How do you feel about this Killing Joke image?

16 MARCH 2016

It's like a tiny piece of San Diego Comic-Con 2016 floated down from the sky like a multi-colored snowflake: we have the first image from The Killing Joke, screening this summer at SDCC.

If you missed Mark Hamill's tweets that accompanied the image, they are:

•  "All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy... Just one bad day."
• "Remember there's always madness... Madness is the emergency exit."
• "If I have to have a past, then I prefer it to be multiple choice."

I'm feeling it. Are you?

Pre-registration and validating your badge

31 JULY 2015



CCI's Toucan blog announced something we already knew/guessed; the number at the bottom of your badge is critical for Pre-registration. And there's going to be another "window of validation."

For those of you who went to SDCC for the first time this summer, and thus are embarking on your first Pre-registration ever, here's how this works.

You'll get an email notifying you that you have a certain period in which to log into the system and "validate" your Member ID for Pre-registration. You'll do this by entering your badge number. Here's the email from last year:

As for Pre-registration, that functions as a lottery much like the Open Registration you took part in earlier this year. Only 2015 attendees can participate, but only a portion of badges are available. So yes, it increases your odds of going in 2016 but it's nothing to feel overly confident about since the demand still outweighs the supply.

I know everyone is all about the when of Pre-reg; it's tempting to read into this announcement as a hint that validation and the subsequent actual sale could happen earlier this year. Last year was November and the year before was February, though that delay was due to a new system being tested.

I'd say it's highly possible that Pre-reg could happen earlier this year since CCI seems fairly settled on the process. But if you're frantically trying to set up a buying group now, I'd wait. Things can shift quickly in terms of peoples' priorities. Once the official validation window hits, you can start making arrangements then.

Finally, if you lost your badge or an absent-minded roommate tossed it, I'd contact CCI now and throw yourself on their mercy. They may or may not help you out by looking up your badge number but it's worth a shot.

Overall, it's rather incredible to feel this far out from the Con and be thinking of Pre-reg when we're still in (okay, the last minutes of) July. Although - please indulge my old-timer's reminiscence - it wasn't that long ago when we all pre-registered onsite in the Sails Pavilion and never thought about SDCC again until hotel reservations opened up. It's the year-round pervasiveness of Comic-Con that's different these last few years.

Bruce Timm announces The Killing Joke movie

10 JULY 2015




Something pretty major happened at the end of the world premiere of Justice League: Gods and Monsters. Bruce Timm casually dropped a bombshell that he's doing an animated feature of The Killing Joke - and that it will be at San Diego Comic-Con 2016.

I know today was historic for several reasons, not the last of which was Hall H and the surprise Star Wars symphony all Hall H attendees were led to - but this is life-altering news for comic book fans.

Pre-reg just got that much more urgent.

The SDCC Daily

25 JUNE 2015



In a few hours, we'll have Thursday programming to read obsessively over and over. In the meantime, what did we find out today?


The new Muppets series will be in 6A on Saturday at 3 pm; Once Upon a Time will be in Ballroom 20 at 10 on Saturday. We'll also have Muppets-themed trolleys and Muppets and Once Upon A Time pedicabs.

Another panel that should be very popular: Mobilizing Fandoms for Charity on Saturday at 11 in 14C. This will be a discussion on how various fandoms can contribute to charities, on local, individual and global levels.

Funko dropped its 8th wave. We also got this Legend of Zelda figure. And it looks like you can take home a Stan Lee action figure after all, if you have 300 burning a hole in your pocket.

Do you want a free Star Wars button? Stop by The Ninjabot at Small Press table L-08.

The Nerdist podcast guests were announced: Peter Capaldi and Ben Kingsley. And speaking of Nerdist, they're bringing their horror film The Hive to SDCC.

DC is bringing 10 variants and a whole lot of Convergence panels, as well as spotlight panels for Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo and Grant Morrison. First-timers, this will give you an idea of the scale of the Exhibit Hall: the DC booth alone is 4,500 square feet. That's bigger than the average house.

Also doing SDCC in a big way is VIZ Media, with tons of exclusives and swag, and Sailor Moon and Shonen Jump panels in addition to the previously mentioned Ultraman.

Sideshow Collectibles is throwing a party Friday night at SDCC; tickets are on sale now. Only after you buy tickets will you find out where the party is. I don't know if they just haven't booked a venue yet or if they're that afraid of crazed collectors.

Treyarch hints at Black Ops III Zombies coming to SDCC.

Scream Factory and Shout! Factory will be dazzling you again at booth #4118 with free photo ops with a range of backdrops, including My Little Pony and Power Rangers; a Kaiju Scavenger Hunt; a My Little Pony Costume Contest with Amex gift cards as prizes, appearances by the Power Rangers and Samantha Newark, who voiced Jem and Jerrica in Jem and the Holograms.

We have dates for San Diego Comic-Con 2016: 20-24 July.

And finally, a Nerd HQ reminder: tickets will go up for sale very soon and they will go immediately. If this is important to you - and there are a lot of great conversations to attend this year - you'll want to stay on top of this.


As for tomorrow - those of you who landed in the Thursday/Sunday split might be feeling morose over all the great Friday and Saturday panels that have been announced. But I think tomorrow's programming announcement will completely turn that around. Stay tuned.