Robert Kirkman launched 。 Invincible 。 and 。The Walking Dead 。in the same year, but the former is set to end in 2017 while the latter shows no signs of slowing down.。
The cynic's view of this divide is fairly straightforward: one is a beloved-but-not-blockbuster comic book series, the other is a transmedia phenomenon and cultural touchstone. One makes good money, the other makes 。 all the money。all the money。
.。SEE ALSO:Robert Kirkman wants more cliffhangers on 'The Walking Dead,' not less 。 "I'm sure that's what people think, but ... it's certainly not that 。The Walking Dead 。 is more popular," Kirkman told。Mashable。
during a New York Comic Con sitdown.。" 。The Walking Dead。
is more a story about the world to me. The characters are the most important aspects, but it's the characters within that world that drive the story."。 Both stories have the formal structure of a beginning, middle and end. But that end isn't even in sight for 。Both stories have the formal structure of a beginning, middle and end. But that end isn't even in sight for。
The Walking Dead。 right now. It's really a question of scale.。"There's a much longer trajectory [in。
The Walking Dead 。
] simply because telling a story about the crash and fall and evolution of society is a little bit more involved. I have a lot more to do on that one," Kirkman said. 。"It's not a matter of running out of stories. It's just a different kind of story engine." 。 "It's not a matter of running out of stories. It's just a different kind of story engine."。Credit: Skybound Entertainment。
There was a time that Kirkman thought。 Invincible。wouldn't survive much more than a year. It's unthinkable now, after 13 years of stories about Mark Grayson and his Viltrumite heritage, but it's true. 。
] I had never really done anything that had lasted for very many issues," Kirkman said. "Around issue 8 or 9, I didn't know if there would be an issue 13. And then sales started going up and everything worked out." 。Mashable Top StoriesStay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news.Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter。By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.。
By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 。
Thanks for signing up!。
That eventual success spurred Kirkman to think about the bigger picture of his trope-squashing superhero story. It's what led him to view the series -- as he mentioned in his "。
Invincible。Invincible 。
will end" announcement -- as a never-ending tale that could be passed down to future writers.。That thinking changed as he delved deeper into the series and fleshed out his cast of characters. 。
"I think there's a shift in the series if you're paying attention where things get a little bit more personal, a little bit more dramatic," Kirkman said. "It's not quite like 'There's a new villain every issue, he's fighting a new villain.'"。
The comic's fans know this well.。 The comic's fans know this well. 。 Invincible。
hasn't ever shied away from taking on real-world issues and concerns, covering everything from weight-shaming to rape to parenthood. Over-the-top comic book action is never far off, but it's framed against a familiar, frequently imperfect world.。
Credit: Skybound Entertainment。 Credit: Skybound Entertainment。Plenty of comics have covered similar ground, but not nearly as often in the realm of superhero stories. 。
"As much as I love Peter Parker as a character he doesn't really have a lot of character growth. There isn't really a story that is Spider-Man's story," Kirkman said. 。
"When。
"When 。