San Diego Comic-Con is just a few short weeks away, and signs that the convention is just around the corner have been starting to spring up. One of the first signs every year that we are (unofficially) in “con season” is the San Diego MTS trolleys getting their annual makeover.
The city of San Diego gets all decked out for the convention each year, from the trolleys to the buildings, and it’s always one of our favorite traditions. Nowhere else will you find people breathlessly excited about advertising wraps, but it’s a sign that SDCC will be here soon, and a chance for endless speculation about just what the trolley wrap might signal (A panel? An offsite? All of the above?).
[UPDATE July 13]
Mr. Outside Comic-Con stopped to get a closer look at the Prime Video wraps for Batman: Caped Crusader and Vox Machina.
[UPDATE July 11 #2]
The Boys are back in town, and Cool San Diego Sights has a look at the opposite side of the trolley, which features Karl Urban as Butcher and the logo in a bold, splashy design. Of all the wraps so far, this one might be our favorite.
[UPDATE July 11]
Let’s hear it for The Boys… trolley wrap. Parks and Cons is on the ground today and caught a look at the new Prime Video trolley wrap for the series, ahead of its Hall H panel. Will we be getting a giant building wrap for The Boys as well? Seems likely.
[UPDATE July 10]
With news of Amazon Prime Video’s panels today, Cool San Diego Sights has the first look at some new trolley wraps for several of the animated properties heading to Comic-Con. Fans will find wraps for Batman: Caped Crussader, Hazbin Hotel, The Legend of Vox Machina, Invincible, and Sausage Party: Foodtopia — as well as The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy, which does not have a panel presence.
[UPDATE July 2]
Parks and Cons is on the ground today, and caught a closer look at the Audible Originals trolley for 1984 and The Safe Man.
[UPDATE July 1]
On the other side of the 1984 and The Safe Man Audibles Original trolley we showed you last week, the other side features The Sandman and Impact Winter. Cool San Diego Sights got the first look at the new wrap:
[UPDATE June 29]
Big Brother is watching you. Audible Original’s 1984 got a trolley wrap today, as captured by Cool San Diego Sights. The original Audible production released earlier this year in August, and features a voice cast including Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo, Andrew Scott, and Tom Hardy.
Could we get some additional promo for this at the con? In the past, we’ve gotten panels for other Audible productions, including Felicia Day’s Third Eye, as well as booth displays and even 2022’s amazing sand sculptures.
Look, if there’s even a small chance Hardy shows up for this, this writer is 100% on board.
The other side of the train features Audible Original The Safe Man, which is performed by Jack Quaid and Titus Welliver.
[UPDATE June 20 #2]
Cool San Diego Sights was also on the ground today, and got a very important look at the flyer for A.V.A. Fest — which it claims will feature a giant swing, music, treats, ball pit, games, and prizes. We’re willing to eat our metaphorical hat if this is not an offsite.
[UPDATE June 20]
The Abbott Elementary wrap was officially out and about today, and The Pop Culture Shuffle podcast host Joel Garcia caught a better look at it. As we suspected, it indeed is for A.V.A. Fest — but is that a hint of an offsite still to come (that certainly looks very carnival-like and like it would make for a great, entertaining offsite), or just a tease for the new season this fall? We know which we’re hoping for…
[UPDATE June 19]
Get ready to be schooled. Parks and Cons caught our first (and albeit, not amazing) look at a brand new trolley wrap… for Abbott Elementary. The MTS trolley wrap design appears to have the characters as carnival-like characters, including strongmen and snake charmers.
For instance, we can definitely make out Barb, in the middle, here.
Could this be a sign of an offsite as well? Could we get an A.V.A. Fest? They have bags that look like they could indeed say AVA Fest… But if nothing else, this is surely a good sign that we will finally get an in-person panel for Abbott Elementary at San Diego Comic-Con.
Hopefully we’ll get a closer look soon.
[UPDATE June 13 #2]
Parks and Cons is back on the ground and gotten a better look at the Snowpiecer trolley. The series, which is set to premiere its final season on AMC+ (its new home) on July 21, seems poised for some Comic-Con promo with this wrap. Just maybe don’t sit in the tail…
[UPDATE June 13]
Our own Parks and Cons got a better look at the other side of the Paramount+ trolley wrap, for Tracker.
[UPDATE June 12]
There’s a brand new wrap out and about today, as spotted by Pamela Pena. To the best of our recollection, this may be the first wrap that AMC has ever purchased for the con — and it’s for Snowpiecer, which is moving from TNT to the fourth and final season, set to begin airing on July 21.
Considering AMC doesn’t usually do this, you can likely expect there to be a panel for Snowpiecer as well.
Could there be more AMC trolley wraps in our future? We would love to sink our fangs into some more wraps, AMC (hint hint).
[UPDATE June 7]
The trolleys have officially hit the streets (or at least the tracks) of San Diego! Our own Outside Comic-Con got a look at the first San Diego Comic-Con wrap of the year, featuring Ghosts and Elsbeth for Paramount+.
[UPDATE June 4]
The first trolley wrap of the year is here, and just like last year, it’s for Paramount+. The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) showed off a video on their YouTube of the wrap, which features Ghosts, Tracker, and Elsbeth — all series which stream on their platform.
Following the success of last year’s Paramount+’s The Lodge offsite, we already know they’re bringing it back, with a whole new slew of TV shows, movies, and moe — including Ghosts.
