Walker Stalker Con: My Weekend with Zombie Fanatics
This past weekend I got a chance to go to the 2nd Annual Walker Stalker Con NYNJ which was held at the Meadowlands Expo Center in Secacucus. This event is PERFECT for any fan of the Walking Dead! You can interact, get autographs and take pictures with the majority of the cast (past and present), cosplay as your favorite character, watch panels from past Walking Dead cast members as well as other popular current TV shows, and support local vendors and artists.
I got there Friday night and got a chance to walk around, check out local vendors, see some celebs and even check out the Comic Book Men Panel.
A lot of the vendors there were all about the Walking Dead selling everything from original art work to katana swords. One of my favorite vendors was Big Purple Glasses who features lots of great pop culture designs. Check her out on Instagram, she got lots of celebs to post with her art work.
She shared a booth with artist Matthew Lineham had a lot of great stained glass looking art including, of course, Walking Dead art.
Selling prints and pins all weekend at the @bigpurpleglasses booth for @walkrstalkrcon. #walkerstalkercon #walkingdead #thewalkingdead A photo posted by Matthew Lineham (@mlinehamart) on
On Saturday the place was PACKED! There were so many celebrities there, including almost the entire cast of Walking Dead, Gotham, Vampire Diaries and Boondock Saints. There was two floors of celebrity signings and pictures. The biggest line I witnessed was for Daryl Dixon himself, Norman Reedus. His fans waited on line before he got there, and when he showed up you could hear them cheering from him in the entire convention. He greeted them by spraying everyone will silly string, it was fun to watch!
I think people want to see Norman Reedus #WSCNYNJ @WalkrStalkrCon #njisntboring pic.twitter.com/72Smz6S6Z5
— NJ Isn’t Boring! (@njisntboring) December 5, 2015
One of the highlights for me on Saturday was getting invited to see a make up demonstration from Mark Garbarino who was the make up artist for Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials. Garbarino’s work has been seen in over 80 films and television shows including “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Babylon 5,” Mission: Impossible II, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, Serenity, Snakes on a Plane, 300, Star Trek, and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. I got to see the make up from start to finish which was really cool.
Another highlight was when I became a zombie, including a photo op with a Shane look a like. Weird.
There was a lot of great panels on Saturday, including the first one of the day with the cast of Gotham. I’ve never seen an episode of Gotham, but after seeing the panel I may start. The cast was so friendly and answered everyone’s questions during their Q & A.
I also checked out the Panel with IronE Singleton aka T-Dog who the crowd loved. Scott Wilson, aka Hershel, stopped by his panel and surprised him while he was doing a push up challenge with a fan. It was a lot of fun. We stuck around after that to see the “Hershel’s Farm” panel with Wilson and Jane McNeill who played Patricia.
One of my favorite places and vendors in New Jersey, the Underground and True Jersey were there selling some Jersey swag.
Go check out my pals at @undergroundnj @true_jersey_nj at @walkrstalkrcon for #newjersey and #zombie merch! #wscnynj #njisntboring A photo posted by New Jersey Isn’t Boring (@newjerseyisntboring) on
Overall there were lots of great vendors at Walker Stalker Con. Be sure to check Pross Comics, Vele Cruce, Smashley Miller Creations, Nevermore Designs, Stitched from the Crypt, Mike Brennan Art and Design, Josephine Tam, Cave Geek AND Scarinas Vault where I bought an awesome Simpsons/Walking Dead mash up with Frank Grimes and Rick Grimes. I wish I thought of that…
I had a BLAST at the convention and I hope to go back again next year. To view more photos from the weekend, check out my Facebook album! For more “Nerdy in NJ” Events, click HERE.
