AMC’s adaptation of The Walking Dead is undoubtedly one of the biggest attractions at the 2010 New York Comic-Con, as evidenced by the near-riot that took place outside the theater where the panel was being held.
Fans were led through a maze of cow herders, but unlike the stoic bovine meant to be led through those partitions, Walking Dead fans went berserk, knocking down the herders to make an every-man-for-himself dash for the theater door.
After a twenty-minute delay spent re-establishing order or curtailing potential violence, fans were finally admitted to the IGN theater so that The Walking Dead panel could get underway.
The first big announcement of the panel: six minutes of exclusive from Walking Dead episode 2!
Cast in attendance included Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes), Sarah Wayne Callies (Lori Grimes), Laurie Holden (Andrea), Steven Yeun (Glenn), Jon Bernthal (Shane), and Norman Reedus (Daryl Dixon)
The footage starts with Rick Grimes trapped in a tank surrounded by “Walkers” (the zombies). He got a call on the comm line from a mysterious benefactor who advised him to “make a run for it.” Rick arms up with a Beretta and a grenade and makes his run for it. Gore and mayhem ensue...
Hurd denied the claim that “Zombies are the new vampires.” She said, “Zombies are better than vampires.” Darabont said he’s worn out with vampires. An audience member yelled “Too Sparkly!” Darabont responded “Too sparkly – too sexy!” He then apologized for going overboard..
Norman Reedus' presence was interesting because he plays a character named Daryl Dixon who isn't even in the book. "I'm not in the comic," he said, leading Darabont to tell him that apparently he might be now.
Norman Reedus described his character with an analogy of angels acting like devils and devils acting like angles when the world is ending. “Zombies aren’t the only enemy.”
"That would be dope, though I'd probably just look ahead to see how I die," Reedus laughed. His brother on the show is played by Michael Rooker, though Rooker's not a regular in the series.
