Missing out on Comic-con 2012

Once again this year’s comic-con seems to have gone down a treat. People bared witness to the biggest blockbuster movies of the year, their favourite TV series gossip and also the best comics on offer which is partly in the name of course. It no secret that this years E3 conference was terrible compared to the usual offerings but Comic-con was expected to be a success again.

I have to say there were many fine moments I’ve read about like the infamous Bulk and Skull moment at the Power Ranges panel but I have to say that the expo itself had some truly fantastic announcements.

It’s no secret that DC has struggled to successfully launch live-action adaptation of any of their characters over the last few years – with the one exception being Smallville – so the announcement of Arrow early this year made many fanboy’s ears prick up. The successful 10 year stint of the Superman series was always going to produce some attempted spin off but this actually looks like a vision that might succeed.

The new take on Green Arrow is set to focus on Oliver Queen and his exploits into actually becoming a full-fledged superhero. The story picks up after Oliver is stranded on an island for a few years where he apparently hones his archery skills, physical ability and his personal mentality.

Being a big fan of Green Arrow I am more than a little excited about the whole thing and actually expect it to do quite well. The ‘adult’ themes that the story looks to be taking on board will hopefully mean that fans of similar adaptations (Nolan’s Batman for example) will also love this new spin off.

SPOILER ALERT - Deathstoke appears to be the bad guy too.

Then of course Room 6A held the now yearly Walking Dead panel which showed everything from their clever TV adaptation to the 100 comic issue due out this month (it might already be out actually). It’s crazy to think that the independent black and white comic about zombies is set for such a milestone and the TV show has only escalated it’s popularity three-fold.

First and probably the big news is that season three will start in October and pick off directly after the closure of season two. If the comics are anything to go by (and the casting news) we are in for another cracking stream of episodes featuring a prison, the perfect zombie killing action and a governor.

An interesting move was noted by the panel monitor, Chris Hardwick, who said that we could be seeing more special effects in the new series as the undead ghouls are slowly deteriorating due to their lack of food. It’s also interesting to hear from a fans point of view that they are going for a very fast paced series to keep in line with the end of series two and also the 100 mph style of the comics.

If you haven’t seen the trailer then now is the time to check it out but for the moment just think how great this section is in the comics and whether you believe the show will live up to the hype. Also if you haven’t had a chance the book ‘Rise of the Governor’ is a great time filler and explains the motives of the newest character coming into the show.

Normally I wouldn’t say that a reunion panel was one of the big things I missed not going this year but then again Firefly is a little bigger to the norm. The fan-base across the globe is intense and regularly asks for the series to continue. Surprisingly this was the 10^th anniversary of the series that started the chants and the whole cast appeared on the panel. Of course the usual questions were asked but as a massive fan myself I would have just loved to experience the sheer love for the characters and the actors as they each got heavily involved with the fans.

Of course Joss Whedon is returning to comic-con a hero following his massive Avengers outing, in fact creating the third biggest movie of all time.

Unfortunately no news of a new series yet – we can continue to shout from the rafters though and cross our fingers in the hope of some live-action outing in the future.

You can’t really speak about comic-con without some sort of Tolkien works being completed and this year marked the year of The Hobbit. For those like me with a jealous nature you better just skip over the next paragraph.

Yes, a little over 12 minutes of footage was shown from The Hobbit to the rabid fans in Hall H, and director Peter Jackson was also on hand with co-producer and co-screenwriter Philippa Boyens as well as several cast members to set the show on the road. It was also a nice touch that Elijah Wood showed up and Serkis spoke to the crowd as Gollum and even dropped in a few naughty words. The footage shown had been downgraded from the controversial 48 fps that Jackson showed last time – obviously this went down extremely well with the fans too. There are no signs that this won’t be as big or bigger than the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

Finally Superman returned to San Diego where Warner Bros. gave the Hall H crowd their first look at Man of Steel. This reboot is directed by Zack Snyder with some executive producer assistance being offered by Christopher Nolan. The case were all on hand to speak to the fans with Henry Cavil, Kevin Cosner and Russell Crowe getting involved.

As a comic fan I loved the fact that it has been heavily publicised that Cavill said he looked at to the likes of Death of Superman, the Return of Superman and Red Son for his inspiration. Oddly enough, no mention was made of Birthright, which seems to be the biggest influence on the movie so far. Of course Snyder was asked if he thought that a successful Man of Steel film could lead to a JLA or Batman vs. Superman movie and he replied that once Superman is back in the frame anything could happen.

Comic-con as I’m sure you can see did not disappoint except for the fact that the majority of us only got to read about it and watch the footage at home. Next year guys and girls we will all make more of an effort.

Suddenly I need a pay-rise!