The Walking Dead (franchise)
First issued in 2003 by publisher Image Comics, the series was created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore (who was later replaced by Charlie Adlard from issue #7 onward, though Moore continued to do the covers through issue #24.) "The Walking Dead" received the 2010 Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series at San Diego Comic-Con International.
The Walking Dead (comic book)
The original pitch by Kirkman and Moore was for a followup to George A. Romero's "Night of the Living Dead", with the series taking place in the 1960s. Image Comics co-founder Jim Valentino suggested using an original concept instead so the creators would own the property outright. The revised pitch became "The Walking Dead."