The Walking Dead Deluxe #107 – written by Robert Kirkman, with art by Charlie Adlard – contains the original letters section from the issue, which was originally published in 2013. Though Negan is widely recognized in pop culture now, at the time of this issue’s release, comic readers were still very much getting acclimated to his abrasive behavior.

Responding to a letter expressing something between amazement and disbelief at Negan’s dialogue, Kirkman wrote that “it’s really a game” to come up with the bad guy’s over-the-top crass language.
Robert Kirkman Explains Where He Draws The Line On Foul Language, In Contrast To His Creation Negan
The Walking Dead Deluxe #107 – Written By Robert Kirkman; Art By Charlie Adlard; Color By Dave McCaig; Lettering By Rus Wooten






In Walking Dead #107, Kirkman amusingly clarified his own manner of speaking, in contrast to the newly-introduced Negan, while noting that the antagonist’s use of coarse language was part of what made him exciting to write, and in turn, exciting to read. Kirkman explained:
It’s ridiculous. I know. I honestly think Negan is the most fun character I’ve ever written. I’n actually a bit of a prude. I’ve been known to curse as much as Negan at times, and maybe in the same playful manner, but the sex stuff, the p-word – I don’t really use that in my vocabulary. So getting to write a character that’s so unlike me is a lot of fun, and he’s just weird…
In other words, Negan’s dirty language forced Kirkman out of his comfort zone, something that is often fruitful in a creative context – and the result was an iconic, if controversial character, one who proved to be as pivotal to the franchise as any, including protagonist Rick Grimes.
Negan’s Vulgarity Became A “Game” For Robert Kirkman, Making The Character A Fixture Of The Walking Dead
Revisit The Series In Full-Color With The Deluxe Reprint






While The Walking Dead had always freely using swearing in its dialogue from the start, with Negan, Kirkman took this to the next level, proving he could still shock his readers.
Few Walking Dead characters commanded readers’ attention every time they were on the page like Negan managed to, and his excessive cursing and sexually-charged comments were part of that. While The Walking Dead had always freely using swearing in its dialogue from the start, with Negan, Kirkman took this to the next level, proving he could still shock his readers, and catch them off guard, in more ways than one – and in the process, proving that The Walking Dead still had a long way to go before it was over.
The Walking Dead Deluxe #107 is available now from Image Comics.