comic-con

This post originally appeared on our sister site Comics Alliance

Am I the only one who raised an eyebrow after noticing that this ad for the HBO vampire show "TrueBlood"...



...was in fairly close proximity to this booth?

This post originally appeared on our sister site Comics Alliance

"Smallville" producer Brian Patterson revealed at Comic-Con this weekend that despite the "no tights, no flights" rule that has previously defined the show, Clark Kent will be donning a costume for the very first time in the upcoming ninth season of the show, as he begins "the last stage" in the process of becoming Superman.

But rather than suiting him up the traditional red and blue outfit usually synonymous with the Man of Steel, Patterson says they'll be going for something a little darker, in fitting with the theme of the season, which is "Clark's darkest hour."

"It's kind of based on a couple of pieces of mythology of when he died, and his Doomsday fight in the comics, and the costume he wore after that," said Patterson, referring to the black and silver costume Superman wore after returning from the grave in 1993.

No word on whether Clark will also be sporting a killer mullet, as he did in the comics during his original resurrection.

Since the creators of "Lost," Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, are always being accused of making the show up as they go along, they decided it was time to prove they had the last page of the show written.

So at this year's "Lost" Comic-con panel, which will be the show's last, Damon and Carlton pulled out the final scene to get that chip off of their shoulders: Two pieces of paper they taunted the audience to steal. Although it won't be easy for anyone to get their hands on those pages.

You'll have to watch the panel video to see why, after the jump.

This post was originally published by our sister site Comics Alliance

Last month, we heard a rumor about The CW's Smallville ending its run with a TV movie called Metropolis. The most exciting part of this idea was the possibility of seeing Tom Welling's Clark Kent finally put on the cape and tights and take flight as Superman. Will it happen? The show's producers are reportedly prepping for a big announcement at Sunday's Smallville Comic-Con panel, but the new rumor has some Con attendees already receiving a sneak peek at what's to come. Here's John Scott Lewinski reporting from TV Squad:

A persistent rumor around the Comic-Con International floor says a major television network is abducting random innocent people and forcing them to look at a man's intimate garments.

It seems CW's Smallville series will finally go full-on Superman this year and knock off all of this Clark Kent adolescent, romantic angst nonsense. And Superman needs a super suit to match his new gig. CW reps are reportedly pulling random faces out of the crowd to go behind the scenes and get a glimpse of the mythical outfit.

We already told you about Marvel's plan to unveil its new anime superhero TV project at Comic-Con. Now comes word that the comics giant will offer a first-look at its Iron Man and Wolverine anime shows at Friday' Marvel Animation panel.

Writer and god among nerds, Warren Ellis, is scripting Marvel's anime projects and will appear at the panel to unveil never-before seen teaser trailers for both shows and discuss writing the heroes' anime adventures.

Marvel is expected to produce two more anime series starring two of its most popular heroes. I'm thinking Spider-Man and Hulk (but I'm hoping for Warlock!) The anime series are being produced for the Japanese market and will air on Japan's Animax channel starting spring 2010. The series will most likely make their way to the U.S. shortly after. Sony's new production/distribution subsidiary has inked a deal with Marvel anime producers Madhouse to distribute the series worldwide, says Variety.

Your task: take an urban vinyl toy and transform it into art, all for a good cause. Lucasfilm presented the opportunity to artists, comic book creators, toy designers, and celebrity fans, and the result is a project called The Empire Muggs Back. The individual, one-of-a-kind pieces will be displayed at San Diego Comic-Con next week and also online at StarWars.com before being auctioned by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Any Mighty Muggs collectors out there? I'm out of touch with the toy scene, but the Wikipedia entry claims the Mighty Muggs "resemble super deformed versions of characters" from blockbuster movie franchises: Star Wars, Indiana Jones, G.I. Joe, the Transformers, and Marvel Comics. Prices range from $9.99 up to $174.99. Blank Mighty Muggs are also available, which can be customized to the buyer's content. You'd need to really stretch your imagination to think the Star Wars toys actually resembled Anakin Skywalker, C-3PO, or Chewbacca -- and maybe that's the point. They are definitely funny-looking little things.

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Here's some advice for those planning to attend Marvels' Comic-Con panels: Get there early. I'm talking three to four hours early, at least. Marvel hosts some of the most popular panels at the annual event, and they tend to fill up fast. I was rewarded for showing up two hours early to last year's Wolverine and the X-Men screening with an obstructed view in the back of the screening room. I was pissed. (I'm pretty sure the dude wearing the Rorschach costume sitting next to me was too.)

This year, Marvel will give punctual Con attendees a first-look at two of its highly anticipated TV projects: Marvel Animé and Super Hero Squad. Friday's Marvel Animation Panel will feature a preview of the Marvel Animé TV series from writer Warren Ellis and Japan's Madhouse animation studio. We haven't heard much about this project since it was announced last year, but it looks like Marvel is moving full-speed ahead with its plan to develop an animé series for the Japanese market featuring some of its most popular characters. The series is expected to debut in Japan in 2010.

On Saturday, Marvel will hold a panel devoted exclusively to Super Hero Squad, it's adorable mini-hero franchise aimed at geeks of all ages. According to Marvel, most of the voice talent behind Cartoon Network's upcoming Super Hero Squad TV show, including Stan Lee, will appear on the panel. Marvel's editor-in-chief, Joe Quesada, will also be on hand to talk about the show. The panel will feature a never-before-seen clip and a preview of THQ's upcoming Super Hero Squad video game.

And Marvel will also hold some panels about, uh, comic books and a little movie called Iron Man 2, as Erik told us earlier. Check out the full Marvel Comic-Con panel sked after the jump:

Our friends in nerdery at SF Universe have the rundown on all the network sci-fi shows slated to take it to the stage at this year's San Digeo Comic-Con. ABC's V revamp and Fox's Human Target are among the new shows set to woo the con crowd with panels featuring cast members, writers and producers. Human Target's Mark Valley, Chi McBride, and Jackie Earle Haley are set to appear, and V's Elizabeth Mitchell and Scott Wolf will be on hand to promote the show.

The con will also host Q&A's and panels with the stars and creators of Squad favorites like Fringe, Smallville, Futurama and Dollhouse. Check out Warner Bros' and Fox's mammoth Comic-Con lineups.