Staff Writer
Picking out the highlights from Comic-Con is like choosing a favorite Weasley: you love too many of them to pick just one. Still, I’ve done my best to give you a rundown of the most memorable moments.
Here we go.
As always, Hall H and Ballroom 20 played host to big name panels like Divergent, Veronica Mars, Game of Thrones, The Vampire Diaries, Psych, and Once Upon a Time. Tom Cruise, the X-Men: Days of Future Past cast, and Tom Hiddleston all made surprise appearances, the latter in full Loki costume.
The fervor for Hall H paid off for those not in the room as well. The typically packed Ballroom 20 had no line Friday afternoon. Fans walked into the “TV Guide Fan Favorites” panel that included, among others, Clark Gregg, Kristin Bauer, Danai Gurira, and Blair Underwood. Dark Horse’s Joss Whedon panel followed where the geek god took the stage solo to joke around and answer fan questions.
Earlier, those lucky enough to make the Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. panel exploded with excitement when they were treated with a full screening of the first episode.
Smaller rooms hosted equally popular panels such as X-Files with Chris Carter about the show’s 20th anniversary and Season 10 comic. Con favorite “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog Sing Along” returned for the annual costume contest and screening. There is nothing quite like a thousand fans belting out Joss and Jed Whedon’s lyrics as well as a series of commentary and quips from a call back script.
Sunday afternoon’s “Harry Potter: Still Magic” served as a Con bookend for Potterheads. The panel consisted of Potter fandom icons like Joey Richter and Brian Rosenthal (Team Starkid), Alex Carpenter (The Remus Lupins), Heidi Tandy (FictionAlley.org), and more sharing their experiences with The Boy Who Lived. They also gushed on the new Scholastic book covers, the construction of Diagon Alley at the Wizarding World in Florida, and the upcoming LeakyCon London.
Outside the convention center, Nerd HQ was once again a highlight for fans both with and without Comic-Con badges. An offsite venue at Petco Park hosted the third annual Conversations for a Cause, run by Zachary Levi’s The Nerd Machine. With only 250-300 tickets available for each conversation, attendees got to be up close and personal with stars like Nathan Fillion, Evangeline Lilly, the cast of Psych, Matt Smith and Jenna Louise-Coleman, Joss Whedon, Tom Hiddleston, and Levi himself (by the way, Hiddleston really is that gorgeous).
Browncoats especially enjoyed a Nerd HQ showing of Serenity Saturday night on a jumbo screen inside the ballpark. Viewers stretched out across the field and collectively mourned Wash’s death all over again. Proceeds from conversation tickets, merchandise, and the photo booth all benefitted the charity, Operation Smile.
Other off-site attractions, like the Geek and Sundry lounge, provided fans without convention center passes with entertainment like a Star Trek Catan tournament and a cosplay prom.
Speaking of cosplay, no Comic-Con would be complete without admiring the costumes. Everything from Captain America and Beetlejuice to Spartans and the incredibly detailed Iron Man Mark 42 were walking around San Diego.
In all, Comic-Con remains the mecca of the nerd world and an experience not to be missed for fans of anything and everything.
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