Comic Con 2012 Dispatch, Part Three: A Triumphant Return to Hall H

We survived the travails of the first day of San Diego Comic-Con -- read Part One and Part Two for the saga. After successfully avoiding dietary calamities, exhaustion and depletion of resources, we prepared for the final stretch of our journey. We headed bravely into the maelstrom. We headed into Friday and Saturday braving the realm of Hall H!

As you learned from our last journal entry, Hall H is where the biggest of the biggest panels of Comic-Con occur. Friday and Saturday are the two biggest days of Comic-Con and this is the time when the studios bring out the big guns.

Zombie Friday

Friday was a big day for me and my daughter Krysta. We got in line again around 7 am to secure a seat for the Walking Dead and Game of Thrones panels. Yes, we waited another 4+ hours in order to see an hour and a half of content. The beauty of this strategy is that you see things you would normally not while camped in Hall H. In my case, the Paranorman panel provided insights I had not expected. I was blown away when I learned that Paranorman was created using stop-motion animation. For months I have seen trailers, and could have sworn that the movie was a CG operation. Count me impressed! You will be blown away by Paranorman.

Shortly after the Paranorman session, we were treated to the panel we had been all been waiting for: The Walking Dead! This panel did not disappoint. We were shown a teaser reel for Season Three. The footage included scenes involving characters that readers of the comics have come to love and hate respectively: the katana-wielding Michone and ultimate bad guy The Governor. Along with the footage, the panel was quite lively. You can tell that the cast of this show has gelled well.

Achievement unlocked ... Zombie Apocalypse continues as planned.

Saturday Mayhem!

The granddaddy of all days at Comic-Con is Saturday. On Saturday, the movie studios bring out the biggest of big guns. 2012's Saturday will go down as a Saturday to remember.

Our Saturday actually began around 4:30 am. We sent a scout ahead to secure a spot. We soon learned that our brave soul would not be alone. Approximately 1,000 people had arrived before us and secured spots for their parties. 

Now you may think that getting in line at 4:30 am for a 11 am panel would be a horrid experience. In my case you would be wrong. Line waiting can suck or can be a positive experience. In my case it has generally been a positive one. The reason: the other people. Every Comic-Con I make new friends and this year was no exception.

As a matter of fact Saturday was a very interesting encounter. I was geeking it up with a fellow line member and mentioned that I was from Austin. I later mentioned that I was friends with many film critics in Austin. My new friend said: "Hey, do you know Brian Salisbury?"  I'm like HECK YA, Brian is a great friend of mine. My new friend knew Brian from Spill and told me he and his brother had already purchase tickets to this year's Fantastic Fest. Small world!

Achievement unlocked ... Met fellow traveller in all things geek!

Showtime!

Like every day previous, our line was consolidated at 8 am, which was the pre-arranged time my daughter showed up to help line squat (oh to be a teenager again). At the scheduled time we were ushered into Hall H to be blown away by the latest and greatest mega movies.

The first event on the agenda was a panel for Django Unchained. Django Unchained is the latest movie from the mind of Austin's adopted son Quentin Tarantino. Like all good panels, we were treated with footage from the film and a visit from key members of the cast including Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Kerry Washington and Don Johnson. During the panel we learned that the lead character Django is the great-great-great-great grandfather of the one and only SHAFT! Gotta love QT. Django looks fascinating and I am sure Tarantino will continue to bat a thousand with this one.

Achievement unlocked: Got some QT love!

The Big Event

Around 2:30 in the afternoon, the big event started. And by big I mean gargantuan! It was time for the Warner Brothers panel. WB came packing heat in the form of giant robots, fire-breathing dragons, a couple of politicians and a super man. This was a panel not to be trifled with.

One of the "big" movies previewed Saturday was Pacific Rim. Pacific Rim is about the devastation wreaked on mankind by the return of giant Kaiju (monsters). It is also about man's resilience and ingenuity when battling Kaiju with giant robots called Jaegers. Pacific Rim is the latest directional effort from another Austin fan favorite (and former Austinite): Guillermo del Toro. This is the film he landed after Peter Jackson decided to helm The Hobbit himself. Once again, the footage shown was spectacular. I think the world is secretly hoping del Toro succeeds with this film so we can one day see his visions for the epic tale In the Mountains of Madness.

Pacific Rim was huge. But hugeness can also come in a small package. In this case that small package was The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Peter Jackson brings dreams to life, and from what we were shown, The Hobbit is the stuff dreams are made of. Jackson brought out the big guns for his panel: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis and another Fantastic Fest fan: Elijah Wood.

We were shown a number of different elements in the film, including behind-the-scenes footage showing the cast and crew actually working on set as well as actual footage from the movie. We were treated to dwarves, elves, hobbits and Gollum.  Disappointedly (greatly depending on your POV), we weren't teased with a even rough sketch of Smaug the dragon. What we were treated to was Andy Serkis answering questions using Gollum’s voice. Hearing Gollum drop f-bombs was a riot! Only at Comic-Con.

Hobbit Panel at Comic-Con 2012

The rest of Saturday had many other sweet treats. Edgar Wright teased the crowd with proof-of-concept footage for his work in progress Ant Man. Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis made the crowd go wild with their comic antics while promoting The Campaign. 

I think the biggest surprise to me was the footage and panel for Zack Snyder's Man of Steel. I went into this panel not caring one bit for another Superman movie. Well, color me changed! I left that panel in search of a treasure I had yet to own: my first Superman comic. Man of Steel is taking a different approach to the Superman mythos and asks a question: "Would people really like it if Superman really existed?" With footage that reminded me of the opening scene to Rambo: First Blood I am duly impressed. It appears Snyder is taking Superman in a new direction. I am excited to see this film.

Saturday was long, tiring, exciting and inspiring. I generally avoid Hall H on Saturday. I am happy I made a different decision this time.

Achievement unlocked ... Survived Saturday, Gollum f-Bombs witnessed and a new appreciation for Superman adopted!

Comic-Con 2012 Concluded

Sunday is generally a chill day for me and this year it was no exception. I got in line early for the exhibit hall so I could do some serious shopping. And shop I did, so did my kiddo! We filled our rucksacks with cosplay gear and a Mondo Tees poster signed by the one and only Guillermo del Toro. 

Achivement unlocked ... Comic-Con 2012 complete!

A happy face after surviving Comic-Con. That is not her natural hair :)