Robert Kirkman, writer and co-creator of The Walking Dead comics that have spawned a massive franchise, offered some hope for Telltale fans at New York Comic-Con. Speaking at a Q&A panel, Kirkman suggested he knows of the current efforts to resolve the unfinished story from The Walking Dead: The Final Season, and he seems to expect it to work out. [Update: It's now been announced that Telltale has reached a deal to allow an outside developer to finish this season.]
Asked by a fan if he'll be writing Clementine into the comics to resolve her story and pick up the slack left by the unfinished season, Kirkman didn't commit, but implied wheels are in motion in other ways.
"Stay tuned," he said. "Everyone involved is trying to make sure Clementine's story is told. I'm not concerned at the moment with telling that story in the comics."
Telltale Games, the studio behind the ongoing Walking Dead game series, recently had a mass layoff that effectively cancelled many of its current projects--including The Walking Dead. This was an especially difficult cancellation for many fans, as the game was in the middle of what was billed as its final season, resolving the story of Clementine that had gone back for years. Telltale had been going through troubles for quite some time, but hoped to finish the final season.
Facing criticism for continuing to sell the season pass with no intention of finishing the season, Telltale pulled it from storefronts. That may be temporary, though, as the studio says it's looking at "multiple potential partners" to finish the season. That may be what Kirkman is referring to, and he doesn't seem especially keen to step in and finish the story himself in the comics. If those game deals fall through, though, we could still see Clementine's story finish in some other medium.
Update: Despite laying off the majority of its staff, Telltale did retain 25 employees. However, it seems that now even those people have been laid off, further throwing the future of its Walking Dead series into question.
