A Photographic Look Back at San Diego Comic-Con 2012
Although the New York Times talked about a sense of “gloom” pervading the halls of Comic-Con this year, people I spoke with were optimistic — both in terms of the business outlook and the mood of the crowd. (See Knowledge@Wharton, “Comic-Con Shines through the Gloom.”)
Comic-Con always exhibits a strong sense of pop culture history, and this year’s event featured retrospective panels on Jerry Robinson and Joe Simon (both of whom we lost this past year); Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster and Bill Finger (who are the subjects of two new books); and the Annual Jack Kirby Tribute. In one of the most heavily anticipated events, Joss Whedon joined the cast of the cult-favorite television series “Firefly” for a ten-year anniversary panel and a subsequent press conference sponsored by the Science Channel.
There were plenty new announcements and surprises from the major studios including Sony Pictures and Disney. Warner Bros./Legendary Pictures officially announced their reboot of Godzilla, with Monsters director Gareth Edwards at the helm.
And Comic-Con wouldn’t be Comic-Con without the cosplay: fans dressing as their favorite superhero or villain. As always, the costumes ranged from the clever to the fantastic.
Here, then, is Comic-Con International: San Diego 2012 from my perspective in 393 photos.
Separate sets are available for several highlights including:
The Science Channel’s “Firefly” 10th anniversary reunion press conference with Joss Whedon, Nathan Fillion, Summer Glau, Alan Tudyk, Adam Baldwin, Sean Maher, Producer Tim Minear, and Science Channel General Manager Debbie Myers.
Felicia Day and the cast of “The Guild” and “Geek and Sundry.”
Chris Hardwick moderates the Walt Disney Studios session with Frankenweenie director Tim Burton; Oz The Great and Powerful director Sam Raimi and actors Michelle Williams and Mila Kunis; and Wreck-it Ralph voice cast members John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman, and director Rich Moore.
The Sony Pictures session features Total Recall with Kate Beckinsale and others; Looper with writer/director Rian Johnson and actors Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Emily Blunt; and Elysium with director Neill Blomkamp, actors Matt Damon and Jodie Foster, and producer Simon Kinberg.
Screen Gems presents Resident Evil: Retribution with Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Oded Fehr, Boris Kodjoe, Mika Nakashima and writer/director Paul W. S. Anderson.
DC Entertainment presents “Before Watchmen” with Dan DiDio, Mark Chiarello, Will Dennis, Amanda Conner, Darwyn Cooke, Adam Hughes, J. Michael Straczynski, and Len Wein. Quentin Tarantino makes a surprise appearance to announce working with DC on the “Django Unchained” comic book limited series.
“Remembering Jerry Robinson and Joe Simon” looks at the life and work of Batman artist Jerry Robinson and Captain America co-creator Joe Simon with Jens Robinson, Michael Uslan, Anthony Tollin, Charles Kochman, Batton Lash, Paul Dini, Steve Saffel and moderator Mark Evanier.
Mark Evanier moderates “Siegel and Shuster and Finger” with Larry Tye, author of Superman, and Marc Tyler Nobleman, author of Bill the Boy Wonder.
The “Annual Jack Kirby Tribute Panel” features Stan Goldberg, Paul Dini, Charles Hatfield, Paul S. Levine, and moderator Mark Evanier.
Six batmobiles — from the 1966 “Batman” television series through The Dark Knight Rises — displayed together for the first time.
Comic book creators: artists, writers, and editors.
Cosplay: From the The A.W.E.S.O.M.-O 4000 to Playboy Bunny Avengers — costumed characters at San Diego Comic-Con 2012.
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