Live-action Negan pointing with Lucille to the left and comic Negan swinging Lucille to the right

Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman has admitted that part of the fun, and challenge, of writing the infamously foul-mouthed character Negan was striking the right chord with the villain’s particularly vulgar vocabulary, which by far exceeded the boundaries Kirkman set for himself in his personal life – particularly in the more crass, sexual side of Negan’s dialogue.

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.

Walking Dead Deluxe #107 cover, Negan lifting a bloody Rick Grimes up by his shirt collar

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

Walking Dead Deluxe #103 main cover, Negan looming over Rick's shoulder, forcing him to hold Lucille Comic book cover: Negan looming over Glenn, as the survivors kneel at his mercy Walking Dead Deluxe #105 variant cover, Negan beckoning the reader into a room where he's torturing a man Walking Dead Deluxe #103 main cover, Negan looming over Rick's shoulder, forcing him to hold Lucille Comic book cover: Negan looming over Glenn, as the survivors kneel at his mercy Walking Dead Deluxe #105 variant cover, Negan beckoning the reader into a room where he's torturing a man

The Deluxe re-issue of the original Walking Dead comic series is a must-read for many reasons. In addition to the original black-and-white art being rendered in full-color, Walking Dead Deluxe features new behind-the-scenes insights into the evolution of the long-running series. At the same time, it serves as a time capsule, allowing new fans some share in the experience of what ir was like reading the series as it was released. This is best encapsulated by the original letters’ pages, which capture fans’ reactions, as well as creator Robert Kirkman’s engagement with those reactions.

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

Walking Dead Deluxe #100 variant cover, Negan taking a knee, his bat dripping Glenn's blood Walking Dead Deluxe #100 cover, Negan standing with his Saviors, holding his bat dripping Glenn's blood Walking Dead #100 variant cover, Negan smiling wickedly, surrounded by silhouettes of his Saviors Walking Dead Deluxe #100 variant cover, Negan taking a knee, his bat dripping Glenn's blood Walking Dead Deluxe #100 cover, Negan standing with his Saviors, holding his bat dripping Glenn's blood Walking Dead #100 variant cover, Negan smiling wickedly, surrounded by silhouettes of his Saviors

“It’s really a game to try and write sentences with as many instances of the SAME curseword as possible,” Kirkman summed up Negan’s language from Walking Dead #107. Of course, fans know that Kirkman’s creative exercise paid dividends, as the villain inarguably took on a life of his own – and eventually earned a measure of redemption by the end of the series. The Deluxe reprint of the issue offers a fascinating look back at how readers were feeling about Negan early in his Walking Dead tenure, when he was at the absolute peak of his villainy, and his vulgarity.

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.