Let Your Geek Flag Fly

New York Comic-Con is no TCA, which makes it a whole lot more fun for the talent—and above all, its fans. Press isn’t given much special treatment, so I found myself sitting on the Javits Center’s cement floor (used as an overflow room) to catch a screening of “The Walking Dead” panel. But there was a benefit to that: my company. Scores of comic book nerds, each happily sporting costumes of every character you could think of (and haven’t)—including, of course, what appeared to be a zombie outbreak—hooted and hollered at the actors on screen. Given the army of imagination in attendance, it was only fitting that one fan address the thing on everyone’s mind: what’s your “zombie break out” plan? Panel moderator and “The Talking Dead” host Chris Hardwick, never one to turn down a snark op, quipped, “This would be the worst place EVER” for that to happen. “Humans would fall like dominoes. 100,000 New Yorkers, done.” Not to mention, those zombies in costume would really complicate things. As 10.9 million viewers have now witnessed, Walking Dead’s 3rd season gets pretty intense. Lead actor Andrew Lincoln told fans there are “more zombie kills in this [first] episode than all of season 1… I’m going to the dark side this season” (Star Wars reference! Sweet!) The incredibly articulate Chandler Riggs, the youngest core cast member at 13 years old, said his “transformation from boy to child soldier” is a great opportunity for an actor. The young Riggs fielded most of the fans’ questions—including ones about future love interests. There were so many, in fact, that the panel had to address it. “You shouldn’t be watching this show. I’m horrified,” said creator Robert Kirkman to a 12-year-old. But the kids kept on coming. “Is there a toddler or a fetus that has a question?” Hardwick asked mockingly. Some serious questions made their way to the panel, though. Kirkman was asked about the differences between working on the books and the show. He enjoys creating characters that aren’t in the comics the most, he said. “They add a lot to it.” And then came the most serious question of all: What’s up with DISH? Kirkman’s response: “That’s above all of our pay grades.” -Kaylee Hultgren

Reviews: “Benji,” Tues, 8p ET, ESPN/ESPN HD. ESPN’s “30 for 30” series has hit the mark again. This time it’s a what-might-have-been story that Rev Jesse Jackson says “is still painful today.” He’s speaking of Benjamin Wilson, a HS basketball standout from Chicago. Wilson dominated in ’84, when the Windy City was experiencing a golden era of sorts, with its 1st black mayor and Michael Jordan reigning. It was Wilson’s bad luck to be touched by another part of mid-80s Chicago, gang violence. — “Blackout,” Mon, 8p ET, Ovation. A dark, water-filled British mini centers on a drunk, suicidal, philandering politician who becomes a reluctant hero. Still, what he may have done prior to an alcoholic blackout haunts him. The film technique and music set the tone beautifully. — “The Girl,” Sat, 9p, HBO. In short, Hitch was a bitch. We mean Alfred Hitchcock and his alleged sexual and mental abuse of Tippi Hedren, star of “The Birds” and “Marnie.” Toby Jones is masterful as the Master of Suspense; excellent too are the production values, mimicking those films’ look. — “Sin By Silence,” Wed, 7p ET, Investigation Discovery. Terrific doc about a woman who, while in prison, helped change judicial thought on domestic abuse. -Seth Arenstein