SDCC - Shilling To The Small Screen

SDCC - Shilling To The Small Screen

Look out Comic Con, cause I'm a-coming! Maybe I'll even bring a water jet pack...



I have to say as a nerd, that's a bit strange to ride on a water jet pack, but it's oh so fitting of a clip to show. Especially since it was broadcast originally on the local news. Basically the small screen - that's what seems to have taken over Comic Con this year.

Forget about big Hollywood showing up to con this year. The middle of July is just not the best time for Hollywood. Mainly because it's way too early for next year's tent pole pieces that are more than likely barely getting filmed right now and have nothing really prepared to show. And it's far too late for this years summer blockbuster films. As they have mostly already been debuted.

And while Big Hollywood may not find it the perfect time to shill its production on the consumer, the small Hollywood, as in the small screen, has no problem in taking advantage of the 130,000 nerds, dweebs, geeks, gleeks, twi-heads, trekkies, brown coats that attend this always growing convention.

And it really makes perfect sense to. While it's not great for film studios to preach to the converted, as was seen by Scott Pilgrims box office failure, the middle of July is perfect timing for Television that will be premiering or coming back in the fall to generate some buzz. And even though the television studios are bringing a good 70 or so shows, Bones won't be one of them with a Panel...



Yeah, that's odd, isn't it? They had a panel set to go but Emily and David couldn't make it. Welp. But even though they got axed, it does go to show you that 20th Century Fox loves themselves some Comic con. Especially because of the buzz it creates for the fall line up. It has been really good for the television studio.

A staple booth for comic con in the past few years has been the Warner Brothers booth. And while they have never brought Nolan's Dark Knight franchise to comic con, you better believe that they have promoted the hell out of their televisions shows in the form of turning everyone into walking billboards. And you better believe I'm gonna me a WB comic con bag!

BURBANK, Calif. (July 12, 2011) — The dynamic duo of Warner Bros. Entertainment and Comic-Con have renewed their powerful alliance for 2011, and the Studio will once again serve as sponsor of the Comic-Con International: San Diego Official Bag.

Fans Checking in at Comic-Con to Receive a Collectible Bag Designed by the
Studio, Highlighting One of the Following 10 Titles:
“The Big Bang Theory,”
“Fringe,”
“Supernatural,”
“The Vampire Diaries,”
“Green Lantern: The Animated Series,”
“The Looney Tunes Show,”
“ThunderCats,”
“Batman: Arkham City,”
“LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5–7”
and “Justice League”

More than 130,000 of the signature, oversized (24”x28”) bags — dubbed the Con’s “ubiquitous accessory” by Entertainment Weekly — have been produced, and will be available to fans attending Comic-Con upon checking in throughout the five days of the convention, including Preview Night.

For the first time, the 2011 edition of the bag converts into a backpack, making it as cool as ever — and even more functional! (And, yes, the protective poster tube remains intact.

It really is the best thing about the Warner Brothers booth and all the movie studio booths around them. That bag gets people lining up like crazy. But when you're at a convention of this size, you really do sort of need some sort of large bag to carry all of the swag you're picking up. Even if it's just going to be thrown away and the whole purpose of it is just a cheap excuse to turn you into a walking billboard for whatever shitty project they are working on happens to be.

So why nothing for Marvel? Well, there's some speculation that Disney/Paramount pulled out because Disney wants to hold out for any announcements in the Marvel department for their own D23 Expo in August.

Though I wouldn't rule everything off the table for Comic con by marvel. Look at what already has hit the streets of the Gaslamp district.



And here you thought Marvel wasn't going to show up to Comic Con. For shame. That advertisement alone has me sold a little. I mean, I was sort of on board when I heard the guys from Crank were doing Ghost Rider, but those posters are pretty bad ass.

Something odd this year for comic con is that they are really encouraging people not to shower. It seems that when you pick up your badge, they will also give you a wristband to wear. In order to get into the building, you need to be waring both the badge and a wristband.

If you have a 4 day badge, you are expected to wear that single wristband for the 4 days. If you have individual day passes, you get a new wristband for that day. The wristbands are waterproof, but it's to crack down on people borrowing passes.



I'm guessing that they're like those concert wristbands used to denote your age. Those are typically durable and I've worn them for up to 24 hours, but to keep it on for 4-5 days? Really? Waterproof or not, it's bound to get fairly tattered and funky. I assume by Saturday people will have theirs held together by tape.

Seems pretty stupid if you ask me. I hate hand wrist bands. I really do. I see no point in all this. In fact, I think that Comic Con should probably worry less about people reselling the passes they paid for and worry more about making the process of getting tickets easier. How about using that money to put towards increasing the capacity of Comic Con international? You know, so you can allow more people to be in there.

So yeah.. I suppose there's nothing left to say than see you there!