Original Walking Dead Artist Tony Moore Reinvents Daryl Dixon

CBR

By Noah Dominguez

Published Oct 21, 2019

Original Walking Dead artist Tony Moore was commissioned to draw what Daryl Dixon may have looked like had he created him before the AMC series did.

One of the key characters of AMC's The Walking Dead is Norman Reedus' Daryl Dixon. What sets Daryl apart from many of the other characters on the post-apocalyptic television drama is he does not originate from the original Walking Dead comic books. Tony Moore -- the original artist behind the Image Comics series that inspired the popular TV show -- has now drawn what Daryl may have looked like had he been the one who created him.

"A fan commissioned me to draw Daryl Dixon, but if I had created him before the show," Moore wrote on Instagram. "It was a weird thing to try and divorce the character from the actor, but I tried to boil down the abstract concepts of Daryl and rebuild him from there. I had fun and this is what I came up with."

To Moore's point, his comic book-style interpretation of Daryl certainly does not look like Norman Reedus. Despite a similar long hair/goatee combo, this version of Daryl looks considerably older and more disheveled. He also sports a trucker-style hat and leather biker vest. Additionally, he has a tattoo that reads "REBEL" on his neck and another of a heart that reads "Baby Girl" on his arm. That said, another key similarity Moore's Daryl has with AMC's is that he is seen with his trademark crossbow.

Moore co-created The Walking Dead alongside writer Robert Kirkman, with the Image Comics series launching its first issue in October 2003. Moore served as artist on the comic's first six issues. He was succeeded by Charlie Adlard, who drew for The Walking Dead from issue #7 to #193; its conclusion.

Daryl, on the other hand, did not enter the fray until 2010, making his debut in "Tell It to the Frogs," the third episode of AMC's television adaptation. Despite the fact that the Image comic did not conclude until earlier this year, Daryl never made an appearance in it.

The Walking Dead stars Norman Reedus, Danai Gurira, Melissa McBride, Josh McDermitt, Christian Serratos, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Seth Gilliam, Ross Marquand, Khary Payton, Cooper Andrews, Avi Nash, and Samantha Morton. It airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on AMC.