So it’s that time again for the San Diego Comic Con. I would have been there if not for the small matter of the Atlantic ocean but luckily thanks to this new Interweb fad I can still see the awesome stuff being revealed: “across the pond”. Here are some of my brain thoughts about them.
There has been a lot of pretty cool trailers with The Walking Dead season 8 trailer being one of the most anticipated, for me anyway and probably the one I have most to say on so bear with me, once I start typing my thumbs tend to elope with my thoughts and I have no real say as to when they stop. The thing about the trailer is, not a lot happens in it. I liked it though it adds to the feeling of anticipation, it’s not just us waiting for the season to start but the characters are all waiting for it to kick off! We see them all preparing and readying themselves for all out war. There are a few questions obviously, whats with the different coloured armbands? Green, red, white are they to denote which settlement they are allied to? The Hilltop, The Kingdom, and Alexandria or are they to signal different squadrons tasked with different jobs like fence building and defensive lookouts or even different stations like sergeant and lieutenant! Have they organized themselves so well in the face of Negan that they have militarized themselves to the point of a hierarchy? I hope so. The end of the trailer has a lot of people gasping and jumping to the wrong conclusion (probably Intentionally) but I don’t think it’s a spoiler to clear it up and it needs to be cleared up if you haven’t read the comics you may be lead to believe that Rick is waking up out of his coma an old man after dreaming the first 7 seasons and his real name is Bobby Ewing but to be clear THIS IS NOT A DREAM! The comic time jumps to where the settlements have adjusted to a society where there is a freedom of movement and trade between them all (a touchy subject just now on my shores). I kinda hoped they wouldn’t time jump in the show as I’m not a massive fan of old man Rick it physically pains me to see him frailer and crippled, he’s still the bad ass but just that little bit less so. Carl in the show has already pretty much reached the age of post time jump comic Carl so thought we may just carry on as is and work it into the story but looks like that’s not going to be the case. It’s far from a major complaint and doesn’t take away from what it could mean leading into season 9, The Whisperers yay.
As the lines “left a good job in the city” play over Taraji P Henson pulling on knee high boots and a leather jacket I assumed it was a Tina Turner biopic then she opens a cupboard full of guns. I still held out hope for Tina Turner as a spy, pretty cool twist, but alas it’s not Tina at all. Proud Mary still looks a really good assassin film and the trailer is brilliantly synched to the song of the same name to the point that the bullets match the drumbeat definitely worth a watch.
Netflix showcased a few new projects coming this year too one being The Inhumans. I have to admit I’m not a fan of the comics, I like the idea but just can’t get into black bolt being able to convey all his instructions with eye twitches and eyebrow raises just buy a pen and be done with it, hopefully he has a mobile with text to speech capabilities this time around. Of course, I’m going to watch it and reserve true judgment until iv seen it but just a little unsure if Serinda Swan and Ramsey Bolton will be enough to keep me watching. Another Netflix offering is one I will definitely be watching and I’m really looking forward to it. Bright has Will Smith as an LA cop (you can tell cause of the Moustache) in a reality where orcs, elves, and fairies not only exist but are trying to coexist as well. His new partner is an Orc and together they get into trouble as they meet a girl with a magic wand which as we all know is one of the most powerful weapons in existence and they have to protect her and keep the wand out of nefarious hands. It looks really really good and looks to be far more than just a bad boys, MiB crossover! December can’t come soon enough.
Onto Kingsman the Golden Circle, I LOVED the first Kingsman and this sequel looks like it could top it. The Kingsmans HQ has been destroyed and Eggsy and the gang must team up with their American counterparts the Statesmen to save the world. Adding Channing Tatum, Jeff Bridges and Halle Berry to the cast as agents Tequila, Champagne and Ginger could never be a bad thing and seeing the two cultures clash while trying to work together looks like it will lead to some brilliant footage and of course the over the top fight scenes are just as crazy and high octane as ever but now we have some crazy lasso action mixed into the fray.
The Shape of the Water is a trailer that gives me two levels of enjoyment. On the surface it’s an amazing looking Guillermo Del Toro film so what’s not to love, a mute woman is cleaning at a secret government Base and befriends the weird aquatic creature who is being horrendously experimented on it’s like a steampunk reboot of free willy which would be a brilliant film in itself but looking closer and you can get a whole nother level of enjoyment. The main character is unnamed but loves eggs, classical music and reading it is also played by the same actor who played the oh so similar character of Abe Sapien in the Hellboy franchise, now it’s never going to be confirmed that shape is a Hellboy Prequel because of rights and lawsuits etc but I mean come on, even the set could be an earlier version of Abes library in Hellboy and until it is categorically denied (and probably even after) I’m watching it as Abe Sapiens origin story. I love Del Toro’s stuff and this looks like yet another beautifully dark and enchanting voyage into the world of Guillermo.
There we have it my rambling thoughts of some of the trailers from Comic Con if you have made it to the end then I hope you found it Interesting and if you haven’t already then go watch the trailers for yourselves as they are really cool
Brian Isaacs - Executive Editor / Publisher