San Diego Comic Con is just around the corner, and the three of us here at GRCT are going to be counting down to it with a series of posts. Look for them every Wednesday leading up to preview night in San Diego!
This week, we all talk about what we’re hoping to see and do in San Diego this year, as information starts trickling in as to who will be in attendance.
End. Game.
I will do anything and everything for either an Arrow panel, or autograph session – whichever promises to be less insane. I don’t know which just yet, but I will structure a whole day around Arrow. I’m just devastated that we probably won’t get Colin Donnell at SDCC, and if you’ve been watching Arrow, you know why.
Oh, and there’s our Multiple Man meetup (all cool kids welcome!), Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Artists’ Alley to peruse and some sweet exclusives I want to get, but yeah.
Arrow. It will happen.
When I’m going to SDCC, this is about the time of year that I start to slowly go crazy. The excitement is reaching its highest point, details about who might be there are slowly starting to trickle out, but all of my plans aren’t completely set yet. It’s stressful, but god is it fun. Already, though, I’ve got a pretty solid idea of what I hope to see this year at the con, both comics related and beyond.
Marvel’s Hall H Panel: Marvel generally goes big for Comic Con when they have films coming out, and since I happened to miss the year when all of the Avengers were on stage at the same time, I don’t plan to miss this year. I’m really hoping that we get some Winter Soldier footage (and that Chris Evans, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan and Scarlet Johansson show up). There’s also the possibility of casting announcements for Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers 2, even if it’s too early yet for footage from either.
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: If the Comic Con Gods are good, they’ll pair this panel with the regular Marvel panel, and we’ll get it all in one place. Either way, wherever this panel is, I will be, and I absolutely can’t wait for it. They’ve filmed the pilot already, so maybe we’ll get extra footage. Or a complete pilot screening! Either way, it’ll be great to see the cast all in one place. And I’ve had a crush on J. August Richards for quite sometime now, so that’s just an added bonus.
Creators!: I’ve learned the past few times I’ve gone to SDCC that it’s easy to get swept up in the excitement of panels and to spend all day panel-sitting (they don’t clear rooms between panels, so sometimes entire days have to be devoted to keeping your spot for something you might want to see later in the day), but there’s a lot of awesomeness to be found in walking Artist’s Alley and chatting with creators, both big and small. But in addition to just walking that part of the floor, I’m really hoping that I’ll be able to meet Brian Michael Bendis (I think this is the only con he’s doing for a while) and get my Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #1 signed, as well as flail in his general direction. And they haven’t announced anything beyond their special guests, but I’m really hoping that Fiona Staples, Brian K Vaughn and Sara Pichelli make an appearance.
X-Men Days of Future Past: This film looks like it’ll either be a train wreck or something magical. It doesn’t release until July of next year, but it looks to be before next year’s SDCC, so we could get some footage or some of the cast might show up. Either way, I’m completely on board, and if it fits into my schedule (which I already expect is going to be insanely busy) I think whatever they have to showcase will be a good time.
So Many Other Films: Kick-Ass 2 comes out later this year, and from what I’ve gleaned from twitter and other sources, will have a large presence at the con this year. I didn’t really enjoy the book that much (Hit-Girl’s series was great, but I’ve yet to finish the Kick-Ass 2 comic), but I am looking forward to the film. Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is also slated for release later this year, and I feel like I’ve been waiting FOREVER for this one. And in the non-comics world, I’m hoping that Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright bring The World’s End to SDCC and maybe treat us to a screening.
Our Multiple Man Meet-up!: Last but certainly not least, I’ve been looking forward to our meet-up ever since we all agreed that it’d be a good idea, and I’m really hoping we all have a blast.
I have decidedly low expectations about what I want to see at SDCC. Oh don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of things that I hope to see (such as the Marvel movie and TV panels) but often I find myself enjoying the panels and sights that I didn’t plan on so much more. That’s largely because sometimes I find myself overplanning and attempting to make self-created deadlines and that’s a nightmare.
Mostly I’m hoping to meet the creators of some of my favorite comics (both current and past) and hopefully stumble upon something new to enjoy. Getting to gush at people whose work I adore is fantastic (even if it is a little embarrassing when I start to ramble), plus sometimes you learn unexpected things about them.
SDCC is typically the time where the big comics houses start to hype their next big event, so that will definitely be something worth checking out. Will the announcements be groan worthy? Or will I find myself excited to check out something new?
I’m also curious to see if we’ll get any more news on the purported Fables movie. I’m curious as to how they’ll manage to incorporate such a sprawling (and wonderful) cast of characters and storylines into a cohesive vision.
And of course, I can’t forget about our Multiple Man Meet-up. That’s clearly going to be an early highlight during what will hopefully be a weekend full of surprises!
