One part fromThe Walking Deadproved to be almost too challenging to adapt to television . There are some bigdifferences between the show and comics , which is usually the case for any varlet - to - screen adaptation . However , it ’s rare for the source of the strip to , basically , go out of the way to bring out material that they know would be difficult to adjust - but Robert Kirkman was up to the task .

Kirkman , The Walking Dead’sco - creator , confirm inThe Walking Dead Deluxe#108 ’s Q&A section that , upon further self-examination and in the backwash of the show being adapted as he was still write the comics , he push himself to do thing that would makehis picture of Shiva , a major character ’s preferent Panthera tigris , harder to take .

Kirkman ’s approach path to handling Shiva in the comics and take reward of the strip metier shows exactly how comics can distinguish themselves from their televise adaption , and frailty versa .

walking dead rick talking on telephone

Robert Kirkman Purposely Planned to Make Shiva Difficult to Adapt for Television

The Walking Dead Deluxe#108 by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Dave McCaig, and Rus Wooton

Fans ofThe Walking Dead , both the comics and the show , will think of Shiva as Ezekiel ’s pet Panthera tigris . Calling Shiva a ducky almost undermines the complexity of his relationship with Ezekiel , since saving Shiva ’s life in the past give theWalking Dead’sfan - pet charactera confidante uncoerced to protect him as long as she carry melodic phrase in her lungs , right up until her ultimate sacrifice . They stood side by side in the Kingdom , and that dynamic resonated strongly with television viewers , even if Kirkman was determined to make that dynamic too difficult to conform . As he say inDeluxe#108 :

Having children changes you . I conceive I ’ve speak about this a petty . When I had my Kyd , I find immediately that it softened me . Violence in medium hit me severely , even upset me at times , in ways it never had before I was a father . That to me finding myself hesitating with this book , sometimes think , " Is this too far ? " or only , " Do we really need to do this ? " And I developed a dangerous inherent aptitude because of this . I ’d think , " No , f * * * that . That ’s these kid make me soft ! I ca n’t moderate back . I have to do this ! "

So , at time , there ’s a chance that before I had Kid , there are element of this comic I would have held back on , lines I would n’t have crossed . BUT because I was worried that I was second - guessing myself only because of my nipper , I pushed myself into doing this … and , well , the book got darker because of it .

Phantom-Menace-Qui-Gon-Jinn-Liam-Neeson

How does this practice to this issue ?

Well , sort of the same thing happen when THE WALKING DEAD got made into a TV show . There were a few metre I ’d think , " Well , this is going to be hard for us to accommodate on the show . " That would chair to me thinking , " Too spoilt ! Got ta do it ! Ca n’t allow the show deepen this book . " I had a fear . I ’d never considered if anything was adaptable or could work in a television receiver show before THE WALKING DEAD had been adjust , so why worry about that now ? I had to keep the process gross at all costs .

Kirkman ’s creative outgrowth onThe walk Deadwas mostly frame in by his children , which is common for creators ; for lesson , oneCaptain Americawriter was inspiredto pussyfoot his son into the prescribed Marvel canyon . What create Kirkman ’s root of intake so unique is that it was n’t so much that his children were inspiring him as that he fear fatherhood was stifling his creativity , at least with regard to farm violent material . This fright inspire him topush the limits ofTheWalking Dead , doing so through Shiva . Kirkman continues :

Andor Season 2’s Continued Themes Of Sacrifice Explained By Creator & Cast: “We Should Have A Grief Counselor”

So when I got the idea to put a tiger in the book , my first thought was , " How will that work in the show ? " And then that was follow by , " Who cares ! Got ta do it ! Got ta stay pure ! But my stage is : if the show had never happen … there ’s a prospect I ’d have remember , " Hmm … maybe a Panthera tigris is too eldritch … " and not done it .

So … the TV show made this record WEIRDER . I ’d also say COOLER , because Ezekiel and Shiva made this Word WAY cooler . But , I have to acknowledge , also way weirder . And that ’s okay .

Shiva ’s existence is a rare instance ofa show revolutionize - or prod - the comic seriesthat it adapts . One may call it art imitating art , in which both mediums take from each other and give inspiration to one another . The show managed to help Kirkman ’s originative process for his comedian . His itch to push the limits of how graphic he could make his comics also inspired him to push the limits of how eldritch the culture medium can be in itself , birthing Shiva . If Kirkman never agreed to adaptThe Walking Deadto television receiver , he may never have conceived of Shiva .

Ezekiel and Shiva in The Walking Dead

How Did AMC AdaptThe Walking Dead’sShiva?

Shiva from the Show vs. Shiva from the Comics

Through the wonders of CGI , The take the air Deadon AMC was capable to bring Ezekiel ’s elephantine tiger to life . As Kirkman expected , adapting Shiva was n’t an easy labor , but the stunner of Hollywood conjuring trick made it round-eyed . Story - wise , Shiva ’s dynamic with Ezekiel onscreen is n’t too dissimilar to how it pan out out on - panel , though their paths towards each other take issue in both mediums , perhaps proving the difficulties of accommodate Shiva to the screen . Onscreen , Ezekiel befriends the zoo Panthera tigris before the Book of Revelation , tending to its wound after Shiva fell into a concrete meat fosse .

accord to Godhead Robert Kirkman , he might have utilise 1 narrative technique too many times during the run of " The Walking utter " comic serial .

On - jury , the former zookeeper befriends Shiva in much the same manner , except whereas Shiva prove no signs of aggressiveness towards Ezekiel on TV , Shiva had struck him across the catgut when he tended to her wounding in the comics . help Shiva helped domesticize her for Ezekiel , butShiva ’s comic origins saw her as an attacker . Shiva does fail in both edition , sacrifice herself to Walkers to give her master a chance to escape . Both ritual killing carry emotional encroachment , and both are hefty moments in their own direction , but they have distinct deviation as they supply to their several media .

The cover of The Walking Dead Deluxe #108 featuring King Ezekiel and his pet tiger, Shiva.

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.

Robert Kirkman Knows How to DifferentiateThe Walking Dead’sComics from Its TV Show

The Same Can Be Said for All of Kirkman’s Adaptations

This campaign to distinguish the comic strip from their telecasting adaptations looks like a run trend with Kirkman ’s altered works , asThe walk Deadisn’t his only show to go far in try out to signalize itself from its opposite number . For illustration and more latterly , Invincible’sSeason 3 finaleis presently earning congratulations online for one of the episode ’s most memorable second . Like the instances previously referenced fromThe Walking Dead , aver momentdoes not happen in the comicsand is therefore unique to the television receiver adaptation .

More than anything , a television system show needs to feel different from the comedian it ’s adapting , and frailty versa .

irrespective of his methods or the reasons he had to distinguish the comics , Kirkman ’s adapted employment speak to the most important qualities that every risible - to - TV pipeline needs to uphold . More than anything , a television show needs to experience different from the comics it ’s adapting , and frailty versa . The adaptation must take full advantage of its mass medium by creating moments that can only chance in that medium . It makes each version of the story , in both medium , all the more must - see . Shiva ’s note between howThe walk Deadportrays her on tv set compare to the comics is a prime lesson .

A statue of Rick Grimes with a zombie next to it in The Walking Dead comic.

The Walking Dead Deluxe#108is available now from Image Comics .

The Walking Deadis a monumental multimedia system enfranchisement that set about with a comic book series created by Robert Kirkman , Tony Moore , and Charlie Adlard . The franchise gained far-flung popularity with the launch of the television seriesThe Walking Deadin 2010 on AMC , which chronicles the lives of survivors in a post - apocalyptic globe overrun by zombies , refer to as " baby-walker . " The achiever of the original show has lead to numerous spin - offs , web series , video recording game , novel , and other medium . The enfranchisement explore themes of natural selection , human nature , and the dislocation of bon ton in the face of an experiential menace , making it one of the most successful and influential horror serial of the 21st century .

Summary

The walk Dead is a monumental multimedia franchise that began with a comic Word series created by Robert Kirkman , Tony Moore , and Charlie Adlard . The franchise gained widespread popularity with the launch of the tv serial publication The Walking Dead in 2010 on AMC , which chronicles the lives of survivors in a post - apocalyptic mankind overrun by zombi , refer to as " walkers . " The success of the original show has lead to legion spin - offs , WWW series , video game , novels , and other media . The franchise explores themes of natural selection , human nature , and the dislocation of society in the nerve of an existential threat , make it one of the most successful and influential horror series of the twenty-first one C .

The Walking Dead (2010) Movie Poster

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.

Comics

The Walking Dead