IRON MAN
San Diego Comic Con is perhaps the biggest and most prestigious of geek gatherings the world may ever see. Big movie, comic book, sci-fi, video game, and even technology news springs forth from SDCC every year. It’s not just one of the biggest conventions, though, it’s also one of the most expensive to get to. Fret not just about everyone who couldn’t attend, we’re giving you some of the best of what SDCC had to offer.
Marvel blew just about every major publisher out of the water with movie news. Not only did Robert Downey Jr. make an explosive guest appearance Saturday to get everyone hyped about Iron Man 3, but the new suit of armor wasn’t the only thing to get excited about. SDCC was the place Marvel revealed a total of 5 new movie titles, some of which avid comic readers thought they’d never get. Iron Man 3 (5/3/13) and Thor: The Dark World (11/8/13) are sequels we expected, but the three others threw us for a pretty spectacular loop. Marvel finally confirmed that the Captain America sequel, Captain America: Winter Soldier (4/4/14), will follow a character audiences thought was long gone in the first movie. Winter Soldier is a character. While comic book fans rejoiced, Marvel also snuck in the announcement for an Ant Man move and a movie for Guardians of the Galaxy (8/1/14). That’s a pretty stellar line-up after some major success with The Avengers, but that wasn’t the only card up their sleeve. Crashing the Marvel video games panel and taking over an Amazing Spider-Man billboard was Deadpool, announcing his own video game developed by Activision’s High Moon Studios coming in 2013.
For most of us, the Avengers premiered with a bang at midnight today. It was one of the most anticipated movies of the year. Not only is it an action film starring superheroes, but it ties together at least 5 films and a ton of characters into one movie. Fans of the comics and newcomers alike were also dying to see whether Joss Whedon’s touch would make the film a hit or a dud. The polarizing Buffy, Firefly, and Cabin in the Woods creator definitely drew a crowd. Midnight premieres across the country were packed with fans waiting to see the film. Some wore t-shirts and accessorized according to their favorite Avengers character. Others went for full costumes.
In other baffling LEGO news, Technix pieces helped create the Iron Man suit that made its debut in the second movie. The suit, consisting of 384 individual pieces of armor, over 4,000 LEGO Technix pieces, is not just a model of his standing armor. Like Tony Stark's latest innovation at the start of the second film, the suit expands from briefcase form.
Cheong-ah Hwang, a Korean artist based in Ohio has been using paper to sculpt amazing pieces of work for several years. Hwang has been creating both sculptures and finely crafted pop-up images for years. From cute to breathtaking to mind-boggling, her art is quickly becoming a sensation across the web.
To see more of her work check out her portfolio website full of original art and commissions, at Papernoodle.
The summer blockbuster season is officially kicking off this year with Iron Man 2. There are even predictions that it could break The Dark Knight's opening-weekend record of $158.4 million. Though, I think the Iron Man-folks would rather just stop being compared to that film, seeing as the massive success of the Christian Bale flick definitely put a damper on the almost-as-massive success of the first Iron Man.
Tina Fey capped her year off by being named Associated Press' Entertainer of the Year. The 38-year-old NBC star was selected by newspaper editors and broadcast producers as the performer who had the greatest impact on culture and entertainment in 2008. Fey beat Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. and Heath Ledger, who wowed audiences with his performance in The Dark Knight after his untimely death. Fey entertained the world with her Sarah Palin impression in multiple guest spots on Satrday Night Live. She told the Associated Press her first reaction to Palin, recounting how she thought, 'Well, I kinda do look like her. I'd better really listen to how this lady talks.'
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