Robert Kirkman, the Rocky Balboa of comic book creators, started with nothing but a self-published comic called ‘The Walking Dead.’ A traditional Zombie tale, the comic has literally crawled from the grave of obscurity to thriving as one of the most popular independent comic books ever created. So popular in fact that it’s currently in the process of transitioning to a highly anticipated AMC original television mini-series which debuts in October.

Kirkman’s latest endeavor is the creation of Skybound, an imprint of Image Comics which he serves as Chief Operating Officer. The announcement was made at this past weekends Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA, which was received by immense applause and anticipation.

The first title to be released by the emerging comic book publisher is ‘Witch Doctor,’ a series created by writer Brandon Seifert and artist Lukas Ketnet. Both are unknowns in the comic book realm but thanks to the Internet, Kirkman discovered them by accident. Skybound’s ultimate objective is to find the very best in independent comic book content, adopting the same priority that Image has upheld for years.

Before any aspiring comic book creator (myself included) gets too excited about another shot at getting published, Skybound is starting off very small as Kirkman plans to take a very active role in production of the highly selective books (2 or 3 titles per year) that will earn the Skybound seal.om