Crazy days of Comic-Con

For four days we suffered through heat, long lines and a crowd of over 120,000 fans at this year’s Comic-Con International. With beer-bellied Spartan gladiators in leather Speedos and children attached to their leather-clad mothers by chain leashes, this annual convention was not for the queasy or faint of heart. But just like our favorite comic book heroes, we let no obstacle stand in the way of our goal of bringing you exclusive previews, behind-the-scenes gossip, and inane trivia about comics, films and TV shows. From the return of cult favorite “Futurama” to the new “Watchmen” film, our stories come straight from the floors of the San Diego Convention Center. May the force be with you, live long and prosper, and Wingardium Leviosa.

Friday, 10:30 a.m.

“Watchmen”

Zack Snyder, director of the recent box office hit “300,” failed to instill confidence from the start.

With a great deal of audacity, the director remarked early on that everyone can remember where they first read “Watchmen” ““ essentially placing the admittedly excellent graphic novel on par with the moon landing, Kennedy’s assassination or the events of Sept. 11.

In spite of the overall positive response to his adaptation of Frank Miller’s “300,” the audience at Comic-Con did not seem especially enthused during the talk, with only scattered applause at best. Of course, that’s before one takes into account the mass exodus that was underway.

As the only graphic novel selected by Time magazine in its top 100 novels of the century, “Watchmen” is highly respected by the comic book community.

Even so, a large portion of the audience was unwilling to sit through the panel to learn more of Snyder’s plans for the adaptation and departed consistently throughout.

Showing a surprising amount of disdain for previous entries in the comic book film genre ““ other than his own, of course ““ Snyder was intent upon placating the notoriously fickle comic book fans.

Unfortunately, this meant empty statements and hollow platitudes (i.e. “We’re not going to make it accessible to teenyboppers”), as well as excessive swearing ““ as if that afforded him greater credibility.

Snyder also shrewdly attempted to dismiss critics who have been vocal since the announcement of his involvement. He noted the absurdity of fans who insist that he film everything on location, including Mars itself. This hyperbolic example unfairly categorized his critics as capricious zealots with exceedingly ridiculous standards and expectations.

Two of the cast members were also on hand but remained mute the entire time, saying nothing to demonstrate their grasp of the material.

Other than unveiling an impressive teaser poster, designed by original comic artist Dave Gibbons, Snyder revealed little in the way of details that could serve to truly reassure the source material’s devoted fanbase.

““ Dean Leng

Thursday, 8:30 p.m.

“Superman: Doomsday”

I love gigantic fights ““ gigantic fights with heads bashing into cement, knees crushing into guts, and plenty of curb stomping to go around. Unfortunately, I’m also too squeamish for live-action gore; I can only watch the gigantic fights I desire if they’re animated. I was part of a lucky crowd on Thursday that was treated to a sneak screening of the direct-to-DVD film set to be released in September, and it seems director Bruce Timm, along with the rest of Warner Bros. Animation, has heard my plea.

“Superman: Doomsday” is one gigantic animated fight after another. It is a wonder to behold Superman fighting Doomsday, the genetically created killing machine. Whereas in most previous Superman exploits his actions are characterized by his great tact and humanity, “Superman: Doomsday,” like “Justice League: Unlimited” before it, allows Superman to kick righteous butt without any of the pesky questions of right and wrong, of morality and restraint. Here, Superman lets loose because he has to: Doomsday, a genetic freak of unbridled rage, will never stop killing unless Superman can stop him. So he does. With his fists.

“Superman: Doomsday” is a rare PG-13 cartoon, with plenty of semi-nude Superman and Lois Lane scenes. One could go on and on about how terrible the script was or how telegraphed every emotional moment was, but you don’t go to a movie called “Superman: Doomsday” for the subtlety ““ you go for the fights.

““ Dafna Pleban

Saturday, 3:30 p.m.

“Futurama”

It’s only natural that a cartoon about a futuristic world with aliens and hover cars would have a huge and obsessive fan following at Comic-Con. It has been four years since “Futurama” was pulled off the air, but Bender is back, baby!

After waiting in a line that stretched the length of the convention center (and then doubled around), fans were treated to an exclusive five-minute trailer for the first of four new “Futurama” direct-to-DVD movies, which will be released later this year.

The hilarious clip reminded fans why they loved the show in the first place; it included a parody Death Star battle scene and the real reason that Al Gore lost the election in 2000 ““ and Zoidberg still couldn’t get enough to eat. These four new movies will also air on Comedy Central as 16 half-hour episodes starting on Jan. 1.

And, if all sales and ratings go well, “Futurama” fanatics could soon be quenching their lust for more Zap Brannigan and the rest of the gang.

The voices for the main cast, as well as the show’s creators and a couple scriptwriters, filled the panel. After the clip, the cast read out loud the tie-in comic book, which explained what happened in the four years since the last episode of “Futurama” aired on the Fox network.

““ Michelle Castillo

Friday, 3:30 p.m.

Spotlight On: Alison Bechdel

Voted the best book of 2006 by Time magazine, Alison Bechdel’s autobiographical graphic novel, “Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic,” was the surprise hit of the year. Bechdel’s unwavering pen revealed to readers the devastating emotional landscape crafted by her family, her father’s suicide and her own burgeoning sexuality. Addressing the audience with refreshing candor, Bechdel revealed the unique process behind her work, from gathering photo references to inking, shading and lettering.

Taking questions from the audience, Bechdel described her movement from being an alternative cartoonist with a limited readership for her continuing strip “Dykes to Watch Out For” to writing for the mainstream with her hit graphic novel. She said she is glad that her own personal experiences and sexuality don’t prevent people from experiencing and appreciating her work.

When asked about what she thinks about “Six Feet Under” ““ a television show that shares remarkable similarities to her own life in her family’s funeral home ““ Bechdel would only say that, while what she saw was very good, “”˜Six Feet Under’ is the bane of my existence.”

When it came to her next project, Bechdel was more vague, only revealing that she intends to examine “the nature of subjectivity” which, she said with a wry smile, “shouldn’t be too hard.”

““ Dafna Pleban

Saturday, 10:30 a.m.

Quick Draw/p>

Even if you aren’t a die-hard fan of comic books or don’t dictate your life according to some obscure television show, you can still enjoy panels at Comic-Con. One thing that you can check out is Quick Draw, the Pictionary-like game with a comic book twist. Take a couple comic book artists, give them a piece of paper and a Sharpie, and let the audience and moderator yell out odd and quirky things for them to draw ““ on the spot and as quick as possible.

This year’s Quick Draw panel included Mike Kazaleh, Scott Shaw and Sergio Aragonés, of MAD Magazine fame. They kept the audience in stitches by playing games that included turning a random squiggle into a full drawing in less than two minutes as well as seeing who could draw five random cartoon characters, announced by the moderator, as fast as possible.

Aragonés stole the show, however, with his collage-like drawing created by audience suggestions. The drawing started out with his famous character Groo charging into battle. However, by the end, the picture was chock-full of random scenes, including a vampire stealing from a blood bank at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, where a train had derailed, as a mariachi band was playing in the background, while Washington was crossing the Delaware.

““ Michelle Castillo

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