The Annual 42 Comic-Con International was held in San Diego, California, July 20 – 25. The weekend ended with a bang as Cowboys and Aliens premiered, Hugh Jackman made a special appearance, and Arkham City was released to the masses for a little preview.
Twitter was full of information. I’ve collected the most interesting and informative bits from all around. Reading through the releases and panels, don’t forget to ask yourself have comic books and movies become synonymous? And is it just me or is the industry booming?
The Scene:
Day one of the panel proved to be busy, with crowds and parking pandemonium, according to one source. Many comic book publishers announced they were going digital including Marvel, IDW and DC. As the event pushed on, the convention center became packed – Tweeters set the scene:
@IsMeToo ..#SDCC Exhibit Hall / Artist Alley, etc. WAY to crowded & grown men/women pushing through little kids to get any kind of swag
DangerShoes Jeff Elwell .. After all the walking, standing in lines, fighting through crowds, dealing with snarky waiters… I’m seriously missing #SDCC. Was amazing!
mousewords Christine Taylor.. Un-awesome: slightly sprained ankle, knee, neck. Awesome: did NOT faceplant on concrete. Related: Crowds are merciless. #sdcc
But most agree it was worth it:
ThomasMcNamara ThomasMcNamara.. Great time at #SDCC Yes it is crowded but so what? Lots of fun so can deal with the crowds.
The Wrap?
Robert Rodriguez gave fans more than just a taste of what was to come. In fact, he told audiences exactly what to expect from confirmed movies like Sin City 2, Machete 2 (it’s going to take place in space) and Rodriguez has partnered with legendary artist Frank Frazetta’s estate to create a museum. He also announced Frazetta’s work will be the basis of a film franchise starting with a remake of 1983’s Fire and Ice.
The Avengers movie poster was released early in the festivities as well and by the end of Captain America’s opening weekend those posters were already in theaters. You can download the poster for your desktop here. Adding to the excitement, some character illustrations, including Hawkeye and Black Widow, were also released for the film.
Giving music fans something to look forward too, Tom Morello announced he was going to be creating a comic book called Orchid for Dark Horse, that book will be out on shelves in October. A special cover will be released for the first issue by street artist and OBEY giant Shepard Fairey.
DC promptly announced Clark Kent’s relationship with Lois Lane was O.V.E.R. Comic-Con 2011 reveals she’ll have a new lover.
Thursday afternoon was all about Robert Kirkman, not The Walking Dead, but his comic label Skybound Entertainment, a growing segment of Image Comics. Kirkman noted new projects like “Super Dinosaur” and Spencer and Shawn Martinborough’s “Thief of Thieves”, which according to Comic Book Resources is supposed to feel like a writer’s room of a television show. “It’s going to be me plotting the series with a bunch of different writers,” Kirkman said while at the panel. Brian K. Vaughn’s (Y:The Last Man, Runaways, Ex Machina) return to Image was also announced on Saturday, at Kirkman Talks a Creator-Owned Panel. Just for fun, watch The Walking Dead season 2 trailer here, it’s almost five minutes of fun!
Everyone loves Batman and with the movie slated for release in 2012, the DC Comics Batman Panel was a necessary stop. Thursday afternoon held all the secrets of Bruce Wayne’s perils as Mike Marts (group editor), Rachel Gluckstern (editor), Grant Morrison, Scott Snyder, Gail Simone, Judd Winick, Kyle Higgins, Scott Lobdell, Peter Tomasi and Gregg Hurwitz (writers) and Chris Burnham and David Finch (artists). Covering the panel Comic Book Resources reports Catwoman is going to be back and sexier than ever. Listen to DC’s official podcast of the panel here.
Not only will the following announcement appeal to the kid in you, but also the rock star in you. IDW announced an Archie meets KISS series. What’s cooler than that?
Hugh Jackman just showed up. No joke, he decided to surprise fans and talked Wolverine vs. the Silver Samurai. 310 To Yuma director James Mangold replaced Daren Arronofsky and The Wolverine is set to start filming in October. Jackman was there to promote his upcoming movie Reel Steel.
The return of Sarah Michelle Gellar to Comic-Con hit Twitter hard. While not comic book related, she mentions Buffy, just a few times in the CW’s panel for their new show Ringer. Making comparisons between the characters and shocked the shows producers hired her a body double, Buffy fans rejoiced as SMG made her first Comic-Con appearance in almost a decade.
Joss Whedon also hit comic-con to talk about Buffy, The Avengers and more. The whole Dark Horse panel can be found on youtube or at buffyfest.com. Here Whedon confirmed to fans his brother Jed, has already written songs for a Dr. Horrible sequel. As for Buffy, Whedon wants to explore Ripper, the back story of a young Rupert Giles. Rub some salt in that wound won’t ya? He also announced Buffy Season 9 will focus on a more simple life for the slayer – one where she’s not leading an army of girls. He also admits the scale of season 8 became “an albatross’. He also touched on The Avengers film. “It hasn’t been as hard as I thought it would be,” Whedon said, later joking “the only problem I’ve had with ‘The Avengers’ is: Where is the 14-year-old girl with superpowers?”
Marvel’s X-Men panel included writers, editors and artists working currently on the title. Comic Book Resources covered the panel and kept readers in the loop about upcoming developments. Director of Communications Arune Singh said Schism was “the end of the X-Men as you know them—that’s not hype,” also noting that “Generation Hope ties in, in a major, major way.” In October Wolverine and the X-Men will launch and Uncanny X-Men will get a new number one, clearly illustrating the divide to come.
Exciting news out of Comic-Con this year. Superhero movies are huge right now, comics are hot as television shows are created like The Walking Dead and the video game market is banking big on Batman. Maybe next year this reporter will get to do some on-scene work.
