They did this last year with The Killing Joke, to a bit more fanfare, and it was a nice option for the many people who got shut out of the Con. (Though the terrible reviews probably dampened their anticipation somewhat.) But it's also welcome news for attendees. Seeing animation in a theatre is preferable to Ballroom 20 with its moderately-sized screens - and you can use those early evening hours to rest up between your daytime panels and your nighttime carousing. Still, if you want to be one of the first to see Batman and Harley Quinn, you can do that too.
Tickets for the theatre showings go on sale 30 June.
If you've spent your last few SDCC Friday nights in Ballroom 20, watchingThe Killing Jokeand Justice League: Gods and Monsters, get ready to continue the tradition:Batman and Harley Quinnwill be the next DC premiere to thrill (or disappoint) you.
If you're not familiar with the storyline, Poison Ivy goes full genocidal maniac in an attempt to save the planet - prompting Batman to seek Harley Quinn's help in catching her. It's described as "a thrill ride of action, adventure and comedy no Batman fan has seen before." And it probably won't have any gargoyle-laced sex scenes, so it has that going for it over the Killing Joke movie.
As always, you'll get a panel discussion of the voice cast and creators. Kevin Conroy, Melissa Rauch, Paget Brewster, Loren Lester, Sam Liu and ....maybe Bruce Timm? Not sure if he'll be there or not. But I do know this will be a top Comic-Con destination Friday night - so add it to your agenda.
Demand has been so high for this that theatre after theatre has sold out, with more added in the last few days. It's actually breaking records. And what does that demand say about our ability to get a good seat at the Con screening - or get in at all? Probably what we already knew: it's going to be tough.
When The Killing Joke was announced, my first thought was that I would crawl into a Ballroom 20 air duct if necessary to see it. Now the pressure is off slightly - and of course, it's coming out digitally on 26 July and then on DVD and Blu-ray a week later. Still, seeing it at Comic-Con is part of the magic.
See you in line on July 22. And maybe again at the movies a few nights later.
I'm back in the world of the Internet-connected and should be safely here for the next month, so let's get to it. Where are we with San Diego Comic-Con?
Press badges are shipping out - but if you've got one coming, you probably know that already.
And if you're still plotting your way into the Star Trek premiere - here's a contest to not only attend, but meet the cast and hit the after-party.
Skybound's Negan and Glenn exclusive is getting non-comic-readers in a tizzy. So remember: this is based on the comic book, not the show. Should you get it anyhow if you're just a TV fan? I say yes, if only because the box says "Comes with exclusive smashed Glenn head."
Wonder Woman's invisible plane will be at SDCC (though not in her upcoming movie) as a symbol of her "global appeal and the special place she holds in the hearts of generations of girls who have imagined wielding their own lassos of truth." That's not what girls imagine, PR exec. Anyhow, the plane will light up at night, making it a cool photo op, and in one of the weirdest comic book merchandising deals ever, there will be Wonder Woman stuff at Pottery Barn. Tastefully minimalist, I'm sure.
If you're a first-timer, you may be wondering how people are getting tickets to the Conan O'Brien tapings, Syfy presents and other offsites everyone's talking about. While tickets are hard to get for the top events, you can lay the groundwork now. Join Team Coco for Conan tickets and pay strict attention to when the sale is announced - they will be gone in minutes.
Speaking of Syfy Presents, we know Will Arnett is hosting - and the event will have an "outdoor stage." Hmm. That sounds very MTV-spring breakish.
It seems like HBO is committing to making Westworld a success so let's ignore its previous SDCC history and hope this is one of the more interesting peeks we see this July.
One peek I think people should NOT anticipate: the Harley Quinn movie in development. Expecting that is a bit premature, though everyone is hyped about it. But it has been announced that the movie will feature other female DC heroes and villains, so maybe Warner Bros will drop a few plot details to help you plan next summer's cosplay.
We've long suspected this will be a very Star Trek Comic-Con, and now one of our wishes has been confirmed: on Wednesday, 20 July, Star Trek Beyond will premiere at SDCC.
Specifically, behind the convention center, IMAX-style, with the cast in attendance and the San Diego Symphony offering a live performance. You can't beat that. To be clear, this is the official premiere, red carpet and all; on the one hand, that makes it especially exciting, but also makes it that much harder to attend.
If you feel confident about your chances of getting in, BUT you have a Preview night badge, you may feel torn between the two. I think you'll be okay. You should be able to ransack the Exhibit Hall from 6-7 and still get seated by showtime. At any rate, you clearly have some kind of magic powers if you get a premiere ticket and a PV badge, so you'll find a way to make it work.
Now. Because most of us won't get in - will there be any other special events celebrating the official Friday opening? Maybe. If you're a lifelong Trekkie, don't view this as your only opportunity to live long and prosper at SDCC; I'm pretty confident we'll have other events. A lot of us are hoping that Adam Nimoy brings his documentary "For the Love of Spock" and/or that the 50th anniversary Ultimate Voyage tour makes a stop; but even if those don't happen, the 50th anniversary and the new movie will get celebrated.
The good news: The Killing Joke looks as good as we hoped it would be. The announcement of new material (mainly pertaining to Barbara Gordon) made a few people twitchy, and the animation has its detractors, but it looks like the sound and overall feel of the film will align with the book.
The bad news: This is going to be ridiculously popular at SDCC, and probably not as easy to get into as most of the nighttime screenings and premieres. This will definitely be an anchor panel/event for me and probably tons of other attendees.
Three months from today, San Diego Comic-Con will already be over. That's kind of unsettling, right?
"He's insane. It's a mistake to think you know what he'll do."
Just a little something to sooth your nerves before Hotel Day and remind you that it's all worth it - the ball of anxiety that is your stomach as you contemplate landing at La Quinta inn on Tuesday morning. If you have a badge for San Diego Comic-Con, that's what matters. You're still going to your dream panels, can still see The Killing Joke or the Masquerade or confront your arch enemy in the Nintendo Gaming Lounge. No one can take that away from you.
Those of you going to Image Expo's Spring Formal next Wednesday night will have this to look forward to: a screening of Robert Kirkman's Outcast pilot.
The Spring Formal is a real dance by the way, with formal wear, cocktails, DJs (Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie) and dancing. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund will be highlighted too. A few tickets are left, so if you'll be in Seattle next week, think about going. Remember, Emerald City doesn't kick off until Thursday afternoon, so you have all morning to sleep in.
Remember last summer at San Diego Comic-Con when you were watching the Justice League: Gods and Monsters in Ballroom 20, Friday night, and then afterward Bruce Timm casually mentioned he was doing an animated film of The Killing Joke? And you felt electrified?
(Or maybe you just saw it on Twitter and got a vicarious jolt. Same thing.)
Timm said then it would be at Comic-Con next year, which made the need to procure an SDCC 2016 badge even more urgent. Well, I hope you got a badge in Pre-reg - because The Killing Joke will indeed dazzle the world for the first time at SDCC. And we know that it will include "original scenes" to flesh out the story.
So here are the main questions:
Will these original scenes match with or detract from the intensity of the graphic novel?
How will the controversy with Barbara Gordon be handled?
How will the ambiguous final frames of the comic be translated to film?
And for some of you: should you even care about seeing this if you've never read a comic book or graphic novel in your life?
I can't answer the first three questions but yes, you should put this on your still-forming agenda. If you like animation, compelling stories, DC or Bruce Timm, you'll probably like this even if you didn't read the book.
Of course, it could also fail utterly at making the jump from page to screen. But it's still going to be a legendary Comic-Con moment.
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.
I'm guessing the answer is "yes," knowing how loyal Nerdist fans are.
Here's the deal. Their movie The Hive is a fresh horror movie about a teenage camp counselor who wakes up imprisoned in a cabin, missing some memories as he tries to solve the mystery of what happened. Chris Hardwick and his Nerdist crew are letting SDCC attendees see it first. Are you intrigued?
On Friday, The Nerdist Conival at Petco Park will hold a noon panel with the cast and director.
On Saturday, Chris Hardwick has a 1 pm Nerdist panel in the Indigo Ballroom, which will be joined by the director.
Then at 3:30 pm on Saturday, the movie itself and a surrounding panel will take place at the Horton Grand Theatre. Yes, this is a ticketed event and sure to be extremely popular.
Here's a quote from Chris Hardwick if you need more convincing: “This movie is so much damn fun. The first time I saw it, I was blown away by how fresh and inventive the story was, which is no small feat in horror. I knew right away I wanted to help get this movie into the eyes and earholes of horror fans.”
So there you have it - Chris Hardwick wants to invade your horror-smitten earholes. More information on tickets soon.
Funko released Wave 6, which includes a Snuffleapagus and a smiling Mossy Groot.
Red Giant released a digital version of the GIANT-SIZE #1 comic they're giving away at SDCC. The digital is 1.99; the 50,000 they're giving away at SDCC are free, so don't feel you have to choose.
If you have a hard time picturing Dagobah translated into Legos, here it is. It comes with a tiny Yoda and Luke - as well as a complicated buying process. You'll need to get a raffle ticket just in the hopes of getting picked to buy it at the Lego booth.
You can win tickets to comedy show The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail on 10 July by signing up for their newsletter; online tickets are sold out but more tickets will be available at the door so don't give up on this if you really want to see them.
Also on 10 July: AIR with Norman Reedus and Djimon Hounsou will have a premiere at Horton Plaza that is invite-only - but you have a chance to get tickets to this too. Subscribe to the Insider mailing list and you'll get a "special email" within the next two weeks. It doesn't say if you'll also get access to Skybound's "star-studded party" but I'm guessing not.
I'll repeat my prediction last week that next week should unlock the real flow of SDCC announcements. Compared to previous years, promoters are waiting until later in the game to announce their events, contests and exclusives; the next two weeks should be vivid. Stay tuned.
If you're one of those Comic-Con attendees who feel stuck at all the plebeian events, wistfully dreaming of red carpet galas, good news: you have a chance to attend the premiere of Outlander, the Starz TV show based on Diana Gabaldon's very popular series. Not only will you see the pilot, you'll also see a panel session featuring Ronald D. Moore, Diana Gabaldon, Caitriona Balfe, Sam Heughan, Tobias Menzies, Lotte Verbeek and Graham McTavish.
The show doesn't officially debut on Starz until 9 August, so you'll be the first in the world to see it.
When: Friday, 25 July
Where: The Spreckels Theatre at 121 Broadway
100 lucky winners (and their friends) will be chosen. You can toss your name in the hat here - but do so by 27 June.
