 Comic-Con Preview 2012
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San Diego Comic-Con Preview 2012
Written By: Abel S. - "Honest Abe"
July 10th, 2012
Preview night begins on Wednesday, July 11th and DigThatBox will
be there to bring you my first person account of all the sights and sounds. I will let you in on all the details of what is
hot in the world of movies, TV and comic books. The event is sold out so if you cannot make it, be sure to tune in for all
my reports from the floor. And if you are going to the show, make sure you read our Comic Con Survival Guide for tips on how
to make the most of your comic con experience.
Wednesday / Preview Night: Wednesday, as is usual, is Preview Night. Not much occurs except picking up your badge and getting your bearings but in the last couple of years, a few screenings of have been shown. This year presents sneak peeks of upcoming new television shows including Arrow, The Following, Revolution and Cult. Thursday / Day One:
On Thursday when the doors open, let the fun begin! Right away we get some heavy hitters such as Mark Hamill and Stan Lee talking about his latest project, Stan Lee’s World of Heroes. Check out his YouTube channel for further details. Twilight makes its final (fingers crossed!) appearance in Hall H with a look at the upcoming final chapter in the film series. If you’re into Street Fighter, there’s a panel celebrating its 25th anniversary. USA Network’s popular series Psyche returns for the fourth year in a row. Tim Burton also makes a return with a presentation on his next feature, Frankenweenie. Did you grow up with Power Rangers? Well, the series is finally being released on DVD. Come to the panel celebrating twenty years of Morphin Time!
If you recall my WonderCon coverage, my favorite panel
was named, “It Was 30 Years Ago Today”, and it was about the many great genre films that were released back in
1982. I’m happy to report that that panel is making a second visit, this time at Comic Con. Come reminisce, or be introduced
for the first time to some genre classics. Genndy Tartakovsky, who created Dexter’s Laboratory
and the first Star Wars: The Clone Wars series will be on hand to discuss his directorial debut, Hotel Transylvania. The big
guns come out on Thursday as Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren,
and Arnold Schwarzenegger will present The Expendables 2! The CW’s hit series Nikita
returns to Comic Con and star Maggie Q along with other cast members will be on hand to take your questions. Showtime’s
popular series Dexter returns for its final season so expect some surprises.
Comedy Central’s quirky series Workaholics
will be on hand and apparently, there will be a contest for a fan to have his name written into a future episode. Way cool!!!
There is an upcoming documentary about the history of the Batmobile coming soon. Attend this panel discussion about
the film and you might win a chance to actually sit inside this famed vehicle! Finally, can you think of a better way
to close out day one by attending the traditional Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog panel? Me either. See you
there.
Friday / Day One:
Friday, welcomes back NBC’s Community
in advance of its upcoming fourth season. Are you a fan of My Little Pony? Are you a "Brony?"
Come to Hasbro’s panel for an up close look at the creation of the “friendship and magic”. It’s Pizza
time! Nickelodeon is bringing back the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with a firsthand look at
the new series. Featuring stellar voice talent, this new toon is sure to rock.
I am personally excited for the ParaNorman
panel to be held in Hall H. With the promise of brand new footage, all I can say is if you haven’t seen the trailer
yet for this upcoming animated stop motion feature, you are missing out. Definitely one of the more popular panels in recent
years, The Big Bang Theory returns to Comic Con. Love for this sitcom has grown so much that
the panel has been moved to Hall H to accommodate more fans this year. What is sure to be one of the hottest panels to attend
is the Firefly 10-Year Anniversary. With most of the cast as well as Joss
Whedon in attendance, prepare yourselves for a stroll down memory lane. It is Friday the 13th so what better way to
celebrate than the return of The Walking Dead? Just like The Big Bang Theory, this panel has
also been moved to Hall H this year. Also making the jump to Hall H is HBO’s monster hit, Game
of Thrones.
Fan favorite Milla Jovovich returns
with Resident Evil: Retribution, the next film in the ongoing franchise. A large contingent of the cast will be on hand as
well. Step into the way back machine at a panel celebrating fifty years of Marvel heroes. Come listen to stories about the
early years from panelists who were there at the beginning. Sony Pictures will present a two hour slate of films including
Elysium, Looper and the remake of Total Recall.
Expect to see many stars of these films including Jessica Biel, Kate Beckinsale, Colin Farrell, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Emily
Blunt (to name a few). Didn’t get enough of Joss Whedon earlier in the day? Well, he will be hosting his own panel to
discuss what’s on his upcoming slate.
If you’re a Transformers fan, then you’ll want to
check out Peter Cullen (Optimus himself) as he’s interviewed by Larry
King. (Wait, what?) The panel for Breaking Bad will be dedicated to its final upcoming
season so expect the crowds to turn out for this one. Finally, three more nostalgia panels round out the day with looks back
at the 35th anniversary of Heavy Metal Magazine, the 30th anniversary of Blade Runner and the
25th anniversary of the live action Masters of the Universe. Still got some energy? Stick around late night for Spike and
Mike’s Sick and Twisted Gauntlet of Animation. Outside the Con, the tradition continues with the return of San
Diego Zombie Walk.
Saturday / Day Three:
The fun continues on Saturday! Next summer, Will Smith returns
to sci fi with his next film After Earth. If you want to learn more about this and see where
it all began, then come to the panel where the creators of the comic as well as some of the creative team of the film (currently
in production) will be discussing the film adaptation. Lots of TV panels happening today including Once
Upon A Time, Warehouse 13 and of course, The Simpsons, Futurama and Family Guy.
After being absent for several years, Quentin
Tarantino returns to Comic Con with a first look at his latest film, Django Unchained. This is sure to be one of the
liveliest panels and surely one of the most talked about after the show. Did I say ‘show’? Did I mention that
Attack of the Show is also returning to ‘Con? If you’ve ever had a burning question to ask the hosts (other than
for Sara Jean’s phone number) this is your chance to ask. They are promising an interactive panel.
Warner Brothers takes over Hall H with over two hours of panel
discussions. The spotlight falls on Superman as his latest cinematic venture, Man of Steel,
will be featured. For those of you itching for more Middle Earth, The Hobbit will also
be prominent. Several of the major stars of the film have already been confirmed to appear. Finally, the curtains
will be pulled back on Guillermo del Toro’s super secret next film Pacific Rim. Expect
lots of surprises.
Warner Brothers is teaming up with Fox to bring you the bacon.
Kevin Bacon that is! Yes, the man who has directly or indirectly worked with everyone in
Hollywood is bringing his new series, The Following to Comic Con. More TV shows invade the ‘Con today as panels
on The Vampire Diaries, Grimm, Alphas, and Being Human are all featured. For something completely different, check out
William Shatner and maverick film producer/director Roger Corman
sharing a panel moderated by the one and only Kevin Smith. Shatner will be discussing an upcoming documentary about
his life and Corman will be showing footage of his first ever 3-D film, Attack of the 50 Foot Cheerleader. (You read that
right!)
Ballroom 20 will be flowing with blood as True
Blood returns for what is sure to be another wildly popular panel. This is one of those panels that people camp
out for hours ahead of schedule so get there early! Rinse off the blood afterwards because it is time for another annual
tradition, the Comic Con Masquerade. Seating is limited but if you don’t have to be in the same room, then there
are two overflow rooms where you can watch all the action unfold via monitors.
Finally, end the day with Iron Man and Kevin Smith. Start with a panel devoted to next summer’s blockbuster Iron Man 3. Stay for the next panel right after which is Kevin Smith’s annual Q&A panel/discussion on all things….well everything. The man knows his fandom. Sunday / Day Four / Kids Day:
Sunday is traditionally Kids Day
and the programming for the younger crowd does not disappoint. You’ve got everything from Young
Justice, SpongeBob and Emily the Strange, to Level
Up, Ninjago, DC Nation and Ben 10.
For you bigger kids, there are plenty of TV related panels to entice you for one more day. Sons of Anarchy, Merlin, Supernatural
and Dr. Who lead the charge. Expect huge crowds for the Fringe panel. This is the final season
of the show so expect this panel to be full of surprises.
Special panels devoted to Image Comics’ 20th anniversary
and the upcoming 50th anniversary of Spiderman are also on tap for today. Speaking of anniversaries, there will also be a
panel celebrating 20 slaying years of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Can you believe it? Reminisce
with some of the original cast as well as a surprise guest or two.
Once again, the days leading up to Comic Con are fueled with
rumors and speculation. Who will show up? Who will surprise us? Details are sketchy on the panel devoted to Iron
Man 3. I think it’s safe to assume that Robert Downey Jr. will appear but who else? What about any other unknown
co-stars? As the film is still currently in production, what kind of footage, if any, can we expect? Rumors are also surrounding
Django Unchained. We know Tarantino will be there but who else? Can we expect to see leading men Jamie Foxx and Leonardo Dicaprio?
I’m betting we’ll see not only a new trailer but perhaps a finished clip from the film. Probably the biggest (literally)
rumor is surrounding the Warner Brothers presentation. The inside scoop is that there will be a huge announcement with regards
to Godzilla! You heard me right. As far as I know, they are still in the pre-production phase
with no principle cast attached so it could be just storyboards and sketches that we will see. Regardless, this will definitely
be some huge exclusive news.
Also, keep a lookout as I’ll be wandering the main floor once again handing out our official Dig That Box game tokens! Yes, you can own one of these uber limited tokens if you’re in the right place at the right time. When all is said and done, I’ll report back to all of you one what was seen, what was experienced, who was met, what was bought, how little sleep I achieved…you get the picture. Stay tuned as I bring you all the Comic Con goodness! You can find out more detailed information at the official Comic Con website: http://comic-con.org/ See you in San Diego! About the Author: Abel Pinedo has worked
in the entertainment industry for over a decade. He's also an annual visitor to such conventions as Comikaze, San Diego Comic
Con, Wizard World and More. When he's not touring the convention circuit he can usually be found at his keyboard telling the
World about his adventures.
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