Well, it’s been four eventful days but alas, Comic-Con 2012 has come to an end.  Here are a few of my favorite moments this year:

My fellow editor Heather thought it would be a fun idea to count the number of people dressed as Slave Leia because it is always a very popular costume each year.  I really expected to see more, but my final #slaveleia count was a mere eight.  Either they were in hiding, or Lady Captain America is the new Slave Leia.

My first day on the showroom floor, I saw a girl with a Chewbacca backpack with a little pink barrett in his hair.  I had never seen anything like this before, but then the next day, I saw one for Spider-Man.  And thus began my hunt for character backpacks.  Here’s a full gallery.

I tried my best but didn’t make it into the “Firefly” reunion panel.  However, I was able to make it to the press conference and the room was packed!  I also posted this on IMDbLive, but my favorite moment was when Joss Whedon was asked about his strong female characters and responded, “In everything I do, men who are comfortable with powerful women are more powerful men.”

From the larger than life trolls to the press conference, I am more excited than ever to see The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in December.  It was surreal to listen to the details of the film production and to hear Sir Ian McKellen’s defense of 3D technology.

On the first day of Comic-Con, I stumbled upon the collection of Batmobiles on display on the lawn in front of the Hilton Bayfront Hotel.  As you can imagine, it was an amazing sight to see.  I found myself returning to the display every day to stare in awe, as if I was looking at a piece of history.  On one day, they started up the Tumbler from The Dark Knight Rises and I captured it on video.

For years, I have carried a grudge against Kevin Williamson.  Williamson adapted Lois Duncan’s best-selling novel “I Know What You Did Last Summer”, but in my eyes didn’t give her credit for his second film, Teaching Mrs. Tingle.  Duncan wrote the novel, “Killing Mr. Griffin“, and was one of my favorite childhood writers.   And so I have boycotted most of his work, and what I did watch was with arms crossed.  But… after hearing him talk so passionately about his writing process on “The Following” and “The Vampire Diaries“, I have decided to let it go.  I forgive you, Kevin.

I am still coming down from the excitement I felt at the “Fringe” panel and pressroom, and I’m officially counting down the days to the season premiere.  If you missed it, check out my previous blog post on my love of “Fringe”.

At the Pacific Rim press conference, Guillermo del Toro said this film production was the most fun that he’s ever had with a group of actors.  Charlie Day then stated, “You say this was one of your best experiences working with actors, but you tortured the f*ck out of us.” del Toro giggled and replied, “Yeah, that was fun.”

And, I have to agree.  See you next year!

As I watched the trailer for the final season of “Fringe“, I started tearing up.  To say that I am a fan is a huge understatement, yet I still had to laugh at myself, and figured this was just more proof that I am a genuine nerd.  I soon learned that I am not the only one who was moved by this incredible show.  Shortly after the cast took the stage, hundreds of fans in the audience held up sheets of paper with a white tulip drawing.  And when describing their favorite scenes on the show that they themselves weren’t in, Jasika Nicole, Anna Torv, and even Lance Reddick were moved to tears.

Maybe this show hasn’t won awards (though John Noble and Anna Torv were robbed, robbed I say!) but “Fringe” is a show with a dedicated fan base, and a cast and crew who are grateful that they are still here as a result of that fan dedication.

After the panel, I suddenly felt very lucky to be able to go and speak with the cast and J.H. Wyman, the show’s executive producer and showrunner.  So I asked my fellow “Fringe” fans on Twitter what they might want to learn about the upcoming season.  I didn’t get answers to all of their questions, but here are a few:

@FraggleBerlin asks “What did they feel when the fans held up the sheets with white tulips?”

J.H. Wyman: “That meant a great deal to me personally because that image came to me in a dream. I was trying very hard to get what was in my head on to the page, and I think I did. It meant hope, and that it’s okay. It was this concept of I don’t know what the hell is wrong with the world but there is some method of peace that I can find, and belief in something good. I was really adamant about getting that out.  So I was very moved because what started as something in my imagination has touched people. It was beautiful.”

@fringefridaynet asks “Is Georgina Haig coming back?”

Georgina Haig appeared in the scenes for next season so I think its safe to say yes, she should appear in some episodes.

@xasilaydying asked “Does Anna Torv still have a job? Olivia was a bit missing in Letters in Transit.”

Yes, Olivia will definitely be in the final season.

@orpheus_E  asked “Will we see the alternative universe again?”

From the panel and press rooms, it seemed pretty clear they have said goodbye both to the alternate universe and their alters.  But as Lance Reddick said, “This is Fringe. Who knows what could happen?”

 @cau7bishop and @millertime1976 asked “Can we expect any surprising guest stars during the last season?”  and “Will Henry Ian Cusick be back?”

J.H. Wyman was asked and chose not to answer if Henry Ian Cusick or any other guest stars would be in for the next season.  He said he wanted to keep it a surprise because each episode is like “presents on Christmas morning.” In the press room, John Noble mentioned he heard a rumor that Robin Williams wanted to guest star on the show. I think he would be a great Observer.

@ShaNay_Nay asked “Which does John Noble prefer playing, Walter or Walternate?”

Moderator Damian Holbrook asked which version of their character each cast member liked to play. John Noble mentioned he enjoyed playing the Walter when we first met him, straight out of the insane asylum.

@kevrah94 asked “Any exact date for the start of the new season?”

The show is scheduled to return on Friday, September 28th.  J.H. Wyman confirmed there will be 13 new episodes.

@Zorknot asked “Is Anna Torv going to do any new characters this season?”

They didn’t hint at any new characters but here’s what Anna Torv had to say about Olivia this season:

“I haven’t had Olivia to myself for awhile.  I haven’t been able to have her and I, 100 percent, with all my heart focused on her for a couple of years.  I think instead of bemoaning, well, I set this up or set that up, I am just going to make her who I want her to be.  Because she isn’t there yet. So that’s my personal challenge for this season, no matter what I am given: I am just going to make her who I want her to be.”

 @Keinesvonuns asked “Is there any chance the future Fringe division will turn into a spin-off series?”

There was no talk of a spin-off but John Noble is trying to spread the rumor of a “Fringe” film so it can become a reality.   Fans, let’s get to work!

Thank you to everyone who contributed questions and to all my fellow fans who have helped keep the show going for this fifth and final season. Perhaps we can start a support group after the series finale?

Guillermo del Toro : The unofficial mayor of Comic-Con unveiled the best trailer of the event, his stunning, giant-sized first look at Pacific Rim, which aims to seamlessly fit together human emotion, smart science, and smarter CGI/visually effected moviemaking into one of the top event films of next year. After catching glimpses of del Toro’s robot vs. kaiju action, pretty much all other monsters (aside from Godzilla, but more on that in a sec), looked off in scale and purpose. Please don’t hate me, Milla.

Wreck-It Ralph: Much has been said about Disney’s acquisition of Pixar since that deal was inked in 2006, but Wreck-It Ralph, a story set in the world of classic video games, is showing indications of how Disney Animation Studios can create increasingly resonant movies by looking to Pixar’s standards. During the Con’s “trailer park” panel — an interstitial event where trailers are shown between live presentations – Wreck-It got the most applause each time I was present.

Joss Whedon: With a post-Avengers glow, our favorite male feminist hung out with fans the night before the emotional “Firefly” reunion, announced that “Dr. Horrible’s” will air on the CW, and seemingly is in position to do whatever he wants next, which may or may not be an Avengers sequel.

Iron Man 3: Robert Downey Jr. dancing up the aisles to a Luther Vandross song kicked off a presentation that offered a glimpse of Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin and gracefully let Jon Favreau sound off on his participation in the third chapter of Tony Stark’s saga. I never thought this franchise would earn lazy comparisons to Transformers, but let’s just say Stark and company will rebound after a questionable second outing.

After Earth: Apparently you don’t need Will Smith, his son, Jaden, or director M. Night Shyamalan to pack a conference room with news of a sci-fi/adventure story set 1,000 years after our planet’s destruction.

The Campaign: Initially I bristled at the inclusion of this comedy during the Warner Bros. presentation, but an improved second trailer and the Will Ferrell vs. Zach Galifianakis banter fully won me over. And I still can’t believe it every time I see that baby get punched in the face.

“The Big Bang Theory”: Being somewhat naive about this show, its graduation into Hall H made me realize how much of a true fan connection has been developed over its 5 seasons. Also, Kaley Cuoco should be hired for more comedy films.

Django Unchained: Of course Quentin Tarantino motormouthed his way through the script’s development and its myriad movie inspirations, and the footage was full tilt; however, it was the ways in which Jamie Foxx and Kerry Washington articulated their respective connection to the material that made me feel this might be QT’s first important film.

Godzilla: A 2-minute tease of Monsters director Gareth Edwards‘s take on the kaiju icon proved what we already know: Edwards is an emerging talent who could help reshape what it means to make an event film in Hollywood.

Two Season Threes: “The Walking Dead” and “Game of Thrones” held two of the biggest panels this year — both in Hall H, and both as we await their respective third seasons. Universes will expand, characters we love (and otherwise) will die, and fourth seasons are a given, so let’s get to it already.

“The Walking Dead” and “Game of Thrones” announced their respective return dates to 6,000+ ecstatic fans in Hall H on Friday. These two genre-changers capped a major day for television at Comic-Con; personally, each panel reminded me of the tipping point that occurred here at the height of “Lost”‘s popularity, when there was a clear an indication that the small-screen gives us more to invest in in terms of character- and plot-line development. You know, the qualities Steven Soderbergh has cited as he prepares to leave the world of film for TV.

Both panels delivered wildly entertaining previews into their respective third seasons.

Please don’t put me in the barn for saying this, but “The Walking Dead” is an almost-there show. What I mean: Now that we’re beyond the Frank Darabont dismissal drama and the shaky start to season two, true greatness awaits in season 3 as the Ricktatorship senses a mutation in the zombie epidemic and encounters a seemingly abandoned prison that pits them against pure evil in human form. I’ve had issues with the Rick Grimes character over the second season, and Andrew Lincoln seemed aware of Rick’s abrasiveness and questionable decisions. The same goes for his wife, Lori, played by the radiant Sarah Wayne Callies. (“I’m not a homewrecker, I play one on TV,” she offered.) Together, Lincoln and Callies offered sound defenses for their characters’ past actions, and Callies’s assertion that she’d ultimately done right by her husband and family was better articulated than most of Lori’s dialogue. I was like: hey, Robert Kirkman, perhaps she should be in invited into the writers’ room? At the end of the table sat Danai Gurira, who appeared at the end of season two as the katana-sword wielding Michonne, and David Morrissey, who will psychologically terrorize audiences as The Governor. Both actors kept their statements brief, but it’s clear they’ll be more front and center at Comic-Con 2013. And what else is there to say aside from the fact that Merle, the survivalist redneck played by Michael Rooker, appeared at the very end of the season 3 preview trailer.

George R.R. Martin himself moderated the “Game of Thrones” panel; one cool thing about Martin is the fact that he’s been doing the sci-fi/fantasy convention rounds for years, so he was most interested in truly interacting with his cast and the audience without being anything but his sex-and-violence-focused self. He had no filter – it was like hearing your cool grandfather swear, and the crowd loved it. They also loved each time Emilia Clarke and Richard Madden took a question; there was a serious Team Daenerys/Team Rob vibe happening. If I had to gauge who should win the throne from the Hall H reaction, it would be a Targaryen world. The season 3 casting announcements were thorough surprises; personal highlights were brief testimonials from Diana Rigg (who looks amazing) and Mackenzie Crook and his whole Rhys Ifans/I don’t really sleep look. This upcoming season is going to be such an all-star game it will be hard to back a single contender.

Terry O’Quinn, Vanessa Williams, Rachael Taylor, and Dave Annabelle at the Comic-Con panel for “666 Park Avenue”.

Today I checked out the pilot episode and Q&A for “666 Park Avenue“,  the sinister new series starring Terry O’Quinn, Vanessa Williams, Dave Annable, and Rachael Taylor.   At first, I was a bit reluctant at the idea of watching a full TV episode in the middle of Comic-Con craziness, but it didn’t take long for me to get sucked in.

Here’s the premise:  A young eager couple — Jane Van Neen (Rachael Taylor) and Henry Martin (Annable)– have just arrived to New York with a lot of hope but no cash.  So they take what seems like a dream gig as resident managers of luxury high-rise building on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.  The building is owned by the mysterious Gavin Doran (O’Quinn) and his wife, Olivia (Williams), who are happy to help others fulfill their dreams, but at a price.    Shortly after Jane and Henry take the job, they realize that there may be more to this building than meets the eye.

I had heard rumblings that the show was a cheap version of Rosemary’s Baby, but I found it to be intriguing.  If you were a fan of “Lost“, you are aware that O’Quinn can play the side of darkness with a twinkle in his eye.  With this series, he takes his dark side to a new level.  It’s unclear if he’s the Devil or a demon, but O’Quinn described his character as “pure evil”.

“666 Park Avenue” has many of the elements that pulls me into a TV series: a great cast, decent writing, and a supernatural element that is spooky and dramatic.  At the very least, it intrigued me enough to keep watching this fall.

Cooler temperatures, successful crowd-dodging maneuvers, and a genuine feeling of starstruckness made it a perfect first day at Comic-Con 2012. Here are some highlights:

• Assessing the individual and collective maturity levels of the kids, who have grown up in front of the press over the past years and are keenly aware of the credit due to Stephenie Meyer, the franchise’s directors, and the worldwide fan base who have turned them into icons. And sensing there might be truth to the notion that Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson are indeed a couple by the way he devotes full attention to her.
• Watching a kid in a Nintendo controller mask, a DIY construction made of cardboard and magic marker, get more attention than his older brother’s Batman costume.
• John C. Reilly saying to a reporter, “You’re at Comic-Con, man, do your homework” in response to the question if he played the video game Wreck-It Ralph as a kid.
• Talking with comedienne, Wreck-It Ralph co-star, and fellow New Hampshire native Sarah Silverman about Funspot, the arcade in our home state that used to give you five free tokens for every “A” you received on your report card (and 3 tokens for every “C”).
• The Scooby Doo kids.
• Holding brief, nearly back-to-back audiences with Tim Burton and Sam Raimi, both in similar all-black ensembles. It was good to listen to and speak with Burton about a project to which he’s long been connected, the feature-length expansion of his short, Frankenweenie. Raimi, though graceful, already seems weary of all the Spider-Man reboot questions and the misinterpretations of his Oz: The Great and Powerful project (and he didn’t seem to dig my question of whether he discussed directing techniques with James Franco, which I will be overanalyzing for weeks).
• Seizing up as Michelle Williams approached and realizing I was thoroughly starstruck. Instead of asking about Oz: The Great and Powerful, I just wanted to look at her hair, patterned dress, complexion, and shoes from a respectful distance. It’s a bit odd to see a queen of independent dramas in this setting, and I didn’t think it was the place to talk with her about Meek’s Cutoff and how she was robbed of an Oscar nomination there.

With all the talk of Comic-Con becoming too Hollywood-centric and mainstream, sometimes all you need is a photo of Batdog to help you turn down the background noise.

As I’ve mentioned before, this is my fourth year at Comic-Con and all day I found myself reflecting back.  My first and last events were the same as that first year:  The Twilight Saga and “Dexter“.    For “Dexter”, I clearly remember the first question of the press panel: “So why are you here?”

I don’t know who asked it, but it was in a tone that was not friendly or even sarcastic.  It was challenging the fact that this show and many others were realizing Comic-Con is a great place to promote their show/film.  Everyone in the room was taken by surprise and as you can imagine, it made for a very awkward panel with dotted silence.

Boy, what a difference four years make.  From the loud gasps after they showed the exclusive clip of the first two minutes of the season premiere, to the cheers when the cast walked on stage, there is no question of why “Dexter” is at Comic-Con. It’s a fan favorite.  I even saw someone dressed as our favorite serial killer.  Throughout the panel, they were very elusive about the fate of Deb and the role of Yvonne Strahovski, but they did let it slip that her name is Hannah.  All I can say is save the date for the premiere– September 30^th–or at the very least set your DVR.

I would really, really love to tell you more about the clip but I am afraid that I might give something away and I will be hunted down. Spoiler alert!!!

From the IMDb archive: Catherine Hardwicke and Kristen Stewart at the first Twilight panel.

My first exposure to Comic-Con’s unique superpower, the ability to launch a pop-culture phenomenon, coincided with the Twilight panel four years back; this year, that saga comes to a close with a Hall H curtain call for Breaking Dawn – Part 2 on Thursday morning, preceded by an industry party the night before, where Michelle (@IMDbMichelle) and I (@IMDbArno) hope to snap some candids for you before the Con officially kicks into gear for 2012.

It’s an expected start to a year that has one major day of movie presentations — with The Hobbit, Django Unchained, Iron Man 3, Pacific Rim, Man of Steel, and others turning Saturday into the day everyone’s focused on. But let’s acknowledge the two studios who are missing from this year’s roster: Paramount will sit out 2012, and Fox’s barely-here presence has film bloggers wondering aloud if the Con’s special abilities are waning. I wouldn’t say a Hugh Jackman PR stunt to hype The Wolverine would change the prevailing opinion that the industry might be falling out of love with the event, but it would be a welcome surprise in a year that features more than a few notable absences.

Jackman’s Con history is in sharp contrast with someone like Will Smith‘s, who’s no longer Mr. July and isn’t scheduled to appear during the After Earth panel on Saturday. The presentation for the summer 2013 sci-fi flick won’t be graced by Smith’s son and co-star, Jaden, nor director M. Night Shyamalan. The panel isn’t even being held in Hall H. It’s all so curious that I feel as though one, two, or all three of them have to put in a surprise appearance.

Sci-fi fans will be treated to panels with Guillermo del Toro and Neill Blomkamp. The lovable and profane del Toro will unveil bits from his robots-versus-sea-monsters creation, Pacific Rim; Elysium, Blomkamp’s follow-up to District 9, could emerge as the buzziest Con revelation.

I’m also going to cover two of the best TV shows to stream from bed: “Game of Thrones” and “The Walking Dead“.

And if I manage to get a split second with Quentin Tarantino, who will unveil more of Django Unchained, I’m going to ask him if he prefers fast or slow zombies and, since he has some TV experience under his belt, to sound off on “The Walking Dead” since Frank Darabont‘s unceremonious dismissal.

Comic-Con 2012 begins this week and once again, IMDb will be heading down to San Diego for the event! Starting Wednesday, July 11^th – Sunday, July 15^th, we will have full coverage of all the nerdy festivities in our special Comic-Con section at http://imdb.com/comic-con/.  Arno (@IMDbArno) and I (@IMDbMichelle) will be posting photos and updates on IMDbLive on Facebook, on Twitter at @IMDBLive.  Here’s a few things I’m looking forward to:

When I first went to Comic-Con four years ago, my first event was the Twilight press room.  The first film hadn’t been released yet and I don’t think any us of knew just how popular it would be, but when I posted my first photo, it got so much traffic it broke the blog.  It seems almost fitting that my first event this year will be the press room for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2.  Regardless if you are a Twi-hard or a Twi-hater, this final film will be the end of an era.

The event I am most excited about: the Walking Dead Escape: San Diego, presented by “Walking Dead” creator/writer Robert Kirkman and Skybound.com. They are transforming Petco Petco Park into a zombie obstacle course and participants will get to choose to be a walker, survivor, or a spectator. No offense to spectators but it’s not every day you get hands-on practice for the zombie apocalypse. Just saying.

On Thursday, my first big TV event will be “Dexter, with featured panelists Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, and Yvonne Strahovski.  They are promising to premiere the first two minutes of the season premiere, so hopefully we can get an idea how the hey Dexter is going to react to getting caught by Deb. I just hope that one of them isn’t dreaming. That would be lame.

I’ll be covering several TV panels and events including “Community“, “Vampire Diaries“, “The Walking Dead“, “True Blood“, “Spartacus: War of the Damned“, and “Fringe“.  In addition to these fan favorites, I’ll check out a few upcoming shows including “666 Park Ave“, starring Terry O’Quinn, Vanessa Williams, and David Annable, as well as “The Following“, starring Kevin Bacon and James Purefoy.   I am going to try and charm my way into the “Firefly” reunion panel with Joss Whedon, Nathan Fillion, and crew.  Wish me luck.

Although I’m mostly covering TV, I am beyond thrilled to be covering a few film events, including The Hobbit, with Peter Jackson, Sir Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, and Richard Armitage, as well as  Pacific Rim with Guillermo del Toro, Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi, and Ron Perlman. As of right now, Idris Elba is not confirmed to be there but I have my fingers and toes crossed that he will make a surprise visit.

Make sure to check back  for photos and updates throughout the week!

The complete schedule for this year’s Comic-Con was released today, and we’ve finally got an almost complete look at what to expect when Comic-Con begins a week from tomorrow (that seems simultaneously really close and altogether too far away).

Click through to the official Comic-Con MySched site to create your own personalized schedule for each day.