FILM COLUMN: COMIC-CON 2012 ROUND-UP
Celebrities, Screenings, Prints & Panels - A Whirlwind of Geek Culture in San Diego, CA
After four full days of fans panels stuffed to capacity, toys, comics, prints, swag, contests, signings, video game testing, industry parties, mind-blowing Cosplay, advance screenings, and a Zombie obstacle course, Comic-Con 2012 has come to a close. With this years' lines and crowds said to be the conventions absolute biggest, it was hard to wrap your brain around everything the pop-culture-athon had to offer.
In terms of Hollywood’s buffed-up presence, studios gave it their all to provide film and television fans exclusive clips and insider secrets to get them, if possible, even more excited for their respective projects. From the shoe-ins (Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2, Iron Man 3) to those kept secret (Pacific Rim, Elysium) to just announced hit-or-misses (Guardians of the Galaxy), con-goers were privy to some of the biggest movies to come out in the next two years.
Television stars, show-runners, and producers came to the stage to preview their upcoming seasons, as well as answer fan questions and be generally adorable. There’s something about a group as close-knit as an ensemble cast that lends itself to these intimate (albeit, teeming masses of six thousand) gatherings. Whether the show was on its final leg like Fox’s Fringe, or happened to be the teary ten year anniversary Firefly reunion, TV celebrities were eager to share the love with their fans.
So how do you sum up a four-day love-fest packed with such a variety of topics? Short answer: you don’t. It would be impossible to cram all the titillating information revealed at panels, press conferences, and on the Comic-Con floor. Never fret; we’ll be sharing what we discovered in typical Buzzine geek-out previews, interviews, and more. In the meantime, here’s a taste of what we picked up in San Diego last weekend...
1. If you’re going to dress up in Cosplay, make sure you’re willing to give up some of your free time. The convention center was splitting at the seams with fans dressed in hand-made, intricate and clever costumes. The only problem? For every cosplayer eager to get out on the floor, there were twenty cameras snapping their photo. While we also participated in this photo-frenzy, it was easy to see that some decked out attendees were there specifically to pose.
2. After The Avengers, Marvel is clearly feeling the pressure to step up their game and keep the hits coming – at least until we get The Avengers 2. At the studio’s panel, Thor and Captain America’s sequel titles were revealed; Thor: The Dark World (November 18, 2013) and Captain America: Winter Soldier (April 4, 2014). While the tried and true fans anticipated news about Iron Man's cohorts in The Avengers, many were thrown for a loop by the announcement of Marvel’s next big mash-up: Guardians of the Galaxy.
3. Even the press can get their fanboy/girl on. After a panel that Browncoats waited over twelve hours to get into, the Science Channel held a last minute press conference with Firefly alumni Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk, Adam Baldwin, Sean Maher, and Summer Glau, along with creator Joss Whedon and showrunner Tim Minear. Journalists waited in line to get into the conference, eager to get up front and snag photos for their magazine, newspaper, blog, or their personal collection. As the team behind Firefly answered questions about their experiences on one of the most beloved shows of all time, this writer found herself beyond star struck.
4. Purists, rest assured: Comic-Con is still about art and comics. True, it’s easy to get swept up in the big productions the studios put on, but there are plenty of prints, original drawings, and collectors’ items to peruse. Artists and publishers hold panels for aspiring graphic novelists, and explore tropes and themes within the comics themselves. In fact, you could spend all four days on the floor in Artists’ Alley and Small Press, speaking with the artists themselves, commissioning original works, or just picking out what pieces you want to take home with you.
5. Quentin Tarantino let a Pulp Fiction connection slip during the Django Unchained panel: “There is one thing I’ll say though. Broomhilda and Django will eventually have a baby and then that baby will have a baby and that baby will have a baby and one of these days, John Shaft will be born. John Shaft started with this lady here. They’re the great great great great grandparents of shut your mouth!”
All in all, the whirlwind of Comic-Con is an extraordinary event, bringing fans and talent together to share and celebrate geek-culture... Check back with Team Buzzine in upcoming days for more detail and updates on the films, television shows, discussions, and art announced and introduced at Comic-Con 2012!
Featured content
Related content
You may also like
Recent comments
Top Searches
