Comic-Con 2012
The background
Comic-Con 2012 has drawn to a close, leaving behind plenty of talking points to get fans buzzing. The annual pop culture expo saw 130,000 visitors turn up for panel discussions and exhibitions on films, TV shows, graphic novels and video games.
What’s new in film
“Marvel announced its Captain America sequel, due in April 2014, will be titled The Winter Soldier. A Thor sequel, due in November 2013, will be called The Dark World and directed by Game of Thrones’ Alan Taylor,” reported Rory Carroll for The Guardian. Other buzz-worthy forthcoming flicks include Iron Man 3 and a Superman reboot. Middle Earth fans got a glimpse of footage from Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit. And Disney introduced new films including Frankenweenie, directed by Tim Burton.
Watch a round-up of Disney’s Comic-Con 2012 offerings.
What’s new in TV
The cast of US biker drama Sons of Anarchy turned up to premiere an “explosive” clip from season five, said Hollywood Reporter. There were also appearances from the stars of Fringe and The Walking Dead, along with a peek at Elementary, a Sherlock Holmes adaptation starring Lucy Liu as Watson. Digital Spy reported that Games of Thrones fans can look forward to some exciting cast editions: “Notable highlights include the fabulous Dame Diana Rigg joining as Olenna Tyrell, Walking Dead‘s Tara Fitzgerald, Nathalie Emmanuel featuring as Missandei, Paul Kaye aka Dennis Pennis (!) as Thoros of Myr, Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Jojen Reed and Tobias Menzies starring as Edmure Tully.” And Dr Who‘s Karen Gillan and Matt Smith joined the fun, revealing that the new series will include dinosaurs in space, said CraveOnline.
Watch the Dr Who panel at Comic-Con 2012.
What’s new in graphic novels
“Looking for a theme at Comicon isn’t always the most sensible thing to do,” said Todd Allen at Comics Culture. But Allen did identify one growing trend: creators moving away from exclusive contracts with the major players. “The last 10-15 years was an age of exclusive contracts. Historically, it was a little unusual for someone to work at DC and Marvel simultaneously… That all seems to be changing and we’re seeing a wave of creators playing the field with multiple companies,” Allen wrote.
What’s new in video games
Game Rant provided a rundown of the Comic Con video games highlights. These included a preview cut-scene of the hotly anticipated The Last of Us, demonstrations of LEGO Lord of the Rings and genre-busting shooter Hybrid, and a trailer for a new game featuring Marvel hero Deadpool.
Watch a scene from The Last of Us, coming in 2013. Contains violence and strong language.
