Fans of "The Walking Dead" were in for a treat at Comic Con on Saturday afternoon as star Norman Reedus (Daryl Dixon) and makeup/effects artist Greg Nicotero arrived at the Courtyard Marriott interactive booth outside Petco Park in San Diego to judge a raucous costume contest. Courtyard sent judges around the con to pick out attendees with the most eye-catching outfits, and finalists got to show off their finery to the "Walking Dead" stars and a crowd of good-natured fans who stood in the afternoon sun to watch the competition and vote with cheers and applause.
Mr. Reedus is laid-back and engaging, and he took his time getting to the stage because there were plenty of hands to shake and autographs to sign along the way. He arrived wearing a black Levi's baseball hat, took to the stage sporting a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' promotional cap, and quickly traded with a member in the audience for a star spangled red, white and blue number. "This is my ninth hat today", the actor explained, displaying the easy charm that has made him and his "Walking Dead" character, backwoods antihero Daryl Dixon, so phenomenally popular.
Not content just to show up and judge a few costumes, artist (and co-executive producer) Greg Nicotero had already made a day of it at the Courtyard booth, where he held a mid-day makeup demonstration, and shared tips and tricks with cosplay congoers. Meanwhile, makeup/effects artists Dean Jones and Steve Castanza were on-hand over the weekend at Petco Park giving free zombie makeovers to the public.
Mr. Nicotero paid close atttention and offered plenty of encouragement to the competitors who showed off particularly elaborate makeup as part of their costumes. He had accolades for a fan who made good use of his height to cosplay as The Hound from "Game of Thrones", and another who arrived in greenface and red horns as Lorne from "Angel".
Both judges took their time in making winning selections, with the crown in the men's category going to a super-detailed Robot Chicken costume, and in the women's, the martian spy lady from "Mars Attacks!". All of the competitors got to spend time on stage with the judges, and there were plenty of photo ops and admiring cheers from the excited crowd.
Fans also got to ask a couple of questions of the judges, and in keeping with the theme the discussion revolved around costuming and cosplay. Asked about how they would dress up for Comic Con, Mr. Reedus responded, "Maybe Dog the Bounty Hunter," and Mr. Nicotero revealed that he dressed up for a previous Halloween as Beethoven, on the recommendation of "Walking Dead" star Sarah Wayne Callies. He also has a Rick Deckard/Blade Runner costume in the works. On the subject of cosplay, Mr. Nicotero mentioned that he has had fans come up to him at events dressed as Mr. Reedus, complete with his now-trademark sunglasses. If that doesn't convince you of the depths of fan devotion to all things "Walking Dead," nothing will.
