Zombies and super heroes invaded Chicago last week as the fans of “Walking Dead” and “Arrow” walked the halls at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont.
The three-day horror and sci-fi Walker Stalker Con also brought in more than a dozen actors and actresses from the TV series. A fan favorite was Michael Rooker, known as Merle Dixon in “Walking Dead,” the bat swinging, knife wielding zombie hunter.
A Chicago native, Rooker is reveling his time in the sun. He’s enjoying a continuing rise in popularity, results from his role as Merle and the phenomenal success of Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy.”
If fans weren’t asking questions about Merle’s character, they were throwing questions out about Yondu Udonta, the whistle blowing blue space pirate from the Marvel film.
What made his presence enjoyable to watch was his reaction to fans. There was no ounce of smugness or conceitedness. He is, as his co-stars say, a talented “nut.” He enjoyed engaging with fans and jumped off the stadium several times to hug, talk and laugh with them.
No questions went unanswered (well, actually anything related to which character he liked better), whether silly or serious.
