Review: Walker Stalker Con 2014

The Chicago Walker Stalker Con I attended was in March of 2014 at the Donald J. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont. I attended with zero expectations because I had, quite literally, only found out about it that week. I saw the guest list (about 50% of the primary cast of The Walking Dead as well as Bub from Day of the Dead) and that was the only advertisement I needed. I showed up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and I was not disappointed.

I've attended a fair number of conventions in the Chicagoland area, including C2E2, Wizard World, Flashback Weekend, and Cyphan (RIP). While I don't want to knock any of those conventions (except perhaps Wizard World), this was BY FAR the best convention I've ever attended. It was well organized and low-key, while still providing a high-quality, professional convention experience. The attendance was reasonable: busy enough to feel like a legit convention experience without being so overwhelming that I felt like a small face in a zombie hoard.

The guest list was phenomenal. It was one of those conventions that you went to with a budget for autographs and then tossed that budget to the curb so damned quickly because how could you resist getting autographs from these excellent guests? To name a few, Walker Stalker Con Chicago 2014 featured Greg Nicotero (Walking Dead make-up effects guru), Steven Yeun (Glenn from The Walking Dead), Lauren Cohan (Maggie from The Walking Dead), Chad Coleman (Tyrese from TWD), Soniqua Martin-Green (Sasha from TWD), Michael Cudlitz (Abraham from TWD), IronE Singleton (T-Dog from TWD), Melissa Hutchinson (Clementine from Telltale's The Walking Dead video game), Jay Bonansinga (Author of Rise of the Governor and other TWD novels) and Sherman Howard (Bub from Day of the Dead). That's a guest list worth paying the VIP ticket price for.

In addition to the sheer volume of actors and other zombie players at the con, the panels were excellent as well. With a pretty reasonably priced VIP pass, I was able to get very close for all the panels. Even those with general admission were often invited to move forward. That's a positive vibe that you just don't get at other conventions. The actors were very candid in panels as well, and since there were so many different actors from The Walking Dead, you didn't have a one-size-fits-all TWD panel. Instead, you got to see Michael Cudlitz speak on Abraham for an hour. IronE Singleton got a full hour to be the wonderful and unique individual that he is. And, in addition to the actors, behind the scenes players like Greg Nicotero, Jay Bonansinga, and Melissa Hutchinson each got full hours in the spotlight which they probably wouldn't get at other conventions. All the panels were engaging and seemed very intimate.

And if you didn't feel you got your questions answered in panel, the greatest thing about Walker Stalker Con was that the guests were completely accessible to the fans. For some of my favorite side characters (Alanna Masterson and Lawerence Gilliard Jr just to name a few) there was virtually no line. You could just walk right up and not only get your autograph in an expeditious manner, but you could also chat with the actors and tell them how much they mean to you. You didn't feel like you were holding up a line or wasting their time. I've rarely felt that vibe at other conventions. But it wasn't just because the convention wasn't busy; it was also because the guests seemed genuinely happy to be there. They didn't seem uncomfortable talking to the attendees. I genuinely felt, and I don't even think this is naivete, that they wanted to talk to their fans. Greg Nicotero sat in the audience for many of the panels and even celebrated his birthday with the guests, birthday cake and all. You didn't feel a line between guests and attendees--we were all just zombie-lovers spending a weekend together.

For many of the guests, you could also get pictures at the table for an additional fee rather than having to go through the secondary line at the photo op booth. And these weren't just your standard "stand side by side and smile awkwardly" pictures. Brighton Sharbino (Lizzie from TWD) was doing pictures where she pretended to suffocate you just like she did to Judith. Chad Coleman had his signature hammer on the table for pictures, and IronE Singleton was hugging every attendee with a  kindness you don't find many places. It certainly caused me to shell out a few extra bucks because you just don't get experiences like that every day.

Overall, I had an absolutely wonderful time, and I can't wait for them to return in 2015. Even though the current guest list includes many of the people I've already met, it's still worth it to me to have that communal experience of basking in the glow of all things zombie. Walker Stalker Conventons began in Atlanta and extended to Chicago as their first new city in 2014. Obviously, it was a success, as they're now in seven different cities for the 2014-2015 convention season. They'll be back in Chicago on February 21st and 22nd, 2015 at Navy Pier.

Walker Stalker Con is a great gift to the zombie-loving community, and I hope others are able to attend their kick ass events. They've extended guest lists to include classic zombie actors from Night of the Living Dead as well this season, so if you love the zombie genre, Walker Stalker Con is an absolute must.

News: Wild Interpretations of Kirkman Spoiler

Robert Kirkman's talking that talk once again. Recently, Kirkman talked about Dale's death and suggested that someone else could die the way Dale does in the comics. Basically, he wanted to communicate that they won't always be pairing people with their actions from the comic. Sometimes a character will suffer a different character's comic book fate, for better or for worse.

Kirkman was quoted as saying "There will be cases where something memorable like that will be displaced and given to somebody else. I'll hint that that actually happens in our first episode back in Season 3—there's something memorable that happened to a character in the comic is happening in the show in our first episode back and it's not the same character." Read the entire spoiler article here.

So here comes the part where I start my speculating. Okay...so here are some thoughts. Don't proceed any further if you haven't read the comics.

• Could someone besides Rick get his hand chopped off? I'm hoping not, but this one would seem to make some sense since having Andrew Lincoln handless for the coming seasons might be a television nightmare. Still, episode one of next season would be a little early for this to happen.
• Could someone besides Dale and Allen get bitten and have to have their leg chopped off? This seems reasonable, but it's a little benign to be "something memorable that happened to a character".
• Could someone besides Herschel's two girls get decapitated by a prisoner? That'd be awesome, but who? And honestly, I always thought that was one of those story lines that wouldn't translate very well to the screen. It was interesting, but not entirely necessary.
• Could someone besides Carol walk into a zombie on purpose as a type of bizarre suicide? Possibly. Carol's character is certainly very different than her comic book counterpart, and she's lacking the relationship piece that pushes her over the edge. Still, this seems like something that would happen later on.
• Could someone besides Tyrese go into a gym full of zombies, get left for dead, and then reappear an episode later? This would be way way way cool. This was one of my favorite moments from the comics, but I don't know who is BA enough for it except Michonne (and she only just arrived) or Rick (and you can't really do that with the protagonist).
• Could someone besides Dexter get shot in the neck during a prison rebellion? Not unlikely, but I think this also falls under the heading of not big enough to be considered "something memorable that happened to a character".
• Could someone besides Michonne get tied up and abused by the governor? This would be a huge change. Like mega huge. I would be surprised, but I also would be intrigued as to whom they would select. Andrea? 
• Could someone else be locked in the prison cafeteria? Maybe Tyrese? I've been guessing this one for a while. Anyway to get Tyrese on the show would be fine with me.

Alright, enough of my speculating. What do you think?

Top 5: Characters from The Walking Dead Comics that I Can't Wait to See in the Show!

#5: Gabriel

I remember when he was first introduced, and I was so convinced he was going to be a bad guy. The "it's a trap" warning sirens were screaming in my brain. Even though he's a small character, his story is one that brings an interesting perspective to the group.

#4: Tyrese

Tyrese would be even higher on my list if it weren't for all the rumors surrounding his casting. Before the show even aired, the internet was abuzz with news that he would be portrayed by Keith Allen Hayes. Hayes is both too young and too small to be a real Tyrese, but at this point I guess the show is pretty far off the map. If nothing else, tonight's episode proved that. Still, I loved Tyrese. His relationship with Rick was genuine and interesting. He served as a good foil (and a good friend) for Rick, and his death is one of the many reasons that we watch Rick unravel. And he killed a whole gym full of zombies with a hammer. A HAMMER!

#3: Abraham

My favorite of the new(er) survivors, Abraham is pretty awesome and hardcore without being one dimensional. He serves as a fittingly brutal sidekick for Rick post-Woodbury, and I appreciate his brand of blunt honesty.

#2: The Governor

Call me crazy, but I'm still hoping that the show's writers will go the way of cruel and bitter irony and make Merle Dixon into The Governor. Wouldn't it be beyond awesome to watch him chop off Rick's hand in an "eye for an eye" gesture? Regardless of what route they chose to take on his origin, The Governor is one of the best villains in modern literature. He's a sick, sadistic monster, and yet...a great dad? As much as any reader despises him, you've gotta look forward to his inevitable and eventual appearance.

#1: Michonne

I cannot WAIT to hear who they cast as Michonne. This samurai-sword-wielding warrior woman can take care of herself and has proved it time and time again. I can't wait to hear her say "I think of all the things I'm going to do to you, and it scares me". Watch out, Governor. Whomever they cast, it better be good. I've been personally advocating for Gina Torres (of Serenity fame), but I'm sure that's only a pipe dream. Who would you love to see as the lawyer-gone-one-woman-army of The Walking Dead?




All pictures taken from http://walkingdead.wikia.com/wiki/Comic_Series_Characters