Review: Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope [Movie Monday]

Merry Christmas! The year is quickly coming to a close, and today's "Movie Monday" film celebrates that July event unlike any other. Acclaimed documentarian Morgan Spurlock tackles San Diego Comic-Con with his nerd film, Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope.

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It's no secret that I love San Diego Comic Con. The incredible sights, the booming sounds, the exorbitant prices, the raucous parties, and the interesting smells -- I love every minute of it. It was even my pick for most memorable event of 2012. (Check out our 2012 Year in Review podcast, up later this week!)

It should be no surprise then that I found Morgan Spurlock's SDCC-centric documentary so damn entertaining. My opinion, however, isn't based completely on my nerdy biases. On the contrary, Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope is a film most would find enjoyable - both inside and outside the SDCC fan culture.

A Fan's Hope is well-structured and tightly knit, granting real insight into the different facets of the people attending Southern California's mega-event. Even for con veterans like us here at OTF, it's easy to forget that the the backstory for each attendee is unique -- sure, there's a shared excitement, but all for different things for different reasons. I've gone as a standard attendee just trying to catch everything I can, and I've gone as a member of the press, with appointments upon appointments to keep. Each situation creates its own kind of myopia of the event.

Spurlock, however, did his best to remind us that SDCC is a con for all, breaking that provincial view. He follows six subjects throughout the 2010 event, each with his/her own given super-persona: "The Geek," a bartender/artist trying to push his portfolio; "The Solider," a USAF soldier and father also looking for a positive portfolio review; "The Designer," a cosplayer extraordinaire with a particular penchant for Mass Effect; "The Collector," an action figure aficionado on the hunt for the next SDCC exclusive; "The Survivor," a decades-long con veteran and comics retailer peddling his comic wares to keep his store afloat; and "The Lovers," a pair of nerd lovers who met at SDCC the year before with designs on tying the knot.

Interspersed throughout these stories are recognizable actors, directors, writers, and average fans telling their own tales of SDCC. Stan Lee, Joss Whedon, Grant Morrison, Robert Kirkman, Eli Roth, Edgar Wright, and many more seemingly shed their impressive titles for the film and just recount about what it means to be a fan at Comic-Con.

It truly is a great little insight into the mind of the con goer, and an entertaining one at at that. It attempts to address the questions that the "outsiders" tend to have about those of us that attend conventions: "Why do you do this?" Or as my father famously states, "Cartoons again? It's for babies!"

As interesting as these stories are to see, there are still a few disappointments. For a film about Comic-Con, there was a surprising lack of info about the convention itself - instead focusing on the people that attend. The film starts with a small introduction of its humble 1970s beginnings, but there was little serious commentary on the transition to the pop culture explosion it is today. There are certainly a lot of strong opinions on the media properties cannibalizing the "comic" out of "Comic-Con," and it would have been nice to see that debate and what it means for the convention's ultimate growth.

Still, Spurlock creates a film that celebrates the event we love, with a little bit of added drama behind the artists' successes and failures as they try to get their portfolio reviewed, the cosplayer's amazing Mass Effect masquerade entry, and the couple's elaborate proposal. And for that reason, it's a film that should be watched by anyone with even the slightest hint of interest at the San Diegan nerd onslaught.

Verdict: Highly recommended. The film celebrates the culture we love with the people that we nerds can relate with and idolize. While the film does fail to provide anything deeper than a superficial analysis of the convention itself, the insight to the different types of people that go the convention is a fascinating reminder that SDCC is for everyone -- and that's why we love it.

Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope is available now for download via iTunes, Amazon Instant, Hulu, and a wide variety of other on demand partners (including most cable providers.) DVD and Blu-Ray are also available.

Editorial: Drawing a Line In the Sands of Geekdom

Earlier this week, our resident ladygeek of the ever-growing geek girl army put in her two cents about the geek gender conflict, in light of the recent furor over the CNN article that -- let's say -- received mixed feelings. Amy challenged statements in that article, in light of her own experiences, and you should check it out.

There's not much I can say about the gender conflict: my dude-itude means my geek cred has never been challenged purely on my gender, and my general unattractiveness means I've never been objectified. But as a proud geek/nerd, I did have a pretty big problem with Joe Peacock's article:

It is inherently drawing subjective dividing lines where there should be none.

When I read the article, it seemed to start off well enough. There is one point I agree with: I am not a fan of the stereotypical attention whore. That was true in high school; that's true now. But from there, it tends to fall apart. Joe assumes he knows how to spot attention whores; he assumes he is able to mentally divine the great dividing line between who's fake and who's real at SDCC, presumably within the minutes that you actually interact with random con-goers on the Exhibit Hall floor.

Spot the fakes.

He assumes that people -- actually, no, not all people, just girls -- that are a "'6' in the 'real world'" will actually spend $175 on convention tickets, $1000+ on a hotel, and a few hundred more on travel expenses just to throw "on a Batman shirt... [to] instantly become a '9'" in the eyes of the geeks on con floor. No, they don't actually care about any of the myriad pop culture topics that are celebrated at SDCC, and instead they are begging people to take their pictures, just getting off on the nerds that give them attention.

Do you see how this thought process could be a problem?

Hit the jump to read on, as our Editor-in-Chief weighs in on the debate!

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Weighing in on Booth Babes, Geek Girls, and the Boys That Love Them

Recent Internet controversy is swirling in the form of Joe Peacock’s CNN article “Booth Babes Need Not Apply” and the intense backlash that has reverberated across geek girl and feminist sites. I would be remiss in my role as the sole regular female blogger here on the Fridge if I didn’t drop my thoughts into the mix.

We’re about the news and the reviews around these parts, and we don’t get too personal, but a little about my geek girl self – I’m a huge Trekkie first and foremost, a veteran of too many comic and Star Trek conventions to count, and an avid fan of nearly all scifi television of the past 20 years, a Harry Potter fiend, a nerd for great literature, and I worship at the altar of Whedon. I dressed up as Batman for Halloween when I was 7 and it took me a long time to get excited about girl world – shoe shopping and eyeshadow were not fun for me until college. But I’m closer to 30 than 20 these days, and I’ve emerged into adulthood a full-blown geek lady who can argue the finer points of The Next Generation in my sassy heels. I now know the houses of Westeros AND the fashion houses of Europe. You get the idea.

Dressed as DC heroine Donna Troy at a recent superhero costume party with OTF Sr. Editor Tek (aka Hal Jordan!)

Knowing what you now know about me, perhaps you can see why Peacock’s article garnered my rage. He starts out ok, saying geek culture has produced wonderful kickass female characters that women can identify with, and he’s glad genre work is attracting fans of all kinds (yep, and I am too!).  He also says that being a beautiful woman at a convention is not a crime, especially if you’re cosplaying as a beautiful female character. But! He immediately contradicts this, going off the feel-good track and saying he’s sick of “wannabes who couldn’t make it as car show eye candy slapping on a Batman shirt and strutting around comic book conventions instead” before thoroughly denouncing booth babes and the "fake geek" aura they perpetuate. He calls them attention addicts, poachers, and a pox on our culture. He’s insulted that game developers and companies with booths at these cons think he’ll like their product better because hot girls in tight outfits are enticing them to stop by. He rails on companies targeting socially-awkward male geeks who aren’t used to pretty girls smiling at them, crying about how insulted he is. Boo-hoo, man. You're doing a great job of garnering the sympathy of geek women everywhere who, of course, are never insulted by the male geek masses ::eyeroll::

Hit the jump for the full, thoughtful editorial from OTF's very own lady geek!

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SDCC 2012: Looking into Warehouse 13's Next Season

A lot of some pretty serious stuff happened in last season's finale of Warehouse 13 - lives lost, Warehouse in shambles, and hope gone (quite literally, as it turned out.)  With stakes so high, many were left wondering just how they were going to fight their way out of this one.  But in the final seconds of the finale, Artie clutched a mysterious stopwatch with one final shot for the Warehouse and for the world.

In our final interview at SDCC, we chat with Executive Producer Jack Kenny and series stars Eddie McClintock (Pete), Joanne Kelly (Myka), Saul Rubinek (Artie), and Allison Scagliotti (Claudia) to talk about what to expect from Season 4.

Be sure to tune into Warehouse 13 this season on Mondays at 9pm to find out all about this season's big bad evil, brought on by Artie himself!

SDCC 2012: Exploring Gentle Giant's Convention Exclusives

Gentle Giant, Ltd. has become something of a retailer staple at San Diego Comic-Con, offering many exclusive mini-busts, statues, and other meticulously detailed figures to the 130,000+ attendees that flock the southern California convention center.  From the Lord of the Rings to the Lord of the Sith, Gentle Giant has a reputation for a high level of quality in all of their licensed products.

Running by the booth at the close of the nerd carnival that is SDCC, we had a chance to chat with Marketing Coordinator Greg Crafts, who kindly told us all about their convention exclusives, their new and original IP "Honey Trap," and more!

Thanks again, Greg!  Looking forward to everything Gentle Giant has to offer in the future!

If you're going to be at Star Wars Celebration VI next month, be sure to run by Gentle Giant to get your nerdy little hands on the exclusives before they sell out!

SDCC 2012: 'Gears of War: Judgment' Preview And Interview

The war is won and Delta Squad's story is over, but you can't keep a good Gear down. It's only been 10 months since Gears of War 3 wrapped up the Epic Games trilogy, but next year, we'll be taken back to the beginning of the war between the COG and Locust with Gears of War: Judgment, the prequel starring everyone's favorite goggle-wearing smartass, Damon Baird. Having spent a significant amount of hours in the campaign, the plethora of VS modes, and the ever-hectic Horde and Beast modes, what else can we expect from the uber-violent TPS series? I'm glad you asked! We had the chance to play the latest addition to the Gears multiplayer family, OverRun, a combination of Horde and Beast modes where players can take control of both sides and go head-to-head. In addition to the preview, Epic Games' Rod Fergusson took time to answer some of our questions about what to expect next spring.

Epic Games' Rod Fergusson Talks Gears of War: Judgment with us at SDCC 2012.

With three games and countless hours under our belts as loyal members of the COG, it was great to see that Epic can still create something new and exciting. OverRun isn't just a combination of Horde and Beast; it adds a completely new class-based system, giving specific equipment and abilities to the characters. It felt a little restrictive playing as my old friend Baird (the engineer, naturally), since he was limited to a Gnasher shotgun and his repair tool, but the ability to throw down a senty turret at will and repair barriers on-the-fly was pretty damn cool. No more waiting for the round to end to fix up your fortifications. We also learned that in any round of OverRun, COG are always on defense and Locust are always on offense. The kicker? There's no way for the COG to actually win OverRun. You just have to hold out, protecting generators and such, as long as possible. A daunting task? Maybe. Still sound like fun? Hell yes! We also saw that the controls have been changed up a little, removing weapons selection from the direction pad, for example. Everything else, however, felt right at home. I can still active reload with the best of 'em! It is unclear if this will only be a feature in OverRun.

With the promise of an entirely new game mode and a return to the roots of the Gears series, Gears of War: Judgment has the potential to be one of 2013's biggest games. (Still holding out for that Pendulum Wars game, though!) Get ready to grab your Lancer and sling a Longshot. Chicks will dig the Baird on March 19, 2013.

SDCC 2012: 'Halo 4' Preview and Interview

After finishing the fight in Halo 3, the Master Chief returns to the Xbox 360 this November following a 5-year absence (unless you count 2011’s Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary) to begin an entirely new chapter in the Halo mythos. Halo 4, the first title produced exclusively by 343 Industries, is also the first in a new trilogy of Halo games that will further the wildly popular series. Continuing our gaming coverage at San Diego Comic-Con, we had the opportunity to sit down and play a few rounds of Halo 4 multiplayer, as well as hear about what to expect from the new title this fall.

Microsoft's Chris Munson Talks Halo 4 with us at SDCC 2012.

After diving into a round of the new Infinity Slayer multiplayer mode, one word describes the experience: familiar. Not stale or rehashed, but comfortable and recognizable. Right away, the armaments you’ve come to know and love are readily available, and, almost instinctively, you know that your grenades are at that left trigger, just waiting to be stuck to someone’s face. One detail that jumped out at me was the sound design in the new game. The assault rifle sounded louder and angrier, an improvement that I also saw (or heard…) in Mass Effect 3. It’s a small detail, but it adds more to the gameplay experience than you might think.

The Halo franchise may have been bequeathed by Bungie to 343i, but these new custodians are definitely treating it with respect. They have maintained a visual style that has evolved over the course of 11 years (and two consoles), and even incorporated game mechanics that have recently made their way into the series, such as the multiplayer weapons loadout and assassinations, which first appeared in Halo: Reach. Style and mechanics aside, as a rabid Halo fan, I am waiting to hear how composer Neil Davidge follows an act like the decade-long collaboration of Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori. Music matters.

With only a few rounds of multiplayer to satiate our Halo cravings, our desire to dive into the new campaign grows even more ravenous. The promise of the new Spartan Ops episodic DLC isn’t helping either…

Halo 4 arrives on Xbox 360 consoles on November 6th.

SDCC 2012: Clare Kramer Talks GeekNation

As we were heading back to the convention floor after a brief respite at Nerd HQ, we saw a pedicab branded with a name we recognized: GeekNation.  And as we caught a wisp of stunning blonde hair riding away, we realized that sitting in it was none other than the site's founder, Clare Kramer!

It was at this point that we may have unceremoniously chased her down.  Possibly.

GeekNation has been on our radar as a premiere geek destination ever since we attended their successful launch party at Wizard World Philadelphia, so we knew we had to have a chat with Clare right then and there -- and she kindly obliged!

Thanks for talking with us, Clare!

Be sure to check out GeekNation right now (well, after you're done here, of course) to see more content from SDCC, including full panel streams, podcasts, and more!

SDCC 2012: 'Transformers: Fall of Cybertron' Preview and Interview

I’m a Transformers fan. I’m also a gamer. So, naturally, I thoroughly enjoyed and “played the hell out of” High Moon Studios and Activision’s 2010 hit, Transformers: War for Cybertron. That being said, it was a true pleasure to get a sneak peek at the upcoming sequel, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron at San Diego Comic-Con.

High Moon Studios' Greg Agius Talks Transformers: Fall of Cybertron with us at SDCC 2012.

Everything that was great about the original has returned, including head-to-head multiplayer and Escalation modes, as well as the spectacular visuals and utterly chaotic gameplay action. There’s definitely a war going on, and you’re still in the middle of it.

After taking control of the Autobot scout, Bumblebee, in the tutorial section of the single-player campaign, the familiar controls came right back to me. Minor changes were evident, such as the elimination of the grenades and a few tweaks to the HUD, but the basic controls were right where I left them.

After reacquainting myself with some old favorites, I was then allowed to take control of a brand new, yet beloved character making his video game debut in Fall of Cybertron: Dinobot front man, Grimlock. It was definitely an adjustment to go from the familiar shooter mechanics to the new melee-specific class when playing as Grimlock. Instead of a gun, he has a sword. Rather than zooming in to aim, he raised his shield. Different, but just as fun. Grabbing some Insecticons and tossing them into a crowd is pretty damn amusing.

To close out the test run, I jumped into a round of co-op Escalation, a new combination of the online campaign co-op and Horde-esque survival modes from War for Cybertron. Sadly, our team got wiped out pretty quickly, so we weren’t able to take in much of the mode, but it’s just as hectic as I remember, and the option to self-destruct and take some ‘Cons with me is frighteningly appealing.

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron looks to be even more fun than its predecessor, introducing new characters, new tech, and the fanboygasm-inducing customization system. Cybertron falls on August 21^st!

Editorial: Is the Future of Comic-Con Outside of Comic-Con?

Over the course of a few weeks (or, more accurately, months), we at OTF diligently prepared for the nerd onslaught that is San Diego Comic-Con International as it quickly approached. Despite our best efforts merely to sit back and enjoy the ride, SDCC actually requires a significant amount of planning, scheduling, assigning, and bookkeeping to keep everything in check - even for a smaller outlet like ours.  Hundreds of emails flood the inboxes - all promoting brand new properties, looking for a little exposure.  What do we keep? What do we toss? Did this email receive a confirmation? Does this appointment conflict? What panel do we attend, and who covers X when we're at Y?

As I've been looking back at the 120 straight hours of awesome craziness now behind us, I've been noticing an interesting trend: with each passing year, more and more of the most exciting events are not actually in Comic-Con. Rather, they're being taken over by splinter groups - websites, magazines, studios, and production companies all coordinating meetups, tweetups, signings, and general fan interaction. Fans want that level of immediate interaction - who wouldn't want to hang out with their favorite nerd celebrity? - in a less-crowded place, where "standing in line" is replaced with "sitting by the bar" or "playing a video game."

Just a few years ago, most con-adjacent events were secondary to the con itself - novelties to help promote a brand and get a little breathing room from the tension the crowded floor. American-style restaurant Maryjane's was transformed in Eureka's "Cafe Diem." Cartoon Network took over a pizza joint to promote Adventure Time. Sure, more than a few high profile events/parties took place every night, but those were usually reserved for people who could get beyond a velvet rope.

Yvonne Strahovski just got a glimpse of me in the second row and had to fan herself at the Chuck panel at Nerd HQ 2012.

Since then, the Gaslamp District surrounding the convention center has become an extension of the con itself. Some have even started holding high profile events normally reserved for SDCC, many not requiring an elusive con badge: this year's second annual Nerd HQ welcomed all nerds to intimate Q&A sessions with some of Comic-Con's biggest names. Wired opened the Wired Cafe to press and VIPs, with fan readers getting invites for the very first time.  IGN Editors chatted with their readers in the IGN Oasis at the Hard Rock. Warner Bros. showcased celebrities and artists on their outdoor stage. Felicia Day's Geek and Sundry took over Belo for nearly all of their fan events. A boon to those unlucky enough not to have a badge since they get to still partake in the fun.

That list barely scratches the surface. But why the trend?

Hit the jump for the full editorial by Open the Fridge's very own Editor-in-Chief about San Diego Comic-Con! And be sure to check out our SDCC-centric episode of the Fridgecast for more about our thoughts of SDCC!

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