The Top 10 Stories That Came Out Of San Diego Comic-Con

Did you hear that sound of trampling over the weekend? That was the sound of thousands of comic book geeks migrating to the West Coast to be front and center for San Diego Comic-Con. The convention used to feature just a few collectors hocking their old comics in order to afford their studio apartment rent and a couple of heavy-set nerds attempting to squeeze into their old homemade superhero outfits, but Comic-Con has grown immensely over the decades.

Now San Diego is a hub for movie studios and comic companies to drop bombshell announcements on fans in order to create mild hysteria among the geek world. From shocking news to exclusive footage and A-list stars, Comic-Con has transcended the comic book medium and is now a full-fledged pop culture phenomenon.

The problem with the convention being so high-profile is that it’s nearly impossible to get a ticket unless you are particularly vigilant or have a ton of disposable income. So, in order to spread the news from Comic-Con to people who couldn’t get there, or people that simply didn’t want to experience the smell of thousands of geeks baking in the hot California sun, we’re here to give you the down low on the Top 10 Stories That Came Out Of San Diego Comic-Con.

Let’s face it, 2007’s Ghost Rider was the cinematic equivalent of a back alley colonoscopy, but apparently it raked in enough cash to ensure a sequel. Directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance looks to do away with everything that didn’t work in the first movie, and bring some comic book violence and extreme stunts back to the character. Being that the only thing that worked in the original was Eva Mendes’ bust line, this directing duo has their work cut out for them.

According to Collider, fans in attendance at Comic-Con got a sneak peek at the new Rider flick, complete with Nic Cage's bad rug, but towards the end of the footage things took a very bizarre turn. Not only does Ghost Rider kick ass in this new film, but he also vomits and urinates fire as well.

Could this be the Ghost Rider film that fans of the character have been waiting for? We're not getting our hopes up quite that high, but then again there hasn't been a disappointing movie that featured flaming urine yet.

In the year that has passed since the last issue of Ex Machina was released, Brian K. Vaughan has been busy writing movies and TV shows. Comic fans will be glad to know that he is finally coming back to the world of comic books with the 2012 sci-fi series Saga. Vaughan revealed the premise of the book at the Image Comics panel on Saturday and promised fans in attendance that the book would be a "balls to the wall sci-fi book."

Vaughan made a name for himself in comics by creating the legendary Vertigo title Y: The Last Man and writing hit series such as The Runaways and Mystique at Marvel over the past decade. And while his most mainstream work has been as a staff writer on the hit TV series Lost, Vaughan stated that he has no dreams for Saga to become bastardized into a movie or TV show.

The writer told Comics Alliance: "The comic should be the destination...not the blueprint." And that sentiment is a welcome change in philosophy compared to most comic writers with dreams of Hollywood success and dollar signs in their eyes. We’re looking at you, Mark Millar.

Fables may not get the same press or mainstream love as some of the other books over at DC, but it’s undeniable that the book has been one of the best on shelves for about a decade. Writer Bill Willingham has created a world where long-running characters from timeless fairytales actually exist in our world and must keep themselves hidden from humanity at all costs. The book regularly mixes humor, action, romance, and any other time honored genre, and has become a shining beacon of creativity in the comic medium.

At Comic-Con, it was announced that Willingham will be launching an ongoing spinoff title of the main book called Fairest. The book will be written by various writers and artists, but will kick off with a story arc written by Willingham with art by Phil Jimenez.

According to Newsarama, Fairest will mostly revolve around the female supporting cast in Fabletown, such as Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Rapunzel. Now if only DC would simply release 52 Fables titles, as opposed to strangling the superhero marketplace into submission with their other monthly titles...

With Marvel Entertainment launching highly successful properties on the big screen; it’s only natural for the company to attempt to invade the small screen as well. Last year, Marvel debuted the animated Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to much acclaim, and now it’s set to release an animated Ultimate Spider-Man show on Disney XD that blends elements from the comics and movies.

In addition to those two cartoons, Marvel’s Head of Television, Jeph Loeb, also announced some live action shows in the works as well. Comic Book Resources is reporting that Loeb mentioned The Incredible Hulk, Cloak & Dagger, and AKA Jessica Jones are all still in development at ABC, in hopes of entering the prime time line-up in the near future. This will broaden Marvel's appeal and introduce the public to some lesser known characters.

The Incredible Hulk, which will take place during the Green Goliath’s early years, will be complimented by a Gamma team cartoon titled Hulk: Agents of SMASH. The 'toon will focus on the Hulk, A-Bomb, the Red Hulk, and others as they battle some typical baddies and perform plenty of smashing. We’re pretty sure that metric ton of cheesiness is exclusively aimed at the kiddies.

Not only is Greg Pak’s run on the Incredible Hulk ending this August, but the book is also on its way out. There was a lot of speculation over the future of Ol’ Jade Jaws, but now Newsarama has officially confirmed that the book is receiving a substantial makeover and relaunch this October, courtesy of writer Jason Aaron and artist Marc Silvestri.

The book begins with Hulk and Banner being physically separated from each other as Aaron plans on refocusing on the characters’ pure hatred for one another. That basic aspect of the character has been universally ignored as of recent, especially during Jeph Loeb and Pak’s run, so Hulk fans should rejoice that the character is slowly heading back to the direction that he was meant to be seen in.

This announcement may be on the smaller side compared to the movies and TV shows on display at Comic-Con, but with the Hulk being one of the industry’s most well known characters and having a role in next year's Avengers movie, the relaunch of Incredible Hulk is easily one of the most anticipated happenings at Marvel this year.

When he debuted in the pages of Action Comics #1 in 1938, Superman simply blew people’s minds. He was a crusader for social justice and a defender of the defenseless, and he was gifted with otherworldly abilites. However, over the years, the character has been transformed from Earth’s savior into an untouchable deity with very few threads left connecting him to humanity. DC plans to change all of that when the company reboots its entire line of comics this September.

Batman may be the current obsession for DC fans, but it’s Superman who looks to get the most unique facelift for a new generation. At Comic-Con, writer Grant Morrison went into some detail on his plans for the Man of Steel and they sound brilliant.

"He's a social reformer, and Clark Kent does as much work as Superman basically uprooting corruption and exposing corruption, so the two of them are working in tandem," said Morrison at his Comic-Con panel Comic Book Resources reports. "Justice may not involve the law in Superman's eyes."

Superman has been struggling for years to become relevant again for newer comic book fans, but this new, more socially conscious approach to the character may be the shot in the arm that the character needs.

In another attempt to get new readers hooked on comics, the folks at Marvel are ushering out a line of original graphic novels under a new initiative called Season One. These books will recount the famous origin stories of characters such as Daredevil, Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, and X-Men, with the target audience being fans of the movies who haven’t yet crossed over into reading the comics.

These books will follow a similar format to last year’s Superman: Earth One over at DC that lit up the New York Times sales chart. Senior vice president of publishing sales David Gabriel described them as “jumping on points for the Marvel Universe” at the Comic-Con panel, according to Newsarama.

Marvel has tried to recruit new readers over the years with the Ultimate Universe and the Point-One issues, but releasing a full story in one long form graphic novel, as opposed to single issues over the span of six months, is a much more enticing selling point for casual fans. The company already tried this technique once in the '80s when it released X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills and that book is still considered a classic today. Color us intrigued.

Only Steven Spielberg could completely silence a packed house filled with adults masquerading as superheroes. While talking on a panel with Peter Jackson about his upcoming adaptation of Tintin, the director dropped a bombshell that Jurassic Park 4 is indeed in the works.

"We have a writer who is writing the treatment and hopefully we are going to make Jurassic Park 4 in all of our foreseeable futures, hopefully in the next two or three years,” Spielberg told the packed house, according to E! Online. And with that brief statement, Spielberg sent the internet into a frenzy; he can probably already smell the millions of dollars filling his bank accounts.

While the Jurassic Park franchise may have bottomed out after Joe Johnston’s dreadful third installment, it’s still a viable property in a Hollywood landscape that seems to recycle old ideas on a monthly basis. Hopefully they don't go with the rumored script from a few years ago that featured talking dinosaurs that used jet packs and laser rifles. That movie may simply cause the Earth to cease making sense.

Last week, fans got a taste of what the new and improved rebooted Spider-Man would look like when Sony debuted the first teaser trailer for the movie. Sporting a brand new costume and more realistic tone, The Amazing Spider-Man will attempt to make people forget about how Spider-Man 3 violated their eye sockets. What the initial trailer didn’t show off was the Wall Crawler’s newest foe, the Lizard; lucky fans at Comic-Con got an exclusive peek at the character.

Played by British actor Rhys Ifans, Dr. Curt Connors is initially a mentor to Spider-Man, but he mistakenly transforms himself into a scaly monster after attempting to genetically re-grow his missing arm. In the brief clip that was shown, the completely CGI Lizard bombards two young girls as they check their makeup in the high school bathroom. Our Chris Hansen sense is tingling.

The footage may not be available online yet, but what was described seems ideal for old school Spidey fans. According to Super Hero Hype, the Lizard looks more akin to the original Steve Ditko design from the comics, complete with a rounded head, but with a more muscular body.

Even though the whole “scientist mentor turned monster” storyline was expertly done with Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2, the Lizard presents a unique physical and personal threat to Peter Parker that will differentiate the whole conflict from previous ones.

Marvel may dominate the big screen, but DC is simply killing it with its line of animated direct-to-DVD adaptations of their most famous comic storylines. Releases like New Frontier, Wonder Woman, and Batman: Year One easily rival the cinematic quality and pure fun of Marvel theatrical releases like Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger.

After the premiere of Batman: Year One at Comic-Con, producer Bruce Timm revealed that the classic Frank Miller tale is finally going to get the animated treatment in a two-part adaptation. The movie will be released after adaptations of Justice League: Tower of Babel (now titled Justice League: Doom) and Superman: What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice, And The American Way? get released in 2012.

Hardcore fans fear not because, according to IGN, Timm reassured the audience that "It's going to be very, very faithful to the comic.” The original comic focuses on an aging Bruce Wayne as he reluctantly reclaims the mantle of Batman to fight off unforeseen threats both on a local and global level, including the Man of Steel himself.

While no release date or voice cast has been announced yet, the mere fact that the best Batman comic of all time is about to see the animated light of day is enough to make fans drool themselves into dehydration.