Where's Daryl Dixon with an emotional ugly cry when you need one? Robert Kirkman is the "The Walking Dead" comic book writer and AMC show executive producer, and also producer of the spinoff, "Fear the Walking Dead," and he has a dozen other jobs. He was going to promote them all this week at Comic-Con 2015. He's a SDCC staple -- Norman Reedus (who is also in Kirkman's upcoming movie "Air") even called him "the God of Comic-Con." But this deity is a little too mortal, and throat surgery is going to bench him from the many panels he was scheduled to speak at this week. Fans will truly be missing a lot of important insight without Kirkman's voice.

Here's the (surprisingly funny, especially toward the end) update from Robert Kirkman, posted July 7 to his Skybound site:

People of Earth,

It is with tremendous regret that I must inform you that I will not be attending Comic-Con International in San Diego this year. I won't be at the Skybound Comics panel in room 7AB on Thursday, 7/9, from 12-1pm or our Skybound Entertainment panel in room 6BCF from 3:30-4:30pm that same day. I won't be at the WALKING DEAD or FEAR THE WALKING DEAD panels in Hall H Friday, which are taking place at 12pm and 1pm, respectively. I won't be at the OUTCAST TV show panel in room 6DE on Saturday, 7/11, from 3-4pm. I won't be signing at the Image Comics/Skybound – booth #2729. I won't be at the Skybound Fifth Anniversary and AIR Premiere event. I won't even be across the street at the Walker Stalker Fan Fest located at Petco Park, where you can get a hands on experience with OVERKILL'S THE WALKING DEAD ahead of its 2016 release. Unfortunately, after years and years of being healthier than my physique would indicate I had to have minor surgery on my throat. Nothing serious, but in the aftermath of such a fun experience, it comes with a brief duration of time where I'm unable to speak so all that pink business inside me can heal. As luck would have it, that period of time overlaps with Comic-Con.

This is the first Comic-Con I'm missing in well over a decade. While I'm bummed that I can't be there, there's nothing keeping you from enjoying all the fun events I mentioned above despite my absence. Have you seen Andrew Lincoln's eyes up close? You don't want to miss those! Don't pass up the opportunity to ask both Patrick Fugit and Kim Dickens how much I enjoyed their performances in Gone Girl (hint, a lot). Believe me when I tell you the trailers we're debuting for each of these three TV shows and Skybound's first feature, AIR, are phenomenal and you're definitely going to want to be among the first to see them. The Skybound booth is going to have all kinds of ridiculously awesome stuff at it, including a crossbow that fires littles foam darts. I've been terrorizing people around the office with it for months.

I plan on making my triumphant Comic-Con return next year, you've been warned. Until then I'll just be catching up on work and eating a lot of ice cream. So go to a panel, buy an overpriced hotdog, and think of me when you're buying Transformer toys. I wish you all a fun and safe Comic-Con. Someone please be sure to bootleg the Deadpool trailer for me!

-Robert Kirkman

There you go -- you have your marching orders: Bootleg the "Deadpool" trailer for "The Walking Dead" creator, since he won't be there in person. Also, the big "Walking Dead" Season 6 trailer will be released this Friday, July 10 during the TWD panel; after it premieres, we should all tweet Kirkman with questions about it, since he seems to have some free time. Get well soon, man!

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