By Luis Monteagudo, Jr.
The biggest pop culture convention in the world is about to kick off and lucky for us San Diegans, it’ll be held right in our own backyard.
Of course, we’re talking about Comic Con International. Now in its 44th year, the Con just keeps getting bigger and bigger. What started out as a small gathering of comic book fans in a hotel ballroom has exploded into a global pop culture festival that has taken over the cavernous San Diego Convention Center and spilled over into Petco Park and downtown’s Gaslamp quarters.
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This year is no exception with more than 130,000 fans and media expected to descend onto the Convention Center and downtown area. Of course, there’ll be the usual costumed fans, the giant advertising banners and signs promoting upcoming movies and television shows, and the parade of zombies in the Gaslamp.
But the big excitement generated by Comic Con is the news from the Hollywood A-listers about projects we’re all dying to see. Last year’s bombshell was the huge announcement from D.C. of plans to make a Superman vs. Batman movie to compete with Marvel’s increasingly popular slate of superhero movies, including The Avengers.
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What big news should we expect this year?
Movies: The anticipation has slowly been building about the new series of Star Wars movies being produced. Since most of the casting news has already leaked out about Episode 7, we probably won’t get any major announcements. But now that actual filming has started, don’t be surprised if we get some video featuring director J.J. Abrams talking from the overseas set of the movie. Perhaps a shot of the Millenium Falcon? If so, expect the roof of the Convention Center to be blown clear off.
The other big film news to look for is footage of the Superman vs. Batman movie, which has already generated controversy due to the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman. And we’ll also have to keep an eye out for any footage or announcements regarding the next big Marvel flick, “Avengers: Age of Ultron.”
Television: Television shows have gotten more and more attention and bigger lines in recent years at Comic Con and several popular shows will be in the spotlight this year.
Friday features the hugely popular and critically acclaimed “The Walking Dead” and “Game of Thrones,” in back-to-back panels. Meanwhile, the most anticipated new show of the fall season makes its Comic Con premiere Saturday.
“Gotham” will air on Fox and promises an early look at the troubled hometown of a young Batman, Bruce Wayne, beginning right at the time of the tragic murder of his parents that would propel him to become the feared caped crusader. The show will focus on a young Commissioner Gordon as he battles to stem the growing tide of crime and terror about to engulf Gotham. Early trailers for the show look promising, giving a moody, episodic vibe. Lucky Comic Con attendees will be shown the entire first episode at the Con so expect the buzz to start building.
Comics: And speaking of Batman, this year’s Con will be a celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Dark Knight. There are several panels looking at the history and influence of Batman featuring a number of interesting speakers, including pop icon Frank Miller. There’s also a panel on the remastered, HD release of the old, campy “Batman” series and another panel on the latest version of the popular Batman video games. As you can see, The Dark Knight is doing pretty well for being 75.
These are just some of the highlights to look forward to at the Con. And that doesn’t even count the usual surprise appearances and announcements that Comic Con has become famous for. We can’t wait.
