Another San Diego Comic-Con is in the books, and this year was perhaps one of the weirdest in recent history—even counting those “@Home” years. As the lack of major attendees and the lingering shadows of Hollywood’s labor movement saw a more muted Hall H at San Diego this year, earth-shattering nerd news wasn’t to be found at Comic-Con. But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t plenty to celebrate and read about anyway.
io9 was, as always, on the ground in San Diego this past weekend to bring you the latest news from across the show floor, from breaking trailers to epic announcements, hands on from the show with looks at massive booths and huge merch reveals, and of course, so much wonderful cosplay. Even for a muted SDCC, there’s a ton you can catch up on—click through to get access to all of our coverage from this year’s event in one handy place.
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The Coolest Exclusive Toys and Merch of San Diego Comic-Con 2023
It’s a weird year for San Diego Comic-Con, as this week the show opens with a raft of absent studios and amid the shockwaves of an unprecedented labor movement in Hollywood. But the more things have changed for SDCC 2023, one thing’s stayed the same: there’s plenty of cool toys and collectibles con-goers (and in some cases, those of us stuck at home) can get their hands on.
Read more here.
New Ahsoka Lego Star Wars Sets Feature Her Ship and More
Begun, the Comic-Con news, has. Though the convention won’t start until later this evening, Lego is already breaking news by revealing three brand new Star Wars sets that’ll be revealed at the event. Two are from Star Wars Ahsoka, the upcoming show coming to Disney+ on August 23, and the third is a big, brick-built Chewbacca.
Read more here.
Make a San Diego Comic-Con Pitstop at the Sonic the Hedgehog Speed Cafe
io9 is at San Diego Comic-Con 2023 and we made a pre-convention center detour to the Sonic the Hedgehog Speed Cafe, a fast food activation inspired by SEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog video game universe.
Read more here.
Check Out All the New Star Wars Lightsabers from Ahsoka
One of the best things about a brand new Star Wars show is brand new Star Wars tech. Blasters, ships, armors and, of course, lightsabers. And when you’re talking about a show like Ahsoka, one that has a lot of Force users in it both good and bad, there are bound to be a lot of new lightsabers. And now you can check them out.
Read more here.
San Diego Comic-Con’s Paramount+ ‘Ski Lodge’ Gives Star Trek and SpongeBob a Reason to Co-Exist
If you’re at San Diego Comic-Con and you want to maximize your “activation” situation—you can’t do better than “The Lodge: A Paramount+ Experience,” which combines multiple of the streamer’s projects in a pop-up packed with photo ops. There’s also a bar with themed cocktails.
Read more here.
San Diego Comic-Con 2023: Some of the Coolest Stuff We Saw On the Floor
San Diego Comic-Con 2023 is officially open and, as usual, it’s filled with all sorts of goodies. The main convention floor is over 2 million square feet and no matter where you look there’s something to catch your eye. io9 hit the floor on preview night and snapped just a handful of the stuff that caught our eyes, from big displays to standout photo-ops, props, cool merchandise and more. But this is barely a scratch of the surface of what’s actually here. Check it out.
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Go Back To Distant Lands with Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake
SDCC 2023 attendees got a chance to see a preview of Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake during Max’s animation presentation of upcoming shows.
Read more here.
Harley Quinn’s Ready To Take On Every Villain in Season 4
Harley Quinn showed up to San Diego Comic-Con, giving fans a sneak peek at the fourth season that’s set to release on MAX at the end of the month. This is a different animated series than ISEKAI, but obviously we’re excited for every version of Harley that has her kicking butt and taking names.
Read more here.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Brought the Mutant Mayhem to Comic-Con
It’s not too much longer until we get to see the latest take on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles when the sumptuous looking Mutant Mayhem hits theaters in a few weeks. But that didn’t stop the filmmakers behind it from coming to San Diego with some shiny new footage anyway.
Read more here.
A Venom-Packed Spider-Man 2 Trailer Just Swung Through Comic-Con
San Diego Comic-Con is back for 2023 but, due to the writers and actor’s strikes, it looks a little different. Case in point, a video game had a panel in Hall H. A video game! But this, of course, is not just any video game. It’s a video game based on one of the most popular comic book characters of all-time and a sequel to one of the best games in recent memory. So where else but inside the legendary Hall H would Spider-Man 2 be?
Read more here.
Be Seduced By Anne Rice’s Immortal Universe at San Diego Comic-Con
The annual international comics convention may no longer be holding a panel for AMC’s Interview with the Vampire, but you can venture into Anne Rice’s Immortal Universe if you dare while you’re in town.
Read more here.
A Comic-Con Mystery Is Revealed to Be a Massive, Sci-Fi Blockbuster
Hollywood may not be a major force at San Diego Comic-Con this year, but India sure is. In a year where most major American studios were forced to skip the convention without actors to appear on panels, or writers to write upcoming movies, the Indian production company Vyjayanthi Movies stepped in and chose the convention as the place to reveal it’s upcoming mega sci-fi blockbuster.
Read more here.
San Diego Comic-Con’s Junji Ito Exhibit Is an Eerie Must-See
Thanks to io9, you can keep up with the news and reveals from San Diego Comic-Con online—but some parts of the fan event are best witnessed in person. “Welcome to the Ito-verse: The Junji Ito Experience” is one such example, but we captured a few images to help recreate seeing it up close.
Read more here.
Solar Opposites Season 4 Looks Like Its Wackiest Yet
Solar Opposites already got its stickiest business out of the way last month, announcing Dan Stevens would be voicing Korvo—taking over after Hulu cut ties with Justin Roiland—and releasing a clip that offered a sci-fi reason why the character suddenly sounded so different. Now, we’ve got a full trailer for the show’s fourth season.
Read more here.
Rejoice, Star Trek: Prodigy’s Lost Episodes Are Available to Buy Again
When Paramount made the shocking decision to go back on a greenlight for season 2 and remove season 1 from its own streaming service, Prodigy suddenly and infamously became the first Star Trek show in a generation where episodes largely legally inaccessible to view in the United States. In a slight bit of good news today, that’s no longer the case.
Read more here.
The Most Awesome Cosplay of San Diego Comic-Con 2023, Day 1
It’s a Barbie world at San Diego Comic-Con 2023!
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Good Omens Goes Behind the Scenes of Season 2 for San Diego Comic-Con
Pass into the after worlds with the Good Omens cast and crew in this new featurette from Prime Video, which is one of more than a dozen “exclusive behind-the-scenes videos” which will be available via Prime Video’s X-Ray. “If season one is a comedy about the end of the world, season two is a comedy about the beginning of everything else,” says showrunner Douglas Mackinnon.
Read more here.
Star Trek Celebrates 50 Years of Animation With Retro Takes on Iconic Heroes
It’s been 50 years since Star Trek: The Animated Series boldly brought the classic Enterprise crew to the second dimension—and while Trek’s animated legacy certainly has ups and downs right now, it’s not stopping Paramount from celebrating in a suitably animated fashion.
Read more here.
Interview With the Vampire Steps on to the Stage for Season 2
AMC’s Interview With the Vampire has finally released a teaser trailer for Season 2 of the series, following up on an absolutely stunning activation “The Street of Immortality” set up at the Hilton Gaslamp Terrace for San Diego Comic-Con. The teaser was being show at the activation before it was released to the public and con-goers visiting the New Orleans recreation were able to get a first-look at the trailer.
Read more here.
The More We See From The Creator, the More Excited We Get
These days, if you want original science fiction films, you usually have to turn to the on demand market. Low budget sci-fi with no name stars is happening all the time. But big budget sci-fi, in theaters, with famous actors? It just doesn’t happen that much anymore without.
Read more here.
Rick & Morty Celebrated 10 Years with Season 7 and Anime Teasers
It probably feels a lot longer than that, but Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland’s sci-fi comedy series Rick & Morty is turning 10 years old in December. Ahead of the show’s seventh season premiering sometime in the fall, Adult Swim held a 10-year retrospective panel for the show at San Diego Comic-Con (hosted by io9’s very own Cheryl Eddy!).
Read more here.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Gets Its First Trailer
Daryl Dixon has pretty much always been the most popular character on The Walking Dead. Sure people love Rick and Michonne. They loved to hate Negan and The Governor. But Daryl has always been that perfect balance. That’s why it’s wild to think that finally, after all this time, he’s finally got his own show and now that show has an official trailer.
Read more here.
Get a Peek at Magic: The Gathering’s New Doctor Who Set
Today, Wizards of the Coast has revealed the upcoming Doctor Who Universes Beyond Magic: The Gathering set at San Diego Comic-Con. The sneak peek includes eleven cards and shows off about twenty additional piece of art. The set will be released in October, but is currently available for preorder online at Amazon or at your local game store.
Read more here.
Behold the Throne of Photo Ops at the Jurassic Park SDCC Experience
io9 ventured into Jurassic Park at the 30th anniversary experience for the Steven Spielberg classic at San Diego Comic-Con 2023 and got face to face with a T-Rex… while sitting on an iconic toilet.
Read more here.
One Piece’s New Trailer Shows a Plethora of Pirates
Netflix’s adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece has been slowly teased out over the past year or so ahead of its release next month. After a grand reveal during the streamer’s Tudum event in June, a new trailer at San Diego Comic-Con was released that features a more expansive look at the show.
Read more here.
Invincible Season 2 Finally Has a Release Date and New Trailer
It’s been over two years since Mark Grayson fought his father in the season finale of Invincible season 1. In that time, fans have had one question above all others. When is season 2? Well, at San Diego Comic-Con, the team behind the incredible animated adaptation made it official. Invincible season 2 is coming on November 3.
Read more here.
Does Anyone Else Find Hasbro’s Groove ‘N Grow Groot Incredibly Upsetting?
The mountain of merchandise revealed at San Diego Comic-Con this year included a couple of toys we wish we could un-see. Lego’s two foot-tall brick-built Chewbacca’s beady eyes are already a staple of our nightmares, and is soon to be joined by a growing Groot Hasbro that makes the character look like he’s being stretched out on a medieval torture device.
Read more here.
Somehow, the Superior Spider-Man Has Returned
With Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse being a theatrical success and Spider-Man 2 set to hit the PlayStation 5 in October, everyone’s got Spiders on the brain. Ahead of the film’s release, Marvel made an effort to push specific Spider-Man variants such as Pavitr Prabhakar (Spider-Man India) and Hobie Brown (Spider-Punk). But there’s one Spider who doesn’t appear in that movie, but is surprisingly coming back to comics after a few years of being retired.
Read more here.
Star Wars: The High Republic Teases Its Deadliest Trials Yet at San Diego Comic-Con
Star Wars: The High Republic may have began as a golden age for its titular government and the Jedi Order that stood beside it—but later this year things are taking a turn towards darkness, as Lucasfilm’s prequel publishing initiative kicks off its third and final phase. But as dark as things will be, the future got a little clearer at San Diego Comic-Con.
Read more here.
Marvel Comics’ New Punisher is Genuinely Brand New
There’s a new Punisher in town, and he’s a guy you’ve truly never heard of.
Read more here.
The Walking Dead Finally Reveals Rick & Michonne’s Spinoff
AMC’s The Walking Dead went through plenty of characters during its 11-season run, but the departure of Andrew Lincoln’s leading man Rick Grimes was a momentous shakeup. Next to him, one of the biggest characters to leave the show alive was Danai Gurira’s Michonne, and the pair eventually fell in love before Rick was written out of the show in season nine. Michonne was written out the following season, but the series finale for the lead show of the Walking Dead universe ended with a tease that that the two would eventually find each other again.
Read more here.
Get Up Close and Personal With The Ghost, Hasbro’s Latest Star Wars Haslab
If you’re a Star Wars toy fan you probably already heard about Hasbro’s latest announcement. It’s going to release a mega, super, duper version of The Ghost from Star Wars Rebels and Ahsoka though its Haslab program. If 8,000 people pledge $500 to buy the ship before September 7, it’ll be made. And considering as of writing it’s almost two thirds of the way there into its 47-day campaign, it will almost certainly happen.
Read more here.
The Most Awesome Cosplay of San Diego Comic-Con 2023, Day 2
It’s time to showcase io9’s favorite cosplays of the day at San Diego Comic-Con 2023.
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The 2023 Eisner Award Winners Are Here
The Eisner Awards awarded its 2023 winners last night at San Diego Comic-Con. While Image had the most total nominations, and DC the second-most, DC’s Nightwing won all three of the categories it was recognized for: Best Continuing Series, Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team, and Best Cover Artist. One of io9’s favorite WEBTOONs, Lore Olympus, also went home with hardware, winning in the Best Webcomic category; which makes this the second time Rachel Smythe has won, having been first nominated for Lore Olympus in 2019 and having won in 2022.
Read more here.
All the Hasbro Marvel and Star Wars Toys Revealed at San Diego Comic-Con
Comic-Con may be more about movies and TV than comics some years, some times it’s more about comics than movies and TV (especially this year). But one thing it always is, thanks to Hasbro: a nightmare on your wallet for Marvel and Star Wars fans.
Read more here.
Star Trek: Discovery Prepares For One Last Ride In a New SDCC Clip
The end may be coming for Star Trek: Discovery—in March, word came that the series will wrap up in early 2024 after its fifth season—but plenty of thrills will be packed into its final mission. Thanks to San Diego Comic-Con, we have a new trailer that offers the best glimpse of season five’s treasure-hunt mystery since last year’s New York Comic Con tease.
Read more here.
Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Season 4 Trailer Teases New Friends and New Adventures
San Diego Comic-Con has been very good to Star Trek in recent years, and even as Hollywood labor movements mean the franchise’s stars are sitting out of the action in Hall H this year, there was still plenty to be excited about in Star Trek’s new panel—like a long awaited first look at the return of Lower Decks.
Read more here.
Holy Cow, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Is Doing a Musical Episode
Not to be outdone by last year’s Comic-Con announcement that Strange New Worlds would team up with Lower Decks for a crossover episode in season 2, this year the latest Trek series returned to San Diego to go one weirder: the Enterprise is getting downright lyrical.
Read more here.
Surprise! Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Lower Decks Crossover Is Streaming Today
Thought you’d had enough Star Trek: Strange New Worlds this week? Think again. To not leave fans who didn’t directly beam into San Diego Comic-Con feeling left out today, Paramount has made the surprise move to drop the latest episode of the series—its highly anticipated crossover with Star Trek: Lower Decks—for everyone right now.
Read more here.
A New Class Is Ready To Act Out in Tiny Toons Looniversity
Buster and Babs Bunny are back with the Tiny Toons crew in a revamp produced by Steven Spielberg of the filmmaker and WB Animation’s original 90’s series for Max coming this fall.
Read more here.
Invincible’s Letting Atom Eve Take Center Stage With a Video Game
Though Prime Video’s animated series Invincible focuses on Steven Yeun’s titular teenage superhero, the first season highlighted other, more experienced young heroes that could show Invincible the ropes. One of those characters was Atom Eve (Gillian Jacobs), who’s getting a little boost to her character ahead of the show’s second season. Not only does she now have a standalone episode focused on her origins, she’s also starring in her own video game.
Read more here.
Travel Behind the Scenes of Star Wars Outlaws
Without Hollywood stars attending San Diego Comic-Con this year, the schedule was full of surprises. One of the biggest though had to be the inclusion of Star Wars Outlaws. The upcoming open world Star Wars game won’t hit consoles or PCs until next year, we’ve already seen a trailer and even some gameplay. What else does Ubisoft have to show at this point?
Read more here.
DC Will Bring Crisis on Infinite Earths and Watchmen to Animated Life in 2024
Warner Bros. may be playing fast and loose with DC movies in live-action, but over in animation, the studio makes sure to release a handful of movies every year. Sometimes these are fun one-offs (often set in another universe, adapted or others), and others are part of their own ongoing world that’s technically meant to function as the primary DC animated universe. For 2024, DC’s going back to the nostalgia mines by adapting two of its most well-known works.
Read more here.
The Most Awesome Cosplay of San Diego Comic-Con 2023, Day 3
Saturday at San Diego Comic-Con had cosplayers out in full force in their pop culture best.
Read more here.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Is Doing a Sequel to Its Last Ronin Universe
TMNT: The Last Ronin imagined a universe where just a single member of the Turtles was left standing, a dark future with little hope—but its final conclusion didn’t just give a jolt of hope to that alternate reality, but set the stages for a continuation that is now coming to light.
Read more here.
Lazarus and Uzumaki Look Like Adult Swim’s Next Anime Hits
For decades, Toonami and Adult Swim have helped boost anime’s profile here in the west through popular shonen like Dragon Ball Z and My Hero Academia. 2021’s Blade Runner: Black Lotus was a joint collaboration between it and Crunchyroll, and now two of the late night block’s upcoming programs see it further team up with a pair of big name Japanese creatives.
Read more here.
Voice Actors Are Fighting Back Against Generative AI
“We’ve got to reject the idea that [AI] is just something that’s going to happen to us and we can’t say anything about it,” said SAG-AFTRA national executive director, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland at the beginning of a panel focusing on AI and entertainment. “I think it definitely could, the question is whether we’re going to let that happen.”
Read more here.
Sana Amanat Explains How Iman Vellani Became the New Writer for Ms. Marvel
During the “Women of Marvel” panel at San Diego Comic-Con, fans got to learn more about the upcoming comic Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant, written by Iman Vellani—star of Marvel Studios’ Disney+ series Ms. Marvel and upcoming feature The Marvels.
Read more here.
The Most Awesome Cosplay of San Diego Comic-Con 2023, Day 4
While the annual pop culture event felt a little different this year, cosplay was out in full force.
Read more here.