Comic-Con 2012 Recap
Courtesy of:
The Couch Potato Commentater from CW44/Tampa
Christmas is my favorite time of year... family, presents and time off work make it easy to love. A close second is the second weekend in July. No I'm not talking about Christmas in July but about the one and only Comic-Con. (A nerd's Christmas of sorts.) It's the time of year where the beautiful people of San Diego are replaced by grown men dressed as Storm Troopers, X-Men, and Akira. A great costume or a vast knowledge of useless information is what gets you a seat at the cool table here. All the studios, stars, and big wigs roll out their shows and movies in hopes to create buzz for their projects. Comic-Con 2012 had the return of some familiar faces like Marvel as well as, new shows on the block like The CW's Arrow. Some surprise footage blew audiences away and other projects had us wondering if Marvel could make a hit movie with two of its main characters being a tree and a raccoon.
Photo Credit: HuffingtonPost.com
The television networks have invaded Comic-Con over the past few years to roll out new shows and to dish some spoilers and teases for returning favorites. The fans in Ballroom 20 were treated to the CW's new pilot Arrow and were given hints that the DC universe could be expanded in the show. I have seen the pilot as well and there is a definite hint to the character Death Stroke in the show. Katie Cassidy, who plays Dinah Lance in Arrow, hinted that we could see her character suit up as the famed Black Canary from DC Comics lore. Fans were impressed with the dark crime-thriller tone and Stephen Amell's presence on-screen as Oliver Queen made the worries of an Arrow without Justin Hartley fade. The Vampires Diaries also held court at Comic-Con discussing the events of season 3's shocking finale and the effect it would have on the storytelling of season 4.
After a limited presence last year, Marvel rolled out what they are calling their phase two of movie releases or what I like to call the "we have all your money now after The Avengers phase." Marvel brought in the big guns in the form of Tony Stark himself Robert Downey Jr. to preview Iron Man 3. Downey Jr. had some fans worrying when he stated that his contact for solo Iron Man movies is up after the third installment. I'm not sure how many more solo Iron Man films we will see but we all know there's no way Downey Jr. is turning down the money he will make for The Avengers sequels so everyone can calm down.
Source: Marvel.com
Marvel also dropped the names of its upcoming sequels including Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and a new film Guardians of the Galaxy. Guardians of the Galaxy could be Marvel's bravest and riskiest move to date. The Guardians are the on the fringe of the Marvel universe and this could be the first Marvel Studios misfire at the box office. Two of the Guardians are a tree man and a raccoon. If people behind the scenes were worried that Thor was a tough sell I can't imagine what the suits think of this. If anybody can pull this film off it's Marvel but I wouldn't bet on Guardians generating the buzz or cash that other films under Marvel have made.
The biggest surprise came from movie that wasn't even scheduled for Comic-Con. Legendary Pictures unveiled a teaser trailer for Godzilla. I loved Godzilla growing up and the treatment the radioactive monster has received on film in the last three decades is unbearable to watch. Godzilla is an icon to the Comic-Con crowd so the fact that a teaser showing a devastated city and multiple monsters totally stole the show away from the other monsters and Jaegers (giant robots) from Pacific Rim. Gareth Edwards being chosen to direct the film is a genius choice considering he made one of the best and little seen monster movies of the past thirty years. If you haven't seen Monsters go out and rent it today. Edwards made the film for a reported $30 thousand dollars and it looks better than most big budget action films. Edwards wants to take a realistic serious approach to Godzilla so I can't wait to see what he can do with a massive budget. Just don't go all Tobe Hooper directing Poltergeist on us and freak out making a big budget movie.
I can go on and on about all the other movies including The Man of Steel which will hopefully breathe new life into a dormant Superman franchise but I want to get to what annoyed me the most about Comic-Con again. Why the hell is Glee at Comic-Con? That show has no business in that Sci-fi genre atmosphere. Is there anyone who can tell me why a crappy sing along television show deserves to be in the same room as Pacific Rim, Arrow, or Marvel? As much as the costumed fans Comic-Con have been annoyed by the twi-hard (Twilight fans) occupation at Comic-Con I believe that team Edward deserves to be there over Glee. The Twilight franchise may be a pitiful excuse for movie making but it is Sci-Fi and that's what Comic-Con is supposed to be about.
