Comic-Con Rap
"I've been attending Comic-Con for at least ten years now (being a local allows this on a threadbare budget) and this is the first time in a lonnng time that the vibe's been different," writes Joe Maniquis of San Diego. "I can't quite pin it down and I don't have numbers to back it up but the crowds seem lighter, the exhibit hall less frenzied and there seems to be no big-time buzz about anything, and everybody's presence there felt perfunctory. It got so bad that we ended up skipping out on Sam Jackson and his Snakes show and getting sloshed early at The Field. I'm wondering I'm alone in this or if you or others are having the same thoughts about the whole thing." Comic Con sure as hell seemed crowded to me yesterday, but if anyone has any reactions...
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on July 22, 2006 at 2:17 PM
comment #1
Zac Bertschy says ...
I was there Friday and the place was surprisingly easy to maneuver around. The biggest panel today was Marvel's overview of their new film division, with Jon Favreau talking about Iron Man... and that was kinda it. Raimi talked up Spider-Man 3 but again, there isn't anything new; there are no big-deal movies coming down the road, nothing's building up a huge amount of buzz. It felt very sedate.
Compare this to last year when everyone was going apeshit over Superman Returns and X3 and yeah, it felt flat this year. Snakes on a Plane isn't even related to comics or anything at all, it's just aimed at nerds who went crazy for it over the internet. So it gets kind of a shrug from this crowd.
I think the bit in the LA Times this morning about how Marvel has basically blown their wad in terms of bankable superheroes (Spiderman, X-Men) was on target. The only characters they really have left are Captain America and Iron Man, two properties that don't share the same excitement or general interest. It feels too soon for another Hulk movie, but they're going ahead anyway, to the delight of... hardcore comics fans and that's kinda it. So that might have something to do with the fact that there isn't a lot of excitement this year.
Posted by Zac Bertschy at July 22, 2006 2:40 PM
comment #2
Edgar Allen Tong Po says ...
WHAT ABOUT ANT-MAN?
Posted by Edgar Allen Tong Po at July 22, 2006 2:49 PM
comment #3
Mike B says ...
Maybe the comic book movie craze has started to run its course. These things seem to cycle and then go through a few trough years. This current up period has been unbelievable though.
Posted by Mike B at July 22, 2006 3:01 PM
comment #4
Anonymous says ...
300?? Grind House??? Spidey 3??? I've been attending the con for years, and this year's Saturday is the most exciting day I've seen yet. And yesterday's clip from the Children of Men was absolutely stunning.
Posted by Anonymous at July 22, 2006 3:08 PM
comment #5
nickc says ...
the 300 extended trailer at comicon was the GREATEST thing I have seen on a screen in years. Looks like every shot will be pure visual art. Stunning in every sense of the word. they played it 3 times, twice in a row right at the begining of the panel due to the EXTREME response from the crowd. the single best moment of the entire weekend. oh yeah...GRINDHOUSE looks fucking terrific as well.
Posted by nickc at July 22, 2006 3:25 PM
comment #6
Elyse says ...
Ah, sigh, too far to travel and couldn't get time off work. I'm a big Stargate fan and wondered if anyone attended that panel today? Thanks! :)
Posted by Elyse at July 22, 2006 3:33 PM
comment #7
Blondie says ...
Is it true that Rodriguez finally confirmed that Angelina Jolie is playing Ava Lord in Sin City 2? I heard some unconfirmed buzz on another forum.
Posted by Blondie at July 22, 2006 4:18 PM
comment #8
nickc says ...
he didn't specifically address that in the panel, surprisingly, nobody asked about Sin City 2 at either the GRINDHOUSE or 300 panels.
Posted by nickc at July 22, 2006 4:23 PM
comment #9
Anonymous says ...
and I don't agree with the guy quoted in the above piece...there has been a TON of amazing bits from NUMEROUS panels...there is PLENTY of excitement...but I guess if you left early and didn't watch the hysterical Snakes on a Plane panel than what do you know anyways...you left early...I have a had a fucking blast and I can't wait to go back next year. Children of Men looks fucking brilliant, Curaon is a class act and his film looks incredible.
Posted by Anonymous at July 22, 2006 4:25 PM
comment #10
Blondie says ...
Thanks nickc. I can't believe no one asked about Sin City 2! I saw the Children of Men trailor online and it blew damn my mind! That and Fountain are two of my most anticipated for the Fall.
Posted by Blondie at July 22, 2006 4:35 PM
comment #11
Anonymous says ...
Zac...
What are you, posting from the future? When you put up your comment, the Marvel panel hadn't started, and the Sony panel still hasn't started.
Being dismissmive is easy when you don't even see what you're dismissing.
Posted by Anonymous at July 22, 2006 4:56 PM
comment #12
Daniel Zelter says ...
>"I can't quite pin it down and I don't have >numbers to back it up but the crowds seem >lighter, the exhibit hall less frenzied
It's hotter than usual(thanks to global warming and high gas prices), and no one wants to travel.
"..there isn't anything new; there are no big-deal movies coming down the road, nothing's building up a huge amount of buzz. It felt very sedate.Compare this to last year when everyone was going apeshit over Superman Returns and X3 and yeah, it felt flat this year."
Well there are the Wolverine and Magneto spin-offs, but I don't think they're even in pre-production. I just hope FOX doesn't puke them out in a couple months like they did with Elektra.
"I think the bit in the LA Times this morning about how Marvel has basically blown their wad in terms of bankable superheroes (Spiderman, X-Men) was on target.The only characters they really have left are Captain America and Iron Man, two properties that don't share the same excitement or general interest."
There's still Silver Surfer, but it probably depends on the budget. If any comic company's really suffering, it's DC, because they haven't had a real box office hit since Batma Forever.
"300??"
Why make 300, if Alexander and Kingdom of Heaven were barely profitable?
"Grind House???"
Quentin already made a grindhouse film, and it sucked. This one's so bad, even Mickey Rourke doesn't want to be associated with it.
"Spidey 3???"
Bryce is going to make it suck, just like she did with Lady in the Water.
Posted by Daniel Zelter at July 22, 2006 4:59 PM
comment #13
gh says ...
I don't know about that Children Of Men trailer that's got so many people wet. It looks kind of cloying to me. I mean it's got TWO shots of Michael Caine giving the E.T. love finger. That's two too many if you ask me. Plus they give away the whole movie and have soppy Enya style music on the soundtrack. Whatever floats your boat I guess.
As far as the mood being sedate, maybe they were pumping xanax through the air conditioning to keep the nerds at bay.
Posted by gh at July 22, 2006 5:02 PM
comment #14
Pedro says ...
Jeff -- We need some info on why after writing a script for Mickey Rourke, putting Rourke's name on the cover of said script, and pretty much everyone knowing Mickey Rourke is starring in Death Proof, Kurt Russell is now starring instead.
Tarantino is pretty much done for me, but him working with Rourke would be a collaboration to watch, for sure.
Posted by Pedro at July 22, 2006 6:21 PM