Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
A Comic-Con Without Marvel, HBO Gives Others a Chance to Pop
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 7 years ago on
July 18, 2018

Share

Over 130,000 pop culture devotees are descending on San Diego’s Gaslamp District on Wednesday for the annual four-day comic book convention Comic-Con, the big, bright and very heavily branded confab of costumed superfans and the corporate sponsors vying for their attention — and dollars.

Tickets for four-day access plus preview night can set attendees back $276, before hotel, travel costs, food and any souvenirs.
Interested in dining at a working replica of the “Demolition Man” Taco Bell for the movie’s 25th anniversary? Or witness a mock court-martial of Star Wars’ Poe Dameron for leading a mutiny in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”? How about a wine and beer tasting with Neil deGrasse Tyson? Or a “Ready Player One” experience with retro gaming stations and recreation of Room 237 from “The Shining”? If you like pop culture, it’s highly likely there is something tailor-made for you at Comic-Con 2018.
What started as a 300-person event in 1970 has evolved into a massive operation with events year-round. But San Diego Comic-Con is the marquee occasion. Tickets for four-day access plus preview night can set attendees back $276, before hotel, travel costs, food and any souvenirs. And attendees have come to expect exclusive merchandise on the convention center floor, newsy announcements from some of Hollywood’s biggest studios, and screenings of anticipated films and television shows.
This year Warner Bros. is coming armed with stars and footage from “Aquaman,” ”Shazam!,” ”Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” and “The LEGO Movie 2”; Sony is hyping its Spider-Man spinoff “Venom”; and Universal Pictures will be teasing “Halloween” and M. Night Shyamalan’s “Glass.” On the television side, fans will get a glimpse of new “Doctor Who” star Jodie Whittaker and have a chance to check out “Star Trek: Discovery” and “Riverdale.” And streaming services like Netflix and Hulu will be back with properties like Marvel’s “Iron Fist” and the new J.J. Abrams-produced “Castle Rock,” based on Stephen King stories.

A Few of the Major Players Are Conspicuously Absent

But a few of the major players are conspicuously absent from Hall H, the 6,500-seat room in the San Diego Convention Center that boasts the highest-profile presentations and often attracts an enthusiastic fan base willing to camp out overnight in line to secure a coveted seat. Those skipping this year include Marvel Studios, HBO (“Game of Thrones”) and Star Wars.

“It’s a huge deal when major properties like Marvel, Star Wars or HBO don’t show up.” — Germain Lussier, entertainment reporter for io9/Gizmo
“It’s a huge deal when major properties like Marvel, Star Wars or HBO don’t show up,” says Germain Lussier, an entertainment reporter for io9/Gizmodo who has been attending the convention for 15 years. “For the past decade, Marvel Studios panels have consistently been the No. 1 most anticipated thing for movie fans at Comic-Con. Their panels never failed to disappoint with exclusive footage, huge news and big surprises.”
Production schedules are more to blame than anything else, however. Lussier notes that each of the absent brands has a big (and intensely secretive) installment coming in 2019, including “Avengers 4,” ”Star Wars: Episode IX” and the final season of “Game of Thrones.”
“Instead of showing up and disappointing fans, they’re simply bowing out to not bolster expectations,” he says.
Also, other brands and properties could benefit from an unusually open runway.
“Every year, there’s always one or two things everyone is talking about. And if it’s not ‘Avengers 4’or ‘Star Wars,’ what’s it going to be?” says Lussier. “I think this is a huge opportunity for Warner Bros. to steal every headline with major news and exciting footage.”

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Newsom Wants to Bypass Trump Tariffs With Direct CA Trade Deals

DON'T MISS

Markets Plunge With S&P 500 Down 6% and Dow Down 2,200 After China Retaliates

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Searching for Missing 12-Year-Old Girl

DON'T MISS

Madera Community College Unveils New Multicultural and Veterans Center

DON'T MISS

Fusion Energy Race Is On. Two Local Lawmakers Want California to Lead the Way

DON'T MISS

Saturday’s Spring Fest to Showcase Free, Low-Cost Activities for Fresno Kids

DON'T MISS

LA County Reaches $4 Billion Agreement to Settle Sexual Abuse Claims at Juvenile Facilities

DON'T MISS

Fresno Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Deadly Marijuana DUI Crash

DON'T MISS

Judge Says US Must Return Maryland Man Who Was Mistakenly Deported to El Salvador Prison

DON'T MISS

These Fresno First-Graders Are Topping Their Peers in Reading

UP NEXT

After Briefly Disappearing, TikTok Went Back to Normal. Or Did It?

UP NEXT

The ‘Six’ Wives of King Henry VIII Sing Their Hearts Out in Fresno

UP NEXT

Val Kilmer, ‘Top Gun’ and Batman Star With an Intense Approach, Dies at 65

UP NEXT

Anjelah Johnson-Reyes to Headline Chukchansi’s Summer Series with ‘Family Reunion Tour’

UP NEXT

Gronk-a-Mania Set to Run Wild Over WrestleMania Weekend

UP NEXT

Head of Amazon’s TV and Film Steps Down

UP NEXT

Prosecutor Seeks 18-Month Suspended Sentence for Depardieu if Convicted of Sexual Assault

UP NEXT

Plant-Based Eating in Middle Age Linked to Healthier Senior Years

UP NEXT

Woman Accuses Actor Gérard Depardieu of Sexual Assault on Film Set

UP NEXT

Topgolf Coming to the Central Valley? Chukchansi Gold to Open First Swing Suite

Madera Community College Unveils New Multicultural and Veterans Center

3 hours ago

Fusion Energy Race Is On. Two Local Lawmakers Want California to Lead the Way

3 hours ago

Saturday’s Spring Fest to Showcase Free, Low-Cost Activities for Fresno Kids

4 hours ago

LA County Reaches $4 Billion Agreement to Settle Sexual Abuse Claims at Juvenile Facilities

5 hours ago

Fresno Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Deadly Marijuana DUI Crash

5 hours ago

Judge Says US Must Return Maryland Man Who Was Mistakenly Deported to El Salvador Prison

5 hours ago

These Fresno First-Graders Are Topping Their Peers in Reading

6 hours ago

Fresno Burial Ceremony to Honor Five Abandoned Babies Set for Saturday

6 hours ago

Visalia Man Arrested for Soliciting Sex From Minor in Kingsburg

6 hours ago

Camalah Saleh Cruises to Win in Stormy Fresno State Student Elections

8 hours ago

Newsom Wants to Bypass Trump Tariffs With Direct CA Trade Deals

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday asked exporting countries worldwide to spare California their retaliatory tariffs, saying he plans to pursue dir...

3 hours ago

3 hours ago

Newsom Wants to Bypass Trump Tariffs With Direct CA Trade Deals

Specialist Anthony Matesic works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP/Richard Drew)
3 hours ago

Markets Plunge With S&P 500 Down 6% and Dow Down 2,200 After China Retaliates

Fresno police are searching for Unique Hernandez, 12, last seen on Friday, April 4, 2025, near Inyo Street and Maple Avenue, wearing all black clothing and carrying a black backpack. (Fresno PD)
3 hours ago

Fresno Police Searching for Missing 12-Year-Old Girl

3 hours ago

Madera Community College Unveils New Multicultural and Veterans Center

3 hours ago

Fusion Energy Race Is On. Two Local Lawmakers Want California to Lead the Way

4 hours ago

Saturday’s Spring Fest to Showcase Free, Low-Cost Activities for Fresno Kids

5 hours ago

LA County Reaches $4 Billion Agreement to Settle Sexual Abuse Claims at Juvenile Facilities

Antonio de Jesus Orozco Montes Deoca, 30, was sentenced on Friday, March 4, 2025, to 14 years and 8 months in prison for a deadly marijuana DUI crash in 2022 that killed one woman and injured four others. (GV Wire Composite)
5 hours ago

Fresno Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Deadly Marijuana DUI Crash

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend