San Diego Comic-Con Thoughts
San Diego Comic-Con (or SDCC for short) actually happened 2 weeks ago, but it’s never too late to give one’s opinion on things. SDCC has grown from a modest comic book convention to an all-out entertainment hub for geek culture. News on television, movies, and even video games can be found at SDCC.
As I read through the various update articles on one of my favorite websites Newsarama.com, I took notes on the projects that caught my eye. Below is a list:
TV News
– Marvel wants to bring back a live-action Hulk series. The former 80’s series starred Lou Ferrigno as he traveled the country while trying to keep his alter-ego The Hulk under control. Jeph Loeb, comic book writer who also contributed to the NBC series Heroes, is tied to the project. He states that the new series will focus on the early days of The Hulk, “when people didn’t know about his powers”. To be honest I’ve never cared much for Hulk. I also don’t see how Marvel can do a live-action series if they also plan on releasing future Hulk movies. One actor playing Hulk on TV, another in the movies? Only way I see this series making it to TV is if The Avengers movie is a hit, and TV studios want to bring some of that success to the small screen. The cost for the series alone would be substantial because of a CGI Hulk and his varies enemies.
– In more Hulk news there will be a Hulk cartoon also titled Hulk & the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. Over the last five years the Hulk comic has expanded it’s “family” to include two sons, a red Hulk, a red She-Hulk, and a blue former sidekick. For those who don’t keep up with the Hulk comics, General Ross is now Red Hulk, Betty Ross is Red She-Hulk, and sidekick Rick Jones is A-Bomb, all now powered by Gamma just like Hulk. I wish I had more to add to this but I shared all my Hulk views in the paragraph above. Moving on…
– Mockingbird is another series in discussion. In the Marvel universe she is a former SHIELD operative who is also a member of The Avengers. Mockingbird is described as “Alias meets Felicity”. The show would follow Mockingbird she balances her college life with her private life of working for a secret government organization. Now this I could see making it to TV. There are already similar shows in terms of style and setting being aired, so this would fall right in line. Cast some hot young actress as Mockingbird and you have the next ABC Family original series.
– This year we have ANOTHER Spider-Man animated series debuting called Ultimate Spider-Man. Off the top of my head this is the fifth animated series for Spider-Man, counting Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends. There is word that there will be appearances by many Marvel characters like Captain America, Hulk, Thor, and Iron Man. If this series can match the level of Sensational Spider-Man then I will be watching (Granted it’s on a channel I’m already receiving. This was a problem with Wolverine & The X-Men). SHIELD Agent Coulson in the Marvel movie universe will be the principle at Peter Parker’s high school (voiced by Clark Gregg). Stan Lee will be a janitor. And no that is not a joke.
– Season two of Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes will also see appearances by the Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom. When Avengers: EMH debuted I was skeptical from the initial artwork and campy theme music. Now I find myself loving the theme music and the show overall. I love shows that have storylines build throughout a season. It makes the viewer pay more attention to what is being said and what is going on, because you don’t want to miss out on a clue. Season one did this perfectly and I’m sure the second season will be more of the same.
– New Marvel anime shows debuted on the G4 network (Iron Man, Wolverine, and I hear an X-Men series is coming out also). Since it’s anime the art is amazing in both Iron Man and Wolverine. After Wolverine is shot by machine gun fire, we get a glimpse of the holes in his body, with blood oozing out of them. As long as the heroes face actual villains from their comic books I’ll give these shows a try.
Comics
– Avengers Academy, the series starring teenagers who were profiled to become future villains but now are being trained to be future Avengers, will be relocating to the former West Coast Avengers compound. Avengers Academy will also be opening their doors to all the super-powered teens of the Marvel universe. New faculty will also be added to the staff. I always enjoy books starring adolescent heroes, dating back to New Mutants, New Warriors, and X-Force. The added twist of the original cast of Avengers Academy being profiled to be future villains is a wrinkle that can always be manipulated by the writers for story purposes. I also like that they are not being stagnate with the title (i.e. changing locations, adding and subtracting characters).
– One of my favorite characters from the X-Men family, Cable, is scheduled to make his return in Cable Reborn. When we last saw Cable, he was sacrificing himself in the Second Coming storyline. All that was left of him was his metallic arm. I’m sure this will be a plot device to help bring Cable back into existence.
– When Green Lantern starts back over after the DCnU relaunch, it won’t be Hal Jordan starring in the comic. It will be his arch-nemesis Sinestro. At the end of the War of the Green Lanterns story arch, a Green Lantern ring chooses Sinestro as it’s new ring bearer. Also the Guardians strip Hal Jordan of his Green Lantern ring and duties because they deem him to be their biggest threat. For anyone interested in a comic book, I’d definitely recommend picking up any of the Green Lantern books. The stories are wonderfully written and the artwork is superb. There are also a vast number of characters now that they’ve decided to introduce other color spectrums like Yellow, Orange, and Red Lanters just to name a few.
So that wraps it up for my thoughts on SDCC. Were there any panels or news items leaked that caught your eye? Anything you liked or disliked? Make sure to leave us a comment and let your voice be heard!
Timdogg
#ComicBookChronicles @CBChron founder. Editor-in-Chief of @thekliqnation. Comic book reviewer, podcaster #RABBLERABBLE
