This year has been like nothing we’ve ever known before. One of the many changes is that since we can’t have much in the way of events in person, many yearly events have been cancelled or moved to a virtual format. One of these is the height of nerd culture, the San Diego Comic Con, which has been held this past week strictly online. While we all can’t wait until we can attend conventions in person, this did offer a unique opportunity for many of us that miss the short .00003 seconds that tickets are available for sale each year. We all could be virtual attendees this year.
Like every other year, lots of exciting news still came out of this year’s SDCC. A bunch of new shows and movies, games and comics, and of course SDCC exclusive toys. Surprisingly though, I’ll talk more about those later, I’m all about the new shows and movies today. From the Walking Dead Panel and it’s sister Fear the Walking Dead Trailer to Amazon’s The Boys announcing a Season 3, even though Season 2 will not air until this fall, there was a lot of excitement surrounding many upcoming projects. After many Covid related delays, X-Men’s New Mutants gets a new trailer and an August 28th release date confirmation. Marvel dips their toes into the horror field with Helstrom, set to be released on Hulu for October 16th. Just in time for spooky season!
There were a few things I was extra excited about though, personally. All Star Trek news is good news in my book. The return of Picard and Discovery were teased, with us finally finding out what happened to the crew of the Discovery now that they’re flung far into the future and what’s next for Picard and his ragtag crew will do next, although neither have a firm return date. New shows, LowerDecks and the kid geared Prodigy were discussed. But the real news is that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is being written as we speak. Due to fan demand, we will get to continue to follow the adventures of Captain Pike and Spock until at least…well, you know.
30 years after their last adventure, Bill and Ted Face the Music is set as a thoroughly middle aged Bill and Ted are faced with having to save the world with one of their songs. The only problem is they haven’t written it yet. The movie is going to theatres and VOD on September 1st as it stands right now. The final trailer has been released, giving us a glimpse of what they have in store. Be excellent to each other!
A couple of things that are my absolute favorites on the planet are paranormal/ ghost hunting types shows and Simon Pegg. Truth Seekers combines them in a new Amazon Original Series this fall. If it’s even sort of as good as Shaun of the Dead, we’ll be hooked.
Finally, the Jordan Peele and J.J. Abrams helmed Lovecraft Country. Based on the 2016 critically acclaimed novel by Matt Ruff, Lovecraft Country explores intersection between the horror stories of noted racist H.P. Lovecraft and racism in the United States. There’s no denying Lovecraft’s mark on the horror genre but it also has to be acknowledged that Lovecraft was a known white supremacist. This takes elements of both and turns it into a dark, deep tale.
Until next year when hopefully we’ll be able to enjoy events in person, this year was a unique experience that pushed what we can do in the face of adversity.
