2018 San Diego Comic-Con: 5 Stories that Have Me Fangirling

First look at the new Doctor! SHAZAM! Trailer! NEW CLONE WARS EPISODES!!!! The 2018 San Diego Comic-Con has come and gone, but people are going to be talking for weeks about some of the news that dropped.  It also means that it’d be pretty easy to have missed out on new footage or announcements.  I’ve put together a list of the news and previews from 2018 San Diego Comic-Con that I’m the most excited about!

2018 San Diego Comic-Con

San Diego Comic-Con is four days of intense pop culture goodness. Fans  of comics, movies, television, science fiction, cosplay and all the work that goes into making and distributing those forms of entertainment are guaranteed to find news, interviews or merchandise that interests them at Comc-Con.  I have never had the opportunity to attend San Diego Comic-Con, but I eagerly anticipate all the news, pictures and soundbites that come from it every year. And the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con did not disappoint!

Doctor Who – First Look at Series 11

I started watching Doctor Who in the David Tennant-era, and was hooked immediately. I started to fall off a bit towards the end of Matt Smith’s run and the beginning of Peter Capaldi. Both the individual and season-long story lines felt too convoluted, with a side of “Look how clever I can be!” Season 10 really turned that around though, focusing more on developing the characters and creating complete, compelling standalone episodes. I think one of the most unique things about the role of the Doctor is that even though historically all men have been cast, it’s very much a gender-neutral character.  I became familiar with Jodie Whittaker through her role on Broadchurch (a series created and written by new Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall). With so much change in the new season, the new trailer is a brilliant teaser for what lies ahead.

#CloneWarsSaved

This absolutely tops the list of “Wait, WHAT?????” news from the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con.  Truth talk: I didn’t enjoy The Clone Wars series the first time I tried to watch it. The pacing felt off to me, and I had trouble connecting with the characters.  After loving Star Wars Rebels (the series which followed it), I gave it another chance and I’m glad I did. The series was abruptly cancelled after the acquisition of LucasFilm by Disney, much to the dismay of fans. At The Clone Wars 10th anniversary panel, creator Dave Filoni dropped the bombshell people have been waiting to hear for years: the story continues! A 12-episode season is being brought to Disney’s new streaming service which will launch sometime next year. As if I needed more reasons to sign up.

Marvel Studios: The First Ten Years

I’m one of those giant nerds who always looks forward to getting new movies on BluRay/DVD so I can listen to the commentary and watch all the bonus features. So this upcoming release from Marvel Studios is easily as exciting to me as any of the movie or television news announced this weekend. From the official description: “The First Ten Years is a lavish, two-volume set that includes personal stories from the 22 movies up through and including 2019’s Captain Marvel and untitled Avengers sequel.” YES PLEASE. The book is scheduled for release on May 3, 2019 – and if that date sounds familiar, it’s because that is the release date of Avengers 4. If you want to be sure to have your copy to console you after whatever devastation that movie has in store, the book is already available on Amazon for pre-orders.

SHAZAM! has a Trailer (and it looks AWESOME)

I enjoy the Michael Keaton and Christian Bale Batman films, and love the DC universe that airs on the CW. But I’ve struggled with their films the past few years. Wonder Woman was a huge step in the right direction, but still underwhelmed me once it got to the third act. Then comes SHAZAM! Casting Zachary Levi intrigued me, since I’ve been a huge fan since his Chuck days. But as with most people, the initial set and promotional photos had me a bit skeptical. I’m really excited after seeing this trailer though. I love the tone it has,  being one of the first superhero films to have a character react like an actual person upon finding out they have superpowers. This is probably the first DC movie that will get me in the theatre opening weekend.

Rally for Rose

FINAL DAY at #SDCC– What’s not to love?#RallyForRose https://t.co/IybgtS39hL

— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) July 22, 2018

It doesn’t really fall under the category of ‘news,’ but this was such a sweet moment from the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con that I had to include it.  Earlier this summer, reports came out that Kelly Marie Tran, who portrayed Rose Tico in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, eliminated her social media presence due to aggressive harassment and bullying that she was receiving online.  It was fandom at its worst and most toxic.  I can’t believe that this is a conversation that grown adults need to have with each other, but just because you don’t like a character or direction that a film took, there is absolutely ZERO REASON to attack the actor portraying it.

Luckily, a number of other Star Wars fans felt the same and Nerds of Color organized a show of solidarity for Kelly on the final day of SDCC.  Attendees showed up cosplaying as Rose or wearing t-shirts mimicking Obama’s “Hope” posters from his presidential campaign.  It caught the eye of Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson, and Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, so you can be sure that the images, support and love made their way to Ms. Tran as well.  It exemplifies exactly what Rose told us: “We’re going to win this war not by fighting what we hate, but saving what we love.”

I know there is so much more that was announced that I didn’t include in my list, like the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot and Cloak & Dagger being renewed for another season.  So tell me: what news from the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con are you the most excited about?