After the success of the The Walking Dead's first novel, The Rise of the Governor, Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga are working on the follow-up. Due out this October, Kirkman provided some additional details on The Road to Woodbury and why he decided to tell the story as a book series over incorporating it into the comics:
Via Omnivoracious: Amidst all this, you are still writing The Walking Dead—and not just in comics form. I think a lot of fans were surprised that Rise of the Governor released in an entirely prose format. Why not tell this story in a comic?
Robert Kirkman: I’ve always liked the idea of doing stand-alone Walking Dead novels. I think that it’s a fun medium to work in, and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I have a strict rule that I don’t like to do a lot of backstory in The Walking Dead. It was kind of an easy out for me to do a backstory in a different format. The Governor is a very interesting character in the comic series; he’s very beloved as a vile villain. I always had a lot of backstory for him that I never intended to get to, but being able to do it as a novel seemed like a good idea. You know, I’m very busy and never had the time to actually make it work.
My manager introduced me to Jay Bonansinga, who is a brilliant novelist, and I started talking to him about the possibility of co-writing the novel and it all came together. I’m very proud of the work Jay and I did, and I think we’ll be doing it again very soon.
That was my next question, and it sounds like you have more novels in you.
Robert Kirkman: I do, I do. You know what, I’m just going say that the second novel will be out in October, I believe, and it’s going to be called The Walking Dead: The Road to Woodbury, and it’s going to be a direct sequel to Rise of the Governor. We’re going to meet new characters as they come to Woodbury and see how Woodbury is founded, and how the Governor continues to grow as a character. It all takes place before we met the Governor in the comic book series, and there’s a lot more story to tell with that guy. We’ll also look at others—Lilly is going to be another focus. It’s going to be fun to explore those characters again.
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The Walking Dead: The Road to Woodbury is currently available for pre-order as a hardcover for $24.99 and will also be available as an eBook. The release date is listed as October 16th, but that could change between now and then. For more information on the first novel, visit our earlier coverage at: http://dailydead.com/exclusive-audio-clips-from-the-walking-dead-rise-of-the-governor/
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