AMC dishes up the starpower at SDCC

12 JULY 2024

We're only halfway through SDCC panel announcements, but it's already undeniable that this is going to be a great year. I'll do a summary of Thursday and Friday later; right now, let's look at AMC.

• Interview with a Vampire - Saturday, 5:00 in Ballroom 20. The bloodiest and prettiest show on AMC brings you stars Sam Reid, Assad Zaman, and Delainey Hayles - and possibly Jacob Anderson? 
• Mayfair Witches - This will follow the above, with Alexandra Daddario, Harry Hamlin, Jack Huston, and other cast and crew talking about the second season.
• Walking Dead: First you'll see Dead City on Friday at 1:45 pm in Hall H, followed by Daryl Dixon - The Book of Carol at 2:45. Chris Hardwick moderates both.
• Snowpiercer is also on Friday at 11:15 am in Ballroom 20. After you watch an all-new episode, Daveed Diggs, Damian Holbrooke, Mickey Summer and more will take your questions.
• There is also an episode screening of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon - The Book of Carol at the Rooftop Cinema Club Embarcadero on Friday.

The real question: are we getting an incredibly elaborate and realistic photo op on the floor? What will the offsites be like? AMC always excels in these areas, and it feels like they are going all out this year.

The Walking Dead photo op has been announced

30 JUNE 2016

The Walking Dead's first year at Comic-Con

And it's.... drumroll..... you in Negan's Lucille-bashing lineup!


Perfect photo op is perfect. First-timers, you may have seen online the amazing Walking Dead photo ops that are a major draw on the floor each year; the very first one is above. (You could lay down and pose with a gruesome expression next to the corpse. There were all of 2 people in line ahead of me.) You WILL want to get your picture taken in Negan's lineup, if only to make all your TWD fan friends at home seethe with jealousy. Booth #4237; make a note.

And the AMC panels are right where you thought they'd be. Fear the Walking Dead is at noon in Hall H on Friday - and it will have an installation "in the form of a yacht" behind the convention center at the pier. The Walking Dead will follow at 1 in Hall H with autographs at 3:30; Preacher will be a few hours later also in Hall H at 6:30. I have to say Preacher strikes me as more of a Ballroom 20 show but it's AMC so I get it.

Will the panel drop any hints about Negan's victim? Doubt it, but at least one cast member (and probably a few others) know who got the bat. And remember, if you're devastated that there's no Walking Dead Escape this year, you can swing by Universal Hollywood and do the new Walking Dead attraction. Although those have to be some Hall H-level lines.

Win a trip to New York Comic Con

5 SEPTEMBER 2015



If you missed out on the New York Comic Con badge sale, or just feel the hotel / plane / general spendiness is beyond your current reach, listen up: Collider is holding a good contest. The winner will receive:

• Airfare for two
• Hotel for two
• 2 Badges for the 8th-11th
• A $400 Amex credit card

Entering is pretty simple. Follow Collider on Twitter, like them on Facebook and/or subscribe to their YouTube channel. That's it - you don't have to make a huge effort here, which of course means you'll be competing with thousands of contestants. Still worth it, though.

And if you're in a New York Comic Con frame of mind, don't forget The Walking Dead Season 6 Fan Premiere Sweepstakes. Yep, it's still going. Enter every day to increase your chances of watching Season 6 kick off in style at Madison Square Garden.

Good luck.

Enter The Walking Dead season 6 sweepstakes

13 AUGUST 2015

Are you still on the fence about NYCC? Are you vacillating between "Maybe I should save the money" and "No, I definitely should go" and "I'll see what my schedule looks like" even as summer keeps passing and you need to make a decision? Maybe that's just me.

Well, this could sway you; The Walking Dead's season premiere will debut on 9 October, Friday night at Madison Square Garden as part of New York Comic Con Super Week. Exciting! Except of course that even the great capacious MSG can't contain the horde of fans desperately wishing to attend - so there's a sweepstakes.

Enter now; 10 winners are selected daily. Remember, this isn't being held in a movie theatre like an SDCC premiere but in Madison Square Garden. So your chances are kind of decent? It's hard to say, really. Radio stations and cable affiliates will also be giving away tickets, so if you really want to go, make this the new Comic-Con rabbit you're chasing.

Because this is what's nice about New York Comic Con and the creation of Super Week; even after badges/tickets sell out, there are so many events and activities on the docket that you can find some way to participate. Whether that's worth traveling for or not is your call.

AMC just made the Friday Hall H line even worse

16 JUNE 2015

As if Hall H wasn't already intense enough on Friday, AMC has officially announced that both The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead will be back to back in there. TWD will kick off at noon, followed by Fear The Walking Dead at 1. I can't even imagine how insane that line will be. Star Wars and Walking Dead?

Their autograph sessions are a little more disparate; TWD's is Friday at booth #4237 at 10, while FTWD is Saturday at 1 pm at the Hilton Gaslamp's Starlight Terrace.

If you went to the very first Walking Dead panel at SDCC, you might remember the original trailer they showed and what an electric sensation it caused. They actually showed it twice in the same panel, it was so powerful. Let's hope Fear unleashes something similar.

The SDCC Daily

5 JUNE 2015

Today wasn't the most exciting day but it wasn't devoid of news entirely. Let's see what we have.


First off, CCI shared a glimpse of Jim Lee's art in their gallery show. They promise to share more art previews leading up to the 20 June opening. My question: will there be an official SDCC t-shirt with some of the gallery art? It seems like there should be, given how proud CCI is of this show.

This is probably my favorite collectible so far: a Doctor Strange box set designed like the Book of Vishanti. Inside are Strange, Dormammu, Brother Voodoo, Magik and Hela. Unfortunately we have to navigate the hellish rituals of Hasbro to get our hands on it. "But maybe Hasbro will be better this year," an optimist might say. To which I say: doubt it.

If you're breathlessly awaiting the next Batman v Superman trailer, the current prediction is that it will be attached to Star Wars in December - with a special teaser for the Con.

Speaking of Star Wars, how badly do we all want to play Star Wars: Uprising? We know Star Wars: Battlefront will be showcased at E3 week after next, so let's hope we can get some kind of Star Wars gaming peeks at SDCC.

The Zombie Walk driver will stand trial for last summer's accident.

We may not get yesterday's R2-D2 refrigerator, but we will have a shot at getting this jumbo R2-D2 from Gentle Giant.

We'll also get this Big Bang Theory collectible from Entertainment Earth.

Mission Brewery is hosting Super Video Game Land on Friday, 10 July from 6 pm - midnight. This isn't "just" a gaming event - though plenty of classic games will be available for play - but will also have game artwork and arcade music.

We finally got some Fear The Walking Dead images that weren't just Robert Kirkman scratching his beard on set. And they're... kind of boring. This article goes into the various family relationships and dynamics that will apparently drive the story but I'm hoping they're just saving the apocalyptic thrill kill chaos for an incredibly mindblowing SDCC panel.

And of course some of the biggest news that rolled out today: Marvel is doing a massive relaunch this fall to the tune of 55-60 titles. Officially called "All-New, All-Different Marvel" (hyphens theirs), the relaunch hasn't offered up much detail yet which means we'll probably get a few promotional panels dropped on us at the Con. A special 64-page Previews is supposed to be in comic stores 1 July.

Your Walking Dead dreams come true at SDCC

17 APRIL 2015

I'm not just talking about the Walking Dead panel or the panel for the new unfortunately-named Fear The Walking Dead (which will have the most epic line ever), and of course the Walking Dead Escape. All of that will be there - but we have a new event this year too.


The Walking Dead Escape
Friday, 10 July -Saturday, 11 July
6 pm - 10 pm
Petco Park

This "revamped version" will have the usual zombies of course, but also Negan and his Saviors. So if you're only up on the show and not the comics, you might be in for a surprise.

As to your participation options:

Walker. You get transformed by a makeup artist with one prosthetic piece to look even more corpse-like. You'll also attend Walker School, get a Walking Dead Escape poster and t-shirt... and you can hang out on the course as much as you like.

Survivor. You also get a t-shirt and a poster. Escape waves are every 15 minutes so no, you won't be out there long, but all that running from the dead and psychotic should tire you out pretty fast.

Combo. Why not do both? Run the course as a Survivor, then return painted as a Walker.


The Walker Stalker Fan Fest

Friday, 10 July -Saturday, 11 July
11 am - 5 pm
Petco Park

This will include cast appearances, panels, autograph sessions, cosplay, photo ops and more. Tickets will go on sale soon - and no, you don't need a badge. I'm betting many attendees will opt for the Fan Fest over waiting in the Hall H line for the panel.


This is a great example of why I tell people to stick around even when they didn't get a full 4-day badge. Events like this are just as good as what you'll find inside the convention center. (Sometimes they're better.) And with these being on Friday and Saturday, even people with just a Sunday badge or Thursday/Sunday should be around to participate.

And Emerald City Comicon kicks off

26 MARCH 2015

This is how I know we're all going to have an amazing time at Emerald City Comicon: running into Scott Wilson from The Walking Dead, just chilling in the Seattle night and talking to his fans. That's what I call a favorable omen.

See you tomorrow, nerds.

Other outside events

10 JULY 2014




We're just moments away from Thursday programming being announced. Are you excited?

Yesterday I mentioned the official outside events announced by CCI. However, there are other major attractions surrounding the area and I want to make sure everyone knows about them.

• Walking Dead Escape: Just like before, you get to be a walker, survivor or spectator in an apocalypse race (Friday and Saturday nights in Petco Park).

• Gotham Zip Line: You can zipline between the convention center and the Hilton Bayfront and get a digital photo of yourself doing it.

• Gotham Police Cars: You can get free rides in official Fox "Gotham police cars" during the weekend - and while you're in the car, you can check out sneak peaks at Gotham footage on iPads.

• Sleepy Hollow Virtual Reality Experience: You'll use an Oculus Rift headset to get chased by a headless horseman; cast and creative will intermittently appear at the experience (not in your headset.) 9 am - 6 pm daily in Petco Parking Lot.

• MAC Marge Simpson Collection: I mentioned this before; I didn't mention that the Gaslamp store will actually give you a Marge makeover.

• Vikings: You can star in your own custom video by creating a character profile, choosing your weapon, meeting with hair and makeup artists, and then being placed into 3 scenes involving ships, battles, weapons, etc. 450 2nd Ave, Thursday-Saturday.

This isn't everything by a long shot. More and more activities will be announced over the coming 2 weeks, so stay tuned.

Get discounted Walking Dead Escape tix

13 JULY 2013

If you want to do The Walking Dead escape, you can knock a few dollars off your ticket right now.

Using the code "Escape," you can take $10 off a Survivor ticket; using the code "Watch," you can take $5 off a Spectator ticket. Oh, and the first 8,000 survivors and walkers to register get a free copy of the novel The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor.

You can buy tickets here.  Discounts are not applicable to tickets already purchased.

Walking Dead activities at Comic-Con

26 JUNE 2013

In an anniversary-heavy summer, one of the most high profile will be the 10th anniversary of the Walking Dead - that's the comic book, not the show. 

While The Walking Dead Escape is returning to Petco Park, creator Robert Kirkman and his fans will be celebrating with activities inside the Con as well. Many of these will take place at the Future US dedicated booth (no booth # yet, sorry), such as:

• debut of the Veloster Zombie Survival Machine, a custom 2013 Hyundai Veloster built by Galpin Auto Sports
• the WalkingDeadChopShop.com app where visitors can design their own digital zombie survival machines; the winning design will be built in real life and unveiled at New York Comic Con in October.
• TellTale's The Walking Dead video game
• zombie costume contests and a zombie makeup station
• celebrity appearances - not sure if this means random celebrities or actors from the show

No word on whether the booth will feature the annual awesome stage set photo op that spawns one of the longest lines on the floor. 

The Walking Dead Escape returns to Comic Con

16 JANUARY 2013

I know your feverish minds are consumed with badge sales right now, but here's a tidbit that might interest some of you about this summer: The Walking Dead Escape is returning to Petco Park. It looks far more elaborate, and features expanded course options involving the Governor, the prison, the hospital and a herd highway.

You can get more details here.