San Diego Comic-Con 2017: all the trailers, updates, and pictures from fandom’s biggest party – The Verge

How HBO’s Westworld installation made fans ‘the center of the universe’

2017-08-16T14:09:50-04:00

One of the highlights of last month's San Diego Comic-Con was HBO's Westworld: The Experience. The half-hour attraction gave small groups of guests the opportunity to visit the offices of Delos, Inc., the fictional company behind the Westworld theme park. The experience included a one-on-one, in-person evaluation with a company psychologist, interactions with a number of actors playing "hosts" - Westworld's sentient android entertainers - and a chance to hang out in a recreation of the show's Mariposa Saloon. The event served 500 guests over three days, and it was an unquestionable hit. Fans waited in line overnight just for a chance to step …

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Sneaky Zebra’s San Diego Comic-Con video captures the essence of cosplay

2017-07-27T09:20:24-04:00

If you ever miss one of the huge Comic-Cons, it's always worth checking out the music videos from filmmaking duo Sneaky Zebra. They attended San Diego Comic-Con last week, and put together a catchy video that captures the essence of what attracts people to cosplaying.

Sneaky Zebra has attended San Diego and other big conventions in past years, and they've captured a wide range of the costumers showing off their recent creations and their favorite poses, set to "The Wild Life" by Outasight. The costumes on display include characters from Archer, Rick & Morty, Doctor Strange, Westworld, Wonder Woman, and more, as well as all types of mashups …

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The Stranger Things and Ready Player One trailers are the best and worst of nostalgia-driven marketing

2017-07-26T12:08:49-04:00

At the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con, audiences got their first look at two highly anticipated geek-culture properties. Stranger Things, Netflix's ode to Steven Spielberg and Stephen King, got a second season trailer exploring the show's expanding mythos, set to the iconic sounds of Michael Jackson's "Thriller." And Spielberg himself took to Comic-Con's Hall H stage to reveal a teaser for Ready Player One, his adaptation of Ernest Cline's best-selling pop-culture treasure-hunt adventure.

At first glance, they were perfect pieces of marketing for the Comic-Con crowds, both relying on the nostalgic pull that serves as the foundation for so much mo …

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Marvel editor hopes upcoming Thrawn comic book series is just the beginning

2017-07-26T11:50:22-04:00

Last year, one of the Star Wars Expanded Universe's biggest fan-favorite characters, Grand Admiral Thrawn, was given new life. He appeared in the third season of Star Wars Rebels and was featured in his own novel. Last week at San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel Comics announced that the character would be the focus of a new comic miniseries.

The comic will adapt Thrawn by Timothy Zahn, which detailed the origins of the character, tracking how he rose through the ranks of the Imperial Navy. The comic will also include some additional material. This new series will be written by Jody Houser, who adapted Rogue One for Marvel, and illustrated by Luke …

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Why did United try to ban Comic-Con travelers from checking comic books?

2017-07-24T15:04:36-04:00

Travelers leaving San Diego Comic-Con on United Airlines got an unwelcome surprise this weekend, when United said that comic books were banned in checked luggage. United claimed this was a TSA-mandated rule for all airlines operating out of San Diego - only to have the TSA publicly refute United's claim on Twitter.

As The Consumerist reported yesterday, United posted a notice telling "Comic-Con attendees [to] remove all books from checked bags." When people complained on Twitter, United confirmed the news. "The restriction on checking comic books applies to all airlines operating out of San Diego this weekend and is set by the TSA," a spoke …

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Our favorite moments from San Diego Comic-Con 2017

2017-07-24T11:01:59-04:00

Another year of San Diego Comic-Con is now in the books, and it brought everything you'd expect from a four-day celebration of geek culture. There were costumes, announcements, and incredible new trailers; there were exciting immersive experiences, and authors blending the worlds of film and gaming.

It was a lot to take in. So as we say goodbye and make our way home, we're taking a brief look back. Here are our favorite things from the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con International.

Westworld: The Experience

The cast and creators of HBO's Westworld came to Hall H to talk about the first season (and reveal absolutely nothing about the second), but i …

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The First and Twelfth Doctors team up in this Doctor Who Christmas special trailer

2017-07-23T18:51:13-04:00

Peter Capaldi is on his way out as the Twelfth Doctor, but he has one more adventure before his inevitable regeneration. At Comic-Con today, BBC unveiled the trailer for this year's upcoming Christmas special. The Twelfth Doctor will meet the First Doctor (Game of Thrones alum David Bradley), and the pair will try to fix time itself - with a little help from the Doctor's newest companion, Bill (Pearl Mackie).

Today's Comic-Con panel was a chance for fans to say goodbye to Capaldi, who's served as the Doctor for the last three seasons. Leaving with him is showrunner Steven Moffat, who's handing the reins off to Broadchurch showrunner Chris C …

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The upcoming Flash movie will be called Flashpoint — and that’s a bad idea

2017-07-23T18:35:01-04:00

During Warner Bros.'s Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con yesterday, the studio confirmed that the upcoming The Flash movie is still on track, even though the movie has yet land a director. But one thing stuck out: the movie will apparently be known as Flashpoint.

The title alone should be a shock. The 2011 Flashpoint event has risen to iconic status in only six years because it took a deeply personal Flash story and used it to rewrite the entire DC comics universe, taking Flash to an alternate universe where the Justice League doesn't exist and the world's heroes are on the brink of war.

Isn't it a little soon to create alternate universes …

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Inferno Squad author Christie Golden on injecting moral ambiguity into Star Wars

2017-07-23T16:37:59-04:00

When Star Wars Battlefront II hits stores in November, it will present the Star Wars universe in a way that's seldom seen: from the viewpoint of the Empire's soldiers, who are fighting against the characters we usually root for. Next week, the game will get a prequel in Christie Golden's Inferno Squad, which will unveil the origins of the game's characters, and set after the events of Rogue One and A New Hope.

Del Rey Books published a special San Diego Comic-Con edition of the novel this week, and Golden was on hand to sign copies and meet fans. I sat down with her to talk about how she tackled writing Inferno Squad, working with the video …

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Comic-Con 2017 trailer round-up: Stranger Things, Justice League, Thor: Ragnarok, and more

2017-07-23T15:55:31-04:00

San Diego Comic-Con is wrapping up, and it's been a crazy week of news from across the entertainment industry. But in recent years, the show has become just as much about the big trailer reveals for upcoming blockbusters as it has been about panels for fans and, you know, actual comic books.

Just in case you managed to lose track of a couple of the biggest announcements, we've rounded up all the biggest and best trailers from Comic-Con in one place for your viewing convenience. Dive on in below:

Thor: Ragnarok

Marvel may unfortunately be keeping its trailer for Avengers: Infinity War under wraps for now, so fans will have to take solace in …

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