Let me be clear: though some cancellations are disappointing, they’re understandable. I stand 100% with my friends (and those the many more I don’t know) in the WGA and SAG. But still I was excited to get a chance to talk to Chris McCulloch and Doc Hammer one more time to thank them and say good-bye to The Venture Bros. However, they decided that it wasn’t right to attend Comic-Con this year to present Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart. The film will still screen — at least, that’s the current plan.
Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar will not have a panel, nor a premiere. Justice League: Warworld will still have a panel and a premiere, but no voice talent will appear. Babylon 5: The Road Home, a hotly anticipated animated film for B5 fans, will still have a panel led by J. Michael Straczynski, as well a premiere on Saturday. Though the director Matt Peters and supervising producer Rick Morales will join JMS, the previously announced cast members will not be attending.
This has been too much a hard labor of love for Straczynski, so if at this point he still wants to give his time to the fans, that’s understandable. As it’s also understandable that the cast chose to follow the SAG guidelines.
Several movie and TV panels have cancelled in the past week, including presentations for Good Omens 2 and The Boys. Hall H will be closed on Sunday — nobody seems to believe me when I said the city turned it into a megachurch. Of course, a few weeks earlier Marvel announced they would make no Hall H presentation, though Cosmo the Dog from Guardians of the Galaxy v3 will be making an appearance at the booth.
With a definite lessening of hype and madness (inside the Halls, at least), there’s still plenty to do and see. There always is. I’m not going to be the one saying, “oh good, it’s back to being about comics…” while Funko still lives. But I am going to appreciate that there might be less noise and more chance to reflect on what I want to see and who I want to talk to.
For those who have had Comic-Con International on their bucket list and this was THE year, it is a disappointment. It’s also a disappointment that writers and actors have not been fairly compensated for their work. Some will still be there; some will still be signing autographs. If you see Keanu Reeves, only ask him about BRZRKR, okay? Or maybe the Bill and Ted comics.
In the meantime, I’ll focus on the radiance of the blood of the fanboy heart.
