As we rapidly approach That Time Of The Year again, where staff journalists for papers and magazines prepare to fly out to San Diego, freelancers worry whether they have enough independently booked interviews to justify the cost of flying out, and fans pray that their cars and trucks will make it down the pacific highway, CCI has released the schedule for the event, and it looks better than ever. There really is something for everyone here, from comics through to movies, through to TV, games and books. Truly, it’s the biggest event of its kind in the world, and a nexus for fans of science fiction, fantasy and horror everywhere.
We’ve collated a small list of what we’ll be making a beeline for this year, and if you’re attending, please do post up your own in the comments section. Each day this week we’ll post up our own guide to a day of Con, so keep checking back.
FRIDAY 24 JULY
10.00-12.30 – Warner Bros Showcase – Hall H
Warner Bros comes to Comic Con in style, previewing its upcoming slate of releases such as A Nightmare On Elm Street, Book Of Eli, Where The Wild Things Are, The Box, Jonah Hex, and Sherlock Holmes. If you’re planning to get to this one, get there early, as the queues are going to be huge. Alternatively, you could go to…
10.15-11.15 – Farscape 10th Anniversary – Room 6BCF
Miss Farscape? So do we. However, all is not lost, as Comic Con this year sees a very special panel featuring Ben Browder, Rockne S O’Bannon and Claudia to remember the series, its highs and lows, and share special stories with fans. We’re torn, oh so torn, between this and the Warner Bros panel. Or of course, there’s always…
10.30-11.30 – Stargate Universe – Ballroom 20
Ever wanted to know everything about the new series? This is your chance. The monster panel for this highly-anticipated series features most of the cast, including Robert Carlyle, Brian J Smith, Alaina Huffman, Jamil Walker Smith, Ming-Na, David Blue, Brad Wright and Robert C Cooper. We need a cloning machine.
11.30-12.30 – The Prisoner – Room 6BCF
AMC’s update of the classic series gets its moment to shine at Comic Con with a panel featuring Jim Caviezel, Lennie James, Jamie Campbell-Bower and writer Bill Gallagher with producer Vlad Wolynetz. There will be a Q&A session, followed by a sneak preview of footage. Alternatively, there’s…
11.45-12.45- Caprica/The Plan – Ballroom 20
We’d trek through the snow, barefoot, for 20 miles to see Edward James Olmos in a panel again. The man is an entertainment machine. This time he’s joined by Esai Morales, Jane Espenson, Ronald D Moore and David Eick for a chat and a look at both Caprica and the new Battlestar Galactica direct-to-DVD movie, The Plan.
13.00-14.00 – Star Wars: The Old Republic – Room 7AB
How many of us thought that the trailer for this upcoming MMORPG gave us a glimpse of what the prequels should have been? We certainly did, but the good news is, we get to have a look behind the scenes of the game with Jake Neri, Hall Hood, Alexander Freed, Dallas Dickinson and Jeff Dobson from LucasArts and Bioware. This is one to see.
14.15-15.15 – Past Life – Room 6A
One of the joys of Comic Con is the chance to preview the new pilots before anyone else, so we’re taking advantage of it while we have a free hour. This little-known pilot sees an unlikely pairing of a psychologist and a former detective attempting to help their clients by solving mysteries from their past lives. A Q&A will accompany a footage screening.
15.15-16.15 – Eureka – Room 6BCF
Yeah, Eureka! The rest of the episodes have started airing, and now some of the cast drop by Comic-Con to talk about the show and answer questions. Featuring Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Erica Cerra, Neil Grayston and series co-creator Jaime Paglia will be fielding queries from the crowd, however we may have to duck out early to check out…
15.45-17.00 – Sony Pictures Showcase – Hall H
Sony will finally be lifting the curtain on two of its big projects – Legion and District 9. Those who follow the SFN website will know that we have high hopes for the latter, and the former looks like an interesting prospect too. Again, it’ll likely be hard to get into this one, but we’re hoping our cloning machine will come in handy again. Alternatively, there’s…
16.00-17.15- Dollhouse – Ballroom 20
The legendary Joss Whedon will be returning to Comic Con with Eliza Dushku to premiere the ‘lost episode’ Epitaph One, and giving what the programme describes with a not-insignificant amount of hyperbole as a ‘no-holds-barred Q&A’. This will be packed out with Browncoats and Dollhouse fans, so again, arrive early. As much as we love the San Diego Convention Centre, perhaps it’s time for a bigger venue? After the Dollhouse presentation, Whedon will also be talking for 45 minutes about his upcoming projects with Dark Horse Comics.
20.30-22.00 – Star Wars Fan Film Awards – Ballroom 20
Some of the quality in the Star Wars fan film community is absolutely incredible. Just look at Revelations or Revenge Of The Fallen for more details. With that in mind, we’ll definitely be attending this little event, which showcases the best in fan enthusiasm, and with the winner selected by George Lucas himself.
And then after…
Eating at Gringo’s Cantina – Last year, we had a cheeky bit of Mexican food at this awesome restaurant, and we’ll certainly be doing the same again. It’s relatively well-priced, costing between $20-30 for a full meal, and the ambience is fantastic. It may be a bit off the beaten path if you want something close to Con, but for those willing to stump up a taxi fare or go for a walk, it’s worth your while.
Going out to Whiskey Girl – It seems that everywhere you go, you’ll never escape Walkabout. This is San Diego’s equivalent, a plastic bar that offers little in the way of decent settings, but it is smack bang in the middle of Gaslamp, and you can have a cracking time. Just remember that California licencing laws mean everywhere closes at 2am. Everywhere. Don’t even try to find somewhere open, we did, and it didn’t end well.
