Catching up with SDCC

27 JUNE 2019

Who wants to watch pre-presidents debate when we can talk about Comic-Con? Let's review recent developments.

Exclusives
Yes, we're back to the lottery system; this time, though, we each have "credits" we can allocate to our favorite exclusives to increase our odds of being selected. You need to do so by 9 July. Winners will be selected within a few days. I know last year's exclusives system stirred up considerable rancor; I hope this year goes better for you, but don't get your hopes up too high.


Conan
Everyone is hyped over the release of the Funko figures and the date announcement, but I hope you're being practical as well by spiffing up your 1iota account. Remember - the rabid rush for Conan tickets is not strictly first come, first serve, but also about whose account proves they'd be a colorful addition to the audience.

Also remember the timing. I know programming won't be officially announced until next week, but you probably have a good idea by now of what day is your Hall H day, which one is your offsite day, etc. If Conan feels vital to you, request all 4 shows when tickets go live and try to trade later if you have to. But remember that you have to show up early the morning of the taping and then return in the afternoon to be released in the early evening. You won't be able to juggle this with another demanding line wait.


Comic Creator and Gaming Creator Connections
If you're not familiar with CCC, it's where comic book artists and writers interview each other for a few minutes and decide if they want to swipe right or left. I've heard mixed things from people who attended but I'm sure it's worked out for others. There's a session Thursday night and Friday night and you have to have a badge for that day to get in. Artists can go both nights; writers have to pick just one because we are legion. One new development this year: 10 "emerging artists" from DeviantArt will be there, seeking your gifts. 

Gaming Creator Connection on Saturday is a little different; you'll have 15-20 minutes to speak to different mentors in different aspects of the industry. You can also attend Game Pitch Review on the same day.

Email programs@comic-con.org if you're interested in either of these.

Merchandise
Some people can't wait for each year's official merchandise to be released and others don't care; this anniversary year, though, seems to have sparked a thirst for all things stamped SDCC. I'm usually not interested and even I'm eyeing the Batman shirt.

Don't forget that these items really are exclusive to the Con, and so your friends staying home may be extra interested in having you pick up a few up for them. 


Blood Drive Appointments
Don't forget to schedule your donation to the community. The SDCC blood drive has saved more than 67,000 lives over the years. It's easy to go (they take walk-ins), it's quick, and you walk away with great swag, like an Endgame t-shirt. You're also entered into raffles, with good odds of winning. (I've won prizes twice and I never win anything.)

 

What's a Studio?

Sony announced today we're not getting a look at Zombieland 2 (or anything else) at the Con. This sparked the usual hand-wringing over "major studios" skipping the Con, including Warner/DC, and how only Disney and Paramount will be there. I find these announcements triply irritating because:

• There's more to SDCC than Hall H and movie trailers - some of us are beyond excited to see the colossal Warner/DC booth, the Batwoman and Pennyworth pilots, the Veronica Mars premiere and the Saturday night DC Universe special event.
• If these writers would join us in 2019, they'd realize SDCC attendees are just as likely to fangasm over Amazon, Netflix, HBO, AMC (well, maybe not as much anymore) and other offerings. The idea that only old-school studios matter is a dinosaur.
• These articles tend to imply SDCC's star is dimming. Again, that's through their industry lens. While there's definitely a dynamic of many studios realizing the Hall H ROI isn't there, it's natural for a 50-year-old juggernaut like SDCC to continually shift and evolve - and many attendees don't consider a Tarantino trailer critical to their Comic-Con experience.

Panel Buzz

So speaking of panels... what are you excited to see? Here are some obvious choices:

Marvel anything: No contest, especially if we get a look at Black Panther 2.

Supernatural's final panel: Every Saturday night at Comic-Con, I see women head toward the convention center with sleeping bags and pillows, staking their claim to see the Winchester brothers. This fandom is insane (ranking with Twilight, IMO) and I can't imagine how intense this last panel will be.

Riverdale, right after it: I know everyone likes to roll their eyes at Riverdale these days, with good reason, but it's still crazy popular. And Cheryl Blossom cosplay is always a good look.

HBO Game of Thrones and Westworld: Obviously GOT will be nuts, and I'm curious how polite fans will be toward Weiss and Benioff. More excited for Westworld, personally, unless the GOT panel announces a graphic novel told from the direwolves' perspective.

Scary Stories Told in The Dark: If it comes. Is it coming?

The final Arrow panel: Also sure to be emotional. Honestly, Ballroom 20 on Saturday is going to be nonstop greatness, for those of you who are skipping Hall H.

Harley Quinn premiere: While this hasn't gotten as much buzz as other DC animation, the HQ fanbase is devoted - and really this is just guaranteed to be fun.

Veronica Mars reboot: No doubt many young attendees are thinking "the lady from the car commercials?" but HEY, Veronica Mars was quite a thing in its day - and this will be stormed by passionate fans.

The Boys: This seems to be stirring up significant curiosity pre-Con - and I think this will be a major draw.

Carnival Row: Same. 

Top Gun: Maverick: People I never thought would be into this have it on their top 5 list. 

Batwoman pilot: There's been a lot of scoffing in my Sapphic circles over this - but we're all still going to watch it, right? At least the pilot to see if it's decent.

Pennyworth: Same mix of cynicism and interest, but I think people will be eager to see it.

It Chapter Two:  Major get for Wednesday night. Who needs a $750 ticket to The Gathering when you can hit up ScareDiego?

The Order: A "horror drama" from Netflix, this looks like a great reason to be in the Indigo Ballroom on Thursday afternoon.

Are you excited yet?

SDCC news review

8 JUNE 2018

Are you getting excited yet?

We're only a few weeks from the programming announcements - first-timers, these typically drop on a day by day basis 2 weeks before the Con. And we're already starting to spot what our SDCC days and nights may look like, though not all the developments have been positive. Let's review.

We'll start with the bad news: no Nerd HQ. First-timers, don't even ask what it was like; you'll just be sad you missed out. Everyone else, I know you're bummed but Nerd HQ may live in other cities/events so try to see this as yet another fun thing to anticipate. SDCC will be over at the end of July but you might still have this to look forward to - someday, somewhere.

ConanCon. They jumped onto Instagram today and they mention "exclusive behind the scenes photos, @originalfunko giveaways, ticket and celebrity guest updates" and more. In other words, this sounds like a mandatory destination - both for getting tickets and possibly finding out how to get the Funko Pop of your dreams even if you don't.

SDCC is issuing its 2018 Bob Clampett Humanitarian Aware to Frederick Joseph, who created the #BlackPantherChallenge that wound up helping more than 70,000 kids.

Are you not going to San Diego Comic-Con? Fear not; you might still get a full set of Diamond's exclusives in this contest.

Warner is going to dazzle us all (or those in Hall H, anyway) with a rebranding of the DC Extended Universe. Speaking of Hall H, we're also supposed to get the Aquaman trailer at the Con. We think.

Tickets are on sale for San Diego Sympony's The Movie Music of John Williams. A few notes on this: it's a great option if you don't have a Preview Night badge but if you do, oh well. Also be aware that John Williams won't actually be there and that - if you haven't done a SDCC symphony event for a  few years - it's not out back anymore but at the Jacobs Music Center. I know, I miss the sunset concerts too.

If you're one of those SDCC attendees who gripes about not getting invited to any parties, you're invited to this one: The Impractical Jokers, Saturday night in Petco Park, for free.

A Brief History of Time Travel will screen at SDCC's film festival.

If you missed the Eisner nominees or the profound thoughts of the judges, read here.

WWE champion Rey Mysterio and a few other luchadores will be in their own comic book, with Mysterio appearing at the Con on Friday to promote his issue. 

One of the more exciting comic book announcements this summer is the Vertigo relaunch, with 7 new titles. Panel material? For sure.


Are you bringing your offspring to Comic-Con? Are you dreading their panel tantrums or having nightmares about them wandering off in the Exhibit Hall? CCI has you covered with KiddieCorp - but you have to register by 17 June. 

Comic-Con news so far

22 JULY 2017

After a prolonged period of no Wifi, I'm back online. So what have we learned?


COMICS

Biggest news: Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham are doing Arkham Asylum 2, featuring an adult Damien Wayne.

We're also getting The Tempest, another League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, from Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill. This is a year away.

And there's this: Frank Miller is going to take on Superman and give him the Dark Knight treatment. What is in the water this SDCC?

Joelle Jones will tell us what happens when Batman proposes to Catwoman.

SEGA will publish New Sonic comics through IDW - not Archie. Also getting IDW series: Transformer Unicron and female Ghostbusters.

Marvel is bringing you a new Thanos series.

Archie and DC announced a crossover that everyone will want: Betty, Veronica, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. Weird combination, but compelling. Out this fall.

I'm less certain about this crossover: Doom Patrol and JLA. Could be good, I guess.

Very big news: we may be getting new Invisibles, Sandman.

TV

Stranger Things was a major offsite and a major panel for attendees - and we found out that while Barb will not be returning, she will be "avenged."

As a Halloween lover and stop-motion fan, I can't wait for the SpongeBob Halloween special "The Legend of Boo-kini Bottom."

Krypton is coming and reactions are mostly meh.

99.9% of us were not allowed to enter the Westworld experience but we did see the season 2 trailer, which features Dolores on horseback, gunning down humans. There was no definitive word on how much we'll see of Samurai World.

The Tick is one of those shows that got a lift from SDCC. Not many people I know thought twice about it before this weekend, but there's reasonable interest now.

The Defenders also is getting positive buzz. Everyone I know had only good things to say about it.

The next season of Archer will be Danger Island, set in the South Pacific in 1939. I'm ready for it.

It looks like Riverdale's second season will continue Jughead's melodramatic voiceover. Who shot Fred Andrews? Etc.

iZombie shared a sizzle reel and season 4 news about new zombie rules and wars. I feel like this show is running out of steam.

I heard The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones panels were lackluster, but we did get an interesting look at elderly Rick and found out the show will never try to cure/solve the zombie issue. For GOT, we got some intriguing hints about Dany partnering up with Melisandre. Maybe.

MOVIES


We're getting Wonder Woman 2. Of course we all knew this, but the official announcement is nice.

Thor: Ragnarok seemed to wow everyone with its trailer.

Were you expecting Michelle Pfeiffer to be in another superhero movie? Me neither, but she'll play Janet Van Dyne in The Ant Man and the Wasp.

DC always delivers news of its next animated feature but this year they announced four: Gotham by Gaslight, Suicide Squad/Hell to Pay and the two-part Death and Return of Superman. I was surprised by the eye-rolling that greeted this news; I'm all for it.

Black Panther got a standing ovation in Hall H.

We saw the first footage of Ready Player One and reactions were .... mixed. People who hadn't read the book seemed more into it than readers.

The reaction to Justice League was more positive, although I think all of us are pretty much dying for Aquaman to come out already.


CON DEVELOPMENTS

There's no shortage of talk here. We'll start with Conan, where something went drastically wrong this year:  on multiple days, people with tickets were sent home or received emails telling them not to show up. The Spreckels Theater was extremely hot - two people next to me on Thursday night got up and left before the show started. Overall, it was a very different experience from the previous 2 years. It's been suggested that demand surged this year, so everyone actually did show up for the tapings - where before they could count on a certain percentage never claiming their tickets. Not sure if it's true but hopefully next year will be smoother.

Offsites have been a main attraction for a few years now, but I've never known quite so many people to focus on them so intently - sometimes to the point of skipping the entire Con. I think Blade Runners takes the honors here because it partnered so many good elements - great VR, a t-shirt, shots of Johnnie Walker, free food, an atmospheric experience - while the line was much more reasonable than Game of Thrones. Netflix was also in high demand and then we had the Westworld experience, which only admitted 120 people a day.  I still maintain that the Tech Pavilion at the Omni is worth a look, but of course most attendees are skipping it. Even though I think some of the VR there was as good as Blade Runner.


Now - onto the Hall H line. My, my. Just when you think you've lived through every type of Hall H line drama possible, 2017 happens. From a line being forced to disperse, while new people took their places, to attendees getting wristbands and not getting in, this year was a mess. Apparently some people report waiting 30-40 hours, only to have so many others cut in front that they wound up with D wristbands or nothing at all. Staff pretty much shrugged off complaints.

But the biggest issue - reportedly - is that some people created fraudulent wristbands to get in. Everyone is reporting this as fact but I haven't seen it verified. At any rate, 2 full chutes of wristbanded attendees got left out in the cold after waiting upwards of a day. The good - and unprecedented - news is that CCI actually gave them 4 day badges for next year!

I have to admit I didn't expect that one. But while it was a nice gesture, it's obvious CCI has to do something about Hall H. The wristbands were a step, but now attendee madness has incorporated them into their desperation. CCI has to take stronger measures. I think assigned sections, handed out via lottery, would be one way to do it, but there are others.

Anyhow. Tomorrow is the final day of the Con. Hopefully the Hall H line will go a little smoother for Supernatural fans. And if you're one of those only-offsite people? Put your badge to use and give the actual Con a try. You may never get to go again.

How was your Saturday?

11 JULY 2015

One more day. How is everyone doing?

By now you probably know that Star Wars just set the bar for future Comic-Cons so unachievably high that I'm not sure any panel will ever escape its shadow. The surprise symphony concert, the light sabers, the Storm Troopers: it all made a regular Hall H panel seem like an afternoon nap. But that's for future panels to worry about. Let's talk about today.

Even though the sponsorship and swag aspects of the Con seem dialed down this year, the bombshell announcement aspect has been roaring like a lion.  Behold:

Joss Whedon is doing a "Victorian female Batman" called Twist, a 6 issue series from Dark Horse.

We're getting a Green Lantern Corps movie.

Yes yes yes: next season of Agent Carter is inspired by the Black Dahlia.  And Lash is joining Agents of SHIELD.

The Fantastic Four will be "more science than science fiction." Hmm.

In my feverish posting of last night's Killing Joke news, I forgot to mention these almost-as-good announcements: Bruce Timm is also providing us with a Justice League vs Titans movie and Batman: Bad Blood with Batwoman.

Riverdale, the upcoming Archie show, jumped frrom Fox to the CW, stunning no one.

Del Toro thinks Crimson Peak is the most gorgeous movie he's made. Shiver.

Civil rights activist and Congressman John Lewis wore his trench coat and backpack from Selma.

Conan O'Brien will return to SDCC next year.

Other good buzz goes to:

Batman v Superman.  Everyone seemed fairly dazzled.

Westworld. This panel got thumbs up from pretty much everyone. Coming on HBO.

Deadpool. We expected that, right?

The Expanse. Did you read James Corey's book? If not, put it on your summer reading list. Because The Expanse, coming on Syfy, is getting called the new Battlestar Galactica. That's a bold claim - so we'll see.

Warcraft. Sort of. I heard from 1 grumpy person and 4 approving people. What did you think?

Outcast. Other people seem enthused about this, and I don't know if it's Kirkman fever or just a really solid show.

Ditto Goosebumps. I want this to be excellent. Everyone else seems to think it will be.

What hasn't gotten good buzz: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies; Blindspot; Self/less.


Tomorrow's the last day; make it count.

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.

Midway through the Con - where are we?

9 JULY 2015

As Friday afternoon dawns, most of you have now been inside Comic-Con. (Sorry, Sunday badge people. Your turn will come.) As always, the time invested in your picks makes it hard to see what else is going on - so let's review what has unfolded so far.


Of the pilots we've seen so far: The Limitless and Lucifer (go figure) are getting the best reviews. Of course, Colony has yet to be screened. Supergirl we already knew about; Blindspot I've heard less than favorable things about.

If anyone asks you what you got up to last night, say "horseback riding." Captain Kirk will fill you in.

Fear The Walking Dead and Walking Dead trailers are everywhere. Fear's trailer wasn't as inspiring as TWD's original trailer, but still intriguing. Apparently the apocalypse will build throughout the season, so we won't be plunged into chaos in episode 1. We also found out from Chris Hardwick that Fear will have a Fear The Talking Dead after-show "if it works out." I feel pretty sure it will, Chris. Also interesting: these zombies are "fresher" and look more like sickly people.

Future attendees, take note; we are seeing the same trailer Hall H'ers did on the same day. No, the trailer isn't everything about a panel but if it's your everything about Hall H, spare yourself the campout and just wait for YouTube. (That said, I'll admit that being in the moment is rather magical.)

People at the Doctor Who panel seemed enthused about a female Doctor.

Ben Affleck is getting his own individual Batman movie.

Here's a new kind of swag: weed. American Ultra is handing it out in the area if you have a legal cannabis card. I hope they don't offer it to the protesters! Although it might help them mellow out a little.

We got a look at the girl Ghostbusters in uniform.

The Legacy Effects panel showed how to make a dinosaur.

Sideshow Collectibles really brought it this year. Stop by their booth if you like this type of thing.

I haven't seen much mind-blowing cosplay so far but here's one collection. And another general review of cool Exhibit Hall stuff.

Possibly we're getting more Hunger Games movies due to a slip on actor Josh Hutcherson's part. Unless he was acting.

We saw a trailer for the Sherlock Christmas special. And we found out Her Universe is getting its own reality show.

We found out the some things are coming back to us: Legends of Korra, the Lady Killer comic book. Hannibal? We don't know yet.

ONI announced some intriguing new titles. And apparently Batman will team up with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in a new miniseries.

One show I'm hearing a lot of positive buzz about: Hand of God. And not just because it was Amazon's debut at SDCC.  This might be one of the major Comic-Con buzz winners.

Tales of Halloween looks more like slasher-based than supernatural-based and promises lots of gore.

Great news for Archie readers: Vampironica is returning! Yes, this is the dangerous fusion of Veronica Lodge and Vampirella. I'm so ready.

The Game of Thrones panel was rated as rather boring, based on one text message I got' Star Wars panel is happening right this second so more on that later.

For now, we've got a lot of news to think about. And it's only Friday.

The SDCC Daily

21 JUNE 2015

Happy Summer Solstice. What new things have we found out about Comic-Con?


We found about a free tattoo art show called Superhero Sideshow running during Comic-Con at O'Reilly Tattoo, 519 Broadway.

And a Wizard of Oz-themed party called The Great Royal Marshmallow with a DJ, burlesque dancers and a live art show.

Chew is releasing its 50th issue in time for SDCC. But if you were pining for Archie vs Sharknado, that won't be released until 22 July to coincide with the actual Sharknado 3.

We saw this Darth Vader Hologram figure as well as this Lego Captain America.

Dark Horse always has one of the biggest booth lines on the floor, and today we found out what will motivate attendees this year:

• Comic Variants: Fight Club 2 #1, Archie vs Predator #1, Rebels #1, Plants vs Zombies: Bully for You #1
• Comic Hardcovers and Collections: Groo vs Conan, Prometheus: Fire and Stone, Elfquest: The Final Quest
• Merchandise: a Halo UNSC Pelican Dropship Replica; a Game of Thrones Robert Baratheon crown; Dragon Age: Inquisition playing cards; The Goon 3D print and The Goonies 30th Anniversary Exclusive Print

A year ago I found out Snoopy has siblings thanks to an SDCC panel; this year Snoopy's sister Belle will have a pop-up shop in the Gaslamp at 226 5th Ave. The first 250 customers each day will receive a free EOS Strawberry Sorbet lip balm with purchase, and everyone gets a pair of Belle opera glasses.


And let's close with a reminder that SDCC is only 2.5 weeks away now - so if you haven't gotten your cosplay act together yet, now is the time to pull it together.

 

The SDCC Daily

17 JUNE 2015

Today was the first time I felt nostalgic for the days when panel announcements mostly came out all at once and from CCI. Yes, we always heard about a few panels here and there but now almost every big studio has to send out a press release and make a splash. It spawns endless articles, tweets, posts and generally a lot of Internet sound and fury signifying ... well, 3 or 4 panels.

Anyway. We're finding out so much of the schedule that not much on the Hollywood end will be a mystery once the official programming comes out. But we did get other news as well.

Like that Conan O'Brien tickets went live. The site announced that SDCC tickets weren't available yet (though they were), and then the actual ticket reservation process went haywire for a bit under the weight of our demand. But it seems like eventually most people got through.

We also found out the MTV Fandom Award categories and nominees. One of the categories is "Feels Freakout of the Year" which may sound like this whole event is for 13-year-olds - but don't let that stop you from going to the free Thursday night party.  You can vote here for the awards.

On the panel side of things, we know that SyFy announced their panels and overall domination of the Indigo Ballroom on Saturday. The Awesomes will be in the Indigo Ballroom at 2 on Saturday as well. For those of you who are doing Hall H on Friday and skipping it Saturday, this could be a viable destination.

And of course we know Hall H just got even more necessary on Friday with The Walking Dead and Fear The Walking Dead. When I ran the Blackheart Burlesque contest post, I suggested catching the show before getting in line for Friday; I feel obligated to point out to first-timers that this actually will not get you into Hall H, not with the existing lineup. (And we could still get Game of Thrones in there.) This is the day for which people will camp their hearts out. I can't stress that enough. There will be multiple high-intensity fandoms competing for this room on Friday. But we'll talk lines as we get closer.

As for Hall H on Sunday, Heroes Reborn is filling out the afternoon at 1:45 pm; Grimm will be in Ballroom 20 Saturday at 3.

American Gods got a full series order from Starz, prompting rumors that we will get a full cast announcement at SDCC.

Entertainment Earth is bringing us the Ambiguously Gay Duo Bobblehead Car.  We're also getting this Deadpool Chimichanga statue.

On the comic book front, Faith Erin Hicks fans will be able to pick up a galley edition of the first volume of her Nameless City trilogy according to Bleeding Cool.

And here's something that could interest even people who aren't going to SDCC. ComiXology put out its signing schedule and the news that even some digital titles will have physical variants at the Con. However, the digital versions of those variants will also be available online - but only for the day they're featured at Comic-Con.

We'll see what tomorrow brings.

The SDCC Daily

16 JUNE 2015

 

What did we find out today?

 

Announced on today's episode: Night Vale is coming back to San Diego Comic-Con! Stay tuned for more details.

Have you missed Josh Holloway? He's headed back to Comic-Con with another pilot: Colony. He and Sarah Wayne Callies play a married couple in an LA that's "controlled by outside forces" and have to fight to reclaim a lost kid. While it feels unnatural for Sawyer from Lost to be married to Lori from The Walking Dead, this Saturday pilot screening should be a popular panel.

Nerd Fu is giving away a Comic Con Survival Pack. You have to love practical contests.

The next Penny Dreadful exclusives are here: The Creature  and his creator, Victor. We also have a Batman Chair Cape, while Gentle Giant is ready to thrill  G.I. Joe fans. But of course, you can see all the collectibles and exclusives here in CCI's handy list.

Want to go to Nerdist's VIP Comic-Con party? Their corporate security partner ESET is giving away tickets each week leading up to the Con.

The sheer volume of Funko figures is overwhelming at this point - but I have to call out these cool Supernatural Mystery Minis.

Along with this Doctor Who charm bracelet.

E3 brought us a whole mess of game trailers - some more exciting than others. Expect some of these at SDCC.

If you're thinking about going to Lovelife's epic Star Wars-themed boat party "Episode VII: A New Boat," you might want to read this interview to know what to expect. For instance, if you've been to their past SDCC events, be aware this year's yacht holds 1000 people - double the usual capacity.

 

We'll see what tomorrow brings.

 

The SDCC Daily

15 JUNE 2015






First, a grim reminder: today is the last day to turn in your badge for a refund. Hopefully this doesn't apply to any of you.

Now onto something more fun: a "Roughed-Up" Penguin from Diamond's Gothic line. That is his official name as the action figure captures Oswald in the bloody, disheveled yet defiant look we know so well. He's cheap at $20 -  but there's only 150 of him.

Nothing highlights the absurdity of the term "exclusive" as seeing Amazon offering this Ant-Man Minimates Box Set.

We got some information on the Supernatural panel: the first footage of the Winchester boys "battling Darkness" might be shown - and they will reportedly give a video presentation on series highlights, then showcase some special DVD features. In other words, this panel just became even more un-missable for Supernatural fans.

Much as I love both Factory Entertainment and the 1966 Batman show, I would not even sleep in the same room as this creepy staring Batman and Robin monolith that looks like an effigy made by a serial killer in Arkham Asylum. Your mileage may vary.

 On the business-y side of things, the New York Times is interested in how big studios "find commerce in the chaos" at SDCC. (They also referred to us as "sweaty.") Specifically they focused on a small business started by 2 superfans who are figuring out how to take that audience excitement in Hall H and turn it into momentum in what can be a long stretch between SDCC and an actual movie release date. Strategies including offering tickets months before an opening, bundled with other content and merchandise, and of course collecting fan data.

What does that mean practically? It means that studios that might normally see SDCC as too early to effectively market their movie/show may shift into viewing SDCC - or any Con - as just a powerful launch pad that's only step 1 in a sustained campaign for attendee interest.


I have a feeling that this week will bring more of the same type of announcements we've been getting, and then the following week will start shaking the ground under our feet. Stay tuned.

The SDCC Daily

14 JUNE 2015

So here we are mid-weekend - and under 2 weeks from finding out panel programming. What have we learned?

Let's start with what will undoubtedly be one of the most popular comic books at the Con: Doctor Who goes to SDCC 2015 and discovers a monster lurking in the background of cosplayers' photos. From Titan.

The Good Dinosaur replaced 99% of its voice cast, after recording dialogue. Why? The movie has been "dismantled and completely reimagined." It's still set to open in November, but I can't imagine this points to a panel for us.

Drawn & Quarterly is bringing Jillian Tamaki, Michael DeForge, Peter Bagge, Marc Bell, and Anders Nilsen to SDCC. If you're wondering about titles, I feel safe in predicting that this 776-page collection will be there.

It looks like the Star Wars VR is still being tested, but it seems like we might see some of it at SDCC. 

DeviantArt has withdrawn its sponsorship of Artist's Alley due to a rebranding and launching an app. This could have tangible repercussions, as it leaves CCI only a limited window of time to find a replacement; in the past DeviantArt has provided carpeting, padded seats, signage and display screens.

Aspen Comics is holding a panel that include a fall preview; attendees will get a panel-exclusive variant copy of Critter #1. By visiting their booth #2321, attendees can pick up the "Art of BDI: Volume One" as well as new Aspen Comics t-shirts and a string-back tote bag. There will also be exclusive hardcover editions of "Michael Turner presents: Aspen the Extended Edition" by Geoff Johns and Michael Turner and "Damsels in Excess" by Vince Hernandez and Mirka Andolfo.

 

Lego is bringing this 203-piece of Throne of Ultron set.

 

 

 

It looks like we definitely won't be seeing the Tales From the Dark Side reboot pilot; it was rejected by the CW due to concerns over its format. (Apparently CW is okay with airing a show that portrays Nostradamus as a young hipster psychic at French court, but an anthology series is just too much.) Luckily a bunch of other networks have swooped in - those being Syfy, MTV, VH1 and Hulu, though I feel like this would be best served on HBO, FX or Showtime. Maybe Joe Hill will screen it for us at the Con the way he screened the rejected Locke and Key pilot. (Though I doubt it.)

 

And of course as announced earlier, SuicideGirls: The Blackheart Burlesque will perform at House of Blues on Thursday, 9 July - and I will be giving away 2 free tickets. Email me with "I have a black heart" as the subject line to enter the contest.

The SDCC Daily

11 JUNE 2015

Hopefully over the next few days we'll find out details on Comic Creator Connection, the Blood Drive, the IFF and get a look at the official SDCC 2015 t-shirts.  CCI has been rather stingy with information so far, though their post on scammers today was very useful.

In the meantime, we've learned...


Something we already knew: Ash Vs. Evil Dead and Outland will both be at SDCC. The Ash vs Evil Dead panel is Friday in 6A from 6-7 pm; Outlander is Saturday in Ballroom 20 from 4-4:45 pm.

Entertainment Earth is bringing us 2 Penny Dreadful figures: Ethan (with guns) and Vanessa (with Tarot cards). Let's hope a special version of Dorian Gray's portrait is on the way.

And of course we got to look at Stormtrooper this and that.

Conan O'Brien is hosting the Hunger Games: Mockingjay/The Last Witch Hunter panel on Thursday at noon.

As usual, Nickelodean is all about Comic-Con excess. What they have in store for us:

• Thursday will be Throwback Thursday all day long, with appearances from Kel Mitchel ("Kenan & Kel") and Stick Stickly and the Rugrats characters Tommy, Chucky and Angelica. Since they're celebrating the 90s, maybe they'll have action figures from Action League Now! (Probably not though.)

• Their booth will give fans a chance to contribute their voices to an animated show in a recording booth - and they'll be mimicked by their favorite animated Nickelodean characters.

• They're throwing a "Nickelodean's Variety Show featuring Breadwinners Live!" at the Horton on Saturday; tickets are free and you can pick them up in the autograph area of the Sails Pavilion. This is being called a "cartoon celebration" and it will feature a table read with the Breadwinners cast and the world premiere of Pig Goat Banana Cricket and The Loud House.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles panel is Friday; Saturday is SpongeBob; Sunday is Sanjay and Craig.

Tidbit for Comic-Con of the future: Sandman will be a "grand, spectacular action film" - and Neil Gaiman asked Joseph Gordon-Levitt to ensure Morpheus doesn't punch anyone. The fact that he even had to ask makes me nervous.

Archer will again be on Friday at 5 pm in the Indigo Ballroom. First-timers, Friday in the Indigo Ballroom is traditionally one long animation festival and a lot of people enter and never leave until after Archer. Just something to factor into your plans.

AHS & Scream Queens will be a Hall H Sunday panel at 12:30. Later in the day, we get Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll and The Strain at 3 pm. I hope this makes Sunday badge holders less disappointed about Doctor Who being on Thursday. Sunday's Hall H is still a great day without it.

We'll see what tomorrow brings.

 

The SDCC Daily

10 JUNE 2015

 

This was quite a day, between the Exhibit Hall maps dropping, Warner Bros and Star Wars. But a few other things came our way...


We got our first look at the new X-Files. At least that's what Twitter says, but I thought Gillian Anderson was restoring her red hair for the role.

Licensing Expo 2015, which is the least appealing name of any convention ever, had a bunch of good reveals that might whet your appetite for SDCC - from the Batmobile under lights to Wonder Woman costume details.

From yesterday, a haughty-looking Alfred Pennyworth to add to your Wayne Manor diorama.

Whether or not you've climbed on the Archie train in the last two years - or maybe you climbed on and got off after Afterlife's long hiatus - one of the most talked-about comics this summer is the new Archie title from Mark Waid and Fiona Staples. Today we got a look at both variant covers and they look just as spectacular as you'd expect anything from Fiona Staples to look. We'll also get a Mega Man sketch variant and a Dark Circle poster.

If you really liked Adult Swim's Meatwad Full Dome 3D Experience at the Con last year, it's now morphed into a free app called The Virtual Brainload.

Do you have any nerd friends in China? Consider buying them some DVDs at SDCC if you can get them to them; China has banned 38 popular manga and anime titles as part of their crackdown on offensive online content. Black Butler, High School of the Dead, Death Note and Attack on Titan are a few of the titles. Numerous video streaming sites have already been warned by the Ministry of Culture.

 

Mattel is bringing you these HALO-themed blasters.

In the category of things we want to see at SDCC: bath bombs that dissolve to reveal Pokémon characters, My Neighbor Tortoro characters and tiny Disney princesses. You can't get these at Lush. These Firefly cards are also pretty cool.


I think today proved that Comic-Con season is on. Strap yourself in for the ride.

The SDCC Daily

8 JUNE 2016

 

                                                                  

Marvel dominated the news of the day, but we found out a few other things.

Warner Bros. is releasing Justice League: Gods and Monsters on VOD  on 8 July - Preview Night. Fingers crossed this is a free screening for SDCC attendees.

Marvel officially won't be in Hall H - well, according to Deadline. I do give this more credence than James Gunn's Facebook chat but I still think we'll have other Marvel panels. First-timers, here's what you should know: Hall H holds 6,500 people. It has the biggest, splashiest Hollywood panels, inspires the longest campouts, and is indeed considered where much of the Comic-Con magic happens. But its panels are only open to 6,500 people out of 130,000 so the absence of one panel is not going to impact most attendees. There will still be plenty of Marvel toys and panels for fans to soak up.
 
Ghostbusters fans will like these: a slimed Dr. Venkman from Funko and a Stay Puft bottle opener and slimed logo pizza cutter from Diamond Select. You can see more Funko toys here.

                                                                  From Dead Central

Entertainment Earth is bringing this Penny Dreadful exclusive: Victor Frankenstein's journal. I was kind of hoping for a stamp of Vanessa's scorpion sigil but I'll take it.

Halo fans will get a limited edition Mega Bloks collector set at the Con - and at first glance, it looks pretty spiffy.

Yes, please: Mike Allred has co-created a new Vertigo series, which will be announced at SDCC.

Film geeks may or may not care about this: Quentin Tarantino shot his latest project, The Hateful Eight, in high-res, wide image 70mm format - Ultra Panavision 70 format, which supposedly was last used in 1966. Now he's installing film projects and anamorphic lenses in 50 theatres so we can see the movie as it's meant to be seen, and people who've seen film footage report being dazzled. (According to Hollywood Reporter, Star Wars anthology film Rogue One will also be shot in Ultra Panavision.) What does this mean for SDCC? That any Tarantino panel will 1) be packed and 2) possibly involve some interesting extra measures.

Oh and finally - don't forget that CCI's Toucan blog will be counting down to SDCC with daily tips.  Today's was what to bring. By and large, it was a decent list although I was baffled by the suggestion to bring boxes, packing tape, labels and other shipping material. That's ... cumbersome. To keep it simple, just hit up a Fed Ex or UPS in the convention center or surrounding hotels and they'll supply all that for you at very minimal cost. It's really not very expensive. For instance, I shipped a huge box of books to myself from ECCC for $25 and several boxes of books and action figures home from SDCC for $45. Completely worth it.

We'll see what tomorrow brings.

The SDCC Daily

7 JUNE 2015

This might not have been the most exciting weekend in terms of SDCC announcements but we did learn some things. Such as...


Brian Michael Bendis sort of revealed that Spider-Man would be in Captain America, then walked it back with an "allegedly." Which sounds like perhaps he was trying not to blow a future Con announcement? Pure speculation.

We got a rather exciting trailer for The Martian, fueling my feeling that this panel will be on 78% of attendee agendas.

It's telling that we're all so starved for Star Wars news that this speculation about 3-CPO's red arm, as seen on a cup from Mexico, has sparked feverish discussion. Seriously - what will we find out about Star Wars at Comic-Con?

If you ever wondered what Kevin Eastman's studio looked like, you can see a replica of it at the new San Diego Comic Art Gallery.

Toys 'R'Us are bringing a cornucopia of exclusives to Comic-Con. And I mean "exclusive" in the way that means these items will also be available online and maybe in stores after the show to anyone. But attendees can get them at the Entertainment Earth booth #2343.

• EX Transformers Masterpiece Bluestreak
• SW Jabba Rancor Pit
• GI Joe Desert Duel
• POP TV: The Flash – The Flash Unmasked
• MLP Maud Pie
• MLP Daring Do
• MLP Princess Celestia
• EX Power Rangers MM Megazord Black Edition
• Exclusive Mortal Kombat Raiden 6 inch
• 1966 Batgirl

Since tomorrow will be just one month out from Preview Night, let's hope for a more active week than we've been getting.

The SDCC Daily

6 JUNE 2015

The news flow still seems on the slow side, but we're getting a few announcements. Not too many shockers, though.


Such as: Agents of Shield says it will share lots of spoilers at its panel. That is indeed what panels are known for, Agents of Shield. American Horror Story will share spoilers too.

Something that is delightfully weird: a George RR Martin plushie, with 10 quotes recorded by George himself. Only 500 are available. It's cute but it doesn't really capture his sea-captain-turned-wizard vibe.

Also on the Game of Thrones front, we have an impressive astrolabe supported by a stand bearing the four famous house sigils: a dragon, stag, direwolf and lion. This comes with a newer edition of the Pop-Up Guide to Westeros.

Patrick Rothfuss will appear at SDCC.

Are you a Vikings fan? Cast and crew will have a Friday panel at 3:30 in 6A, with a Q&A and sneak peeks.

And I think most of you have already seen these: a 3-pack of female Transformers.

Are you curious about the Assassins Creed movie out in December? We have a poster thanks to Collider - and the movie marketing machine is cranking to life, so let's assume we'll see something next month at SDCC:

Special guest Raina Telgemeier is hosting a special evening at the San Diego Central Library on 7 July the night before Comic-Con, co-sponsored by CCI and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

And finally, X-Files starts shooting on Monday - so maybe, just maybe, Chris Carter will feed us some footage scraps at a panel to tide us over until January.

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.