Tag Archives: San Diego Comic Con

Adventures at San Diego Comic-Con: Warner Brothers at Hall H

September 27, 20163-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Entertainment, WKTV ProjectsAdventures at comic-con, Comic-Con, Fantastic Beasts, Justice League, Katelyn Kohane, Lego Batman, San Diego Comic Con, Suicide Squad, Wonder WomanJoanne

For the second straight year, Katelyn visited Comic-Con in San Diego. In case you missed it: Wonder Woman had an anniversary, Her Universe had a fashion show, and costumes galore!

Written and photographed by: Katelyn Kohane

“I was brought to life by Zeus.” – Wonder Woman

We finally made it into Hall H a little after 10am after camping out all night on Saturday. I planned on staying in Hall H all day because the line up was capital A-mazing!

Warner Brothers kicked off the day with a lineup that included Wonder Woman, Justice League, Suicide Squad, The Lego Batman, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Kong: Skull Island, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I would expect nothing less than the incredible lineup we got with Warner Brothers.

On top of the great lineup, the morning was hosted by none other than Conan O’Brien!

The presentation began with a fantastic trailer for Wonder Woman that was followed by O’Brien introducing the cast. Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, and Director Patty Jenkins were on the panel to talk about the movie. Gal Gadot summed it up nicely when she mentioned that it took “a lot of hard work and patience.”

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After Wonder Woman came a surprise guest, the cast for Justice League. While they couldn’t stay long – they were headed over to the film set – they stayed long enough to show the trailer and talk to the crowd. Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher, and Director Zack Snyder were in attendance.

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Suicide Squad, which is currently in theaters, took time on Saturday to pay a visit to Hall H.

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After the Suicide Squad cast made their appearance, we were shown the trailer for The Lego Batman movie and we had the opportunity to see Chris Mckay and Will Arnett. Then we saw the trailer for King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. Charlie Hunnam came and spoke for a little while. When asked how he prepared for such a role, Charlie Hunnam said he tried not to think about it too much.

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Next on tap was Kong: Skull Island! Tom Hiddleston (Loki!), Brie Larson, John Goodman (Roseanne and Speed Racer), Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchel and Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts appeared onstage. The movie was filmed in three countries and we were given the first glimpse of the trailer at Comic-Con.

And to end our morning in Hall H, we were shown the trailer for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The movie is a story inside the universe of Harry Potter. After the trailer, we were introduced to Eddie Redmayne, Ezra Miller, Colin Farrell, and David Yates.

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The first part of the morning certainly had an amazing line up of guests and trailers! “Your mission, should you choose to accept it…” is to stay tuned to see what happens the rest of the day in Hall H! As a spoiler I will mention Star Trek. Until next time…“Live Long and Prosper.”

Adventures at San Diego Comic-Con: Her Universe Fashion Show 2016

August 31, 20163-bottom, Citizen Journalism, EntertainmentAdventures at comic-con, Ashley Eckstein, Her Universe, Katelyn Kohane, San Diego, San Diego Comic ConJoanne

For the second straight year, Katelyn visited Comic-Con in San Diego. In her first piece, Wonder Woman had an anniversary.

Written and Photographed by: Katelyn Kohane

“No Master Yoda was very specific. I’m assigned to Anakain Skywalker, and he is to supervise my Jedi Training.” – Ahsoka Tano

For those that do not know that quote, it is from the Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV show. The quote is spoken by Ahsoka Tano who is voiced by Ashley Eckstein. Since her time with The Clone Wars, Ashley has created and produced her own clothing line called Her Universe.

The fashion line was founded in 2010 by Ashley and her partner The Araca Group. Each of the past three years, Her Universe has put on an annual fashion show at Comic-Con. For the second straight year, I was fortunate enough to attend the fashion show while in San Diego.

The theme for this years show was powerful women. 27 designers worked with Her Universe and chose their own theme for their outfit and premiered it at the show.

During the fashion show, Ashley wore a dress made out of legos with the image of Ahsoka Tano on her dress. The dress weighed 25-pounds and was designed and created by Nathan Sawaya and Andrew MacLaine.

The outfits created this year were all amazing! Some could even glow in the dark!

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Three winners were chosen in the following categories: Judges Winner, Audience Winner, and Comic-Con HQ Winner. Congratulations to the winners! Pictures are below:

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Day two of Comic-Con was jam packed full of fun and excitement as always! The fashion show was bigger and better. “Your mission should you choose to accept it…” is to stay tuned for my next article. Spoiler Alert: it will include The Big Bang Theory.

“We’re about the buy tickets for Comic-Con.”

Katie works in the film industry as a camera operator and has worked on films like ‘All You Can Dream’, ‘Set Up’ and a TV show called ‘American Fallen Soldier.’ She loves helping WKTV as a Citizen Reporter and working as a tech at Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. Katie loves working in the film industry and loves watching movies just as much!

Adventures at San Diego Comic-Con: Wonder Woman has an anniversary

August 9, 20163-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Entertainment, Recreation, TravelGal Gadot, Katelyn Kohane, Press Pass, San Diego Comic Con, Wonder WomanJoanne

My new badge on the Left and my old badge on the right. A much improvement from the year before.

By: Katelyn Kohane

It’s that time of year again! Time for San Diego Comic-Con, a five-day journey that I – Katelyn – was lucky enough to attend for the second straight year. Stay tuned and follow my adventures as a member of the press through the madness that is San Diego Comic-Con.

Last year I was able to attend the San Diego Comic-Con for the first time as a member of the press. This year, my badge was mailed out early so I could attend Preview Night on Wednesday. Getting the badge early was a nice addition and made checking in faster and hassle free, all I had to pick up was my bag and books. I heard the bags had at least 20 different designs and I went in search of a Supergirl bag but ended up finding one with a design of the Big Bang Theory.

Once I checked in and had my bag, I headed up to Ballroom 20. Jeff Tobler from Warner Brothers Television came and introduced what we would be watching for the night. First up was Riverdale, which is a murder mystery TV show based on Archie. It will air on the CW network later this year.

The Second preview shown was called Powerless, a show from DC Comics featuring Vanessa Hudgens. Vanessa Hudgens will play Emily who works in the insurance field runs into her fair share of superheros along the way. This will air on NBC network later this year.

After the Powerless preview, I left Ballroom 20 and went down to the main floor and wound up buying 2 graphic novels.

Then I headed out to a Press Event that I was invited to for the 75th anniversary of Wonder Woman. The event was staged to introduce the new invisible jet and I made sure to get there a little early to have a good view of the big reveal.

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A few fun facts about Wonder Woman since it’s her 75th Anniversary: she first appeared in comic world in October 1941 in All-Star Comics #8; many fans know her by her metal bracelets and magic lasso.

With the year-long celebration fans can look forward to finding new comics and graphic novels.

Wonder Woman has been voiced by Rosario Dawson, Lucy Lawless (who I will touch on in a later article), Maggie Q, Susan Eisenberg and many more. Live action we have Lynda Carter and now Gal Gadot (one of my favorite actresses from the Fast and Furious series). Gal Gadot appeared in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and her up coming film Wonder Woman which starts June 2nd 2017. She will also appear in the coming Justice League movies.

Preview night is still as exciting as the first time going, only bigger and better. “Your mission should you choose to accept it…” is to stay tuned for my next article. And as a spoiler I will mention the Her Universe Fashion Show.

“I am Master Skywalker’s Padawan. The name’s Ahsoka Tano.”

Adventures at San Diego Comic-Con International: The Finale

September 14, 2015Citizen Journalism, Local Entertainment, Local Faces, Reviews, WKTV ProjectsComic-Con, Hall H, Katelyn Kohane, San Diego Comic Con, Star Wars, VendersJoanne

By: Katelyn Kohane

As ‘your mission,’ “Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state? It’s the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life’s joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel.”

You came back to see what I accomplished on Sunday., and as I mentioned in my last article, I will dive into the shopping and vendors at Comic-Con.

But first, I did attend one last panel on Sunday called The Art Directors Guild Illustrators. There were five panelists who all work for the film industry and the Local 800 at the discussion. The panelists were Ed Natividad whose credits include Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Transformers: Age of Extinction, Amy Lynn Umezu – Kong: Skull Island, Patrick Rodriguez – The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man 2, Jeffery Errico – Terminator Genisys and Straight Outta Compton, and Tim Burgard – Jurassic World and Fantastic Four.

Seated left to right is Jeffery Errico, Amy Lynn Umezu, Patrick Rodriguez, and Ed Natividad

The panel was asked some fun questions by the crowd. One of the questions asked was “How is the art department changing?” There were several answers. Jeffery Errico mentioned the use of a Lightbox as the tool of choice in the art department. They used to use thumb nails, post-it, and scans to communicate with the rest of the crew.

Patrick Rodriguez mentioned that 2D and 3D applications were easier to use than the other choices, but most of the time he still prefers to draw.

The panelists were then asked to describe their favorite project. Jeffrey Errico’s favorite projects that he worked on were Burlesque and This is the End. Amy Lynn Umezu’s enjoyed working on Jurassic World and This is the End. Patrick Rodriguez’s liked working on the action movies Cowboys and Aliens and Iron Man 2. Last, but not least, Ed Natividad’s favorites were Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

My favorite quote from this panel was when Amy Lynn Umezu said, “Keep going for it; do what you love to do.”

The most important thing they mentioned was the benefits of being a part of the union because you will end up getting more work. It’s tough getting into the film industry, but well worth working for once you make it in.

After the panel, I went to check out the vendors and do some shopping. The vendors had some pretty cool items for sale, including costumes!

The 501st and Rebel Legion were both there. Those are two different Star Wars groups that you can join and do volunteer work while dressed in Star Wars costumes. They had some great looking headpieces. Many people were dressed up in crazy costumes and there were life size sculptors.

Comic-Con was just as amazing as everyone always says it is. Being Press was definitely awesome and I was able to get a few more perks such as guaranteed seating in the Her Universe Fashion Show. It is certainly Fanboy central out in San Diego and something that every geek should experience at least once in your lifetime.

Signing off until next time, “Live long and prosper.”

Katie works in the film industry as a camera operator and has worked on films like ‘All You Can Dream’, ‘Set Up’ and a TV show called ‘American Fallen Soldier.’ She loves helping WKTV with the Citizen Journalism team and working as a tech at Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. Katie loves working in the film industry and loves watching movies just as much!

Adventures at San Diego Comic-Con International: “Force Friday”

September 2, 2015Local Entertainment, Travel, WKTV ProjectsComic-Con, Hall H, Katelyn Kohane, Lionsgate, Panel, San Diego Comic Con, Star WarsJoanne

By: Katelyn Kohane

As “your mission,” “the Force is strong with this one.” You came back to see what I accomplished at Comic-Con on Friday. As I mentioned in part two, I went to all things Star Wars.

Clearly you can see where my allegiance lies in the battle of Star Wars verses Star Trek.

Unlike Leonard, Sheldon, Howard and Raj in The Big Bang Theory; I did not get kicked out of Comic-Con for doing something stupid. Unfortunately, I got in line for Hall H just a half hour too late, and since it only holds 6,5000 people, I did not make it inside. However, I did get into four smaller Star Wars panels.

The first panel I sat in on was called “Star Wars Publishing 2015 Part 1.” Ashley, Alex, and Tom lead the panel as three new publishers writing new books.

Ashley is writing her own version of A New Hope with a new twist on the story. Ashley’s story will go deep into the characters past and will be like the Breakfast Club.

Alex is writing his own version of Empire Strikes Back and calling it, So You Want to Be a Jedi. Alex’s story will be in the second person and it will take the angle that you are being trained by Yoda. In the end, you – yes, YOU – will fight Darth Vader.

Tom is writing Return of the Jedi. He mentioned that there would be a lot of footnotes in his story.

The second panel was called “Star Wars Publishing Part 2.” This was my favorite panel of the day because I was actually familiar with some of the authors and their books. Adam Gray, Christy Golden, Frank Parrse, and CB Cebulski rounded out the panel.

Left: a recent book that Adam Gray helped write. Right: a new comic book talked about during the panel.

Adam Gray, who works for DK Publishing, is a Michigander! It’s always great to have someone from your home state.

Frank Parrse works for Lucasfilm, Marvel, and Dark Horse Comics. CB Cebulski spends his time in New York working on Star Wars books. They mentioned a lot of new comics coming out on September 4th 2015. They are also making a new comic series about Chewbacca, Darth Vader, and Lando Calrissian.

“Hasbro Star Wars” was the next panel on the docket. Basically, all they talked about were the new toys coming out this fall.

Steve Evans, Chris Gollaher, Sam Smith, Chris Dern, and Chris Nadea filled out the table for this panel. Also, Ashley Eckstine – the voice of “Ahsoka Tano” in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Her Universe – was a special guest appearance on the Hasbro panel.

The panel’s big announcement was that their new toys would be coming out on “Force Friday”, which is September 4th 2015. They have a new Force FX Lightsaber and a Tie Fighter that will be coming out at midnight on Force Friday.

Left: Tie Fighter Right: the new ForecFX Lightsaber

The last panel for the day was called “Star Wars Collectables Update with Lucasfilm.” EFX, General Giant, and Slide Show Collectables all had members represented. General Giant announced that they had a mini bust coming soon of Boba Fett, Jabba The Hutt, Han Solo, and Luke Skywalker – just to name a few. EFX is putting together studio scale ships with one being a Tie Fighter.

There was supposed to be a fifth panel, but ILM 40th Anniversary mixed up their flights and didn’t make it to Comic-Con! So, I decided to head over to Hall H to get in line for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

As I waited in line, I quickly realized that there was no way I was going to make it in. People in line had been camped out overnight just to see Star Wars. With Star Wars being one of the biggest draws around with fanboys solely devoted to the films, of course it was going to be almost impossible to get in!

While I tried my luck at getting into Hall H for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, I ended up missing a panel I was hoping to catch. On that panel sat director Kyle Newman from Fanboys.

Turns out, that wasn’t the only panel I missed while chasing dreams at Hall H, The Big Bang Theory had a panel with Amy Farrah Fowler and Raj Koothrappali – played by Mayim Bialik and Kunal Nayyar – joining the fun. I suppose Raj was not kicked out of Comic-Con after all!

Kansas City Barbeque where they filmed Top Gun. Pictured is the original piano Goose plays.

Once reality hit me, that I wasn’t going to be one of the lucky 6,500 in Hall H, I decided to head for some lunch to recover and think things over. I wound up at a small place call Kansas City Barbecue. It’s right across the street from the convention center heading toward Sea Port Village. Not only is it nearby, but it’s also where they filmed a scene from Top Gun where Maverick and Goose sing Great Balls of Fire! It helps that they have some of the best BBQ in town.

I headed back to the convention center and went to the exhibit center to find “Bioworld.” This was the booth of the man I had met in the airport in Texas! They had some really cool merchandise. I also found a “Lucasfilm” booth that Adam Gray, one of the authors from the panel: Star Wars Publishing Part 2, was sitting at. I quickly said hello, and told him that I had enjoyed the panel discussion and reading many of his books over the years.

I toured the exhibit hall. There were many great deals and cool booths. Here were a few that I saw: Future Dude, Mattel Inc., Lionsgate, Dark Horse Comics, Anchor Bay Entertainment, Hasbro Inc, Her Universe, ThinkGeek, and Marvel Entertainment.

Lionsgate for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2

“Your mission, should you choose to accept it” is to stay tuned to see what I accomplished on Saturday. As a spoiler, I will mention “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.”

“Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos.”