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Here are a few of our personal highlights, low points and some of the projects we saw at Comic-Con that we look forward to catching in the future.
Continue reading "Comic-Con 2007: It's a Wrap" »
 On Sunday, the stars and stargazers have mostly left, except for those who came for Nicolas Cage. But there was still activity in the convention center and an enterprising fashionista from Poway, right, who made this dress out of one of the highly prized Warner Bros. bags.
The anime rooms were at about 75% capacity, still showing many programs that may not ever air on U.S. TV. A group of people near the rooms displayed handwritten "free hugs" signs, and commenced to squeezing passersby.
The Browncoats –- fans of “Buffy” and “Firefly” creator Joss Whedon -– congregated in a room as raffled prizes were dispersed. Last year, the space was big enough to accommodate the group, but this year there was at least three times the number of people who could comfortably sit in the room.
And then there was the final talkback -– Comic-Con’s feedback session where the fans are allowed to express their complaints, or compliments, to an assembled group of Comic-Con show runners. More than 20 people paraded in front of the microphone with various amounts of frustration and praise.
The positives: an excellent shuttle service (could use more stops), great disabled-access folk, a general feeling that the crowding had subsided on Saturday in contrast with last year’s craziness (though the same number of people showed up) and kudos on keeping the show relevant and continual. The negatives: courtesy not being enforced (cellphones, line cuts), strollers in the aisles bruising up ankles and calves, giveaways being gone too quickly (not a function of the Con, actually), being hassled by the elite security personnel and the debacle at Ballroom 20 that left possibly hundreds of "Heroes" fans out of the panel. An aside to Ballroom 20 were numerous complaints about the announcer. Both her style (someone called her a "'hot-pants-wearing show guide") and her tone were questioned: Many called Erin Fetters' dry wit and sarcasm demeaning, as if she were talking to children and name-calling. I wasn't offended by her comments, but I can see how another opinion could be reached.
-- Jevon Phillips
Judd Apatow, the Mayor of Comedy, wants the world to know about stand-up comedian Charlyne Yi.
Why else invite Yi onstage for Sony's "Superbad" panel Saturday night in front of a room full of 6,000 fans and media in San Diego? She's not even in "Superbad."
And unless the personal practices of Paul Wolfowitz at the World Bank were the inspiration, being "Superbad" costar Michael Cera's girlfriend alone wouldn't seem relevant enough to earn Yi a spot on the overflow dias, alongside Apatow regulars Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Jonah Hill, producer Shauna Robertson and newcomer Christopher Mintz-Plasse. (Although Yi did have a memorable part as the stoner Jodi with Rogen and Hill in Apatow's "Knocked Up.")
Her surprise appearance must be because Yi is seriously funny, and Comic-Con's massive Hall H is the perfect venue, not only to launch new movies but also for new stars. And Apatow is nothing if not loyal to his comedy coterie. But there may have been something more intentional afoot, not only bolstering Apatow's rep as the sage of send-up but also demonstrating his commitment to finding funny ladies in addition to his headlining slovenly guys.
"Knocked Up" inspired David Denby, writing for the New Yorker last month, to devote 4,872 words to Apatow's misogynistic breed of romantic comedy and its presumed detriment to a future generation of comedic heroines.
Continue reading "Charlyne Yi kills at the Con; Apatow ushers in a comedian" »
 As a newbie to "the Con," I was struck by just how friendly -- overwhelmingly friendly -- everyone was. Costumes, smiles and so much talent. Wookies, Klingons and fairies -- oh my. And Batman and Robin, father and son John Whitt and Adam Whitt, 12. The dynamic duo, hailing from Minneapolis, enjoyed their time in San Diego. It warmed this photographer's heart to see them sharing a really cool experience, fully.
-- Spencer Weiner
Black Entertainment Television is not known as a popular source for animated programs, but the network is trying to change that with releases featuring the voices of actors Vin Diesel and Orlando Jones.
Announced last year, Diesel's "Hannibal the Conquerer," telling the story of the African king of Carthage famous for crossing the Alps with a herd of elephants, has a release date of February 2008. And "BUFU," an animated sketch comedy show, comes from the minds of comedian Jones and "Everybody Hates Chris" creator Ali LeRoi.
With a slate of 16 new shows coming out on varying dates, BET President of Entertainment Reginald Hudlin says the network is set to release "the biggest array of black programming ever."
"These shows ['Hannibal' and 'BUFU'] will help put people on notice about the new direction that we're going in," said Hudlin. "Everything that's being put on makes a big statement" about the network's commitment to programming.
Senior Vice President of Animation Denys Cowan was encouraged by the "great response" the shows received at their Comic-Con panel. At last year's panel, a short entitled "Bid 'Em High" was a highlight, and although the short called "Read a Book" was out before the convention, it also garnered some attention this year.
"But we're working on some things that will be bigger," says Cowan.
-- Jevon Phillips
 The press coverage of Comic-Con focuses on the Hollywood stories and costumed fans, but for most fans its the ultimate bazaar of the bizarre and the name of the game is shopping. Here are some of curious items I spotted today walking the merchant floor:
Life-sized bust of Arnold Schwarzenegger as T-800, $550. Here's a conversation piece. It shows our right honorable governor but with half the flesh on his face blown off, revealing his cyborg skull and a glowing red eye. It's from a movie, I'm told. Well, that's a relief.
Chewbacca backpack, $40. A hot item this year. The kind-faced furry friend may not be the best for schooldays, though. The hair clogs the zipper, and on a hot afternoons its like wearing a huge back toupee.
ThunderCats sword, $49.95. A spiffy replica of the bejeweled weapon of Lion-O, the leader of the brave feline beasties. I didn't know of this; it's from my colleague Jevon, who is pretty damn geeky apparently.
FOR THE RECORD: Jevon's geek cred took a hit. Lion-O is the ThunderCat leader, not Lionel as earlier posted.
Robin action figure, $200. The 1979 doll (sorry, that's what it is) from Mego is still in the box. I noticed it said "Les Extraordinaires" on that box. Simple reason: "It's from Canada," the dealer told me. "But I can't guarantee that it wasn't sold in Detroit." Well, forget it then.
Photo: Spencer Weiner / LAT
-- Geoff Boucher
In the 15 years I have been writing for The Times, I have covered wildfires, riots, gang murders and plenty of other mayhem. I never got hurt. This weekend I covered a comic book convention in San Diego and I'm going home with staples in my head.
I was walking alone to my hotel after late Saturday night interviews with Neal Adams and Darwyn Cook. I was also talking on my cell to Spencer Weiner, the photographer for The Times shooting Comic-Con. Spencer heard everything that happened next.
I (literally) bumped into a young guy walking with three friends in the Gaslamp Quarter. They were tattooed and wearing the street uniform of baggy pants, white T-shirts and shaved heads. The guy started mad-dogging me, rasping threats. I told him I was just walking by, no offense meant. He got in my face, and I told him it would be stupid for us to make something out of nothing.
"You calling me stupid?" "No, I'm not." Then I stopped talking, because my mouth was bleeding. One of his buddies, standing off to my side, cold-cocked me, and the ring on his fist took a chunk out of my face. I never saw it coming. I was at the emergency room until dawn.
They stitched up the triangular gash on my face and put staples in my scalp for the nasty cut on the back of my head left when I hit the curb. The cops at the scene said this sort of incident isn't that rare, and the ER folks said I was lucky the guys didn't kick me, which might have happened if the street hadn't been packed with closing-time crowds headed home.
Today, I talked to Bill Weakley, a Seal Beach antiques dealer who nodded solemnly when he saw my face. "A guy I know came down here for a show and got jumped almost the same way. He lost an eye."
None of this gives Comic-Con or San Diego a bad rap. It's just a reminder that the real world doesn't stop when the fantasy crowds wander the city with their convention badges marking them as new in town.
-- Geoff Boucher
Comic-Con is winding down and you can see people checking their watches and getting ready for plane flights back to the real world. At the Omni Hotel, I spotted Joe Turkel getting ready to head back home to Santa Monica. "It was a great weekend. I got to tell the old stories again."
Turkel was here promoting the 25th anniversary of "Blade Runner" and the release of the souped-up version that Ridley Scott has made by melding the original theatrical release with alternate versions and even some new footage.
Turkel was not only in "Blade Runner"; he was the ghostly barkeep at the hotel in "The Shining." That wasn't his first film with Stanley Kubrick: "Kirk Douglas and I are the only living members of the cast from 'Paths of Glory,'" Turkel told me.
"I miss Stanley so much. I cried for a month when he died. He was the inspiration of my life."
Turkel said Kubrick would arrive on set in rumpled clothes with a pure focus on the movie at hand. "One of these" -- Turkel pulled out a black plastic comb -- "never touched Stanley's head."
Turkel has a salty mouth and a backslapper's grin. "Let me tell you this, when I did 'Blade Runner,' there were two or three times where he [Scott] would say, 'Joe, do you think Stanley would have shot it like this?'"
Turkel said he had to catch his ride. His last thought was on how different Kubrick was from his severe reputation.
"He was as sweet as sugar."
-- Geoff Boucher
Comic-Con visitor Brooks Klein dresses as a biker scout from "Return of the Jedi," with a toy-sized version of himself, while touring the halls of San Diego Convention Center. "Bikerscout" and his mini twin travel the world, attending events and participating in general mayhem. You can see their adventures at bikerscout.net.
Photo: Spencer Weiner/ Los Angeles Times
-- Jevon Phillips
 Nicolas and Weston Cage are the archetype of a father-son relationship. With Weston's long black hair and goatee, he doesn't look much like his movie-star dad, but the closeness of their relationship was on display in Ballroom 20 as they presented "Voodoo Child," their first collaborative effort and a comic book being published by Virgin Comics.
Cage, a well-known comic-book proponent, reared Weston with images of superheroes.
"We had them all over the house," said the senior Cage. "They were even framed and hanging [on] the walls."
And the opportunity to create and produce a comic book is not lost on the younger Cage, who is 16.
His friends "say it's pretty radical." Weston says. "I mean, it's pretty awesome for somebody my age to create a comic book."
"Voodoo Child" writer Mike Carey described the book, which centers around New Orleans, as having supernatural horror and even political themes. But the main character is something we may not have seen yet.
"There's actually not enough of him left to even be a zombie. He's more like a living shadow."
An EMT from New York and a paramedic from New Orleans who happened to be in the audience each thanked Nic -- for his work in "World Trade Center," and his general support of post-Katrina New Orleans.
Here's the article on Nicolas and Weston Cage that appeared in the print edition of the L.A. Times
Photo: Spencer Weiner / LAT
-- Jevon Phillips
When I walked in, one of the masters of horror was having his makeup done after what may have been a particulary brutal TV interview. One that had Clive Barker calling it "a different form of torture."
I was hoping our talk would be better, and it was. The man who brought us "Hellraiser," "Lord of Illusions" and "Candyman" was actually a nice guy. As a long-time comic book collector, he counts himself among the faithful here at Comic-Con.
"I spend $200 every Wednesday on comics," says Barker. "I'm not just here saying I'm a comic book fan; I'm a comic book freak!"
Like-minded freaks will also enjoy the new "Jericho" video game that Barker also helped design. A first-person shooter, it also adds supernatural elements. You play the ghost of a character that is killed 20 minutes into the game! That character then possesses others around them, using their different attributes (like telekinesis and pyrokinesis) to take out the bad guys.
Understanding story structure, Barker believes that games nowadays must have a certain level of "sophistication" and "passion" to succeed and surpass the "sameness" that occupies many of today's shooter-type games.
"The passion of novels, the passion of comic books, [and] the passion of storytelling is being poured into this game," says Barker. "The game allows for a length of storytelling that you can't get in movies."
The storyline, the graphics, the gameplay, and even the music all had Barker's stamp of approval.
-- Jevon Phillips
Matt Groening took the stage again later in the day on behalf of the long lost brother of “The Simpsons” — “Futurama.”
Groening was joined this time by John Di Maggio (Bender), Billy West (Dr. Zoidberg and others), Katey Sagal (Leela), Maurice LaMarche (Kif, Calculon and others), director Dwayne Carey-Hill and producers Ken Keeler, Eric Kaplan, and David X. Cohen. Cohen actually began the panel with an announcement that, it seemed from the response, was the most exciting made this year at Comic-Con: the return of “Futurama.”
Cohen presented the audience of fans with a never-before-seen-in-public five-minute trailer of “Bender’s Big Score!” the first of four “Futurama” movies to come. It’s hard to describe the energy that filled the room. You could feel that it was the dream come true of everyone there (including Yours Truly). Suffice it to say that the modest crowd of Ballroom 20 was louder than any I heard in the 6,500-seat Hall H the whole weekend — even for the “Iron Man” trailer.
The panel spent most of the time answering questions, but the highlight of the event was a live reading of the brief, complementary comic book that greeted each audience member on entry. Next year will also see the move of the syndicated episodes from Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim to Comedy Central, to be joined by the movies rehashed into half-hour episodes. Fans should be extremely excited by the return of the show, and I think we can expect great things from the show that one fan audaciously described as “better in its 4-season run than the whole run of ‘The Simpsons.’”
--Andrew Hiltzik
Matt Groening — along with various producers, animators, directors and Yeardley Smith, the voice of Lisa Simpson — took the stage today in Hall H. Groening expressed a deep gratitude to the audience for the overwhelmingly positive response to the new movie (no “Worst Episode Ever” here) and thanked us by showing us a scene deleted from the movie, in which a truck driver discovers that Homer, while hitching a ride, has eaten the entire truckload of sausages. The panel spent their time answering questions about their favorite characters (Groening’s is Ralph Wiggum), discussing the future of the show and leading the audience in a sing-along of the “Spider-Pig” theme song. They hinted at plots and guest stars for the upcoming season and even played a raw, unfinished clip from this fall’s Halloween episode.
— Andrew Hiltzik
Continue reading "Who doesn't love the 'Spider-Pig' theme song" »
 Well, we can see what Shaky Bacon was doing on Saturday night (brain freeze!), but what about Comic-Con denizens?
They were busy with the Masquerade -- either performing in it or watching it unfold on a big screen in another room.
Or they were dancing the night away in the converted autograph area. Scorpion and Sub-Zero from Mortal Kombat were particularly good, but the Jedi needed some work.
Or they were singing at the top of their lungs along with Tara's "I'm Under Your Spell," one of the many songs presented in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer's" musical episode, "Once More, With Feeling."
Comic-book creator Warren Ellis also drew a crowd. "The Authority" writer is known as one of the most critically acclaimed and outspoken individuals in comics.
Continue reading "...midnite Squishee" »
Marvel Studios held their first film presentation in Hall H tonight with a first (for me) at the 2007 Comic-Con: a standing ovation, for "Iron Man."
IRON MAN  Marvel exec Kevin Feige, producers Gale Anne Hurd and Avi Arad, director Jon Favreau, with actors (from left to right above) Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert Downey Jr. took the stage. All of the actors were Comic-Con first-timers and their camaraderie was palpable as they joked and whispered with each other throughout the presentation. Exclusive footage was about to be shown and, as Favreau told the crowd, "This is about comic-book fans."
The crowd LOVED the footage, and the panelists were seeing the images for the first time as well. They all looked stunned and happy, with Downey Jr. asking, "Couldn't there have been more of me?"
Some of the Q&A:
 Paltrow was asked about her role as Pepper: "I love the dynamic between Pepper and Tony.... I was incredibly honored."
Terrence Howard was asked how it felt being in a movie like this (comic-book adaptation): "What do you mean ... a movie with a budget?"
Continue reading "The panel of iron and rage" »
 What's a Ping-Pong martial-arts romantic wire-fu comedy cast to do without its villain played by Christopher Walken?
Just ask "Balls of Fury" star Dan Fogler and writer-director Ben Garant, who spent much of their Comic-Con panel on Saturday doing Walken impersonations. (The lithe actor is currently promoting "Hairspray" and was apparently unable to attend the Con.)
Garant told the crowd that Walken pretended it was his birthday three times during production. He'd stop by Ralphs on his way to the set and pick up a birthday cake. Then he would sit alone in the makeup trailer, looking forlorn, until some unsuspecting crew member walked in. And then he'd spring his trap.
"Is it your birthday?!" a crew member would ask.
"Oh, no. It's nothing," Walken would reply. "It's not that big a deal." Inevitably, Garant said, someone fell for it every time. The production ended up have three birthday parties for Walken.
Although he may love birthdays, Walken apparently doesn't know from interwebs or e-mail.
"Yeah, he doesn't know the @ symbol," Garant said. "He looked at it for so long and then said, 'What is that? Is this a letter or a number?' We [said], 'It's like 'at' but one letter shorter.'"
-- Sheigh Crabtree
Photo: Walken in "Balls of Fury" / Rogue Pictures
Mark Johnson, producer of "The Chronicles of Narnia" series, made what sounded like an impossible promise during a Comic-Con panel devoted to the sequel "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian."
"Every May, starting this May 2008," Disney will release new "Narnia" films based on the C.S. Lewis fantasy novels, Johnson said. The "Narnia" production company plans to start shooting "Voyage of the Dawn Treader," the third film in the seven-book series, in late January or February with an anticipated release date of May 2009.
Director Andrew Adamson does not plan to return for more films after "Voyage."
The next three books follow the adventures of Prince Caspian. Ben Barnes, the actor who plays the young royal, was introduced for the first time publicly via satellite: He and Adamson are in Prague where the production is 106 days into shooting with 30 to 40 to go.
-- Sheigh Crabtree
Photo: from left, Barnes and Adamson, via satellite from Prague
Joel Silver's producing "Whiteout," with Kate Beckinsale; "The Invasion," with Nicole Kidman; "Speed Racer"; "Return to House on Haunted Hill"; and a new TV series, "Moonlight." And that's just the slate of projects that are being touted at Comic-Con.
Silver, the "Matrix" man, was whisked from here to there by his assistant while at the show. I, and a few other roundtable folks, caught up to him after his presentations of "Return to House on Haunted Hill" and, before that, "Whiteout," for a very quick interview.
One of his newest endeavors, which stems from the Oct. 16 DVD release of "Return to House on Haunted Hill," is the use of navigational cinema -- a process of filmmaking that makes it possible for the viewer to help choose the outcome and decisions that the character must make. Silver, with director Victor Garcia, introduced the concept to a panel, then told the select group of journalists about the technology's benefits.
"This is definitely a new idea, and I don't think it'll work with everything," Silver said. "The actors were very confused."
"We are always trying to be cutting edge, and we're always trying to be cutting edge. We're always trying to do things that other people aren't."
He recounted a story about how he went to the movies as a child and the audience had to vote on which way the story would go by pressing red or blue buttons. Navigational cinema should make him feel right at home.
-- Jevon Phillips
Seth Rogen spoke publicly for the first time about "Green Hornet" at Comic-Con on Saturday.
Rogen was in San Diego with his "Superbad" co-writer Evan Goldberg, director Greg Mottola, producer Judd Apatow and cast members Michael Cera, Jonah Hill and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.
Apatow introduced two clips from the film, which played like bonkers with the crowd, then he opened the floor up to questions from fans.
The majority of those questions were from teen girls who asked some variation of "Michael Cera, will you marry me?" or "Michael, can I have your children?" There were also the mandatory "Do you know if 'Arrested Development' is ever coming back?"
But one bold fan asked Rogen about his involvement with Columbia Pictures and Original Films' upcoming superhero remake.
"What's all this about 'Green Hornet'? And how did you get involved?" the fan asked.
"Well, I'm a writer and I gotta work," Rogen said.
He later added: "It's something that Evan [Goldberg] and I are big fans of.... We wrote 'Pineapple Express' together ... and we thought, 'What if we make an even bigger action movie? And what if I wear a mask? Evan really wanted me to wear a mask because he is so sick of seeing my face."
-- Sheigh Crabtree
Photo: from top left, Rogen and Goldberg; bottom, Cera
 Michelle Ryan, television’s new “Bionic Woman,” got on a roller coaster that no one totally prepared her for by coming to Comic-Con, and costar “Battlestar Galactica’s” Katee Sackhoff did not help prepare her for the crush.
“Yeah, I didn’t know it was this huge,” said a beaming Ryan in her English accent, winding down from numerous broadcast interviews. “We’ve [she and Sackhoff] been meaning to go out for drinks.... We’re going to have to have a few girly nights out.”
In terms of the show, Ryan shied away from looking at the original too much.
“I’ve seen a few clips but not much. I see this as an entirely new project.”
Though the show hasn’t aired, it’s being touted as a hit. Ryan knows that it’s a big deal, describing the show as being in the “big leagues,” with the same TV format that she’s used to but bigger budgets, bigger sets, more producers and a more fast-moving production.
With all of the time she’s spending becoming Jamie Sommers, I asked her if there was anything she wanted people to know about Michelle Ryan’s persona.
“I’m really close to my family,” Ryan said, knotting her fingers together to show their solidarity. “And I have a really bad sweet tooth.”
Photo: NBC
-- Jevon Phillips
 Last year, I walked into the press room for “Heroes” and was able to interview a majority of the show's actors in a semicircle. This year, I’ll be lucky if I’m able to get a glimpse of the back of Hayden Panettiere’s head. Luckily, I found the flying man alone.
Adrian Pasdar, who’s also promoting a new movie he’s in entitled “Home Movie,” is not like his "Heroes" character, the ascending (politically and altitude-wise since he can fly) Sen. Nathan Petrelli.
"I don't really seek the spotlight as you can see," Adrian said, pointing over to the Comic-Con media rush that was surrounding costars Zachary Quinto and Ali Larter. Adrian sat at a table, almost anonymously separate from the other cast members, but he willingly spoke about his character's ambiguous motivations.
"He [Petrelli] exhibits a morally liquid change," Adrian says. "He hasn't fallen on the side of good or bad. He's never really been bad, though maybe wrong at times."
For Adrian the actor, times have changed a bit since last year's convention.
"Last year, we were looking to talk to anybody who wanted to talk to us. This year, the degree of secrecy is a lot higher in what we can say."
So what can he say about this season?
"No matter who your favorite character is, the things that are going to happen in this season will be exciting to the point of being numbing for fans," he says. "This season is not about defining them by their own behavior ... there's a lot more at stake."
Photo: Associated Press
-- Jevon Phillips
It's easy to spot Andre 3000 from a distance, so when I saw him walking through the Gaslamp Quarter this morning I jogged to catch up.
"It's a gorgeous day, man," said the hip-hop auteur, who is at Comic-Con this afternoon to promote his animated series, "Class of 3000," on Cartoon Network. Andre is a natty dresser, and on Saturday he was resplendent in yellow trousers, a checkered summer jacket and a vintage Brooklyn Dodgers cap.
Andre is a Renaissance man with the Grammy-winning music of OutKast, with his fledgling film career and as executive producer of the cartoon series.
"I grew up loving 'Looney Tunes,' which of course had great music, and 'Peanuts' and 'Fat Albert.' Those were the standards I had going in for this series," he said.
As Andre walked toward the convention center, fans shouted out his name, but he politely declined to stop for photos and autographs: "Sorry, guys. If I do one I have to do all of them, and I'll never get where I'm going."
The soundtrack album for "Class of 3000" hit stores this month. Every episode has a music video by a different art director, and it's clear the Atlanta rapper is enjoying the endeavor.
"When I grew up in Atlanta, we weren't too fortunate, but I had a friend that had comics so I would look at his. I drew my own adventures for the characters. My favorites to draw were Wolverine and Colossus. I always thought I was going to be an artist, maybe a painter. But whatever you love when you're a kid, it comes back to help you later in life, even if it's not in the way you expected."
— Geoff Boucher
A fan asked Liv Tyler to speak in Elvish and she obliged in silky, dulcet tones. Another fan came up and told Tyler not to be embarrassed about speaking Elvish in public. The fan added that she had a tattoo written in the Tolkein tongue.
"Oh, really?" Tyler said. "What does it say?"
The answer: "Not all who wander are lost."
Tyler is here promoting "The Strangers," a new horror film directed by first-timer Bryan Bertino, in which she co-stars with Scott Speedman.
-- Sheigh Crabtree
When I was a kid there was no comics character I loved more than Batman, and the main reason was Neal Adams.
Adams, the top superstar artist of the 1970s, had a graceful, almost photo-realistic style that, for the first time, made Gotham City a place you believed was real. I got to spend a couple of hours with Adams and his wife, Marilyn, Friday night and it was an extraordinary treat for a grown-up fanboy.
Adams was not only a sublime illustrator, he was a lion for artist rights and, with his burly build and tough-guy talk, it struck me that he is the comics world's answer to Marlon Brando -- a brawny poet with a social conscience, a shining star of his generation who always clashed with conformity and took headstrong excursions from the predictable career path.
Continue reading "The Brando of comics" »
At the Hasbro booth you’ll find its new generation of Transformers toys. All the characters are there but at different levels of complexity, from tiny gadgets to “deluxe” toys. (The centerpiece there would be the foot-tall Ultimate Bumblebee). Also worth mentioning are Softimus Prime and Slumblebee: plushie toys that are, of course, still transformable.
Continue reading "Check out the endoskeleton on that Terminator" »
It’s really something when part of the attraction of an event is the attendees themselves, and at Comic-Con, they all come out.
Continue reading "Hey, Wolfman, Mummy -- you're falling behind!" »
What would a comic book convention be without autograph signing booths?
Oddly enough, the most popular autographs this afternoon weren’t even directly related to comic books. Nick Frost (“Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz”) had a booth, as did Debbie Lee Carrington, the diminutive actress from “Total Recall” and “The Drew Carey Show” (she was Mini-Mimi).
The longest lines belonged to Katey Sagal, memorable to the general public as Peggy on “Married With Children” but to the Comic-Con crowd as Turanga Leela from "Futurama" and Rosario Dawson of “Sin City.”
--Andrew Hiltzik
Comic-Con has certainly gone mainstream over the years, but its geek roots were in full view in the gaming tournament rooms on the second floor. "Wizards of the Coast" had a room where in various corners players could participate in games of Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering or "Star Wars."
There was another room with a Yu-Gi-Oh tournament and one with a Pokemon tournament. What did they win? Mostly boxes of cards or other merchandise.
-- Andrew Hiltzik
 He was frying in his own fat when he spotted that conical hairdo with its white-lightning streaks.
Maybe the striped highlights were reminiscent of the grill marks that come from using a high-end nonstick pan. Or maybe it was the sheer medical swabs useful for absorbing grease drippings.
It's impossible to say what makes two toys fall in love or the whys and wherefores of a couple of tchotchkes letting loose their foolish hearts.
What we do know is that Shaky Bacon found his new love in artist Spencer Davis' booth.
We only dread the scenario when the Boris Karloff figurine finds out.
Earlier: Shaky Bacon sizzles with Knight Seeker; Shaky Bacon and the death ray; Shaky Bacon peers into the crystal ball and Introducing Shaky Bacon.
-- Sheigh Crabtree
Readers of the print edition of the Onion know Shannon Wheeler's cartoons, as do readers of his syndicated strip How to Be Happy. I've been a big fan of comic book Too Much Coffee Man since it started in 1993. The character is a chubby, wide-eyed, jittery  mess of a hero whose head is a huge cup of coffee. "It's made me more and more money through the years, so I'm solidly in the middle class of the comics world." At his booth, as you might suspect, there was a pot of coffee brewing. "I actually don't drink that much. Only one cup a day. But, of course, it's a very, very big cup."
The character was a goof on the ubiquitous cafe culture back home in Portland, Ore. Now the over-caffeinated hero in red tights is on T-shirts, posters and, of course, coffee mugs.
"And then, of course, there's the opera," Wheeler said.
Opera?
"Yes there was this composer that bugged me for two years to do it, and then he sent music and I thought, 'Hey, this is great.' So now we have the Too Much Coffee Man opera."
It's subtitled "Cream in the Coffee of Love." There's a staging at 11 tonight and 1:30 and 11 p.m. Saturday at the Horton Grand Theater at 444 4th Ave. in San Diego, (619) 220-9583. It's free to Comic-Con pass holders.
The story is romance: TMCM falls for a barista, but our hero's conniving foe, Espresso Guy, stirs up trouble. Plans for a sequel opera are, uh, brewing. To find out more about the Too Much Coffee Man world, go to www.tmcm.com.
-- Geoff Boucher
(photo by Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
 It's easy to get so caught up in Hollywood angles of Comic-Con that the original purpose of the event -- to buy and sell vintage comics -- gets overlooked.
I just wandered through the dealer's tables and looked at some fantastic old comics, my favorites being the gorgeous Mac Raboy issues of "Captain Marvel, Jr." from the 1940s. Those books had a lasting impact on pop-culture in a curious way: Elvis Presley, in his Vegas years, designed his jumpsuits, high collars and short cape on Raboy's classic hero.
If I had a bigger bank account, what would I buy today? Some original art from comics I loved when I was a kid. These are the one-of-a-kind pages drawn by the artists at the first step of the production process of comics. The market for these singular, poster-size slices of pop culture has exploded in recent years, and with such icons as Neal Adams or the late Jack Kirby, the prices go into six digits.
Good thing I left my checkbook in L.A.
--Geoff Boucher
An original drawing for sale at Comic-Con of art by Jack Kirby, characters trademarked by Marvel Comics. (Photo by Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
If you stop by the Marvel Comics booth right now you can chat with artist Ron Lim, who draws "The Fantastic Five." (If you don't follow recent Marvel history, that would be the Fantastic Four plus Franklin Richards, the son of Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman.)
I remember Lim best for his work on the Silver Surfer and wanted to know what he thought of seeing the character hit the movie screen this summer. "It was just great to see; I thought CGI was fantastic. It's a little strange to see a character you drew up there."
I told Lim about a conversation I had a few months ago with Frank Miller, who said he's had some conflicted reactions when he's seen some of his contributions to the Batman mythos up on the movie screen without credit or compensation.
"Sure, yeah, I think artists now are pretty used to that. The company owns it once you do the art, and people take that and use it in a lot of ways. But it's such an exciting time to be in comics, there's so much going on. And this today: I knew it was going to be huge; I wasn't ready for this. It's unbelievable."
--Geoff Boucher
Jessica Alba, along with Dane Cook, took up residence for a little while at the Lions Gate booth to sign autographs after their presentation of "Good Luck Chuck." A mob scene -- including dozens of screaming teen girls -- ensued in which security had to be heightened in order to get the traffic around the two aisles that bordered the booth flowing again.
 
Photos: Spencer Weiner / LAT
-- Jevon Phillips
One of the highlights of the Warner Bros. presentation was the panel and teaser for "Get Smart."
Steve Carell, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Masi Oka, Nate Torrence and Ken Davitian joined director Pete Segal onstage. Carell and the Rock got most of the face time on the panel, so afterward I sat down for a quick talk with the director.
Why "Get Smart"?
"There have been a lot of TV adaptations over the last decade. Some are terrible, and some are very good. And I think you have to remember that 'The Fugitive' and 'Mission: Impossible' came from TV shows," says Segal. "I think the difference in success and failure is in how close you stay to the source material."
When casting the film, Segal said he wanted to get actors that were at equal comedic and dramatic skill levels. "Suddenly you're energizing each scene with guys who can not only deliver what's on the page, but bring something else to the role." He also mentioned that Anne Hathaway in her role as Agent 99 was the most surprising actor of those cast and that her gung-ho attitude in her action-packed role will blow away audiences. "Her enthusiasm comes across on the screen."
Favorite episode from the original show: "Loved the pilot." Segal mentioned that it was one of the two episodes that Mel Brooks (who created the show with Buck Henry) actually wrote and that it deftly explained and defined Maxwell Smart.
Favorite scene from the new movie: When Smart and Agent 99 are on a plane, rehearsing their undercover personas. Segal says that you find out that with his weight problem and her recent plastic surgery, they each had troubled pasts, and "It's there that they find common ground."
Favorite Line: By Smart -- "You've underestimated the element of supri ... "
Favorite Gadget: Old would be the shoe phone, and from the new film would be "a Swiss army knife that has a crossbow that shoots a harpoon," and many other things!
It looks fun and action-packed.
-- Jevon Phillips
I just wanted to provide a quick list of the seven new titles from Minx, the first imprint from a major American comic-book publisher (DC Comics) devoted to teenage girls. My personal favorite from the new imprint is the debut title "The Plain Janes," by Cecil Castellucci (author) and Jim Rugg (illustrator).
We caught up with Castellucci and Rugg at the DC booth this afternoon at their book signing, and they gave us a sneak peek of "Janes in Love," the second book in the series. We'll have more for you on that later. But for now, I'm very curious to see these new titles and whether they're as strong as "The Plain Janes." Check out their descriptions and tell us which, if any, you look forward to most.
-- Sheigh Crabtree
Continue reading "Minx announces seven new titles for 2008" »
Today is the first weekday sellout in the 38-year history of Comic-Con, and you can feel it on the showroom floor. You can't get through the center aisle without  getting jostled, bumped and delayed. A lot of the fans are slow-walking gawkers (there's plenty to stare at with huge statues, countless video screens, scantily clad warriors and princesses and the occasional movie star), and many are carrying big bags full of books, toys and studio giveaways.
I've been poked by light sabers and scraped by a shield, and Yoda stepped on my foot. I feel worse for the poor souls who line up for hours in the hot sun to land a seat in Hall H to see Hollywood's next big thing. A lot don't get in. There were some terribly downcast Vulcans yesterday who broiled outside but didn't get to see Leonard Nimoy. Live long and prosper? More like wait long and perspire.
-- Geoff Boucher
(photo by Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
I just saw Zack Snyder and had to ask him: How can you expect comic book fans to wait until March 2009 to see "Watchmen" on the big screen?
"I don't know how to make a movie in less than five years," he said with a grin and a shrug.
The "300" director at least has a release date: "Watchmen" has been the Flying Dutchman of comic book adaptations, and directors such as Terry Gilliam and Darren Aronofsky are on the long list of filmmakers who have tried to bring the elusive property to life on film. One big challenge now for Snyder is to cram the epic tale into a film. "It's not going to be a short film, I know that."
An interesting tidbit that Snyder shared: He hopes to film the grim pirate tale that "Watchmen" uses as a recurring secondary framing device but not for the theatrical release. "I'm trying to see if we can get a budget for it and put it on the DVD. That would make this whole crazy thing even crazier."
"The Watchmen" was an edgy book, and Snyder will take it even further. "You don't see a lot of comic books where one superhero rapes another superhero. We will make a movie as hard as the graphic novel and maybe even harder."
Does Snyder think that the key "Watchmen" premise of superheroes being registered by the government and pushed out of the public eye was spoiled a bit by "The Incredibles"? "No, I think it shows how far these themes have moved to the center of pop culture."
His summary of the unique characters: "I have a Superman character who doesn't care about humanity, a Batman character that can't get it up and a bad guy who wants to save the world." Snyder said he would stay "extremely loyal" to the source material, including the big revelation at the climax regarding the true threat to Earth.
"It's like when I did [2004's] 'Dawn of the Dead.' I wasn't trying to replace the original; I love it too much. I love 'Watchmen' and I want to honor ... the book."
--Geoff Boucher
 Shaky Bacon steps out of the hot pan and into the cool hands of Knight Seeker.
Eric M. Cooper, the sci-fi novel writer/superhero in the Knight Seeker costume pictured here, had only one minor qualm about his new sidekick.
"I don't think Knight Seeker does pork," Cooper said.
-- Sheigh Crabtree
Greg Rucka's graphic novel "Whiteout" has become a Warner Bros. motion picture starring Kate Beckinsale, produced by Joel Silver, and directed by Dominic Sena. All three were present with the comics' author for the film's WB panel, though Beckinsale arrived after the trailer had been shown twice and the assemblage had answered many questions.
Saying that she had been stuck behind a train, Beckinsale made up for her tardiness with crowd-pleasing remarks. In her short stint on stage, Beckinsale touched on topics that included the clothing differences between her Antartica-bound character in "Whiteout" and that of her vampire character from "Underworld," her husband's seeming desire to put her in dangerous action movies, and her brush with possibly becoming Wonder Woman (which hasn't happened).
-- Jevon Phillips
I ran into Jackie Earle Haley backstage in Hall H, and he couldn't be more excited about "Watchmen": "It's going so great, working with [director] Zack Snyder and this amazing story."
"Watchmen" is the the most revered graphic novel ever, and fans are excited that its screen adaptation will be handled by Snyder, who is coming off the faithful and highly successful "300." Haley got great reviews for his unsettling performance as an ostracized sex offender in "Little Children," and now he has the chance to play Rorschach, the taciturn vigilante whose fractured psyche is shaped by the abuse of his youth. The character is the engine of the story, which has so many characters and subplots that Snyder will be challenged to fit into in a film version. The movie is targeted for March 2009; other actors include Billy Crudup, Malin Akerman and Matthew Goode.
--Geoff Boucher
Plenty of actors have been Superman through the years, but Adam Baldwin is the first one to do a death scene. "It's pretty intense," Baldwin said by phone today from the set of the television show "Chuck."
He couldn't make it to Comic-Con for the world premiere Thursday night of "Superman: Doomsday," the first in DC's new line of direct-to-DVD movies. The animated movie adapts the "Death of Superman" story that remains the best-selling single issue in comics history.
"For the character, the main thing I tried to do was be consistent and not overact or try take him too far in any direction. To me Superman is 'Truth, justice and the American way.' I'm from the Midwest. I think that's why they picked me."
People who watched Baldwin in the recording studio said he is an especially, uh, animated guy.
"For the fight scenes and action you have to move around to get that to sound authentic, but you have to try to be constrained so you don't knock things down. And the director kept telling me not to 'pop your Ps.' Words with Ps can send a vibration through the microphone that doesn't sound good."
Baldwin didn't grow up as a comics kid ("I was too busy playing hockey"), but his pal Joss Whedon tuned him up. Baldwin (who is not a Baldwin brother, in case you were wondering) said the best thing about playing Superman was doing it in a cartoon. "That way you don't have to wear the tights."
--Geoff Boucher
"This is not my kind of crowd; I don't really like these events," Sean Young said as she stepped out of an elevator and walked toward the green room. Young flashed a smile, but she wasn't joking. "My boys are here. They're having a blast, at least."
Young was heading to the afternoon panel for "Blade Runner," which is getting an intense sprucing up by director Ridley Scott for a new theatrical release in October and DVD in December. (The DVD packaging is nifty -- a deluxe version will come in a Deckard briefcase with a model car and origami unicorn inside, a reference that will make the fanboys chuckle.)
This is the 25th anniversary of what many people consider the greatest science fiction film ever. In the green room, Young gave Scott a hug and greeted other cast members, among them Joe Turkel, whom genre fans also remember for his classic portrayal of the ghostly bartender in "The Shining." James Hong came with a box of autographed plastic eyeballs, a winking reference to his role in "Blade Runner" as a designer of synthetic eyes. Isa Dick Hackett, the daughter of author Philip K. Dick, surveyed the room and wished her dad could have seen how his book "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" came to life on the screen as "Blade Runner."
He died a few months before the movie came out, she said. "That makes all of this bittersweet."
Scott, meanwhile, mused about the scope of Comic-Con.
"I've not done anything like this before. I didn't come down for 'Alien' or when 'Blade Runner' came out. I'm a first-timer. I'm not sure what to expect."
--Geoff Boucher
 Lou Ferrigno, the muscle man who raged as the Hulk on the popular television series launched in 1978, has a table set up here at Comic-Con. I stopped by to chat and, as you might expect, the still-buff Ferrigno has a firm handshake.
"I'm a deputy with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department now, but the first week in August I'm going to be filming some scenes for the new Hulk movie. They have a part written for me. I don't know what it is yet. I'm really excited. I liked the Ang Lee [2003] movie, but I think this one will be closer to the Hulk of the TV show. He's going to be a smaller Hulk, like on the show. Ed Norton and Willam Hurt are in, so it should be fantastic."
Ferrigno's table was stacked high with posters he autographs and sells. He said the Hulk will be popular as long as kids dream of being strong. "The Hulk is all about power. Children love that."
--Geoff Boucher
(photo by Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
Not a single call was dropped during Warner Bros.' "One Missed Call" presentation.
During a slightly awkward mini-panel, Ed Burns and Shannyn Sossamon showed a clip from their new movie, "One Missed Call," an English-language adaptation of the Japanese film.
Sossamon seemed unnerved by the crowd. Burns tried to keep it light, but the audience didn't seem familiar with the film and didn't have many questions about it. At the end of the session, Sossamon announced that she and Burns were giving away iPhones to audience members who asked them questions. Needless to say, they finished on a high note.
-- Sheigh Crabtree
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