It was just yesterday that we passed along the shocking news that Robert Kirkman's 15-year zombie comic book saga The Walking Dead is coming to an end with today's oversized 71-page final issue #193. And now we have word that AMC has commented on the comic ending and they say that the comic coming to an end will not impact their hit TV show based on the series.

In a statement, AMC Networks said this about The Waling Dead comic book ending.

"This extraordinary comic created a world that already lives in multiple forms, and in the hearts and minds of millions of fans around the world, and will for many years to come."

As most of you guys know by this point in time, the comic is coming to an abrupt end following the death of Rick Grimes in issues #191 and #192. Today's final issue will evidently follow the surviving characters in the wake of Rick's tragic death. But the comic ending will not affect The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead or any of those Rick Grimes movies starring Andrew Lincoln the powers that be behind the scenes have planned.

Regarding the abrupt and surprising end to his long-running series, Robert Kirkman wrote this.

"I hate knowing what's coming. As a fan, I hate it when I realize I'm in the third act of a movie, and the story is winding down. I hate that I can count commercial breaks and know I'm nearing the end of a TV show. I hate that you can feel when you're getting to the end of a book, or a graphic novel. Some of the best episodes of Game of Thrones are when they're structured in such a way and paced to perfection so your brain can't tell if it's been watching for 15 minutes or 50 minutes ... and when the end comes ... you're stunned.

I love long movies for that very reason. You lose track of time because you went in convinced that you're going to be there for a long time, but the story moves at such an entertaining and engaging pace that by the time the movie's wrapping up ... you can't believe it's already over. Surprise, it's over! All I've ever done, all a creator can really do ... is tailor-make stories to entertain themselves, and hope the audience feels the same way. That's all I've ever been doing ... and it seems to work most of the time."

Kirkman will be a panelist on The Walking Dead's Hall H panel at Comic-Con on Friday, July 19 so I expect we'll be hearing a bit more about how and why the comic ended so abruptly then. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, the oversized 71-page final issue of Robert Kirkman's 15-year zombie saga The Walking Dead hits shelves in comic shops today, and AMC's The Walking Dead TV series returns for its tenth season in October. And remember, the fifth season of AMC's The Walking Dead spin-off Fear the Walking Dead is currently airing every Sunday at 9 pm ET. This update comes to us via CinemaBlend.