passion.
In a sense,this makes Negan’s delivery of the line akin to a second draft – one in which Kirkman delivered an even more satisfying scene.To a large degree, this is because of the build-up of Negan as a character over the preceding issues, which put everything he did under a magnifying glass. In any case, Kirkman only realized he wrote this line twice after a careful re-read ofThe Walking Deadcomic; at the time of its publication, and in retrospect, few fans have even noticed, let alone been bothered by, this “Stan Leemoment” from Robert Kirkman.
The Walking Dead Deluxe#103is available now from Image Comics.
The Walking Dead
The Walking Deadis a massive multimedia franchise that began with a comic book series created by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. The franchise gained widespread popularity with the launch of the television seriesThe Walking Deadin 2010 on AMC, which chronicles the lives of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies, referred to as “walkers.” The success of the original show has led to numerous spin-offs, web series, video games, novels, and other media. The franchise explores themes of survival, human nature, and the breakdown of society in the face of an existential threat, making it one of the most successful and influential horror series of the 21st century.
