‘Walking Dead’ Creator Robert Kirkman Says He Was ‘Treated Like Crap’ At Marvel

"The Walking Dead" creator Robert Kirkman opened up about his experience working with Marvel Comics in an interview released Wednesday, revealing that he was "treated like crap" during his time there.

In his recent interview with ComicTropes, Kirkman, who partnered with artist Tony Moore to create the zombie apocalypse comic book series, described the company as "very restrictive" and not a "good fit" for him.

While talking about his 2004-2010 stint at Marvel Comics, Kirkman shared that he got blamed for things that did not happen. Executives reportedly got more mad at him when he tried to clarify his stand.

He also revealed that the company wouldn’t market some of his books as they were apparently "lower-tier books, and there's a marketing budget."

"It only makes sense to market the books that are going to make revenue as opposed to the books that are not going to make a lot of revenue. And that's the other thing: I was completely realistic about my stature — or lack thereof — at Marvel while I was there," he said in his interview with the YouTube channel.

Marvel Comics was also reportedly unhappy with Kirkman's offer to arrange his own media interviews to promote his books. He was told he needed Marvel's permission to participate in interviews.

Describing his relationship with Marvel Comics employees, Kirkman, who also co-created "Marvel Zombies" and "The Irredeemable Ant-Man," said he had a good rapport with Marvel executive editor and senior vice president of publishing Tom Brevoort. However, Kirkman’s relationship with former editor-in-chief Joe Quesada wasn’t as great.

Kirkman recalled getting into a "big fight" with Quesada while they were planning an "Ultimate" crossover event.

"And Joe Quesada writes me this email back that's like, 'Why don't you worry about the story before you worry about your 'X-Men' royalties? Who cares about where a book is collected and who's getting the royalties from that story? Why don’t you just focus on the writing, what's wrong with you?'" the comic book writer shared.

At the time, Kirkman was making good money from "Invincible" and "The Walking Dead," and he believes this was part of the reason why he didn't get along with Marvel Comics bosses.

"I'm working for nickels over here at Marvel and I get treated like crap and I get yelled at all the time for just trying to put an extra level of care in the books. So that's really what it got down to: I think they resented the fact that I didn't need them, and it was a constant problem," Kirkman said.

Kirkman’s "The Walking Dead" comic book series ended in July last year after 193 issues. Recently, he released a one-off book, titled "Negan Lives #1," to support comic book retailers suffering from the financial strain caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Kirkman’s "The Walking Dead" is the source material for the AMC drama of the same name, which is in its 10th season.