Highlights/Delights from San Diego Comic-Con 2010

SCOTT PILGRIM:

Some lucky con-goers sneaked a sneak preview of Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World as the film ramps up for its August 13th release date. It sounds like fans of Bryan Lee O’ Malley’s comic won’t be let down with lead awkward puppy-dog actor Michael Cera, or with the adaption itself. Comics Alliance’s observes that Scott Pilgrim‘s director manages the difficult process of balancing the comic book sensibility to film-friendliness ratio with aplomb:

“Edgar Wright gets it. And I don’t just mean that he gets “Scott Pilgrim”; he gets the relationship between comics and film, and how they’re two distinct media that each have their own strengths and weaknesses. There are plenty of sequences and sight gags that Wright lifts directly from the page, but others are modified, eliminated and replaced with things that make a better visual on the screen.”

And Wright’s adaptation sounds like it does female characters justice too, which is a refreshing departure from listening to Mary Jane squeal helplessly for Spiderman across three films to date:

“They fight dudes. They rescue Scott. They have the same kind of “I just got punched in the face but now I’m totally okay so let’s fight more” action movie resilience as the guys, and that’s kind of a huge deal.”

Miss the Scott Pilgrim trailer? Check it out below!

WHEDON ALERT:

Joss Whedon confirmed that he will direct The Avengers, due out in 2012. ‘Nuff said.

GEEKS: 1; PHELPS: 0:

The ubiquitous Westboro church of hate and assholery made sure to swing by Comic Con 2010, but the geeks were ready. Jedis and robots alike united in absurdity against the handful of Phelps clan members in San Diego.

Top Quote from Salon’s brief interview with a Phelps-monger:

MARGIE PHELPS: well we’re out here to say that if [we] were to invest one fraction of the resources that you spend and invest in worshiping Batman, and the Ghostbusters and Buffy the Vampire Slayer and so fourth in reading the Bible and obeying God, this nation would not be (garbled).

We can only assume that (garbled) here is “on the fast track to heaven” or “so impossibly awesome– back to Kansas!”

MORRISON’S NEXT BATMAN:

Grant Morrison’s next Batman book, Batman Inc., will emphasize “Batman’s wealth, power and influence above all.” Batman’s always been one of the more human superheroes, him being human and all, so Morrison’s Bruce Wayne-centric take on the dark knight will be anything less than fascinating. 3D

GAY PIRHANA KISS:

Model/Actress Kelly Brook apparently kissed some porn star named Riley Steele in a movie purportedly about pirhanas. There’s a fine line between camp and tastelessness. And this may straddle it just right.

GREEN LANTERN MOVIE:

Watch the star of next summer’s Green Lantern film recite the Lantern Corps. Oath for an adorable-sounding tiny con attendee. This Ryan Reynolds guy seems like a real stand-up character.

BRANDY HOWARD, CHICKEN WOMAN:

Autostraddle’s own Brandy Howard appeared at San Diego comic con as fast food super heroine “chicken woman”, which is so far entirely inexplicable yet delightful. Taco Bell apparently launched some kind of retro comic book marketing campaign which Brandy’s presence ostensibly ties in with, but I’d like to think she makes this shit up herself.

THIS.

QUEERING COMICS:

Greg Rucka of Detective Comics fame and Gilbert Hernandez of Love and Rockets were among the all-star speakers at San Diego’s “Writing Queer” panel. The panelists explored the ins and outs of creating queer comic books without tokenizing their characters, and Rucka revealed that he actually consulted Lt. Dan Choi for his reinvention of Batwoman as a soldier dismissed under DADT.

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taylor

Taylor has written 136 articles for us.

11 Comments

  1. I can;t watch the Green Lantern promo because I am at work but I will return with thoughts and feeling.

    Happy you went but I am tremendously jealous that you got to go to Comic Con. I wanted to go but I had no one to go with me. And of course this year was awesome! Everything, EVERYTHING I love was at Comic Con.

    V
    True Blood
    Vampire Diaries
    Brent Corrigan
    Spartacus
    Smallville
    and Angelina Jolie. ANGELINA FREAKING JOLIE!!

    When I am old and reflect on my life this event, Comic Con 2010 will be my greatest regret.

    • i look forward to your thoughts and feelings! i may have misrepresented the situation here, as I did not attend comic con so much as I attended the internet. maybe next year we’ll all get to go!

      • Taylor I wouldn’t make it. It’s like, a dream to go but man, I’d die from nerdpanic the entire time. One tiny Doctor Who spotting and I would hyperventilate. I think we all know this.

      • I am more of a John Stewart GL girl, so I was not overjoyed for this version or the casting. But I think Ryan Renolds is a nice guy, a half way decent actor so we will see.

        OT: Why Blake Lively? The most ordinary looking ‘it’ girl… Did she get a boob job?

  2. I attended comic con and it was absolutely Amazing. it had this just amazing feeling in the air hard to describe just great energy at the Convention Center and downtown. It was sad to see the lonely 2 protesters, cause no one knew what they where protesting they just had jebus signs. and would try to hand stuff out but no one would take it.

    • Pretty sure that was my favorite part of this whole thing. Super (Reduced Fat) Sour Cream and Captain Enchilada Sauce get dibs for second best under Chicken Woman LOL.

  3. I can trace the mere 3 degrees of separation between myself and Ryan Reynolds, and I can confirm that Ryan Reynolds is indeed a real stand-up character.

  4. “Worshipping the Ghostbusters” is the funniest/best religious concept I’ve heard, like ever.

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