Damn, it had to happen. We’ve been having so much good luck — great hotel rooms, fast cabs, money on the floor — that something bad was bound to happen and for the first time in our 20+ years of con going, we’ve caught con crud, a sore throat severely hampering our communication efficiency, and general stuffed up nose providing lowered endurance, but higher tolerance on the show floor.

We’re live blogging from a spot on the floor in front of the escalator in front of Hall B. Why this spot? Well, at least there’s a Velvet Rope in front of us.

From here we can watch a parade of Emma Frosts, Ghostbusters, half-naked girls and camera crews. As well as fans, fans and more fans. Is the marketing message of the various entertainment companies here reaching the target audience? The city of San Diego has become one immense billboard…last night, skywriting promoted something or other (we had to go inside before we found out what) and street teams aggressively leafleted and handed out bags. At night the streets are littered with the detritus of the days’ efforts.

BTW, in case you didn’t know it before, AT&T SUCKS BOLLOCKS.

Woot! We’re doing it again because we’re NUTS. Jackie Estrada is introducing Bill Morrison. This year’s theme is MAGIC and every table is covered with magic tricks. Maybe the big trick will be finding the comics at Comic-Con!

Bill has introduced the keynote speaker, Frank Miller, who is folding a newspaper to illustrate the importance of comics and newspapers and Max Gaines.

“This is the first opportunity in a very long day to talk about the subject of comic books,” says Miller. Miller recalls his youth and the tribal past of San Diego. “A bunch of people in a vast field holding onto an artform thinking it would soon be forgotten.”

After talking about the importance of Eisner, Miller segues to the topic of comics and Hollywood. “As we work with new expanded horizons and new people and new money the biggest danger we face to my mind is of splitting our focus. So my advice if you’re setting out to do a comic book is forget the movies, forget the games, Just do a damn good comic book and in time who knows what will happen. Here’s to comic books and here’s to Will Eisner.”

Applause!

The always lovely Kaare Morrison is the award girl in a stunning green sequin ensemble. Jackie introduces the judges to muted acclaim and the sponsors to great acclaim, especially Comic Relief. She also explains the voting procedure, including the CALL FOR ENTRIES, which if our email is any indication, a lot of publishers forget about.

Bill Morrison claims to have forgotten the envelopes in a suitcase backstage. Some shtick ensues involving a bowling ball. Wait — how did that fit into that suitcase?

The RENO 911 guys are back and they say how shameful it is that TV people are coming to Comic-Con and associating themselves with work. They say last year’s ceremony was a beautiful event which just ended at 2 this afternoon. The first award is Best Penciller/Inker Team. The winners are Pia Guerra and Jose Marzan! Woot! Woot! Woot! Oh, and she thanks…uh, someone named Heidi MacDonald. Yay, Pia! You are class and I love you.

Next up…Best Painter, and it’s Eric Powell! Eric says he poured his blood, sweat, and years into CHINATOWN and he’s very gratified.

Best Cover Artist…James Jean…big shock! No one saw that one coming.

Our next presenters…adorable Paul Dini and Misty Lee! But Misty isn’t here — what the….Paul goes off to call her…and brings out a big giant empty box…and next thing you know….MISTY LEE was in the box all along? How did that happen? Is it…MAGIC?
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Have we linked to Chris Butcher’s Flickr Photostream yet? Well, now we have. Check often!

The keynote event of this year’s Comic-Con had to be the WATCHMEN panel. EW’s Jeff Jensen led director Zack Snyder, co-creator Dave Gibbons and the entire cast of WATCHMEN plus Carla Gugino through a Q&A. Snyder showed some re-edited footage expanded from the trailer with a bit more violence (Dr. Manhattan in Vietnam) and character moments — Dan Dreiberg sitting sadly next to his Nite Owl costume. References to the graphic novel as the “bible” of the shoot were rife, with the entire cast speaking to the richness and depth of the characters. There were also several references to many Easter Eggs throughout the movie.

Gibbons reveals that although he doesn’t make a cameo, ala many comics creators, his signature “G’ is seen as graphitti throughout the sets.

In interviews afterwards, Snyder admitted that though the very enthusiastic response from the 7000 people in Hall H was gratifying, it didn’t entirely relax him. There’s still much editing to be done, and it is the greatest graphic novel of all time. He mentioned the difficulties of making a movie based on such downbeat and nihilistic material at a major studio. “Of course I want Warners to make money,” he said. “But when they wonder why something violent or sexy or disturbing has to be in, I say, that’s the reason why people want to see this movie.”

Gibbons said that the experience of seeing his creations brought to life was overwhelming. He was also asked about Alan Moore’s dismissal of the film. “I see there is an elephant in the room. I wish that Alan could feel the same excitement and joy I’m feeling right now.” After the panel, he said that the last time he had spoken to Alan, Moore asked him not to bring up the Watchmen movie with him again, and he doesn’t expect to. Gibbons was also asked if there would be any new Watchmen art — a portfolio if you will– to coincide with the movie’s release, but there are no real plans at present.

There were several people in costume who asked questions during the panel, including a Batman, a Joker, and a Rorschach. The last named led to a great comedy moment after he asked about whether movies like THE DARK KNIGHT would lead to even more mature comic book movies. Snyder smiled a moment and said, “There’s something funny about being asked about mature comics from someone in that costume!”

The Beat’s opinion? The footage looks fantastic — rich, detailed and faithful to the spirit of the book — somewhat pulpish but dark at the same time. Of course, we haven’t heard any dialogue yet, but let’s remain optimistic. The cast seems very much on board with the spirit as well. Let the countdown to 3/6/09 begin.

Well, here we are live blogging from Hall H. Although we never received our fabled pass to the hall, there also wasn’t any line to get in, either. So we’re stuck here for an hour listening to fans behind us quoting lines from Venture Bros.

The Warner Bros. booth and its bag giveaways continues to be the biggest logjam on the floor. When they give out bags, there is a feeding frenzy reminiscent of the fire ant scene from the last Indiana Jones movie. When the bags are gone, people continue to mill around waiting…waiting…

Whatever the mayor says, it’s clear the con has engulfed the city. At least one of the elevators at the Marriott is tricked up like a cloud to promote some Disney movie. Cardboard Spirits peep from hotel cornices around town. The plaza in front of the Gaslamp Hilton has been filled with ceramic Chinese warriors. Nearly every bar and restaurant has a sign welcoming the Con, proving the nerd dollar is still strong in this place.

The Wall Street Journal joins the parade of Comic-Con exclusives with Stephen King’s latest foray with Marvel:

In a promotion expected to be announced Friday at Comic-Con, the big comic-book convention in San Diego, a previously unpublished story by Mr. King has been transformed by Marvel Comics into an animated video. The 25 episodes will be distributed in a variety of online and mobile channels ahead of the book’s publication Nov. 11. Starting Monday, new episodes will be released daily, five times a week, through Aug. 29.

The story couches the venture in terms of the increasingly creative ways of marketing books to an increasingly visually-literate readership.

Twitter your anonymous snark!

Okay, so it was just the pipe and drape collapsing.
Still…CONMAGEDDON LOOMS.

Our con kicked off with a press conference for Darwyn Cooke where he announced a series of four graphic novels adapting the first four PARKER novels by Richard Stark, aka Donald Westlake. Publisher IDW gave out a series of sweet duo-tone promo cards by Cooke that look as hard-boiled and crime-tastic as you would like. We’ll have a fuller story on the books in an upcoming issue of PW Comics Week.

In the spirit of full disclosure, we acted as a sounding board for IDW editor Scott Dunbier in setting up this event. As we’ve mentioned repeatedly here, it’s baffling that comic book companies don’t hold more press-only events at Comic-Cons. We asked a couple of other participants if they had been asked to any other comic book press conferences and no one could think of one (or else our acquaintances just aren’t asked to the right places).

Anyway, the books look very entertaining, and Cooke was born to draw amoral crime fiction. He also teased an announcement of his own creator-owned property later this year at Baltimore Con.

Over at THR, Borys Kit notes rampant shark jumping with a piece called Comic-Con’s geek chic fading? as he notes vacant socialite P**** H***** and starlet Kim Kardashian, who is known apparently just for having a big-ass ass, will be bringing their own special brand of magic to the show:

There is talk that despite the high numbers of conventiongoers, or maybe in spite of them, Comic-Con as a measure of geek cool may have reached a tipping point.

Critics are pointing to the scheduled appearances by tabloid mainstays Paris Hilton, who will join Thursday night’s panel for Lionsgate’s “Repo! The Genetic Opera” as well as host a party, and fellow party girl Kim Kardashian, who is supposed to hit DC Comics’ party Friday night before appearing at a “Disaster Movie” panel Saturday. When Comic-Con becomes fodder for the Us Weekly crowd, has the event nuked the fridge? Folks wonder.

“This may be the 2012 of Comic-Cons,” said one comic writer-turned-screenwriter, referring to the year on the Mayan calendar that signals the end of the world.

We’re finally ensconced here at the Beat Local Action Rapid Deployment HQ, aka B.L.A.R.D., aka the Horton Grand. We’ve even managed to score a room with a balcony, excitingly enough. We were all set to enjoy a steaming cup of Vietnamese coffee out there when we realized the room comes with fan, shower cap and historic plaque, BUT NO COFFEEMAKER. The woman at the front desk informed us that only mini-suites have coffeemakers. We may have to send an operative on a run to the mall for one of those instant water heater thingies. Or we may have to bribe housekeeping to bring us a spare.

By the way, if you are looking for an ocean of calm and peace, or just to recreate your favorite scene from THE SHINING, stop by the lobby of the Horton Grand at just about any hour of the day — aside from the hotel staff and Future Mr. Beat, the only other person we’ve seen is The Incredible Hulk. Maybe he can get them to give him a coffeemaker?

Seriously, this place is supposed to be haunted and we can see why — while everything else in San Diego is buzzing and bursting at the seams, the hotel lobby is fit for a Scooby Doo inspection.

In social eventing, we had a nice dinner with some foreigners last night before heading over to the Sony party for the new DC Online game. The party wasn’t crowded — perhaps because of a competing Marvel/Activision soiree? — but it was odd to be in a place where people asked us blankly, “So what brings you to Comic-Con?” The only other people we recognized were Chris Butcher, Scott Robins, longtime Beat pal Paul from Action-Figure.com, who already has all the toy news from the show up, and of course the man of the hour, Jim Lee, who spent many hours designing the game. We’re not getting a full-on demo until Sunday, but the game looks to be a big success for DC, and another example of how DC is successfully licensing its stable.

Despite boycott hopes, it sounds like everyone else was over at the Hyatt, but we decided to get some vital supplies at Ralphs and call it an early night for tonight’s party-thon — there are at least six competing bashes, and probably many more.

The WB booth has a life-sized model of the Owlship from WATCHMEN.

This is a pretty shitty picture but the model is cooler than dirt.

Man, these iPhones really do have lame cameras. Could only snap this surreal composite. Better photos later.

Well, we managed to make it across the floor. Once. Warner Bros. is once again giving out giant bags — this time with Wonder Woman AND a shoulder strap for crossbody styling. There’s practically a riot going on in front of the WB booth. A harried guy with a headphone told everyone, “There is no line. Nothing is going on. Go away.” That’s only one hour in.

For some reason, we feel particularly calm and detached. There is so much happening on any given second that no one could be expected to make sense of it.

The show kicked off with a press conference announcing Darwyn Cooke’s new series of PARKER adaptations. There was a grand unveiling of the art and a card giveaway for the press.

God only knows where we go from here. More later.

Presumably, this news will help THE BEAT recover from any travel-related mishaps that may have occurred on her trip out to SD.

Empire magazine caught up with Sir Ian at THE DARK KNIGHT premiere and said his returning to play everyone’s favorite wizard is all but a done deal.

Well, I haven’t had the contract yet but it’s everyone’s intention that I play Gandalf so yes, I will be returning to the role. Although it’s not until 2010, I’m very much excited about returning.”

Posted by Mark Coale

Variety reports that WATCHMEN will be adapted as a series of downlaodable games . Two are planned with one coming out when the movie does and the other with the DVD release. The games are being developed by Danish developer Deadline Games, and will star Rorschach and Nite Owl, hurm hurm.

WBIE execs said that by producing shorter downloadable games, rather than a full-priced disc version, they’ll have more flexibility to produce high-quality titles on a tight production schedule of just more than a year.

“We don’t want a low-quality console game that will get lost at retail,” said WBIE senior veep of production and development Samantha Ryan. “A downloadable game allows us to deliver the experience that fans expect.”

At PW, Rachel Deahl scoops a new Vertigo Crime imprint from DC:

As thousands of fans and industry professionals prepare to descend on San Diego for the annual Comic-Con, DC has unveiled a new offshoot of its edgy, celebrated Vertigo imprint, Vertigo Crime. The new line, dedicated to crime titles, will launch in 2009 with two lead titles, one by Ian Rankin and another by Brian Azzarello (100 Bullets). For Scottish crime writer Rankin, the forthcoming DC title will mark his first foray into comics. A rep from DC, who said the house would have more details to share tomorrow, confirmed that, despite the launch of Vertigo Crime, Vertigo itself will continue to publish crime titles.

Like Minx before it, this new line has been a poorly kept secret for well over a year. Much-respected editor Will Dennis is the driving force behind the line, and from what we’ve heard over our ham radio, you can expect many of his stable of creators to be contributing. More as it develops.

Yay, back on the Wi-Fi grid. Saddened to report that the Omni lobby no longer has free Wi-Fi , making the former blogger’s paradise a wasteland, albeit one with much better food.

After a decade of vowing never to return on a Tuesday, we now find it the most pleasant and relaxing method of travel yet. No staying up all night for a morning flight and arriving bleary-eyed and already behind the eightball. Instead we enjoyed an empty airport (both ways), a peaceful arrival, a pleasant dinner, and then an awesome kickoff cocktail party at Ben Templesmith’s. Meanwhile, the streets are rapidly filling with badges, Star Trek-themed T-shirts, and shortboxes.

No real news that we’ve heard yet. The biggest buzz was about the Image announcement yesterday, but speculation over its effects remains muted.

If you’re hanging out in LA and want to get things rolling tomorrow

Golden Apple is at it again. This time they are hosting a Pre-Con Publisher Showcase & Tribute Mixer and you’re invited! Wednesday, July 23 from 6-9pm join us for our 1st annual Pre-Comic-Con Showcase & Tribute Mixer featuring publishers, creators, artists, etc. This is a chance for fans to interact in a fun organized environment before the overpowering juggernaut.

Basically, the Comic-Con experience has become such an International media event and less of a marketplace for publishers, creators & artists to be seen and promote their various projects. We have created an event that acts as a catalyst and “kick-off” to the largest convention of the year.

Also, in light of all the fallen heroes of the comic industry this year, we will be honoring the memories of our beloved creators, retailers & pro’s that have recently passed. Join us in a charity raffle, paying tribute to Michael Turner, Rory Root, Mike Weiringo, Dave Stevens, Steve Gerber & others.

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Just as a reminder, this panel on Friday is a must attend:

Remembering Rory: The Rory Root Tribute – 3:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. Room 22

When Comic Relief owner Rory Root passed away in May, a huge void was left in the comics’ world. Please join us as we pay tribute to a man who helped everyone in the world of comics – from publishers to creators to aspiring artists to retailers. Rory left a lasting legacy, so we hope you can join Joe Field (Flying Colors Comics), Bob Wayne (DC Comics) and Jim Friel (Comic Relief) for stories, anecdotes, and memories of perhaps Comicdom’s most ardent supporter and best friend.

Goodbye, Sophia.

Maybe it wasn’t such great acting after all…Very sad news, as actor Christian Bale has been arrested in London for assaulting his mother and sister.

Batman star Christian Bale has been arrested by detectives investigating claims he assaulted two family members.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said a 34-year-old man had been arrested in connection with an allegation of assault, and remained in custody.

Mr Bale is alleged to have lashed out at his mother and sister in his suite at London’s Dorchester Hotel on Sunday.

The family was in London for the UK premiere of THE DARK KNIGHT. The assault took place on Sunday, the day before the premiere. According to the Sun the police waited to question Bale so that the premiere could go on.

UPDATE: As you might expect, TMZ has breaking news on this:

So why did cops put a hold on busting Batman? They didn’t think he’d flee.

Scotland Yard tells us after his mom and sis dropped a dime on Bale yesterday, the cops didn’t jump because they felt Christian was not a flight risk. Also, they thought the crime was not super serious.

So, we’re told, they waited until after “The Dark Knight” premiere to have him pay a visit to the station.

The New York Times once again scoops the big Comic-Con news: Robert Kirkman has been named an Image partner, the first new partner since the fabled original seven partners formed in the Days of Yore.

Mr. Kirkman was asked to join Image in part to reward him for his commitment to putting out his creations through the company for several years, said Eric Stephenson, who was promoted to publisher of Image last month. “Beyond that, Robert has a pretty strong vision of what he wants to do and what comes he wants to make,” Mr. Stephenson said. That vision includes Invincible, which he created along with the artist Cory Walker, which was first published in 2003. It follows the title character, a k a Mark Grayson, the son of Omni-Man, a superhuman with alien origins, as he copes with his legacy, college and more. The comic received an A minus from Entertainment Weekly, which called it “a charming antidote to the histrionics present in so many fights-and-tights books,” adding that it had “the strongest female character seen in many a moon: Mark’s stoic mom.”

In this week’s “Lying in the Gutters,” Rich Johnston alluded to this announcement and several other rumors that are swirling just about everywhere:

I’ve been told Robert Kirkman, writer of “Invincible” and “Walking Dead,” will be named as a new partner at Image.

I also hear reference to a number of big comics names signing projects with Image. Look for people who have recently chosen not to renew their exclusive contracts with Marvel and DC.

And there is gossip about an emerging new model of payments for certain creators and projects, with less of an emphasis on back-end payments and the introduction of page rates.

The rumor we’ve heard most is the one about a new business model for Image - but one that would allow the publisher to get royalties, of sorts. As it stands now, after they take their “fee” for publishing a book, it doesn’t matter if it sells 100 copies or 10,000, so there’s no incentive at Image Central to push a book past the initial solicitation. From the creators we’ve talked to, if giving their publisher more incentive for sales would result in higher sales, it could be a good thing.

Image Comics publishes a line of eclectic comics breathtaking in their variety. They are also breathtaking in their lack of discipline, but for offering a friendly home for creators who want to call their own shots, Image is still the only game in town. With Eric Stephenson’s recent ascension to the publisher spot, and now Kirkman coming on board, this could be Image’s biggest move in, like, forever.

Well, as you may have noticed, there’s a little Hollywood shindig coming up in a few days. Whereas once, San Diego prep — with the accompanying anxiety, dashed hopes and teeth gnashing — was exclusively the provenance of the comics industry, now, the entire entertainment industry is in full throttle PR mode, harried PR girls are cold calling journos, and planning hors d’oeuvres spreads, arranging mini-junkets and sending out press availabilities like there is no tomorrow.

We’ve drifted into a more “official” press list this year, so we’ve been flooded with invites of every kind, and it’s bean a real eye opener. While it’s a given that everyone thinks the Con has left comics behind, this year, we don’t think that’s the problem. This year, the con has left NERD MOVIES AND TV SHOWS BEHIND. And it’s sad.

We can’t tell you how many invites to see some teen sex comedy called SEX DRIVE we’ve received…and ignored. We like a free movie as much as the next Fourth Estater, but San Diego isn’t about teen sex comedies, for god’s sake. It’s about ACTION SCI-FI ADVENTURE COMIC BOOK MOVIES! STAR WARS! BLADE RUNNER! 300! IRON MAN!

With the Con’s place as THE consumer entertainment marketing showcase of the year, every production company in existence is staging a presentation or panel. Look, we’re thrilled to be breathing the same air as G.Butt again, but what does a Guy Richie gangster movie have to do with Comic-Con? Really now! Guy Richie may have written a comic book for Virgin but THAT DOESN’T COUNT.

The TV offerings are even more off-topic — what do BONES, 24 and PRISON BREAK have to do with Comic-Con? Or Samurai Girl? Or Dollhouse…okay, we get THAT one.

Seriously, if you could pull some kind of Life on Mars deal and travel back to a Comic-Con from the 70s with guests Dennis Weaver, Telly Savalas, and Robert Forster, that would be cool. Mannix. We’d like to meet Mannix.

To be fair, this year’s comic book movie slate is particularly weak, due to the writers’ strike. Only WATCHMEN and THE SPIRIT are representing the home team. (No WOLVERINE? Wait a minute…) And in the meantime, where are the comics, anyway? Have they just given up on getting ANY press during the show? Isn’t there a way to treat cartoonists like the superstars they are?

At the giant European comics fests, cartoonist guests spend often an entire day doing press, TV, newspaper and nerd. It’s surprising that more US comics shows don’t adopt this model. We’ve been offered C-list TV stars out the wazoo, but not Lynda Barry. Wouldn’t a comics star’s time be better spent mixing it up between press and signings just like movie stars?

In the spirit of full disclosure, we helped set up an actual comic book press conference this year. (We’ll tell you all about it when we attend it.) It’s a bold experiment, but one we expect to catch on. We’ve heard the idea of more comic books press conferences floated by a few comics publicists, although that’s really what panels have become. Still, for a busy, dizzy, harried mainstream journo, attending a single, say, Marvel or DC event is more practical than going to half a dozen panels.

There are quite a few ways to keep the comic in Comic-Con. To their credit, EW did it right in their Comic-Con preview, including actual comic books alongside movies and TV shows. Granted, it’s hard to compete with the level of excitement over a movie like DEATH RACE, but the funny thing is that all those movie people will just be ripping off the comics in a few months anyway.

§ Just what we needed, more competition.

§ John McCain is…the Joker?

§ Viz has a new movie division and ICV2 interviews head Jason Hoffs:

As far introducing a new, rich world, I think that manga is certainly the equal of any U.S.-created intellectual property, certainly including comic books and graphic novels. Where I think manga is truly extraordinary (and I’m a fan, but a newcomer to your world–I’m not quite an otaku) is the level of characterization, which I think is exceptional. It typically exceeds the level of characterization, and in a way, sophistication, of many American graphic novels. I suspect one of the reasons for that is that these properties are initially serialized in magazines like Shonen Jump and in order for them to continue their readership they need to have these heightened, addictive characterizations. I find myself getting much more drawn in by the characters than I do in the average comic book.

§ Noblemania unearths new photos of Bill Finger:

§ Djimon Hounsou to play Thulsa Doom?

§ Watchmen shot by shot comparisons.

Carla Gugino…va-va-voom! from the WATCHMEN movie everyone seems to be talking about:

The good people over at AICN have received an artsy pop-up of Carla Gugino as Sally Jupiter from James Jean. According to him, this little beauty will play a role in the introduction of Sally Jupiter.

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