Day 2: Friday (7/22/16)
While the entirety of the nerd universe is partying in California, some of us have to watch it unfold slowly from their computers from the sidelines. But to make that a little less painful, we've rounded up some of the most fun news and events to come out of San Diego and brought it to you. Here's what we learned Friday.
Lots of Returning Shows!
First off, we talked a lot about Marvel yesterday but GHOST RIDER IS COMING TO AGENTS OF SHIELD. Gabriel Luna is playing Robbie Reyes, who became host for the Spirit of Vengeance back in 2013. Ghost Rider's always fun when he's used right, and this could open the door for other fan-favorites to show up. We're rooting for a Squirrel Girl or Kamala Khan appearance.
Rob Thomas's adaptation of Mike Allred's comic iZombie has become a CW highlight. The creators weren't as tight-lipped as some other (more self-serious) shows, so they took some time out to talk about what was next.
We know that Orphan Black's next season will be its last, and we're not ready to say goodbye to Tatiana Maslany and her 5 main characters (11 total so far) on BBC America's brilliant clone saga. No big reveals here, but a great blooper reel and in-character improv based on scenarios from the audience.
Game of Thrones latest season just finished and the next won't be here for a year and a half, so there wasn't much to do but take a victory lap. The cast talked about who they thought would wind up ruling Westeros, but there weren't any tidbits about what's to come because not even the cast knows right now.
The Walking Dead didn't have much to say, either. After an entire season (and interviews and promotional hype) that led up to a cheap-shot cliffhanger, the cast's hands were kinda tied, so they mostly talked about pranking each other.
Also Rihanna, who recently came out opened up about being a lifelong Star Trek fan, is apparently joining the cast of Bates Motel.
Animation
Rick and Morty is coming back sooner than anyone thought, and at their panel they shared a hilariously gruesome fight scene featuring Rick as...some kind of sausage? building himself better bodies out of the bugs and rats he was fighting. Because why show something that would make sense?
Archer is also back with a teaser for Season 8, but since the entire premise is a spoiler after Season 7's psychotic cliffhanger (and the trailer's not online yet anyway) we're not gonna ruin it for you here. Go look for it if you want.
In less horrifyingly adult fare, the much-beloved Steven Universe showed up hardcore, with a live musical performance featuring the show's composers and creators, episode previews, an extended Q&A, and creator Rebecca Sugar's always-enlightening thoughts on the matter-of-factness with which she's able to address questions of gender identity, sexuality, and consent in an all-ages Cartoon Network show.
American Gods!
Neil Gaiman adaptations tend to have bad luck, dying in development as often as they make it to screens, so it's frankly miraculous that we're getting this adaptation of Gaiman's classic novel. Today we learned that Kristen Chenoweth (of Wicked fame) has joined the cast alongside Ricky Whittle, Ian McShane, Crispin Glover, Gillian Anderson, and more. We also got this first look at the show in the conventional hall and on Twitter.
Movies!
We didn't get any huge revelations, other than news that the horror film previously known as "The Woods" is actually a Blair Witch sequel/revival. There are always fun talks about what goes into making movies, but the hype train wasn't really rolling for the silver screen today. There was a panel on Sharknado: The 4th Awakens, and some retrospectives on Heavy Metal and Beauty and the Beast.
Spike & Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation was there. This well-curated showcase of indie cartoons has long showcased underground cartoonists like Bill Plympton and Don Hertzfeldt while bringing new brilliance to light.
Probably the biggest movie news was the screening of Batman: The Killing Joke. Get ready for people to have mixed feelings about that. Alan Moore's classic story is considered a defining take on The Joker, but it hasn't really aged gracefully. The film's already drawing criticism for a handling of Batgirl that's maybe even worse than the comic. On the other hand, it's the first R-rated Batman story, which is an interesting change of pace, and Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill have returned to voice Batman and Joker, after playing the characters together for nearly 25 years.
Actual Comics!
Sometimes actual comic books come up at Comic-Con. (Go figure!) Some of the noteworthy stuff - Ta-Nehisi Coates's Black Panther is getting a companion book that fleshes out T'Challa's world. Each story arc will focus on different characters and be written by a different author. First up is Bad Feminist author Roxane Gay, teaming up with Coates for a story about the two women from T'Challa's personal guard who broke their vows to run away together. Coates is one of the most thoughtful authors on race alive today, and his first foray into comics has been massively well-received. It's cool to see them doubling down on that.
DC's weird gritty reboot of Hannah-Barbera cartoons is one of the most compellingly bizarre things happening right now, and alongside their better-than-it-should be Scooby Apocalypse by the dream team of Giffen, DeMatteis, and Jim Lee, we're getting a Mad Max-ish spin on Wacky Races, of all things. That much we knew. What we didn't know is that absolute madman Garth Ennis is writing the thing. Ennis is best-known for Preacher, which is running as an AMC show right now, and other grim heroes like John Constantine and Punisher, so combining that with Penelope Pitstop (remember her?) is an...interesting choice.
Also appearing on the comics side of things is Gerard Way. Most people know him as the front man for My Chemical Romance, but Way's made a name for himself as a fascinating storytelling with critical darlings like Umbrella Academy. He's heading up an entire new imprint over at DC called Young Animal, with an emphasis on the strange and the beautiful.
Did you know...
- Björk created a media sensation when she wore her iconic white swan dress to the 2001 Oscars. At the time, many derided it as hideous and a publicity stunt, but it has since gone down as one of the most memorable dresses of all time—even if it isn't exactly beloved. She says David Bowie was the inspiration behind the dress.
- In February 2020, Jeff Bezos bought the most expensive property in California: a $165 million mansion. It was designed for Jack Warner (the former president of Warner Bros. entertainment company). It took a decade to construct (spanning the 1930s and 40s). It comes complete with 9 acres of Beverly Hills land, a main house, a guest house, a tennis court, a golf course, and terraces.
- In the summer of 2007, Joh Hamm became a household name when Mad Men premiered to critical acclaim and strong ratings. Just over a year and a half later, Ellie Kemper stole America's hearts (and Dwight's and Andy's) when she became the new receptionist on The Office. Before they were famous, Hamm was Kemper's high school drama teacher!
- When Rihanna debuted her famous red locks in 2010 (around the same time she was featured on Eminem's "Love the Way You Lie"), she started a red-hair trend. Over the next twelve months, she changed her hairstyle 13 times—more than once a month! But that came at a pricey cost. Sources say the annual price tag came out to $1,168,000 on just her hair.
- Jackie Kennedy is famous for redecorating and renovating the interior of the White House. Actually, on just her first day, she ordered $50,000 in changes for new rooms for the children and upgrades to the kitchen. She later hosted a tour of the White House for CBS News which was viewed by 56 million people and won her an Emmy Award.