ANOTHER SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON IS IN THE BOOKS!
Article and Photos by Christian Navarrete
2017 San Diego Comic-Con is officially over, and what an amazing Con it was. This year I had the pleasure of joining Adam Mast and Dan Bringhurst in the infamous Hall H where they were serving panel after panel of comic loving goodness. And while San Diego Comic-Con was a 4-day event here are just a few samplings that really stood out:
It was an honor to see most of the cast and writers of “The Big Bang Theory” sharing intimate tales about their first experiences at Comic-Con 10 years ago. Hardcore fans of the show were also treated to three never before released stanzas to Sheldon’s “Warm Kitty” song. The crowd went nuts as we all karaoked the song while trying not to laugh at the silly lyrics.
The KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE panel offered its fair share of breathtaking fight scenes, hilariously retro villains (including a very disturbing sequence consisting of Julianne Moore, two cronies, and a meat grinder), and the unforgettable moment when Channing Tatum dared Halle Berry to down a 12 oz glass of Kentucky bourbon. For the record, she did it! What an amazing cast and crew, but that image of Halle Berry was hands down the most captivating thing because of how effortlessly she managed to down that glass and remain coherent (slightly) for the rest of the panel.
The Marvel panel is like that awesome uncle you see once a year who always has some tremendous gift for you. They’re always trying to impress and they nail it every time. Marvel had so much to show us it almost felt rushed, but I thoroughly enjoyed the hilarious sizzle reel presented by Paul Rudd and Michael Peña recapping all the Marvel movies. The extended THOR: RAGNAROK footage gave “Planet Hulk” fans some excellent reasons to anticipate the November 3rd release date. I didn’t know too much about BLACK PANTHER until Comic-Con, but they premiered a nail-biting action sequence in a casino that really cemented the espionage angle BLACK PANTHER is hoping to achieve. It reminded me of the Komodo Dragon Scene in SKYFALL. Needless to say, I was hooked immediately!
Charlize Theron was honored at the annual “Women Who Kick Ass” panel this year. She’s as classy and elegant in person as she looks in all those “Chanel No. 5” commercials. And if seeing her in person wasn’t enough, the 5-minute ATOMIC BLONDE sequence that closed out the panel had the fans begging for more Theron! They screened the film in its entirety later that evening but we missed it so we could experience the Marvel panel.
Director Steven Spielberg was in Hall H Saturday Afternoon along with Ernest Cline, the author of “Ready Player One,” along with most of the cast including Tye Sheridan, T.J. Miller, Olivia Cooke, and Ben Mendelsohn. Team READY PLAYER ONE literally blew the socks off of the fans and really stretched the imagination with some face melting visual revelations. READY PLAYER ONE was by far the most exciting thing to witness the Con this year. All those 80s icon images and pop culture references were something else! I still get goosebumps whenever I watch that trailer and witness The Iron Giant making his triumphant appearance. It just feels so right.
Of course, no Comic-Con would be complete without the amazing fans and their dedication to cosplay. There were some very elaborate costumes this year. Sometimes I’d swear the characters had jumped out of the pages of a comic. Of course, Harley Quinn still seemed to dominate the cosplayer pool but Wonder Woman was quite popular as well. Dazzler made an appearance next to her friend, Mary Jane. There was an awesome Leeloo from THE FIFTH ELEMENT who reminded me I could take her picture but never without her permission. And of course there were mashups of some of our favorite icons, and whether they made sense or not, they were enjoyed by all.
I’m not quite sure what it is about Comic-Con that makes people more open and friendlier. It could be that we are all there for the same reasons. Whatever the case may be, we made a lot of new friends at the Con and met some truly great people. In fact, on our last overnight line adventure, we had a group of about 10 Hall H wristband holders join us in a rousing game of “Cards Against Humanity” while waiting for the line to move. And I have to give a shout out to Vinnie Hernandez and his wife, Evie, from New York who was kind enough to bring us donuts and burritos for breakfast. Unbelievably nice couple.
While San Diego Comic-Con is an event of epic proportions, it’s the little things, like meeting your favorite celebrity or hearing an embarrassing story no one else had ever heard before. That really brings the multitude of fans to these conventions, which is why it’s smart to begin making arrangements for San Diego Comic-Con 2018. I hope you can make it because you can bet our crew will be there!
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