That’s right folks, it is that time of year.  Time for the all the fans to head to nirvana, otherwise known as Comic Con!    Starting on Wednesday, July 21 with Preview Night, one hundred thousand plus people will descend upon San Diego for all the latest news on all things movie, TV and of course, comic book related.  As usual, Dig That Box will be there to bask in all its nerdy glory.  Make sure you read up on our Comic Con Survival Guide for tips on how to make your comic con experience better all around. 

Briefly, I just want to touch upon a few highlights of what is going to be going on during the Con. 

On Thursday, once again the main action is in Hall H.  This six thousand seat room usually hosts the major motion picture panels and this year is no different.  Panels in “H” for Thursday include Tron Legacy, Megamind, RED, The Expendables and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.   Other panels throughout the Con include a panel discussing twenty five years of collaboration between Tim Burton and Danny Elfman with Elfman slated to appear in person!  Richard Hatch will present a discussion on the future of Battlestar Galactica and Caprica.  Bruce Campbell will be attending the panel on his hit series Burn Notice.  Animator Bill Plympton will be presenting the latest information on his romantic zombie comedy, Hair High.  Hit cable series Dexter will be the focus of a panel as the show gears up for its upcoming season.  And finally, DC Comics will be discussing seventy five years of comic book heroes and villains.  Many of the publishers and creators/editors will be in attendance.

Friday is known as Star Wars day.  Throughout the Con, there are several panels taking a look at the toys, comics, books and videogames.  Again, Hall H will be packed to the gills with panels for the following upcoming films: Drive Angry 3-D, Skyline, Super, Priest, The Green Hornet, and The Other Guys.  If you haven’t heard, AMC will be presenting a new drama based on the graphic comic series The Walking Dead.  Series creator and director Frank Darabont will be hosting a panel along with some of the cast for this hotly anticipated new series.  The hugely popular sitcom, The Big Bang Theory, will return to Comic Con along with the cast and producers.  HBO’s True Blood also returns to Con this year featuring an all star panel headed by Sookie herself, Anna Paquin.  Recent academy award winner (long overdue in my opinion) Roger Corman will host a panel discussing his long and storied career in Hollywood.  Finally, Stan Lee, 2pm, Q & A.  Need I say more? 

Saturday begins with the return of Chuck, NBC’s popular series, along with the majority of the cast.  Seth MacFarlane will host panels back to back on Family Guy and The Cleveland Show.  Not to be outdone, Matt Groening will be discussing the return of Futurama as well as the continued success of The Simpsons.  Hall H will again be the place for your big time Hollywood movies.  Saturday features Green Lantern, Sucker Punch, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, Let Me In, Resident Evil: Afterlife, Paul, Thor, Captain America and Cowboys & Aliens.  Among the featured television panels are Fringe, V, Eureka, Warehouse 13, Nikita, The Vampire Diaries, Human Target and Community.  One of the long standing traditions of Comic Con continues this year as Kevin Smith hosts his own panel discussing all things in the View Askew-niverse as well as his own unique take on Hollywood. 

Sunday is known as Kids Day.  Many of the panels are geared more towards the younger fans with an emphasis on animation and children’s programming.  There will also be panels for such TV shows as Supernatural, Smallville, Castle, Sons of Anarchy, Glee and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. 

Much of the speculation revolves around what celebrities will be there.  Probably one of the biggest questions is what members of the upcoming Avengers film will be in attendance, or rather, make a surprise appearance at the Thor/Captain America panel.  Could Kenneth Branagh and Natalie Portman surprise us?  What about Robert Downey Jr.?  Will Ryan Reynolds make an appearance at the Green Lantern panel? (My guess is definitely yes.) You simply never know who you’ll bump into.  After all the Con madness, I’ll be reporting back to you with what I saw as well as my likes/dislikes and my take on the whole scene. 

Keep your eyes peeled as I’ll be wandering the main floor handing out our official Dig That Box game tokens!  Yes, you can own one of these uber limited tokens if you’re in the right place at the right time.  Hell, if you see me handing them out, come up and ask.  I won’t say no. 

You can find out more detailed information at the official Comic Con website:  http://www.comic-con.org/cci/index.php

See you in San Diego!