Will the Coronavirus cancel SDCC?

11 MARCH 2020

So you're not going to Coachella. You're not going to see the Final Four. Maybe you're not going to see anyone at all for the short-term future, if you're working from home and told to stay there. But still the big question lingers: will you be going to San Diego Comic-Con?

Everyone's asking that. What if SDCC is cancelled? What if our annual orgiastic fandom rites don't take place and life loses all meaning? People keep coming to me with that question like it's some kind of worst case scenario; for them, it obviously is.

But it shouldn't be. Look, San Diego Comic-Con may be cancelled or we may get ahead of the virus and assert enough control that CCI feels comfortable going ahead. But yes or no, I think everyone should be thinking bigger picture right now.

Like the reality that some of our parents and grandparents will probably die; mass layoffs could occur while pensions and 401k funds might shrink like a puddle in the sun; overburdened healthcare systems could shortchange all patients, not just those with COVID-19. And the economic freefall could impact Hollywood, collectibles, your neighborhood comic shop, all the little joys that flow through your nerdy life. We don't know the scale of the changes yet, but some are definitely coming down the pike.

The NBA just suspended their season. Tom Hanks and Rita Wison have the virus. This is just the beginning of the stunning announcements, bad news, sacrifices and losses we're going to endure, even in a best case scenario. I'm not trying to be the Paul Revere of Pestilence here, but it's obvious that many SDCC attendees are not grasping the full magnitude of this pandemic. Maybe it's because I've written about infectious disease and pandemics and all the horrific changes they bring (collapse of raw material prices, geopolitical unrest, food and drug shortages, hindered response to natural disasters) in my non-blogger life, but I've already expelled SDCC 2020 from my mind in terms of concerns. I encourage you to do the same. If Comic-Con happens, that's great but I just don't think it's anything to get upset about now. We've all got bigger emotional and financial concerns.

Here's what I think attendees should do:

• Wait and see what CCI says first about WonderCon (which I wouldn't be surprised to see cancelled.) Even if you're not going to WonderCon, their statements may include hints about San Diego. I know CCI is not the world's most transparent communicator, but I'm hoping in this case, they'll be clear, prompt and responsive to attendee concerns.
• Don't worry about the hotel lottery for SDCC. Last year it was in April. I imagine CCI is in no hurry to hold it while the virus situation is evolving so quickly.
• If you've made a deposit on an Early Bird hotel room, and you're freaking out about losing it - just wait and see what happens with SDCC. CCI should make it right for you.
• International attendees worried about continuing travel bans should create a Plan B. If you've already booked your airfare, maybe see if you can get a refund now rather than wait months when airlines' revenue situation may be much more dire. Your call. 
• Talk to your friends and be candid about who has a chronic condition, respiratory weakness or other issue that could make a large gathering unwise for them. And be prepared for some of your friends to have financial setbacks between now and July.
• Remember that there will be future Comic-Cons and if we miss this one, it's okay. Disappointing, but small potatoes compared to what will be happening in the world.
• Save your money. If the world descends into an economic sewer, nerd toys, event tickets and Comic-Con festivities may get a little pricier.
• And finally, practice good pandemic etiquette to help make the world as healthy and contagion-free as possible.

I don't mean to trivialize the importance of SDCC in your life. But Fortune 100 companies and top governments are still figuring out their response to COVID-19 right now. I don't think we can expect a definite answer on SDCC. Let's all stay safe, be patient and keep a healthy perspective. We're a resilient community and we'll find ways to stay connected no matter what.


ETA Thursday, 12 March: 
CCI has cancelled WonderCon (as most of us expected) and has shuttered the Museum events as well, noting they are following the CA DOH recommendation to avoid gatherings of more than 250 people.

As for SDCC: "We continue to work closely with officials in San Diego and at this time no decision has been made regarding the rescheduling of Comic-Con slated to take place this summer; July 23-26, 2020."

In other words - sit tight. And try to come up with an appealing alternate plan that will work in a post-plague world.

SDCC Updates

2 JUNE 2015

What have we learned about SDCC these last few days?

Like we knew it would, Scream Queens is coming to SDCC. I'm calling this a top panel simply because I think a lot of people will be interested.

Minority Report will be there too; so will American Horror Story, American Dad, Family Guy, Bob's Burgers, Salem, Sleepy Hollow, The Simpsons and Bordertown.

On the exclusives front, this Secret Wars Hot Wheels set will be there too. Square Enix is also bringing this imposing-looking Batman Arkham Knights.

It's kind of hard not to love this figure of Spock swimming with whales.

If you're looking for something to do on Friday or Saturday at the Con, maybe you'll want to go to Mashable House at Luce Loft to "save the Internet." There you will mingle with "the biggest heroes and villains from pop culture, digital media and the Internet." Tickets available now.

Oooo, racy: there will be a Science Fiction and Sex panel at the Con and Marisa Acocella Marchetto will be speaking about her new graphic novel Ann Tenna - "set in the world of fashion, gossip and the universe." So like Intergalactic Kardashians maybe?

Heroes Reborn will also have a panel at the Con. I know some fans are excited about this but reactions seemed mixed - maybe because it hasn't been quite long enough for nostalgia to set in and everyone is still deep in their feelings about how Heroes ended. Anyhow, Zachary Levi is in it, so let's assume this will get some love at Nerd HQ too.

Jhonen Vasquez is back with a special SDCC variant of Invader Zim #1. Only 3000 copies are available.

Hallmark's Comic-Con exclusives are out, including Alien & Batman ornaments and some tiny Star Wars sets. That's Boba Fett and Han Solo in carbonite you're looking at, if you couldn't tell by Han's anguished expression.

                                                                         From CineNoir



And because it's oddly comforting to know even award-winning artists share our badge sale struggles:

Illustrator Dan Santat won a Caldecott Medal and said his sons were "more thrilled that I managed to get San Diego Comic-Con guest passes for everyone in the family this year." Highly understandable. Then he goes on to say: "The convention did this weird online 'waiting room' thing where you were picked by lottery to get guest passes. Many of my friends ended up getting hosed. It was stressful."

Incidentally, I met a guy at Phoenix Comicon who failed to get a single badge - along with his 2 friends - both in Pre-reg and Open Reg. That's 6 tries, 0 badges. But through "a friend of a friend" he managed to buy a badge a few weeks ago via email from CCI. Sometimes it really is who you know.



In just a few days we'll be flooded with the inevitable "A month from today we'll be at Comic-Con!" tweets and posts. And we'll all feel slightly anxious and unprepared because it really came up fast this year, didn't it?

 

Lumberjanes, Adventure Time, Evil Dead & more

29 MAY 2015

A few update from today before I immerse myself into Phoenix Comicon:

Lumberjanes is going to be a live action movie. At least, Fox has optioned it. Top panel of 2016? Let's hope so.

Starz released an Evil Dead teaser that really is a tease. Remember Bruce Campbell's promise to be all over SDCC "like a cheap suit;" apparently we'll find out more then.

Adventure Time fans can pick up a SDCC exclusive featuring a "tin tote and stainless steel container." Or what I would call a lunch box and thermos.

Hop-Con 3.0 tickets are on sale. For $75, you can have 10 beer samples, a commemorative glass, gourmet food and the presence of Aisha Tyler, Dave Johnson, Will Wheaton, Kevin Eastman and other luminaries. And if you donate $25 to the Hero Initiative, you'll also get special artwork from Kevin Eastman and Dave Johnson. Be aware this takes place on Preview Night.

Oh and while this isn't SDCC-related - Image Expo tickets are on sale.

The SDCC Daily

28 MAY 2015

What did we find out today?

In tangential news, certain Internet claims were made that Denver Comic Con surpassed SDCC's attendance. At 101,500, they didn't even come close. That said, this is obviously a fast-growing Con.

American Gods may announce the cast at SDCC. As in, walk the actors right out on stage and make the crowd go berserk. I hope this works and it doesn't get leaked, because that's the kind of reveal attendees live for.

Remember the hotel sale? If it was especially painful for you, you might have banished it from memory - but waitlist emails are starting to go out. I think at this point almost everyone has locked something down.

The new Batman: Arkham Knight trailer is out. This releases 23 June so let's assume this will be featured at multiple gaming events.

Your favorite bloggers will host a Wrath of Con Bloggers panel featuring An Englishman in San Diego, The Nerdy Girlie, Friends of CCI and Crazy 4 Comic Con.

One of the weirder Archer exclusives has been announced: a pillow of Archer's face.

A mixed bag of SDCC news

27 MAY 2015

Slowly more news is trickling out. What we're learning this week:

That if you and your identical twin are "outgoing, attractive and personable," there could be a job with your name on it at Comic-Con. Travel compensation is available; the ad doesn't say if you get a full badge so you can explore the Con on your off days. Which of course is what matters.

In the category of things I did not expect to see at Comic-Con: Amy Poehler and Tina Fey action figures. You know that even your non-nerd friends at home will beg for these, so expect them to be one of the hotter items this summer. The set is limited to 2400 (ouch) and you can pre-order them here.

I swear this is actually happening: David Hasselhoff is singing at Comic-Con. He sings the theme song for Kung Fury, a movie about a renegade Kung Fu cop who travels back in time to defeat Hitler. His 80s-style video "True Survivor" features "a lot of dry ice and Hasselhoff singing in front of a Lamborghini Countach, sporting classic retro attire including fingerless gloves." I'm not sure where his performance will be but I hope it's on the Hall H line lawn while Hitler impersonators writhe around on the Lamborghini in bikinis. That would be Comic-Con magic.

One of the biggest blows last summer was the absence of Doctor Who; now we know it'll be back in Hall H and so will Peter Capaldi. That's a sigh of relief you hear from countless attendees - except for those who only have Sunday badges. That's right, the panel is moving to Thursday.

Is this Storm Trooper our first look at a Force Awakens action figure? Is it fake? Authentic? Will we get any cool stuff at SDCC before the 4 September merchandise flood? Nerd minds want to know.

I thought we'd all culturally moved on from Grumpy Cat after the Lifetime movie but apparently not; she's getting her own comic book. It launches in the fall so we may well see this at SDCC.

Also speculation: 16 July is Disney's 60th anniversary and they have serious merchandising plans. I know there are many Disney fans in the SDCC crowd who are hoping to see some of that trickle into the Con. I find this hard to predict, so I'll just say that if this is important to you, look into the D23 Expo in Anaheim on 14-16 August.

Now let's talk about David Glanzer. CCI's spokesperson was interviewed by the esteemed SDCC Unofficial Blog last night and shared a few details of interest to attendees. It's pretty awesome to see CCI being more transparent with blogs and attendees - I highly recommend watching the whole thing. A few highlights:

• Hall H wristbands may or may not happen this year. While feelings were mixed, more people appeared to like them than not.
• As we've said before, it's the hotel room issue that may drive SDCC out of SD. Glanzer confirmed that some hotels have reduced their room blocks and raised their rates and that CCI is working hard to keep prices and availability manageable for attendees.
• As outside CCI events and attractions have grown, many attendees have asked exactly who can get into them; i.e., can you access an event on Saturday if you only have Thursday and Sunday badges. His answer: it depends on the activity. My answer: go for it and charm/beg/flirt your way in. Do this before you waste a lot of time in line.

Finally, NerdHQ has come out with some news - and I think attendees will be pretty excited about some of it. I'll share that in a separate post.

Is SDCC news finally starting to flow?

22 MAY 2015

                                                                        Courtesy of Previews World


Today felt like someone finally kicked in a dam and a river of SDCC announcements started to flow out. Did you feel it?

Maybe it was the Supergirl pilot leaking. So far everyone seems to like it, even if they're a bit cynical about the leak itself. Will we still get a showy Supergirl panel at Comic-Con? It's on CBS and their demographic/style is foreign to our ways, so I'm not sure what to expect.

Or maybe it was all the talk about the Transformers writers room/wolf pack. Robert Kirkman, Jeff Pinkner from Lost, Zak Penn from Amazing Spider-Man 2 and other writers join Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg for an explosive supernova of Hollywood male starpower. And the result will be... another Transformers movie.

It could also be that Poltergeist came out today, making horror fans dream of superior future fare like Crimson Peak, Tales of Halloween and Before I Wake. Some of which we'll probably see at SDCC.

Then there was the news that the sequel to World War Z (movie) is going to compete against the Fantastic Four sequel on 9 June, 2017. If you recoiled at the very idea of a WWZ sequel, be aware that this one allegedly starts with a "clean slate." So maybe it'll be truer to Max Brook's incredible book.

But really what the last 2 days have delivered are a boatload of exclusives announcements. Mezco is bringing us one of the cooler collectibles I've seen so far: Batman vs. Mutant Leader which is up for pre-sale right now. There's also a Jim Lee Batman and a Krypto plushie - in fact, you can see a bunch of Previews exclusives here. And speaking of Transformers, we have this.

On the speculation front: not only has James Gunn's Marvel comment now grown into an acceptance that Marvel is "boycotting" the Con, but now there's a rumor that they will have their own annual Con. Given the number of movies they have on the docket, this isn't a terrible idea. I just don't know if it's a plausible one.

And on the panel front, we have news of a Sunday panel called Superpowers & Ordinary Superheroes at 10 am. A mix of middle grade and YA authors will talk about what it takes to be a true superhero; panelists include Rob Venditti, Noelle Stevenson, Marie Lu, AG Howard, James Dashner and Rachel Hartman.


What will the weekend bring? More panel news hopefully and more events. There haven't been as many ticketed shindigs to announce so far, unless they're all waiting until the last minute - not a bad strategy since many attendees want to wait and see what they'll be giving up before committing to something.

At any rate, it's clear that news should be coming on the regular. Stay tuned.

DCU, Hasbro panels & other SDCC updates

19 MAY 2015




I think it feels like we're still waiting for the really big SDCC announcements to get rolling, but in the meantime we have a few tidbits to mull over. Let's get right into it.


DC is unleashing a summer campaign called DCU. It's about convincing readers that DC has a comic for everyone, which seems like a bold promise. Major writers like Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Annie Wu and others will be highlighted; the comic books you pick up tomorrow will have inserts and ads to prepare you for this magnificence. Overall the campaign will involve 24 new series, 25 ongoing fan-favorite series, and "fun and engaging" activities at SDCC.

Everyone is saying that there could be a 2nd Batman vs Superman trailer shown at SDCC. This actually wouldn't surprise me, even though the previous 3 predictions were dead wrong.

I find this so bizarre: there's a DC/Thomas mashup, with the result that you can buy a little train that looks like Harley Quinn. There's a comic to go along with this.

Hasbro has announced five panels. Those first panel announcements are always exciting, aren't they? Whether you even want to go to them or not. The panels are:

• Transformers Generations - Thursday - 11 am in 25ABC
• Transformers: Robots in Disguise - Thursday - 3 pm in 5AB
• My Little Pony - Friday - 10:30 am in 6A
• Star Wars - Friday - 12:00 pm in 7AB
• Marvel - Saturday - 4:00 pm in 25ABC

Mezco is bringing two more Batman exclusives: an actual Batman and a Poison Ivy keychain thing.

SpongeBob fans, you will want to get involved in this: Nickelodean is hosting a SpongeBob panel this year that will have a live episode reading. And you can vote for which episode by visiting Facebook. Choices are: Squidtastic Voyage, The Two Faces of Squidward, A Flea In Her Dome, Grandma's Kisses, That's No Lady and Idiot Box.

Will there be a hands-on preview of Disney Infinity 3.0 at SDCC? Given that it will feature Star Wars characters, I'll say yes.


I'm not sure how many major announcements we'll see this week; companies might be waiting for Memorial Day Weekend to pass. We'll see.

 

SDCC updates & speculation

16 MAY 2015

 

                                                                       

As you know, I'm compiling information on the SDCC 2015 page. However, we're at the point where there's too many news bites to find easily and it's all merging into one chaotic mess - so I'm going to post collective ongoing updates here, and clean that up to keep only the main stuff there.


Let's start with Marvel. One random comment in March from James Gunn has convinced all of Earth that Marvel will not be at San Diego in any shape or form. I don't necessarily think this is so. Maybe Marvel will appear in Hall H and maybe they won't, but I do think they'll have some kind of presence. At any rate, this speculation over the Thor: Ragnarok trailer is kind of silly to begin with since it releases in 2017. I think if Marvel does show up, they'll focus on Captain America, Guardians of the Galaxy and of course Ant-Man.

This article is mostly a look-back at the digital gizmos that dazzled attendees last year, but I'm including it so first-timers can get an idea of what to expect this summer. Word of warning - these tend to involve lines or limited tickets that are hard to get. But if you haven't lost your VR virginity yet, SDCC is a fine place to do it.

The Kings of Con founders are launching a new entertainment site called Heroic Hollywood. It won't just be a fan site; it will create its own branded content as well, meaning this could become a good source for SDCC news.

This Raiden figure from Gecco will retail at Comic-Con for 195.

... And David Lynch is back on Twin Peaks, which has also added episodes. Thank you, Showtime; now please bring us a beautifully strange panel at Comic-Con that includes Lynch, Sherilyn Fenn and Madchen Amick. Bonus footage of Lynch walking around the Exhibit Hall and commenting on everything he sees would be especially appreciated.

Scream Queens is getting major social attention. Let's expect this to be a top panel if Ryan Murphy brings it to San Diego.

I haven't given this much thought, but apparently people are clamoring for the title of the 3rd Planet of the Apes movie to be announced at SDCC. It's really just one word that's a mystery, right? _____ of Planet of the Apes. Collider says it's "War." 

                                                        From AwesomeToyBlog.com


Mezco is bringing Breaking Bad fans a 12" Walter White and a Walpurgis Living Dead Doll that goes up for presale on 18 May. Yes, you can also get one at their booth, #3445.

Naruto cosplayers will have an event Sunday afternoon of the Con.

Red Giant will debut GIANT-SIZE #1 at SDCC, a "free ad-supported giveaway" which you could also call a comic book.  YouTube star Markiplier and other creators will be on hand to sign copies, and a "bevy" of Red Giant merchandise will be available at booth #2635.

The Loyal Subjects are previewing their TMNT exclusives.

Remember how Adobe and Marvel got together to pick 4 students to make an Avengers comic? The 4 creators have been selected and they'll be at SDCC. If you're thinking "That could have been me" then you might want to follow this story - Adobe says they'll possibly want 2 more students to contribute.

A bunch of vintage arcade game cosplayers are holding 2 photo shoots on 10 July. You're invited if you're cool enough.

The Jem and the Holograms trailer has left mixed feelings in its wake. I'm sure people will flock to see it at Comic-Con no matter what, but I'm not sure this is going to be one of the more buzzed-about panels if it's there.

What will be: the Syfy adaptation of The Magicians, since the trailer already has everyone salivating.

And finally, we all know by now that the X-Files reboot is real and returning to us on 24 January 2016. This has to have some kind of SDCC panel or celebration, right? It has to.

As with everything on this list, more will be revealed.

More Comic-Con updates

20 JULY 2013


And the Eisner winners include: Saga, Darth Vader and Son, Dark Horse Presents, Building Stories, and King City.

A rumor is going around that Sandman will be made into a movie. Nothing like that has been said; the head of DC said it would be at the top of her list for comic books to make into movies. Quite a different story from Hollywood actually biting into the apple. But I'm sure this will get asked during today's Sandman panel.

Everyone apparently loved the Spider-Man panel. Andrew Garfield made another clever entrance, in the tradition of last year, and was adorably humble, as he tends to be, while Electro got the audience's stamp of approval.

For your viewing pleasure, the Walking Dead Season 4 trailer:

Max Brooks says he didn't hate the World War Z movie. Although I guess he has to say that.

The Helix panel apparently went well, although I can't find an actual attendee to get a non-media reaction. Everything I hear about it - outbreak at a remote Arctic station, black goo - reminds me of an X-Files hodgepodge but I'm willing to give it a shot. So far it doesn't seem like any one new show is whipping anyone into a frenzy of anticipation this Con.

Game of Thrones panel was apparently magnificent and offered a tribute to those who died on your television screens these last few years:

Oh, and something for the people at home who haven't been here in a few years. Comic-Con is apparently such a bastion of nerd decadence and wanton displays of flesh that it's earned these everywhere you look:

I think these people are just pissed because they couldn't get badges.

On the whole, there hasn't been a lot of hot gossip and news this year. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, but there's no palpable surge in one specific movie/show/book direction.

Yet, that is. It's only Saturday morning.