The Weekly Nerd is back with a bonus column! Even though the San Diego Comic-Con is well over by now, there was still quite a bit of interesting news that came out of it.
I’ve already had a chance to talk about some of my favorite news that came out of the convention and why I am excited for it.
All the DC!
DC’s track record for live action movies has not been the greatest as of late. While cautious optimism is the term of the day, it is hard not to get excited about their trailers.
The Wonder Woman trailer was a particular highlight for me. The trailer is quite exciting and gives us a glimpse of the amazonian in action. It also goes for a period setting, which I hope will serve to have the movie focus on its own story rather than try desperately to connect to the greater DC cinematic universe.
Wonder Woman is one of my favorite heroes in the DC world and it is great that she is finally getting a live action movie. It is also a chance for DC to get ahead of Marvel as they will be the first to have a female-centric super hero film. I am hoping they will be able to break their cycle of disappointing live-action movies.
Which brings us to the Justice League trailer. Now this trailer was not quite as exciting as Wonder Woman trailer, but it still shows some promise. The very fact that we are finally getting big screen versions of Cyborg and Aquaman is enough to get me interested. This trailer also shows that they are trying to add a bit of levity that the last two DC movies lacked.
On the comic book front, DC announced a series that will be coming this fall called Midnighter and Apollo. The art will be done by Fernando Blanco (Batman and Robin Eternal) and Steve Orlando (Midnighter) will be the writer. At SDCC, DC revealed some very beautiful work in progress pages for fans.
Midnighter and Apollo will be a six-part miniseries starting in October. I am quite excited for this series. I am not the most familiar with either of these heroes, but this story seems pretty interesting. They are basically a gay super hero couple who fight crime together. Midnighter has the ability to predict the outcome of almost any situation. He also likes to punch the crap out of dudes. Like, a lot. He has been known to murder dudes. Apollo has powers similar to Superman, including flight, super strength, and invulnerability.
Looking at You, Marvel
Our pals at Marvel has some pretty cool news this year as well. One exciting announcement was the casting for Captain Marvel. Brie Larson (Room, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) will be taking on the role of Captain Carol Danvers. I am definitely not alone in feeling this is a fantastic casting choice. Larson is great at portraying both comedic and dramatic roles, so taking on a hero like Captain Marvel seems fitting. 2019 cannot come soon enough!
Doctor Strange put a new trailer on display and man, did it look cool! We finally got a look at Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal, Casino Royale) as the villainous Kaecilius. I really dig the effects of the city folding in on itself. I’m also really looking forward to seeing the cool magic effects in more detail.
I am not the biggest fan of Stephen Strange, but his inclusion in the MCU is very exciting. This movie will also introduce magic and mysticism into the Marvel movies! Here’s hoping we get a live action version of Sister Grimm (It will never happen)!
The comic book announcement from Marvel that caught my attention was the Inhumans vs. X-Men. Comic book narratives are no stranger to heroes fighting each other over some sort of convoluted disagreement. This conflict will bring the race of Inhumans who have been granted amazing powers by the Terrigen Mist against the Mutants who were born with their innate powers. Leinil Yu (Avengers vs. X-Men) will be the artist for this story while Jeff Lemire (Moon Knight) and Charles Soule (Thunderbolts) will be writing the story.
Overwatch Gets a Comic!
Dark Horse announced that they will be working with Blizzard to produce a 100-page graphic novel called Overwatch: First Strike. it is set to be released in April 2017. Fans can expect to see art by Ludo Lullabi (World of Warcraft: Legion) and written by Micky Neilson (World of Warcraft: Curse of the Worgen).
Honestly, this is not a surprise, but it certainly is good news. Overwatch has a group of eccentric characters, each with their own backstories and goals. Fans have been anticipating a deeper look into the backstory of Overwatch, so it is nice to see that we will be getting deeper lore to dive into.
So Many Toys!
It would not be SDCC if there were not a ton of beautiful, expensive and exclusive toys on display. Here are a couple that really caught my eye!
These Saga figures are cool and look quite detailed.
Marcus Fenix has never looked more adorable!
It transforms into a usable tablet! What!?
There is no such thing as too much Batman nostalgia.
A Storm Trooper that I would not want to mess with…
SDCC has Come and Gone…
Every year when SDCC is over, I find myself reflecting on all the cool news that has come out of it and when we will get to experience these things. While it is easy to be cynical about various announcements and reveals, I find it is fun to see the comic book industry pull out all the stops and try to get people excited about what is in store. It goes without saying, but I barely touched on the surface of what Comic-Con had to show. I encourage anyone to take a look at the main SDCC page and see what you may have missed! These days, there is pretty much something there for everyone!
Nedu is a writer for AYBOnline. He is currently weeping because he could not go to the San Diego Comic-Con. His thoughts are his own.
