Okay, let us get all sentimental for a second. Comic-Con isn’t just big Hollywood events. it’s about comics, too – let’s not forget that. And Comic-Con has lots of comic publishers and creators, from the mega-popular to the ultra-obscure. Somewhere in the middle is one of my favorite comic book companies, BOOM! Studios. Being a father, BOOM!’s kids line of books, now under the KABOOM! label, has the perfect lineup to start my children reading comics at an early age. And their classic Disney licenses, like Darkwing Duck, Ducktales, and Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers, to the recently acquired Peanuts comics, speak to the kid in me as I’m able to share my childhood delights with my children.

So last year, the first booth I visited was BOOM!’s, and had Travis Hill sketch me a custom Toy Story cover. I have this framed in my son’s bedroom. And everytime I see it, I get such joy out of being able to share something I love with my kids.

BOOM! Studios announced their booth schedule for Comic-Con 2011, and I couldn’t be more excited. Again, they have a signing and panel schedule that speaks to both the adult and kid in me. Personally, I couldn’t be more excited to see that Warren Spector, the famed video game designer who brought us such games as Deus Ex and Epic Mickey, at the booth supporting his Ducktales comics for the publisher. They also have a great lineup of Comic-Con exclusive variants, such as the aforementioned Ducktales, Planet of the Apes, and a Definitive Irredeemable Vol. 1 exclusive, signed and numbered by Mark Waid.

Thank you, BOOM! Click past the jump to see the entire line-up.

BOOM! STUDIOS @
COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL 2011
BOOTH #2743

BOOM! STUDIOS GUESTS INCLUDE:

IRREDEEMABLE’s Mark Waid
2010 Eisner Award nominee
I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE FUNNIER‘s Shannon Wheeler
PEANUTS’ Bob & Vicki Scott
DUCKTALES Author & EPIC MICKEY Creator Warren Spector
ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST &  STARBORN‘s Chris Roberson
28 DAYS LATER‘s Michael Alan Nelson
INSURRECTION v3.6′s Blake Masters
STATION’s Johanna Stokes

As well as KABOOM! Artists
Travis Hill
Allen Gladfelter
Shelli Paroline
&
DARKWING DUCK
Creator Tad Stones with
Comic Series Writer Ian Brill &
Artist James Silvani

CCI EXCLUSIVES!

DEFINITIVE IRREDEEMABLE VOL. 1
CCI EXCLUSIVE
SIGNED & NUMBERED BY
WRITER MARK WAID
EXCLUSIVELY OFFERED ONLY DURING SIGNING TIMES
(ONLY 250 AVAILABLE!)
$75

HAPPINESS IS A WARM BLANKET, CHARLIE BROWN
CCI EXCLUSIVE
SIGNED & NUMBERED BY
ARTISTS BOB & VICKI SCOTT
EXCLUSIVELY OFFERED ONLY DURING SIGNING TIMES
(ONLY 250 AVAILABLE)
$30

I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE FUNNIER
CCI EXCLUSIVE
SIGNED & NUMBERED BY
EISNER AWARD-NOMINATED CARTOONIST
SHANNON WHEELER
EXCLUSIVELY OFFERED ONLY DURING SIGNING TIMES
(ONLY 300 AVAILABLE!)
$20

GET YOUR CUSTOM SKETCH FROM
KABOOM! ARTISTS
TRAVIS HILL
ALLEN GLADFELTER
SHELLI PAROLINE
WITH THESE
CCI 2011 EXCLUSIVE DISNEY AFTERNOON
“GET-A-SKETCH” COVERS
$20 EACH!

BE SURE TO GET
DUCKTALES #1 CCI EXCLUSIVE
8-BIT VARIANT
SIGNED BY WRITER & EPIC MICKEY CREATOR
WARREN SPECTOR
LIMITED TO 500
$10

DON’T MISS OUT ON THE
PLANET OF THE APES #4 CCI EXCLUSIVE
RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES VARIANT
LIMITED TO 500
$10

SCHEDULED SIGNINGS & PANELS

BOOM! Studios Booth #2743

Wednesday, July 20, 2010 – 5pm – 9pm

All Day Sketching – Travis Hill, Allen Gladfelter & Shelli Paroline

All Day Signing – Michael Alan Nelson, Johanna Stokes

6:00 – 7:00pm – Chris Roberson signing ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST & STARBORN

7:00 – 8:00pm – Mark Waid signing DEFINITIVE IRREDEEMABLE CCI EXCLUSIVE (Available only during signing times!), INCORRUPTIBLE & THE TRAVELER

Thursday, July 21, 2010 – 9am – 7pm

All Day Sketching – Travis Hill, Allen Gladfelter & Shelli Paroline

All Day Signing – Michael Alan Nelson, Johanna Stokes

10:00am – 11:00pm – Planet of the Apes in Comics Present and Past with Editor Ian Brill & Writer Daryl Gregory Room 5AB

11:00am – 12:00pm – Chris Roberson signing ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST & STARBORN

1:00 – 2:00pm – Warren Spector signing DUCKTALES

2:00 – 3:00pm – Shannon Wheeler signing I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE FUNNIER CCI EXCLUSIVE (Available only during signing times!)

3:00 – 3:50pm – Mark Waid signing DEFINITIVE IRREDEEMABLE CCI EXCLUSIVE (Available only during signing times!), INCORRUPTIBLE & THE TRAVELER

4:00 – 5:00pm – BOOM! IRREDEEMABLE/INCORRUPTIBLE Panel with Mark Waid Room 32AB

4:00 – 5:00pm – Tad Stones, Ian Brill & James Silvani signing DARKWING DUCK

6:30 – 7:30pm – Indie Comics Marketing 101 with BOOM! Marketing Director Chip Mosher, Sam Humphries (writer, OUR LOVE IS REAL, CBGB, creator, MySpace Comic Books), Laura Hudson (editor-in-chief, Comics Alliance), J.K. Parkin (managing editor, Robot 6 at ComicBookResources.com) and Ben McCool (writer, CHOKER, CAPTAIN AMERICA , FEAR ITSELF: THE HOME FRONT) Room 8

9:00pm – ?:??am – BOOM!’s 6th Year Anniversary Party, Hilton San Diego Bayfront Odysea Bar, 1 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA 92101. Come one! Come all! Open invite to professionals and fans alike!

Friday, July 22, 2010 - 9am – 7pm

All Day Sketching – Travis Hill, Allen Gladfelter & Shelli Paroline

All Day Signing – Michael Alan Nelson, Johanna Stokes

11:00am – 12:00pm – Warren Spector signing DUCKTALES

12:00am – 1:00pm – Mark Waid signing DEFINITIVE IRREDEEMABLE CCI EXCLUSIVE (Available only during signing times!), INCORRUPTIBLE & THE TRAVELER

1:00 – 2:00pm – Bob & Vicki Scott signing HAPPINESS IS A WARM BLANKET, CHARLIE BROWN CCI EXLCUSIVE (Available only during signing times!)

2:00 – 3:00pm – Shannon Wheeler signing I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE FUNNIER CCI EXCLUSIVE (Available only during signing times!)

3:00 – 4:00pm – Tad Stones, Ian Brill & James Silvani signing DARKWING DUCK

4:00 – 5:00pm – Blake Masters signing INSURRECTION v3.6

Saturday, July 23, 2010 - 9am – 7pm

All Day Sketching – Travis Hill, Allen Gladfelter & Shelli Paroline

All Day Signing – Michael Alan Nelson, Johanna Stokes

10:00 – 11:00am – Mark Waid signing DEFINITIVE IRREDEEMABLE CCI EXCLUSIVE (Available only during signing times!), INCORRUPTIBLE & THE TRAVELER

11:00am – 12:00pm – Bob & Vicki Scott signing HAPPINESS IS A WARM BLANKET, CHARLIE BROWN CCI EXLCUSIVE (Available only during signing times!)

12:00 – 1:00pm – Warren Spector signing DUCKTALES

1:00 – 2:00pm – Chris Roberson signing ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST & STARBORN

2:00 – 3:00pm – Shannon Wheeler signing I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE FUNNIER CCI EXCLUSIVE (Available only during signing times!)

3:00 – 4:00pm – Bob & Vicki Scott signing HAPPINESS IS A WARM BLANKET, CHARLIE BROWN CCI EXLCUSIVE (Available only during signing times!)

4:00 – 5:00pm – Mark Waid signing DEFINITIVE IRREDEEMABLE CCI EXCLUSIVE (Available only during signing times!), INCORRUPTIBLE & THE TRAVELER

5:00 – 6:00pm – BOOM! Studios/KABOOM!/BOOM!  Town Panel with Founder & CEO Ross Richie, Editor-in-Chief Matt Gagnon, and Marketing & Sales Director Chip Mosher Room 9

Sunday, July 24, 2010 - 9am – 5pm

All Day Sketching – Travis Hill, Allen Gladfelter & Shelli Paroline

All Day Signing – Michael Alan Nelson, Johanna Stokes

9:30 – 10:30am – Bob & Vicki Scott signing HAPPINESS IS A WARM BLANKET, CHARLIE BROWN CCI EXLCUSIVES (Available only during signing times!)

11:00am – 12:00pm – Mark Waid signing DEFINITIVE IRREDEEMABLE CCI EXCLUSIVES (Available only during signing times!), INCORRUPTIBLE & THE TRAVELER

1:30 – 2:30pm – Editing Comics the BOOM! Studios Way Room with Editor-in-Chief Matt Gagnon as well as writers Chris Roberson (Starborn, iZombie, Superman), Daryl Gregory (Planet of the Apes, Dracula Company of Monsters), and Michael Alan Nelson (28 Days Later, Dingo, Hexed) Room 23ABC

About BOOM! Studios
Award-winning “Best Publisher” BOOM! Studios (www.boom-studios.com)

generates a constellation of bestselling comic books and graphic novels with the industry’s top talent, including Mark Waid’s series IRREDEEMABLE, Stan Lee’s SOLDIER ZERO, THE TRAVELER, and STARBORN (the first new series in print from the industry icon in 20 years), new HELLRAISER comics written by Clive Barker as well as 20th Century Fox’s PLANET OF THE APES, 28 DAYS LATER, and DIE HARD, Philip K. Dick’s DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?, and The Henson Company’s FARSCAPE. BOOM!’s recently rebranded all-ages imprint, KABOOM! will see publication of PEANUTS, SPACE WARPED, Roger Langridge’s SNARKED!, Scholastic’s WORDGIRL, as well as continuing to publish fan-favorite Disney Afternoon series DARKWING DUCK, CHIP ‘N’ DALE RESCUE RANGERS, DUCKTALES along with Disney standards MICKEY MOUSE, DONALD DUCK, UNCLE SCROOGE, and WALT DISNEY’S COMICS AND STORIES.

Comic-Con isn’t just for comics anymore, this much we know. But over the past couple of years, video games have been taking a more prominent role on the show floor. With E3 just past and video game companies prepping for a big push into the second half of the year, expect this year to be no different.

Let’s take a look at some of the video game companies we might expect to see at this year’s con.

The Big Three

Sony had a huge presence last year. Their console business was demoing the Playstation Move motion controller and games, and at a separate booth Sony Online Entertainment was showing off games like Clone Wars Adventures and DC Universe Online. Now that the PS Vita has been announced, expect to go hands-on with demo units, as well as continued support for SOE MMOs that continue to draw the Comic-Con crowd. Also expect to see some of their bigger first-party releases such as the God of War: Origins and ICO & Shadow Of The Colossus collections.

Nintendo was also at the con last year with two booths on the floor. One was a slime-designed booth promoting Dragon Quest IX for the Nintendo DS where they offered SDCC-exclusive downloadable quests to attendees. The other was to promote their Pokemon franchise, primarily the card game. Expect Nintendo to return to the show with the 3DS, but don’t get your hopes up expecting to get your hands on a Wii U. In the same way Nintendo wasn’t pushing the 3DS last year ahead of its release, I’m afraid they won’t be bringing the Wii successor to the con this year.

Microsoft had a tiny booth last year, and instead opted to set up shop across the street at the Hard Rock Hotel. This allowed attendees to experience the Kinect motion controller with a more generous space without the show floor’s huge crowds. If E3 was any indication, then they’ll probably be pushing Kinect hard this year as well. That’s okay by me, because between Mass Effect, Star Wars and Forza 4, there’s plenty of Kinect-ready titles that I’d want to play. Plus, there’s new Gears of War and Halo titles due this fall that should have playable builds on-hand. Whether they decide to bring a bigger booth to the show floor or once again maximize the available space outside of the convention hall, I’m certain they’ll be back big.

Third Party Companies

EA also set up across the street in the Gaslamp Quarter, giving attendees a “behind closed doors” look at Dragon Age II, complete with required NDAs from those eager to get an early peak, and playable kiosks of Dead Space 2. This year, they’ve got the aforementioned Mass Effect 3, plus their answer to the Call of Duty juggernaut, Battlefield 3, and the forever-in-development Star Wars MMO The Old Republic. With show much riding on the success of their upcoming titles, I would expect them to return to the con and its crowds in order to generate some good press and positive word of mouth.

Harmonix had a big stage for Rock Band 3, but with the music game genre all but drying up last year, a return should not be expected. The same canot be said for Capcom, who set up a fighting ring to promote their Marvel vs. Capcom 3 with fighting tournaments throughout the weekend and exclusive character reveals. Expect a rematch in the ring for their new upcoming Street Fighter vs. Tekken game. Capcom also gave attendees early access to Fortune City, with kiosks of a playable Dead Rising 2. There’s more Dead Rising to come this year, but more exciting is the return of franchise favorites Resident Evil and Devil May Cry. Expect Capcom to have a big presence with a return appearance on the show floor.

THQ pushed their new entry to the Red Faction series last year with a stunning booth sporting a giant posable mech and regular developer-led demonstrations for attendees. This year, fans would go nuts if the collaboration with Red Faction-developer Volition and con-staple Guillermo del Toro had a presence, either with some lifesize models of his signature creature designs, or better yet an appearance by the man himself. At the very least, Volition could show their newest entry to the multi-million selling Saint’s Row series.

Activision had exclusive Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions reveals during the con last year. Now that the Spidey series is an annual franchise, look for them to demo the new Spider-Man: Edge of Time for lucky True Believers. Another Marvel title, X-Men Destiny, is due from Activision this year, so you can bet that will be at the show, too. And a recent tweet from Marvel Studios games division indicates there will be more surprises in store:

Telltale, leaders of the modern-day adventure game genre, had a small booth last year but weren’t showing their most anticipated title, Back To The Future, ahead of its winter release. Now that they have the upcoming Jurassic Park, as well as games based on comic favorites The Walking Dead and Fables, it’s expected they will return, hopefully with more to show this year.

MMO Heaven

NC Soft bought the latest installments of their Guild Wars and City of Heroes RPGs in their booth, during panels and even throwing a big offsite event at the Hard Rock. They’ve already confirmed they’ll be back promoting City of Heroes (at booth #5345, to be exact) and an NC Soft Meet & Greet at the Hard Rock Hotel. No further details yet as of press time. But they will have an SDCC-exclusive Mk-VI “Victoria” costume code for those who stop by the booth and meet the developers.

To answer the SOE’s DC Universe, Marvel has two MMOs to cover a wide spectrum of players. They have their Super Hero Squad Online MMO for younger fans, but more interesting is the long-rumored and recently-confirmed Marvel MMO from Secret Identity Studios. The latest on this project is that its being written by Brian Michael Bendis, so it has some real star power attached. It would be nice to see Marvel finally give some more information on this project, either at their booth or, even better, at the aforementioned Marvel Games panel (which yours truly will be there covering, natch).

And Panels, Too!

And it’s not all about the show floor – throughout the weekend, expect scattered panels on some upcoming video game releases. Last year, David Jaffe was on hand for Twisted Metal, Warren Spector pushed the much-hyped Epic Mickey, Cliff Blezinski was showing an early build of Gears of War 3, and Bungie and 343 Industries had Halo: Reach panels. It’s a sure bet video game developers and publishers will return to the panel schedule to promote their 2011 releases and use Comic-Con to connect with fans ahead of September’s Penny Arcade Expo.

What games are you excited about that you want to see at the con? Tell us in the comments below, or shoot me a tweet at @SpotAnime.

UPDATE: The park must not have worked out as Favreau just announced through his Twitter “World premiere at San Diego Civic Theater Saturday night, 7/23. Printing tix for 2000 fans!”

Just moments ago the LA Times Hero Complex blog announced that Cowboys & Aliens will be having its big premiere at this year’s SDCC. Director Jon Favreau has always been a huge con supporter and though this is great news, its not entirely unexpected. What is shocking though, is where it’ll probably be held.

Though the LA Times piece never specifies, they quote Favreau as saying “we’re going to find a way to include as many of the fans as possible.” Well just moments before that announcement, Latino Review writer Elmayimbe posted on Twitter:

Scoop: A big studio took a look at the playing field of Petco Park & wants to do a big outdoor screening of an upcoming movie.

He couldn’t specify what film or studio, but I think this makes it as clear as it can be. Favreau wants to get it to as many people as possible and what better way then a massive sports arena right next to the con? Though plans could fall through and the tweet doesn’t sound totally confident, I’d certainly place bets on it.

Would you go see a Petco Park screening?

The good news is that Comic-Con has started sending out panel confirmations to each group that’s putting one on. The bad news is this doesn’t really affect us. Most of these hosts will keep the info private for at least a few weeks and might not even say anything until the full schedule drops very close to the con. Some details have started to slip out though, and they’ve given us a better look on what we’ll see of the new Hobbit movies at SDCC.

The biggest announcement on this front is that TheOneRing.net has confirmed they will have another panel at this year’s con. They’ve put one on for a while but this is extra special because of what it can entail. OneRing is about as close to official without being official and this means they have the best details about the Hobbit movies, but are still able to talk about rumors, set photos, spy reports, or unofficial predictions. I emailed their senior staff writer Larry Curtis and he mirrored the unfortunate rumors that an official panel is unlikely, saying

We do not know what WB or Jackson has planned but we do know with the production in New Zealand, they may be unlikely to take valuable people from there to the U.S.

Now this doesn’t mean there’s no chance, but it does mean that the top authority on the matters is doubting it. Still, if there is no official activity (except maybe a pre-recorded video from the set), the annual OneRing panel can easily step in and be the best place to get your Hobbit fix. They know this is their biggest year at the con in a long time and I doubt they’ll disappoint. Not only is the entire staff well informed, this is their bread and butter, so expect great things from the panel. Also expect a huge crowd.

Around the time that the new Ghost Rider film was confirmed for the con, two other films also locked in appearances. The Amazing Spider-Man took to their official site and launched a “Face Of The Fan” contest where you can submit a video saying why they should send you to SDCC to meet with the talent for the film. At the same time, the new Conan the Barbarian film also publicized an appearance when they promised to give away con passes if their Facebook page passed 150K likes. The interesting thing that links all three of these films though, is the fact that they’re all reboots of established franchises. But how does this affect their presence at the con? Read on for my predictions.

The big problem that this “reboot” status brings is the fact that all three are trying to distance themselves from legacy and expectations. That’s not to say the franchises’ pasts were terrible (especially not Spider-Man) but both justifying one’s existence and making people excited can be a very tricky thing. I think it’s best to go movie by movie:

The Amazing Spider-Man - It’s safe to say most attendees don’t want this to exist. Sam Raimi was doing a good job with the franchise (even if Sony’s control had big negative impact on the third) and getting rid of the entire cast seems like a colossal waste. In addition, director Mark Webb’s only previous film was the very-different 500 Days of Summer and he’s super inexperienced with such a huge property. I actually think the cast is decent for this one and have moderately high hopes, but I still agree with most that say it shouldn’t have happened. It’s pretty terrible that Sony had to destroy such a good foundation to save money and this film will have to present footage that’s both really good and sufficiently different from the original so that people won’t immediately call is a needless revamp.

Conan the Barbarian - Though I’ve never been a huge Conan fan, I know the original books and some of the comics have garnered a lot of love and even the Arnold Schwarzenegger movies have a small fanbase. Now this one is in the awkward position of trying to get away from the cheesy and poorly acted films, but find a large audience that the books never could. I think the trailer was pretty awful and that they went to far trying to make it gritty, but I imagine fans of the books will feel even worse. Unfortunately for the film, SDCC will likely be filled with these very fans and they have to really believe the film respects the books to give it even a sliver of attention.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance – This film, even more that the others, has two very distinct audiences. People that already love the comics and are ready to try out any movie that comes out, and people whose only Ghost Rider knowledge is of the first film and thus are utterly unenthused about this one. Though I lie squarely in the second, my hope is that fresh creative talent and a willingness to experiment could make this movie good. Still, I’m by no means getting my hopes up and the first film was so bad that I’m considering not even spending my time seeing if this one is better. The filmmakers have been trying to sell it as a total reboot and revamp, but SDCC is the best place where they can really prove this and force me to get really excited about it.

Are you already excited for any of these movies or will they have to earn it at SDCC?

2011 is another huge year for new shows at SDCC as all the networks are expected to bring a handful of their upcoming programming to show off and get the buzz going. Which of the new shows will be filling the convention center is the big question though, and I attempt to answer it after the break.

As a warning, the networks haven’t actually announced any of the new stuff they’ll be bringing, so everything below is purely speculative. They’re very educated guesses though, as I’ve scoured through trailers and synopses to really narrow down what we’ll be seeing at the con. What I’m saying is that nothing below is a guarantee, but everything is a pretty strong guess.

NBC

Grimm – Trailer – Setup: The Brothers Grimm fairy tales were real and now a supernatural detective agency is solving the crimes related to them.
How Does It Look: Okay. A bit over the top for my tastes but it’s an interesting set up and hopefully good stories can overshadow the mediocre effects.
Chances:  Innovative fantasy. It’s a safe bet. The premise is also sort of similar to the popular comic series Fables, which is a con favorite.

Awake – Trailer – Setup: After a car crash kills his wife and son, a detective divides his life into two realities. One where his wife survived, the other where his son did.
How Does it Look: Great. This is my most anticipated new show and I think it looks totally gripping. An intriguing premise combined with what looks like fantastic acting.
Chances: Moderate. This is ambitious sci-fi at its best and lead actor Jason Issacs has SDCC cred from Harry Potter. Unfortunately the show doesn’t premiere until early 2012 and it’s a bit less comic-book infused than other con favorites.

Fox

Terra Nova – Trailer – Setup: Jurassic Park with an Avatar twist. As Earth falls apart, humans try to make a new settlement in the time of the dinosaurs.
How Does it Look: Could be great. They have to really pull of the dino effects and avoid the sci-fi cliches it could easily fall into, but the cast looks good and the ambition is admirable.
Chances: Great. It almost had a panel last year until they didn’t have enough to show, so this year expect them in full force. We’ll probably be seeing the first episode for this one.

Alcatraz – Trailer – Setup: The closest thing to Lost that JJ Abrams has done so far, Alcatraz mixes conspiracy, action, and intrigue into a tidy little package. If it’ll live up to Lost or drown in its very over-the-top premise remains to be seen.
How Does it Look: Endearing. The cast is good and the premise leaves room for greatness.
Chances: A panel is likely as this is a JJ Abrams show and the cast has some serious nerd cred, but the show isn’t on until early 2012 so an episode screening is much less likely (but still possible).

Allen Gregory – Trailer – I really think this looks terrible but Fox has been bringing its animated shows in the past and the protagonist for this one is at least of a higher intelligence than Family Guy or The Cleveland Show.

ABC

Once Upon A Time – Trailer – Setup: Much like Grimm, this show fuses the real world with a fantasy setting. In this one, characters have alternate persona’s in the fantasy and are forced to live through both their real lives and the fantasy (or something like that). The trailer was more than a bit confusing.
How Does it Look: The premise has potential and even though the trailer confounded me, the ambition might have me tuning in to a full episode to see how it plays out.
Chances: Good. Much like Grimm, the strong fantasy elements almost guarantees this a panel.

The River – Trailer – Setup: The found footage and handheld stylings of Paranormal Activity and Blair Witch are brought into the jungle and onto TV. On a search to find their lost father, a team of adventurers encounters strange and unexpected events. Seems like it might slide into the scifi judging from parts of the trailer.
How Does it Look: I’m growing sick of the style but it definitely seems like it has more up its sleeves and I’m intrigued to find out what that is. (io9 also had great things to say about it)
Chances: Pretty good. Spielberg is producing and the trailer hints at scifi elements, but the show doesn’t premiere until 2012 and gives off a more grounded vibe than most at Comic-Con.

CW

Secret Circle – Trailer – Setup: Your average teenage girl moves into a small town only to discover she’s a witch. The small town gets quite a bit more interesting.
How Does it Look: Not my type of show but the effects look good and it should make a great pair with The Vampire Dairies (who’s audience CW is going after with this).
Chances: Pretty good. It might be aimed a bit younger than most other con shows but the fantasy element mean it’ll probably get a panel.

Ringer – Trailer – Setup: Twin sisters switch lives only to find out they’re both in very dangerous situations. What ensues is sure to be filled with mysteries, conspiracies, mayhem, etc.
How Does it Look: Interesting. It’s nice to see Sarah Michelle Gellar in something not-completely-awful and it could fit nicely into the action/mystery type of shows that have been gaining a following.
Chances: Hard to say. Gellar is obviously a big con draw but the show seems on the outskirts of most attendees interests. I’d give this one a 50/50 chance.

CBS

Person of Interest – Trailer – Setup: A down on his luck man is recruited by a shady man to help his secret organization make the world a better place. Fortunately, as you would expect from something with JJ Abrams and Jonathan Nolan behind it, things get a lot more complicated and a lot more interesting.
How Does it Look: Great. A fresh spin on the tired CBS crime shows. Hopefully it keeps that freshness going and doesn’t fall back into standard procedural cliches.
Chances: Pretty good. The talent involved is very geek friendly and CBS has been trying to increase their con presence. If they’ve got a winner on their hands, expect them to want to show it off.

Thanks for reading and remember to come back to the site soon to see what movies and returning TV shows are expected at the con.

Even though we’re still three months away from the con, this is about the time that collectors are likely to start saving up. A few dollars here, a couple quarters there, then when SDCC finally rolls around they have a big stack of change to spend on some of the coolest and most collectible items around. Today Mattel announced a lot of their slate for SDCC and as one would expect from a huge comic-themed retailer, they’re pretty great. Read on for the details!

As with cons in the past, these will eventually be available on the Mattel website. Still, convention goers will have them both first, and in ample supply, as opposed to the limited quantities that are later put online. The entire collection is large so I thought I’d run down them down from must get to most easily skipped. Agree/Disagree? Leave a comment.

Ghostbusters Stay Puft Marshmallow Man ($70) This behemoth is over 20″ tall and earns the awesome record of being the largest item Mattel has ever sold at SDCC. The limbs articulate, the material is soft foam, and the package even includes an NYC diorama! As a huge Ghostbusters fan, this is a dream come true. That is, if you have the Stay Puft themed dreams I do.

Voltron Blazing Sword Voltron ($30)

I’m not a huge Voltron fan but with bright and fun colors, 22 points of articulation and a flaming sword, this definitely makes me want to go watch a few episodes.

Hot Wheels Back to the Future Vehicle ($35) No picture needed. Just the thought of a Hot Wheels Delorean has me excited.

Masters of the Universe Classics Queen Marlena Figure ($25) Accessories galore make the Queen a must buy for any MOTUC fan. Any figure that comes with a sword, wand, and space suit is okay in my book. DC Universe Swamp Thing (plus Un-Men in SDCC packages) ($30) The face may be a bit rough, but the figure itself looks pretty cool. The addition of the inlet definitely bumps this up a notch. Young Justice Superboy in Cloning Chamber ($20) I can’t say I’m a big Young Justice fan, but the packaging is impressive nonetheless. Click the link here to check out the rest, which range from Frankenberry (the cereal) Hot Wheels to MOTUC Polly Pocket Collections (little dolls). In other words, nothing too exciting. Finally, Bif Bang Pow just announced their first big SDCC exclusive. It’s a Lost Polar Bear Bobble Head, and in my opinion, pretty awesome. Also a plus, only $15. Check it out below and pre-order it here if you won’t be at the con.

Though Comic-Con is an awesome place, it is also an odd place. People from every background and part of the world fill San Diego with costumes, experiences, and events that couldn’t happen anywhere else. In this post I’m counting down the five weirdest things that happened to me at SDCC this year.

1. Drunk Zombies – After a very busy Saturday at the con I sat down at a Japanese restaurant to have some dinner. Just as I started eating, a man and his girlfriend come in with full-on zombie makeup on. Bloody eyebrows, bleeding faces, the whole shibang. They were looking to use the bathroom but unfortunately had to purchase something to do so. Thus they ended up at the bar buying multiple beers and further increasing their already noticeable intoxication. As they joked with the bartender and sushi chef in a half-brained way it became obvious this was a pure Comic-Con experience. It was a fun way to cap off the day and definitely something I had never seen before.
2. Floating Bubble People – Though Skyline’s panel didn’t generate much buzz, their marketing around the con definitely sparked some interest. They set up a bubble machine that created human-shaped bubbles and sent them into the sky. These would pop when they were too high and people around the convention center were fascinated. It was totally eye-catching marketing and many people, including myself, were both intrigued and freaked out. LA Weekly snapped the picture above.
3. Stabbing Cosplay and Signs - It took a full 12 hours but by Sunday morning people were already busting out their costumes and signs relating to the Hall H stabbing. Signs included the popular “Take My Seat, Just Don’t Stab My Eyes” and the slightly mean “Save Ink, Use a Lightsaber.” Funny or Die captured this costume and posted it to their Twitter. The sign on the right expressed most people’s opinion on the matter.
4. Homeless Men Benefiting from SDCC – There are tons of articles about how much the San Diego economy benefits from the con but this year I saw two ways the city’s homeless population were also feeling the love. The first is when I was walking around the back of Flynn’s Arcade on Friday and saw the guard giving a homeless man all the Coke Zero cans that had been consumed the night before. Because this was the only drink available there were literally hundreds and hundreds of cans. Huge trash bags full of them were loaded onto the man’s cart and Flynn’s definitely made his day. The second was when I waited in line for the Scott Pilgrim Experience. After getting my piece of free garlic bread (which was quite good), I noticed two homeless men walk up to the truck. They were happily served and I could see they really enjoyed the meal. Job well done SDCC.
5. AT&T’s Made Up Network - As everyone on AT&T quickly noticed, their service at Comic-Con sucked. Being used to AT&T failing me at my time of need, I found this mostly expected and I wasn’t too sad. What weirded me out though, was when I checked to see how many bars I had on Saturday morning and found that an “o” symbol had replaced the 3G/E that is always located at the top of my iPhone. Though it reverted back to the normal “3G” symbol after a locking and unlocking, It still sufficiently confused and amused me. Here’s a screenshot I snapped:

Did you have any weird experiences at this year’s con? Share them in the comments.

Now that the attendees are back in their homes and San Diego has returned to its peaceful self, I’m tacking a look back at the highlights and lowlights of this year’s con. What blew SDCC away? What made every man, women, and child in Hall H shed a tear? Read on!

Best Moments:

1. The Avengers Assembled – Yes, it was just a bunch of actors and actresses. But it was also straight out of every Marvel fan’s dreams and encompassed what so many people have wanted to see for so long. It was not as much an appearance, as a promise to Hall H that Marvel will make their dreams come true.
2. Scott Pilgrim Screening – Universal could have just held a screening and people would have been happy. Instead they had the entire cast in attendance, live DJing before the screening, and a Metric performance after. Then they threw in two more screenings for good measure. Pure fan service and SDCC magic.
3. Big Bang Theory Theme Song Performance – The lucky few (thousand) that made it into Ballroom 20 on Friday were rewarded when the Barenaked Ladies lead a sing-along to the BBT theme. Getting the fans in on the action and creating a memorable con experience for everyone in the audience made this a must include on the list. See the video below.
4. Cowboys & Aliens – Most attendees were expecting Jon Favreau to come out on stage and talk about the movie. Maybe present a few images, but they were still midway through filming. Instead he brought the entire cast and an awesome 8-minute clip from the movie. Oh and that cast? It included Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig in their first SDCC appearances. This is how you bring a movie to Comic-Con.

5. Green Lantern Oath – A young fan’s request to hear the Green Lantern oath turned into the cutest thing that Hall H has ever seen. Ryan Reynolds not only filled the kids request, but also made every person in Hall H smile and applaud.

Runners-Up – Flynn’s Arcade, Walking Dead Panel, Will Ferrell’s Megamind Costume, Scott Pilgrim Experience, 6,000 People Booing M. Night’s Name

Worst Moments:

1. Hall H and Ballroom 20 on Friday – For the first time in many years, attendees could simply walk into Hall H and sit down. No line waiting was necessary. This would have been great if Ballroom 20 wasn’t forced to stop people from even WAITING in line because it was so popular. Hopefully next year Comic-Con will smart up and put the bigger TV shows in H and the smaller movies in Ballroom 20.
2. The Glee Recap – If someone is attending the Glee panel, chances are that they have seen Glee. Still, Fox decided to put a 20 minute highlight reel of the first season at the start of the panel. Not only was this a complete waste of time when fans had waited hours to see the panel, it also left very little time for Q+A or discussion of any kind before the next show went on stage. 5, maybe even 10 minutes of a clip package is acceptable. But 20? And there’s not a second of new footage? Shame.
3. The Green Lantern Footage – Suffering from the complete opposite of Glee’s problem, the Green Lantern panel had a teaser trailer that was only about a minute long and consisted of one effects shot and no shots of the suit. This might be at least a little understandable if C&A and Captain America hadn’t gone on the same stage hours later with tons more footage to show at the same point in production. The final nail in the coffin is that WB didn’t even play the trailer twice.
4. Hall H Stabbing – Who knew that SDCC-attendees could be so aggressive. A simple seat dispute left one man going to the hospital with a pen in the eye and the rest of Hall H watching the slew of trailers that were shown earlier in the day. Giving con-goers a bad name and making people suffer through the trailers for Charlie St. Cloud and Gulliver’s Travels for a second time? That HP-shirt-wearing man is the bane of this year’s con.
5. Resident Evil Panel – Giving this terrible panel a prime Saturday spot in Hall H was just the first transgression. Attendees then had to suffer through 50 minutes of Milla Jovovich talking about how amazing the film was, Paul WS Anderson comparing 3D to the advent of color, and Wentworth Miller looking embarrassed to even be associated with the film. The one clip they showed was so ridiculously terrible and the 3D so very awful, it made Gulliver’s Travels look like a masterpiece in story-telling and technology.

Runners-Up – Skyline and Battle: Los Angeles (AKA the exact same movies), Green Hornet Panel, Harry Potter Panel, Scott Pilgrim Experience Wait-Time

What are your favorite and least-favorite moments of SDCC 2010?