Comic-Con 2007: It's a Wrap

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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.

The Cages' lovefest

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

The Brando of comics

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.

The view from the easel

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

Blocking the aisles for Jessica Alba

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

It's not easy being green ...

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)

Wait, is that ... ? Could it be ... It is! Spock!

The big surprise of the day?

Leonard Nimoy strolled out on-stage to thunderous applause during the Paramount Pictures panel on the new "Star Trek" film. The film, to be directed and produced by J.J. Abrams, follows the iconic crew members of the USS Enterprise during their early years in Starfleet. Abrams (who admitted to the crowd that he grew up more of a " 'Star Wars' kid than a 'Star Trek' kid") introduced the "young" Spock for the film: Zachary Quinto of "Heroes." The crowd clearly approved.

Then Abrams playfully told the audience he had another casting revelation: "We have more than one Spock." Then he brought out Nimoy (whom the filmmaker repeatedly referred to with a deferential "Mr. Nimoy").

Apparently the film will have a framing device with the older Spock. Nimoy told the crowd the movie has a "fantastic" script and a "great director." He added: "People keep asking me why I'm doing this movie. The answer is, well, it was logical."

Photo: Sheigh Crabtree  LAT

--Geoff Boucher