Ladies and gentlemen, San Diego Comic-Con 2013 (SDCC) is upon us! It's that time of year again, when nerds and geeks and fanatics of all persuasions amass in San Diego for four-plus days of celebrating the best - and sometimes the worst - that pop culture has to offer.
The con kicked off on Wednesday with a preview night and runs through the end of the day on Sunday. All in all, nearly 130,000 people are expected to be at or around the San Diego Convention Center for the con, and once again this year, I'm lucky enough to be one of them. The dizzying array and volume of comic, gaming, tech, film, and television-related content at Comic-Con always generates a buzz, and this year some of the most anticipated offerings are anniversary celebrations: "The X-Files" 20th, 25 years of Neil Gaiman's "Sandman" series, Doctor Who's 50th, and "Superman" at 75, to name just a few.
Other exciting events include a sneak preview of the Michael Bay-produced "Black Sails" series for Starz, a selection of industry-specific documentaries, new releases and special guests from Dark Horse Comics and IDW, con-exclusive merchandise and giveaways, and the now-customary costumed fans, offsite cocktail parties, and general fandom mayhem. The Nerd Machine, founded by actor Zachary Levi ("Chuck"), will also return to San Diego this year to run a con-adjacent series of events collectively known as "Nerd HQ". Conceived as a fundraiser for Operation Smile, the series includes the extremely popular "Conversations for a Cause", a selection of limited capacity ticketed events providing up-close Q & A access to popular actors, directors, and artists. This year's offerings are pretty amazing: Joss Whedon, Steven Moffat, Nathan Fillion, Vin Diesel, Seth Green, and cast members from "Hannibal" and "Psych" will all drop by to talk with fans. Nerd HQ is also presenting a Saturday night screening of "Serenity", hosted by Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk, that's sure to get Browncoat hearts racing.
It's easy to get overwhelmed by all that's happening at Comic-Con, and it's natural to feel a touch of frustration. Why, oh why are so many appealing presentations, such as panels on "Dexter" and "Hannibal", or a Hall H extravaganza with Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost, and a primer in Room 24ABC on how to get started in writing for television - programmed at exactly the same time or with 15 minutes of overlap? Or scheduled back to back and at complete opposite ends of the con space? Of course, it's unavoidable; there is so much amazing content at the con, and it all has to fit in somewhere. Having to make difficult choices about what to see and do is inevitable.
I suspect that the only way to really feel like you've done everything you want to do at Comic-Con is to look into getting yourself cloned. Of course, that's not yet possible - though when someone does finally conqueor cloning, chances are pretty good that they will be promoting the breakthrough at a booth on the con floor, with a complementary panel in Room 6BCF.
Getting here a little early this year, I was able to peruse the outskirts of the convention center where crews have been setting up tents and pavillions, putting up banners, and constructing the temporary "city within a city" that we will all have fun exploring over the next four days. At a glance, it looks like "Enders Game", the highly-anticipated film adaptation of the science fiction novel by Orson Scott Card, will have quite a presence here this year.
Syfy's "Helix", a new offering from "Battlestar Galactica" producer Ronald D. Moore, appears to be an early winner in the annual Comic-Con banner wars.
Other heavy hitters - the aforementioned "X-Files" reunion, "The Walking Dead", "The Hunger Games", and a Marvel Studios preview of the next "Thor" and "Captain America" releases - will have devoted fans lining up around the clock for entry into the convention center's mighty Hall H and Ballroom 20.
For fans less given to major media pandemonium, the con provides an excellent lineup of small press publishers, artists, exhibitors and booth demonstrations, anime screenings, and nearly continuous gaming opportunities. Even without a clone, I will be doing my best to cover as many exciting Comic-Con 2013 events as I can for Big Picture Big Sound. Off we go!
