It’s been strange times for San Diego Comic-Con since being shut down by the pandemic in 2020. Organizers dipped their toes back into the con world with a stripped down Special Edition in 2021 during Thanksgiving weekend. They returned in the summer of 2022 with a fully operational SDCC, but next year’s event was overshadowed by a last minute actor’s strike. With a majority of Hollywood pulling out, many panels and autograph signings were canceled. None of that seemed to bother attendees as the exhibit hall floor was busier than ever. The strike didn’t seem to affect ticket sales for 2024’s convention as badges sold out months in advance as usual.
Normally, advertisements and activations don’t appear until the week of Comic-Con, but this year things started popping early. Always a good sign. Paramount Plus placed wraps advertising Star Trek and Spongebob Squarepants while NBC/Universal set up their own coliseum to promote the new streaming series Those About to Die. FX took their usual spot in front of the Hilton Bayfront with sites dedicated to What We Do in the Shadows, Grotesquerie, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Free swag included an umbrella (handy for the heavy heat) and The Bear branded apparel wrapped as if they were a sandwich. Along the waterfront, Adult Swim returned with a professional wrestling ring. AEW stars Johnny TV, Taya Valkyrie, Orange Cassidy, and Willow Nightingale were on hand to grapple with opponents dressed like Adult Swim characters. Hulu Animayhem had one of the largest footprints for offsites. Attendees who braved the long lines and blazing sun got to taste some delicious Slurm from Futurama (actually sour apple lemonade) and a radioactive Lard Lad donut from The Simpsons. It might not be a genre show, but ABC’s Abbott Elementary has been popular amongst con-goers and this year’s Ava Fest brought a fun carnival atmosphere to SDCC. The offsite included a swing ride, ball pit, and the usual games of chance.
Planet of the Apes and Peanuts both had walkthrough exhibits while Dexter: Original Sin was represented by a simple cargo container where anyone could view a trailer for the prequel series. If you didn’t want to walk too far from the convention center, Star Trek and Doctor Who offered a combined Universal Friendship exhibit featuring costumes and props from the various TV shows and movies. Who-vians could also take their photo inside the Tardis by visiting BBC’s booth inside the con.
Marvel Studios returned with a vengeance with Comic-Con coinciding with the opening weekend of the highly anticipated Deadpool & Wolverine. Marvel held a special panel with seats only available to those lucky enough to win an exclusive lottery. The 6500 fans lucky enough to attend the panel were given an exclusive screening of the entire film as well as the infamous Wolverine popcorn bucket. After filing out of Hall H, everyone in the Gaslamp Quarter was treated to a drone show above Petco Park, which paid homage to the movie’s titular characters and teased the coming of Galactus. Speaking of which, Fantastic Four: First Steps was a part of the line-up for Marvel’s panel on Saturday evening. The show opened with a choir dressed in red and yellow belting out “Like a Prayer,” while numerous Deadpool variants danced through the aisleways. Head honcho Kevin Feige introduced the cast members from Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts, and Fantastic Four. However, the biggest news was the return of the Russo Brothers and the casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom. The Russos are back in the MCU fold to direct Avengers: Doomsday (previously Avengers: Kang Dynasty) and Avengers: Secret Wars. Obviously, Downey’s casting raises far more questions than answers. Will he be an evil Tony Stark or is the proper Victor Von Doom?
Either way, the announcement made Doom a hot commodity as a majority of comics with the Latverian dictator on the cover shot up the wanted list. X-Men is generally a top seller for anyone digging through back issue bins, moreso now with X-Men ‘97 being a massive hit and Marvel’s Merry Mutants on the cusp of being taking over the MCU.
Next to all things Marvel, Alien: Romulus was probably the most hyped Hall H panel for movie buffs. Director Fede Alvarez rolled three clips from the upcoming film, two of which were briefly seen in the trailers. The first sees a team of salvagers exploring a derelict space station only to be attacked by a bunch of facehuggers that were kept in storage. The next sees the character Navarro using an X-ray device on herself after being infected with a chestburster. The third clip shows us just how the chestburster morphs into a fully-grown xenomorph. Those in attendance got their own facehugger and IMAX tickets.
While it seemed the majority of movie studios dialed back their presence, streaming shows were more than happy to fill the void. Hall H was host to a number of series including Star Trek, Doctor Who, The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, The Penguin, The Boys, The Walking Dead, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and What We Do in the Shadows.
On the main show floor, attendees could find a cool space station themed booth from LEGO, props and costumes from Star Wars: The Acolyte at the Lucasfilm pavilion, and booths devoted to renowned artists Alex Ross, J. Scott Campbell, and Bill Sienkiewicz. Funko had the biggest installation with their Funko International Airport setup with various terminals for Loungefly, Mondo, and other exclusive Pops. Marvel debuted a new open concept booth with a giant screen playing trailers for upcoming Marvel projects, a Deadpool & Wolverine photo op, and costumes from said film as well as Captain America: Brave New World. Sideshow Collectibles may have gone bye-bye, but Bandai Namco expanded their presence in the exhibit hall with booths focusing on Gundam, Tamagotchi, Godzilla, Demon Slayer, and boutique brand Tamashii Nations. AMC Theaters joined SDCC for the first time with a booth resembling a concession stand. Unfortunately, you couldn’t purchase the infamous Dune sandworm or Wolverine popcorn buckets. Instead, exclusive items included a Claptrap popcorn bucket and a Barbie bag shaped like her neon green roller skate.
Hasbro’s booth felt less claustrophobic as the company focused on showcasing new products, rather than the photogenic dioramas of years past. Hasbro gave Comic-Con their first look at a bunch of new Star Wars figures from The Acolyte, Ahsoka, and Andor in both Black Series and Vintage Collection lines. In addition, the Haslabs Cantina playset was on display, along with a deluxe Momaw Nadon aka Hammerhead. Aside from Star Wars, Hasbro didn’t roll out a lot of stuff for their other brands. GI Joe Classified saw the debut of the Cobra Rattlor with pilot Wild Weasel and a Baroness in flight uniform. They also offered a convention exclusive “Once a Man” Cobra Commander, based on his appearance in GI Joe: The Movie. Marvel Legends saw Crystal and fan-favorite Lockjaw from the Inhumans and a deluxe Kang the Conqueror. Probably not the best time to release the figure, but comic fans will like the idea of Kang coming with his high-tech throne and multiple heads.
Wrestling fans must have been pleased by Mattel’s offerings. The El Segundo-based company stuffed their booth with new action figures, including first-ever figures for Trick Williams, Zoey Stark, Dragon Lee, and Chase U. Jade Cargill, who recently jumped from rival AEW, had her first Mattel figure on display though it was mysteriously pulled later during the convention. Viewers of WCW should be happy to see new Ultimate Editions of Lex Luger and 2024 Hall of Famer The Great Muta. CM Punk not only came back to WWE, but came back to the Mattel panel after an absence of 12 years. Mattel made the most of wrestling’s prodigal son with several Punk action figures, such as a Defining Moments figure based on the “pipebomb” promo and an Ultimate Edition from Money in the Bank 2011.
NECA certainly wowed toy collectors with multiple Ninja Turtles figures based on various iterations from the original Mirage comics, the kid friendly Archie comics, the animated series, and the dystopian Last Ronin. The highlight had to be Tatsu, right-hand man to Shredder in the live-action films. TMNT fans have been clamoring for years for the character to be immortalized in plastic, but NECA had difficulties acquiring the actor’s likeness. With Beetlejuice Beetlejuice coming to theaters soon, NECA presented several versions of the Ghost with the Most, along with a Dante’s Inferno playset. Finally, their Universal Monsters line received the perfect companions in Christopher Lee as Dracula and Peter Cushing as Van Helsing from Hammer Films’ Dracula.
It’s still being debated whether or not Comic-Con has returned to 2019 levels. 2024’s convention definitely felt like times past with Hollywood as a major presence once again.
For more photos from SDCC 2024, check out my gallery on Flickr.
