One of the artists from the landmark Image Comics series The Walking Dead has revealed why the comics were a spiritual successor to the hit TV show Lost. The Walking Dead was one of the most defining comics franchises from the early 2000s to the early 2010s. Robert Kirkman's take on the zombie apocalypse subgenre took the world by storm when the comic first released with its exciting zombie action and the characters that survive within that world. From there, the franchise boomed with AMC's official TV series and its two spin-offs, countless video games and a fanbase that has shown their love for their favorite heroes and villains with unbelievable cosplays and fanart. The series was one of the most talked about shows on the airwaves...but before the zombies took over, there was another show that held people's attention week-after-week.
Lost was a show that followed a group of people who survive a brutal plane crash on a mysterious island. As they continue to wait for their rescue and learn more about each other, mysterious things begin to happen involving a deadly dark fog and a band of island inhabitants known as The Others. The series was a ratings smash for ABC during the mid-2000s because of its mysteries that kept viewers hooked every week to learn more about the island and the survivors. Lost and The Walking Dead appear to be very different on the surface level, but a new interview has shown that they have something in common that likely led to the franchises' success.
In The Walking Dead Deluxe #51 by Robert Kirkland, a CBR interview with series artist Charlie Adlard is included within the pages as a bonus feature for fans. One of the most interesting details is how he characterizes The Walking Dead in terms of his story. To Adlard, The Walking Dead "isn't a zombie comic" but rather a "character book." He describes that it's similar to Lost because of how the story is "about the characters and how they survive in an extreme situation." This essentially means that he considers the zombie apocalypse that doesn't need to be explained and the island in Lost to be the frameworks for a more character-driven story, which is evident based on the fact that most fans remember the deeper character moments rather than the zombie set pieces.
The Walking Dead's Lost Similarities Actually Help It Standout
What's even better about The Walking Dead being similar in spirit to the storytelling in Lost is that it helps it stand out from other zombie stories. Adlard mentions in his interview with CBR that "the general public are aware there's a zombie revival going on and as soon as you say it's a zombie book, I think a lot of people actually get put off by that." However, because the series isn't exclusively focused on zombie stories, it gives fans a chance to connect with the humans and make them miss characters when they die rather than just watch the same zombie apocalypse scenarios over and over again. Adlard sees this as the key to The Walking Dead's success because it shows "what differentiates ours from any other zombie book."
It's rather fitting to view The Walking Dead as the next Lost after the latter's controversial ending. Both the comic and the series were viewed as "water cooler" entertainment where people would talk week-to-week or month-to-month about the biggest moments in the story's latest chapter. Adlard even stated in his interview that if the story focused on the zombies more than the characters, "we wouldn't have lasted fifty issues." With the series still going strong even though the main show is coming to an end this year, it's clear the character-focus paid off for The Walking Dead team at Image Comics and made it the ultimate spiritual successor to Lost.
The Walking Dead Deluxe #51 is available now from Image Comics!