5 SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON PANELS I WON’T BE MISSING!
Article by Christian Navarrete
It’s that amazing time of year again, Comic Con International has just released their schedule of panels and events. This is one fanboy who can’t wait to grab a badge and join 130,000 fellow attendees to get our comic book based pop culture preview fix. Scrolling through the list I couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear, and then came some disappointments. There are so many great panels this year and unfortunately, some of them have conflicting times, but that won’t put a damper on my spirits. Here are 5 2017 San Diego Comic-Con panels that I know I won’t miss for the world;
Thursday 11:30am-12:30pm – 20th Century Fox in Hall H
20th Century Fox is always very keen on keeping their lineup shrouded in mystery (half the fun is speculating what they’ve got up their sleeves), but with DEADPOOL 2, X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX, and NEW MUTANTS currently in production it’s a good chance this may be the year of the Mutant. I love the X-Men and have enjoyed the films they have inspired for the past 17 years, but I’m really hoping Fox will switch gears a bit and give us a little sneak peek into KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE. I was so impressed by what Matthew Vaughn did with Mark Miller‘s highly stylized homage to James Bond with KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE and Taron Egerton had so much energy in the role of Eggsy, I feel this team can do no wrong.
Thursday 1:45pm-2:45pm – “Rocko’s Modern Life: Return to Earth” in Room 6A
If there is one 90’s cartoon that still gets brought up in conversation among your friends it’s this one. Everyone’s favorite anthropomorphic wallaby is back in Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling, a new Nickelodeon TV movie, and comic con fans will get the first taste before its official premiere at the Rocko’s Modern Life: Return to Earth panel. While I’m sure we won’t get too many spoilers for the movie it’s great to see that Original show creator Joe Murray will be on hand with much of the original headlining roster, (Carlos Alazraqui as Rocko, Tom Kenny as Heffer, Mr. Lawrence as Filburt, and Charlie Adler as both Mr. Big Head and Mrs. Big Head), to give us some insight into what Rocko and his friends have been up to since they disappeared into space 20 years ago.
Friday July 20th 11:45am-12:45pm – “Hey Arnold! From Hillwood to the Jungle” in Room 6A
Many fans of the original “Hey Arnold!” were disappointed when this clever, jazzy-bluesy show ended in 2002, myself included. It seems you just can’t keep a great cartoon down, though. Craig Bartlett, the original creator of the show, has developed “Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie,” and fans will not only get a sneak peek at this new film before it premieres in November. Voice actors from the classic show and from the upcoming film will be on hand to answer questions and discuss their experiences in the diverse “Hey Arnold!” universe. And if that wasn’t enough to fulfill your nostalgia fix, Jim Lang, the composer of the music for “Hey Arnold!” will be in attendance to serenade fans with a live musical performance.
Friday July 20th 7pm-9pm – World Premiere of BATMAN AND HARLEY QUINN in Ballroom 20
It wouldn’t feel quite like San Diego Comic-Con without a Warner Bros. Home Entertainment DC Universe original movie premiere, and that’s just what the fans are getting with a new adventure written by James Krieg and Bruce Timm and featuring the voice talents of everyone’s favorite animated Batman, Kevin Conroy, and Melissa Rauch (Dr. Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz from “The Big Bang Theory”) as Harley Quinn. I’ve loved Bruce Timm’s Batman since the moment I heard the iconic Danny Elfman score on my 11th birthday in 1992, and it looks like with the popularity of Harley Quinn rising (a character that Paul Dini and Bruce Timm created), Warner Brothers is clearly seizing the opportunity to pair these two great characters up for one crazy adventure. A part of me hopes that is has a 48 hour feel to it. That would definitely be the cherry on top.
Saturday 3pm-4pm – Netflix’s “Stranger Things” in Hall H
“Stranger Things” came at us last year like a speeding bullet train of 80’s nostalgia. And this year Netflix will be releasing Season 2 on October 27th, which is just perfect since the new season will take place around Halloween of 1984. It took me a while to watch the entire 6 episode first season, but once I did, I understood why my friends loved this show and the characters so much. It will be phenomenal to see brand new footage and to see the cast in person.
This will be my third year attending this magical event, and even if I do miss some panels, I know for a fact that this is going to be a memorable experience that I will be relaying to all my friends and neighbors until the next convention. If you happen to catch me outside the convention center taking some pictures or chatting it up with my fellow fans, stop by and say hello. We can swap some comic con stories.
Be sure to watch for our daily updates from San Diego Comic-Con as we experience this epic event first hand!
2017 Comic-Con International runs from July 19th-July 23rd in San Diego, CA. For a look at the entire programming lineup, CLICK HERE!
