It’s the most important event in every geek’s calendar – Comic Con. As game, film, TV and comic book fans from all over the world gathered at the San Diego Convention Centre, the rest of us scoured the internet hoping to find teasers and trailers for our favourite franchises. Originally a small convention for comic book fans, Comic Con has become a huge event for fans and the media alike, with some of the biggest studios around using the occasion to release exclusive information about upcoming projects, such as interviews with the stars and creators, posters or stills, and trailers.
So for everyone who couldn’t afford the flights to California, here is your (spoiler-free!) recap of the biggest events and panels of the geekiest weekend on the planet.
Doctor Who’s presence at Comic Con has dramatically increased over the last few years, as the program
me has gained a larger fan base from being shown on BBC America. The show’s biggest stars, Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvil, appeared in multiple panels, interviews and even surprised diehard Whovians at a fan meet-up to give autographs and take pictures. So what did the fans learn from one of the most anticipated panels of the weekend? Well, not much. Head writer and producer Steven Moffat is legendary for keeping his cards close to his chest, and Comic Con was no exception. But the fans were treated to some exclusive clips from upcoming episodes – and the news that the mid season exit of Amy and Rory had left Gillan crying for two weeks when she had finished filming. After being promised an even bigger variety of episodes than before, fans left satisfied and ready for the Doctor’s return later this year.
The highlight of The Walking Dead’s panel was undoubtedly the truly epic trailer for season three. AMC’s apocalyptic zombie thriller ended its second season on a cliffhanger after the destruction of Hershel’s farm, and the 4-minute clip shows how the group attempts to survive, as well as revealing the mysterious woman who saved Andrea’s life. The trailer hints at some of the major arcs covered in the graphic novel, but as the show has already made some huge diversions from the comic, it’ll be interesting to see how these plotlines are handled when the show returns in October.
Following the enormous success of The Avengers in May, the Marvel Studios panel revealed its plans to continue growing its cinematic universe, by announcing details of upcoming films such as Thor 2, Captain America 2, and a brand new Ant-Man film. The studio also released some exciting footage from the highly anticipated Iron Man 3. A Comic Con favourite, the crowd went wild, and left geeks across the world counting down the days to its release next year. Furthermore, star Robert Downey Jr. delighted fans by fully embracing the Comic Con spirit, such as dancing into the Iron Man 3 panel in true Tony Stark style, and entertaining young fans at a children’s Iron Man costume competition.
If you just can’t wait until the release of these epic productions, then finding spoilers (and uploads of the panels in their entirety) isn’t very difficult if you browse YouTube for long enough. But until then, we have tonnes of brilliant films and programmes, as well as next year’s Comic Con, to look forward to.
