The Walking Dead is a pop culture phenomenon that’s been around for over two decades and has provided fans with countless memorable and bloody moments that can only happen in a post-apocalyptic world where the dead have risen to eat the living. Incredibly successful both on the page and in other mediums, The Walking Dead’s creator, Robert Kirkman, has let fans in on the hilarious way he and his fellow creator spent all of the franchise’s hard-earned merch money.
Published in 2003 to immediate acclaim with fans and critics alike, The Walking Dead ran for 193 issues and birthed multiple television shows, video games, novelizations, and, of course, creator-approved merchandise, ranging from branded t-shirts to comic-accurate prop replicas to board games to scores of zombie-related paraphernalia and more that fans can’t get enough of.
In The Walking Dead Deluxe #97’s “Letter Hacks” column, a fan cheekily calls Kirkman out for how much money he must be making on the series’ merch deals, with Kirkman confirming his royalties are going straight to Garbage Pail Kids and Transformers toys!
Robert Kirkman Spent His Walking Dead Profits on Transformers and Garbage Pail Kids Merch
The Walking Dead Deluxe #97 - 2024 (Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, and Dave McCaig)
Admitting that he’s “not spending any money on anything crazy,” Kirkman explains that he’s not someone who would install “gold sinks” or “waterfalls” in his house but has indulged himself by satisfying his nerd cravings with a selection of Garbage Pail Kids merch and “old Transformers” toys. Letting slip that series artist Charlie Adlard “…spends all his money on LEGOS. Not even kidding,” and it’s fun to see that for as much monetary gains are made by this pair professionally, it’s the nerd things that matter most rather than a more “celebrity” lifestyle that's normally associated with wealth and fame.
The Walking Dead has been part of the pop culture conversation for years now, with the franchise’s total revenue (including merch sales) numbering in the billions, to say nothing about the enduring profits the series will have for years to come. Making sense that Kirkman and Adlard would double down on buying things that inspired and entertained their younger creative selves years beforehand, Kirkman has already revealed that The Transformers: The Movie was a huge influence on The Walking Dead, so it’s no surprise that Transformers swag was the first thing on Kirkman’s list when his merch proceeds rolled in.
The Walking Dead’s Merchandising Profits Went Straight to Nerd Purchases for the Series’ Writer and Artist
To even out all of his purchases, Kirkman makes sure to let fans know he’s also putting a lot of cash into his kids’ college funds, proving that while it’s fun to get nerdy with his profits, even successful creators need to plan for the future responsibly. The Walking Dead’s comic series concluded its run five years ago with a surprise finale that Kirkman didn’t telegraph in the slightest, but with at least three television show spinoffs currently airing and even more zombie-related content waiting in the wings, the series’ merchandising opportunities are as strong as ever.
