Two comic characters from Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead are joining the cast of the AMC TV series. Michael Cudlitz and Josh McDermitt have joined the cast to play pivotal characters from the comics.

Cudlitz, a Southland alum, sent out a tweet with the first look at his character, Sgt. Abraham Ford. According to Deadline, the surprise announcement was made during the New York Comic-Con panel for the show. Cudlitz will be a new series regular.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, McDermitt, who appeared on Retired at 35, will play Dr. Eugene Porter.

Ford and Porter are introduced in The Walking Dead’s 53rd issue with Rosita, who will be played by Christian Serratos. The three join Rick’s group and help them in a journey to Washington.

“We're going to tell a version of the Eugene, Abraham and Rosita comic stories, that's what we do," showrunner Scott Gimple told THR. “"I love those characters from the book; they are very different flavors of comic book characters than we've seen on the show.”

The Walking Dead’s fourth season kicked off Sunday night and you can check out our review here.

image: AMC