The Walking Dead (TWD) is one of the biggest American post-apocalyptic horror TV series in the world. The show was developed by Frank Darabont and hit the screens on AMC in 2010. The show is based on the same-named comic book series by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard, and it invites the viewers to watch a number of characters surviving after the end of civilization
How many seasons of The Walking Dead are there? In total, the show consists of 12 seasons, with the final one concluded just a year ago, in 2022.
Throughout 12 years of streaming, the show was driving fans from all across the world to their screens. The peak number of viewers was for the 6th season and accounted for as many as 18 million people in the US alone.
Due to its massive popularity, TWD grew into a huge franchise with a wealth of spin-offs and other media products. AMC even announced plans to make three movies to complete the story. And, of course, it developed a huge fan community and a number of related events.
In case you haven’t watched it yet, you’d better give up on your tasks in school and college and do it now to join the community. Turn to professional academic writers and ask them to write my research paper to save some time, and let us take you into the world of TWD!
The Walking Dead Plot: A Brief Overview
If you aren’t ready to join in yet, let us give you a short The Walking Dead summary to introduce you to the show.
The Walking Dead cast includes Andrew Lincoln (lead character — Rick Grimes), Norman Reedus (Daryl Dixon), Lauren Cohen (Maggie Greene), Danai Jejesai Gurira (Michonne Hawthorne), and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Negan Smith). The show sets off after the end of civilization caused by a zombie apocalypse and tells us the stories of a large number of characters trying to survive in the new reality.
The first episode of the first season starts with the sheriff’s deputy, Rick Grimes. Rick awakens from a coma to find the entire world to be ruined and overtaken by “walkers,” aka zombies. Having found himself all alone in this situation, Rick intends to find his family and soon comes across other survivors. Together with the group of survivors he meets, Rick learns how to survive and confronts the undead, as well as other survivors who might be even more dangerous.
Throughout the following episodes, Rick becomes an unspoken leader of his group. Together, they set out on a search for safe locations and encounter threats and challenges at every turn.
Throughout the entire series, The Walking Dead delves deep into many important topics, such as the human psyche, resilience, morality, humanity, and all the darkest impulses of human nature. All in all, the show poses a fundamental question: “What does it mean to be human when humanity is on the verge of collapse?”
The Walking Dead Facts You Might Not Have Known
Now that you know more about the show in general, let us share with you a few fun facts about The Walking Dead that not everyone knows about:
- The show doesn’t stay true to comics — Some characters like Daryl, Sasha, and Merle don’t exist in the books. Other characters have different ages. And there are more differences.
- The series has plenty of hidden easter eggs — For example, in the 5th episode of the 1st season, you can see Blue Sky (from Breaking Bad) in Merle Dixon’s bag.
- Walkers outnumber humans — According to official stats about the TWD world, there are a whopping 5,000 walkers to 1 survivor.
- There is a zombie school — Not many know this, but actors who play walkers actually have to attend a zombie school before being cast.
- The show’s logo decays every season — Many people didn’t notice it, but the main title sequence seems to look more decayed and grimier in every new season.
TWD Fan Clubs, Communities, and the Walker Stalker Convention
Due to the huge popularity of the series, The Walking Dead fan clubs are literally everywhere. The show has created a large network of fans from all across the world who connect both offline and online.
As for online communities, there are plenty of TWD-related blogs, YouTube channels, and websites. Of course, there are also many forums, such as a thread on Reddit or TWD Twitter. And there are many groups on social media, such as Facebook. All these online resources connect same-minded fans who love the show and want to discuss it, share their thoughts, and simply connect with other fans.
As for offline fan clubs, there are quite a few of them, too, with the Walker Stalker Con probably being the most exciting one. It is a conference created by fans and for fans of The Walking Dead and similar shows. The conference brings together dozens of thousands of attendees and lets them meet celebs from their favorite shows face-to-face.
If you are a true fan, attending a conference like this is a must-do. Whether you are in college or working, you’d better take a week off or delegate your assignments to a reliable write my essay service and participate!
What Is the Walker Stalker Convention?
The convention was created back in 2013. Originally, Walker Stalker started out as a website and podcast created by James Fraizer and Eric Nordhoff. Both James and Eric appeared in the show themselves in the roles of walkers. And now, Frazier is the sole owner of Walker Stalker Con.
For years now, it has been a go-to place for fans of AMC’s Walking Dead Universe, which includes The Walking Dead series, Fear the Walking Dead, etc. The conference produces over ten events annually, themed around zombies, sci-fi, horror, and The Walking Dead, in particular.
According to creators and other people involved in the organization of this event, Walker Stalker Con was made by fans and for fans. The primary focus of the event is on creating authentic interactions between fans and the series’ cast. Simply put, attending the event gives fans a chance to meet up with their favorite actors from the show, which couldn’t be more exciting.
In addition to the opportunity to meet with actors, the convention is also filled with various free family-friendly activities, a relaxed and friendly environment where both fans and the actors can be themselves, and many other exciting things.
The Locations of Walker Stalker Con
One of the best things about Walker Stalker Con is that this convention consists of multiple events held annually across a large number of locations. That is, the con brings together fans from all corners of the US and even some other parts of the world. Namely, fans can attend Walker Stalker Atlanta or Walker Stalker Con Chicago if they are based in the US. Other locations in America include:
- Cleveland;
- Nashville;
- Phoenix;
- Portland;
- New Jersey.
For European fans, there is also Walker Stalker London, as well as some locations in Germany and Australia.
An interesting fact you should know about Walker Stalker Con is that one of its locations actually aligns with the TWD’s filming sites. Most of the show was shot at Raleigh Studios in Senoia. Unfortunately, the studio isn’t open to the public.
However, the pilot episode began filming in Atlanta. And a large part of the series was also filmed across different places in this city. Due to this reason, the fans of TWD often prefer participating in Walker Stalker Con in Atlanta. By doing so, participants can take solo or group trips across the city’s area to check out real-life filming locations of their favorite show.
Students’ Community at Walker Stalker Convention
As you already know, The Walking Dead is a massive franchise that has plenty of fans everywhere in the world. The fans of this show are aged differently. According to official stats, the primary age group of TWD is between 18 and 49 years, which means that students make up a big part of The Walking Dead fan base.
Surveys reveal that one of the biggest reasons why students love TWD is because they identify themselves with survivors while watching the show. Simply put, young people find this series empowering and inspiring. They feel strong after watching it.
Being huge fans of the show, students from different colleges gather in TWD fan clubs, meet up, discuss their favorite episodes, and watch the show together. Also, many students already attend Walker Stalker Con. And many dream about becoming a part of the convention. Unfortunately, for student fans, making the time to attend the event can be a real challenge.
It’s no secret that students’ lives are packed. Most often, they have to deal with a serious workload in college that often keeps them away from participating in social life or even enjoying a few episodes of TWD in the evening. Luckily, if that sounds like you, there is a simple solution. All you need is to hire a reliable essay writer, and they will do the hard work for you, leaving you with more time for your favorite TV show or social events.
Walker Stalker Con: Actors’ Opinions
For ten years now, Walker Stalker Con has been inviting many TWD stars to meet their fans. Here is what some actors say about the Walker Stalker Convention:
“Fans of The Walking Dead don’t just love the show, they love each other. Coming to Walker Stalker, you see this firsthand. It is a soul-feeding experience.” — Khary Payton
“Walker Stalker has been a blessing. Not only has it served as a way to directly connect with the amazing fans and hear their stories but it has become a great way to reunite with past and current cast members on TWD as well as other shows. We genuinely look forward to going whenever we can!” — Sonequa Martin-Green
“Walker Stalker Conventions have an energy I haven’t seen anywhere else. We’re not meeting fans, we’re hanging out with family.” — Josh McDermitt
And here’s one example of what attendees say about the convention:
“It is a fun experience seeing all the cast members in one place.”
To Sum Up
The Walking Dead is one of the shows that have forever engraved in history. With millions of fans across the world, loads of spin-offs, and an enormous fan base, this series remains one of the most watched and loved ones today.
Due to the huge number of fans, it’s no surprise why TWD fan clubs are everywhere now. People of all ages, including college students, gather in clubs to discuss their favorite show and watch it together with same-minded people.
It’s also no surprise that events like Walker Stalker Con are also trending. This convention gives fans an opportunity to meet a lot of new same-minded friends and delve into the world of their favorite show for an entire day. Most importantly, it can give you a chance to meet your beloved The Walking Dead actors, too!
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