We told you back in June about the anticipated launch of The Walking Dead, The Official Magazine, and now that day has arrived. The magazine will cover the comic series AND the TV series, and will be launching soon in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Digital copies are available globally starting today.

Adding cool to the already cool, site-specific variant covers will be available at a number of comics stores. First, the eye candy covers, then all the deets:

THE WALKING DEAD, THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE
LAUNCHES TODAY!

Hotly anticipated first issue of The Walking Dead, The Official Magazine hits newsstands and digital platforms.

Titan Magazines and Skybound’s premier issue of The Walking Dead, The Official Magazine, based on Robert Kirkman‘s Eisner Award-winning comic book series, best-selling graphic novels and Emmy-winning AMC television series, hits newsstands and digital platforms on October 23.

This 100-page issue features an inside look at the TV show, comics and everything in-between: The Walking Dead creator/writer Robert Kirkman reveals what’s coming up next on the TV show, which broke basic cable records again with the season three premiere, and how the shocking events of issue #100 of The Walking Dead Comic will affect Rick and our favorite survivors; an exclusive interview with Danai Gurira, who plays the iconic character “Michonne”; an exclusive prologue to the new Walking Dead book, The Road to Woodbury, about the rise of Philip Blake aka The Governor written by Jay Bonansinga and Robert Kirkman; behind-the-scenes set visit report; executive producer/showrunner Glen Mazzara tells us why he’s so excited about season three; plus, all the latest news, revelations and tips for fans of the entire The Walking Dead universe.

The first issue debuted at this year’s New York Comic-Con with a special NYCC variant cover, and an additional nine variant covers are released tomorrow: a newsstand cover featuring “Michonne”; an alternative art cover by The Walking Dead comic artist, Charlie Adlard and colored by The Walking Dead comic colorist Cliff Rathburn; seven retail variant covers with stores Comickaze, Forbidden Planet, Midtown Comics, Redd Skull Comics, Ultimate Comics, Ultimate Treasures and Wade’s Comic Madness, each featuring art by Adlard and Rathburn.

Discussing what fans can expect from the magazine, Robert Kirkman, creator/writer of The Walking Dead, says, “We’ll be talking about what’s coming up on the TV show, we’ll fill you in on what to expect from the comic and you’ll hear from all the talented people who work on all the various Walking Dead projects. This magazine is going to rock!”

The magazine will also be available to read on the iPad, Nook and Kindle Fire starting tomorrow, giving Walking Dead fans an exciting alternative to the print edition and a high quality digital reading experience. Just search ‘The Walking Dead Magazine’ on your device’s newsstand or app store.

The magazine is currently offering fans an exclusive FREE The Walking Dead T-Shirt (not available in stores) with new print subscriptions. For more information on this subscription offer and other offers in your territory, visit the magazine website,www.TitanMagazines.com/WalkingDead. Readers can also join the magazine on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/WalkingDeadMag and Facebook at www.Facebook.com/WalkingDeadMagazine to keep up to date with news and special offers and www.Skybound.com, the source for all news on The Walking Dead, Robert Kirkman and all Skybound titles.

The Walking Dead, The Official Magazine issue #1 will be available on newsstands and comic book stores in the U.S. on October 23, in the U.K. on November 8 and Australia & New Zealand on December 18. Digital editions will be available globally on the iPad, Nook and Kindle Fire from October 23.

Contact Details Of Stores With Variant Covers:
Comickaze Comics, San Diego, CA –www.comickazeonline.webs.com
Forbidden Planet, London, U.K. – www.forbiddenplanet.com
Midtown Comics, New York, NY – www.midtowncomics.com
Redd Skull Comics, Calgary, Canada – www.reddskull.com
Ultimate Comics, Durham, NC – www.ultimatecomics.com
Ultimate Treasures, 11240 Village Lane Clinton, MI 49236-9595
Wade’s Comic Madness, Levittown, PA – www.comicmadness.com

About Robert Kirkman
Robert Kirkman’s success and passionate advocacy for creator-owned comics led him to become the first person invited to become a partner at Image Comics since the company’s inception twenty years ago. Kirkman is the creator/writer of the Eisner Award-winning The Walking Dead, long-running Invincible, all-agesSuper Dinosaur, The Astounding Wolf-Man and Thief of Thieves. In 2010, Kirkman formed his own Image imprint, Skybound, which publishes his own work and Witch Doctor, Guarding the Globe andClone. Kirkman has earned the respect of the comic, writing and television communities and topped the New York Times bestseller list for graphic novels in 2011 and in April 2012, he took the top five spots on both the hardcover and paperback lists. He’s the creator/executive producer and writer of the hit Emmy®-winning television show, AMC’s The Walking Dead, the highest-rated basic cable drama of all time in the U.S, also an international success in 122 countries and 37 languages. AMC is developing Thief of Thieves as a potential series with Kirkman serving as creator/executive producer and writer. Your destination for all news and merchandise from Robert Kirkman, The Walking Deadand all Skybound titles is www.Skybound.com.

About Image Comics
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com

About The Walking Dead, The Official Magazine
Published by Titan Magazines and Skybound, The Walking Dead, The Official Magazine will be a complete, in-depth guide to The Walking Dead TV series and comics, featuring exclusive interviews with the show cast, as well as comic editors, illustrators and more. The Walking Dead, The Official Magazine is a must-have companion for fans.

Each 100-page edition also includes the latest revelations from The Walking Dead comic team, including interviews with the creators and features showcasing the creative process behind the art. Plus,The Walking Dead creator and writer/executive producer for the show, Robert Kirkman, reveals the latest news from the set and answers fans’ questions.

Issue #1 will be available on newsstands and in specialty comic book stores in the U.S. from October 23, U.K. from November 8 and Australia & New Zealand from December 18.

For more information on The Walking Dead, The Official Magazine visit:
http://titanmagazines.com/t/the-walking-dead/

Connect with The Walking Dead, The Official Magazine:
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/WalkingDeadMagazine
Twitter – http://twitter.com/walkingdeadmag

About Titan Magazines
Titan Magazines is the largest and most experienced publisher of licensed entertainment magazines and comics in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia and New Zealand.

Licensing partners include: Aardman – ABC – BBC – Bongo – CBS – DC – Disney – Hasbro – LucasFilm – MGM – NBC – Nickelodeon – Paramount – Twentieth Century Fox – WWE – Mattel

For more information, visit:
http://titanmagazines.com/

About The Walking Dead (TV series)
“The Walking Dead” is the number one drama series in basic cable history for Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54. Based on the comic book series written by Robert Kirkman, “The Walking Dead” tells the story of the months and years that follow after a zombie apocalypse. It follows a group of survivors, led by police officer Rick Grimes, who travel in search of a safe and secure home. The series, which garnered a 2010 Golden Globe® nomination for Best Television Series – Drama and won the 2011 and 2012 Emmy® Awards for Outstanding Prosthetic Make-Up, stars Andrew Lincoln, Sarah Wayne Callies, Laurie Holden, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Chandler Riggs, Scott Wilson, Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira and David Morrissey. Season three of “The Walking Dead” is executive produced by showrunner Glen Mazzara, Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd and David Alpert.

For more information, visit:
http://www.amctv.com/shows/the-walking-dead