Dispatches from day 4 of San Diego Comic-Con 2022

After four days of panels, blockbuster announcements, and trailer debuts, San Diego Comic-Con 2022 is over. As always, the biggest news came out of the third day, with Marvel’s impressive film slate. Comic-Con Sundays are traditionally slower in terms of news. But the crowds are always present.

Media observers outside of the entertainment industry don’t always seem to grasp that fans flock to Comic-Con for more than just the big announcements. Fandom isn’t a monolith. Instead, Comic-Con attracts fans of multiple genres including comics, anime, video games, tabletop gamers, collectibles, and more. Comic-Con is the place where those interests converge. And yet you don’t always see that reflected in the coverage.

For my final day at the show, I decided to focus on the large dealer’s room that spans Hall A to Hall G. Even then, it was impossible to visit every booth or catch everything memorable. But this may give you a better idea of what fans experience when they’re not trying to get a space at the convention’s most popular panels.

A view from the convention floor

I’m not the target audience of Paramount+ and Nickelodeon’s Monster High: The Moviebut this was one of the most eye-catching booths I came across during the show.

Similarly, I have very little familiarity with Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. But I found the design for this life-sized statue of Gamma 1 to be very compelling.

Lucasfilm put a number of Star Wars-related costumes and statues on display, including The Mandalorian himself.

Bo-Katan Kryze, Mando’s frenemy, was also given a spotlight.

This is the costume that Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor will wear in Andor when it premieres on Disney+ next month.

This is one of the new droids that will be introduced in Andor.

In the small press section, I came across the work of Brian Cook. As the sign indicates, he draws butts on any and everything, even if they’re inanimate objects. Somehow, I suspect it has a very niche audience.

An ode to the toys I’ll never buy

As an adult collector, I’ve reached the point in my life where I could buy almost any action figure or toy I’ve ever wanted. I just don’t have the space for them. Regardless, I do love looking at the new genre toys, and Comic-Con is a great showcase for some of the upcoming collectibles.

Some upcoming Star Wars toys, including a new Obi-Wan Kenobi figure.

These two figures were inspired by the Star Wars comics. Leia wore that outfit in her solo Marvel miniseries, while White Darth Vader hails from an alternate timeline where Anakin Skywalker was redeemed by his children and also survived the destruction of the second Death Star.

A few X-Men: The Animated Series-inspired figures. Always a personal favorite of mine.

This is a $400 Galactus crowdfunded figure that comes with a few of his heralds: Silver Surfer, Nova, Firelord, Morg, and Terrax. For deep pockets only!

Hasbro is crowdfunding this very expensive G.I. Joe Cobra HISS tank. I would have loved to play with this as a kid. Now, all I can do is look at it.

Statuesque

For the high-end collectors with money to burn, collectible companies displayed their most impressive statues at the show.

Marvel’s Doctor Doom. If you don’t know who he is, you will soon enough in the recently announced Fantastic Four reboot as part of the MCU’s Phase Five lineup.

The Joker is a perennial favorite, and this statue captures him well.

Quite possibly the best rendition of Masters of the Universe‘s Teela that I have ever seen.

He-Man and Battlecat were both represented. It’s an incredible statue, but the price might make you look like the next picture.

Say what you will about Skeletor, but the man takes care of his teeth. This is a life-sized bust of He-Man’s adversary. This is only for serious, and seriously wealthy, collectors.

This Catwoman statue really seems to capture the spirit of Michelle Pfeiffer’s take on the character from Batman Returns.

Anyone can get a statue, even non-sci-fi or fantasy characters. Case in point: Rocky Balboa and his friendly rival, Apollo Creed, from the original Rocky.

Gandolf and his friends from other franchises were among the “budget” offerings at the Sideshow Collectibles booth. They only cost between $150 and $250, as opposed to the massively expensive full-sized statues.

I really like this statue of the X-Men’s Jean Grey and Phoenix, but it costs more than I pay per month in rent.

Casual cosplay

Not everyone who wears a costume at Comic-Con wants to win an award or participate in the Masquerade. They do it because they enjoy it, and it also happens to show off their skill to like-minded fans. For my day on the dealer’s room floor, I decided to take pictures of the best cosplay examples that I came across naturally. I didn’t chase anyone down or bother anyone while they were clearly resting. And when I asked to take a picture, everyone I met said “yes.”

You can never go very far at a con without encountering a Deadpool.

This Ghost Rider took his inspiration from Marvel’s ’90s incarnation of the character, and he was there with his family.

Since the Anchorman movies are set in San Diego, it makes perfect sense for someone to cosplay Ron Burgundy at the con. He passed on this message: “Stay classy, San Diego!”

This fan told me that his Riddler costume was a cross between Frank Gorshin’s Riddler from the ’60s and Jim Carrey’s Riddler from the ’90s. I especially liked the Riddler-themed face mask he had.

This Catwoman also took her cues from the ’90s. She was also one of the few cosplayers I encountered who wasn’t wearing a face mask.

This is Flynn, from Disney’s Tron. You may not recognize him because he’s missing Flynn’s blue hue. But according to this cosplayer, his costume is based on its appearance during the film’s production, and that the colors were added in post.

It’s always nice to see some variety in characters. Judge Dredd isn’t huge in America, but he’s one of the most popular characters in the United Kingdom.

This guy is a Predator … for the best deals at Comic-Con.

Finally, we have a fan dressed as Sylvie, the female variant of Marvel’s Loki series on Disney+.

Goodbye Comic-Con

And that is a wrap for this year’s dispatches from Comic-Con. This was the first Comic-Con in three years, and if the response to this show is any indication, not even the pandemic can stop it from being one of the top conventions in the country. It was a pleasure to be back in San Diego, and I can’t wait to return in 2023.

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