Us nerds own the summer. Not only is it a season where a comic book film is getting released every other weekend, but summer is filled with some of the top conventions in the world. We had E3 just last week, and Comic-con will be coming in July. What can you expect from Comic-con? That's the beauty of Comic-con: It's unpredictable. The best way to make Comic-con predictions is to just cover everything, and be prepared for anything.

 

FILMS

According to a source at Slashfilm.com, Warner Bros., Disney, and DreamWorks are not bringing films to the convention. On top of that, Marvel is even reconsidering doing their usual big panel. That could be a huge blow to the convention. Marvel is the one company you'd expect to pimp their films to their already widely established fan base. However, even if many of the big name studios are deciding to do without panels this year, there is still other goodies they can provide to the fans that will help hype the film.

 

The Avengers

 

This is the number one film everybody is expecting footage from. Marvel went all out last year to present a panel, and the film has been shooting for quite some time. However, how much can they really show? I'm sure it will be a special effects heavy film, and I'm positive that there is no way that any of the visual effects can be complete. If anything is shown, it's going to be more intimate scenes showing how the heroes interact with each other on a personality level. With Whedon saying this is Glengarry Glenn Ross with heroes, their interaction should be just as entertaining as the action scenes.

 

The Amazing Spider-man

 

Luckily for Spider-man fans, The latest Spider-man film is still under the rights of Sony Pictures. Whether Marvel wants to show it or not, it is ultimately up to Sony, and you can trust that Sony will show some footage of the friendly neighborhood Spider-man. Out of a majority of the comic book films announced since the last comic-con, The Amazing Spider-man has been in production the longest. Not only will they most likely have some footage with some decent special effects, but they will probably unveil a trailer as well. If everyone does indeed pull out, including Marvel, Sony will be the main studio to benefit.

 

The Dark Knight Rises

 

Chris Nolan doesn't do junkets, and certainly won't do a panel for this film. That would be true whether Warner Bros. was more excited about presenting material at Comic-con, or whether they held a gun to Nolan's face and told him to go to the convention. He didn't do it for The Dark Knight, or for Inception. His films thrive off of confidentiality, and having a junket will only destroy this level of secrecy. However, this doesn't mean The Dark Knight Rises will not have a presence at comic-con. The Dark Knight had everyone searching all over Comic-con because of a viral marketing tactic. The Dark Knight wrote the book on successful viral marketing, and expect Warner Bros. to try and accomplish the same level of success with The Dark Knight Rises.

 

Man of Steel

 

The same rules that apply to The Dark Knight Rises applies to Man of Steel, especially with Nolan producing. There will most likely be no junket or panel, since Warner Bros. is not presenting anything at comic-con, but perhaps their might be some heavy viral marketing going on during the event. Maybe if fans are lucky, it might even involve seeing an early concept poster with Henry Cavill in his new Superman costume.

 

The Hobbit

 

Peter Jackson has already proved he isn't shy about letting fans get an inside look of The Hobbit. He has already been releasing video diaries online about on-set activities. Expect him to release another video diary around the time of Comic-con, and a panel may be a possibility. If we're lucky he will show a couple of scenes, and knowing him he'll probably even make an effort to get some special effects into those scenes. The Hobbit, as well as The Amazing Spider-man, are the two films that benefit the most from the other studios backing away. If these two films manage to excite the crowd with footage and posters, it could easily be the most talked about events of the convention.

 

Cowboy and Aliens

 

While the film already has a trailer that everyone can view, as well as the film launching close to the start date of Comic-con, and having already had a pretty involved Comic-con presence last year, there are still plans for the film to make an appearance at the convention. According to the LA times, Universal plans to have the world premiere of the film at Comic-con, with Jon Faverau stating, “And not only are we going to premiere it there, we’re going to find a way to include as many of the fans as possible. I feel like they’ve come out for me, they’ve supported me.” I've always felt screening a film at a convention can save or kill a film. If it's bad, word will spread like wildfire, and burn any chances of it making a profit at the box office, especially with a property that not that many people are familiar with. However, if it's good, word of mouth around the convention will boost it's success, and with the film's release date being close to Comic-con, the boost from the premiere will be resonant enough to influence the general public into seeing the film. If The Hobbit and The Amazing Spider-man fails to show, this could easily be the most talked about film of the convention.

 

The Hunger Games

 

It may be based on a book instead of a comic book series, but there is always a few films that do not belong in the crowd when it comes to Comic-con. I expect Lionsgate to try and reach out to the Comic-con fans in an effort to broaden their audience. With all the excitement from the announced cast, I wouldn't be surprised if they held a panel.

 

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1

 

Summit has already confirmed an interactive booth for the film, that will share it's area with other summit films, such as The Three Musketeers and The Darkest Hour. Fans will be able to speak to the actors via telephone, which may seem unorthodox but I'm sure fans will love the opportunity to talk to Edward or Jacob. Even I have to admit, I wouldn't mind testing my luck with Kristen Stewart. Perhaps karma will catch up to me when I ask her out on a date.

 

47 Ronin

 

Though we haven't seen any footage, and this isn't a comic-book film, I have a strong feeling that this film will make an appearance at Comic-con. With the filmmakers hiring an obviously American actor, Keanu Reeves, in a mostly Asian cast, and with Ridley Scott's protegee, Carl Rinsch, in the director's seat, there is a good chance this will be an overly action-packed, “Americanized” adaptation of the Japanese legend; with heavy special effects being guaranteed. With all that in mind, Universal will most likely try to capitalize on trying to get a bigger audience. The possibility of footage, and maybe even a trailer being shown is very likely.

 

GAMES

Comic-con can sometimes be the rebound of E3. If developers feel like they can gain more exposure at Comic-con, or if they are aware that they have a devoted following that will be at Comic-con, they will make sure to demonstrate their games. Although the video game presence isn't as strong as E3, a few developers always manage to show up.

 

Last year, Bioware had a strong showing for their Dragon Age 2 game, and showed more to the crowd at Comic-con then they did at E3. As an avid Bioware fan, I'm hoping they return to Comic-con this year with some new goodies. Besides a Mass Effect 3 demonstration that is sure to just be a repeat of what was shown at E3, I'm hoping to see either an expansion pack for Dragon Age 2, or more information on Dragon Age 3. After Dragon Age 2 proved to be a disappointment, it would be nice to see that Bioware is headed on the right track with a follow-up to the popular franchise.

 

The Elder Scroll games have always had a strong established fan base at Comic-con, so expect Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim to be making a return to comic-con, but I have a feeling Bethesda will not show as much as they did for E3. All of the comic book games may also make an appearance, though the chances of any of them being good are slim.

 

Final Fantasy is another game franchise that has a strong Comic-con fan base, and with Final Fantasy XIII-2 on it's way, you can expect Square Enix to make an effort to satisfy their Comic-con crowd. The same can be said about Dead Island. Although it may not have a fan base, comic-con loves zombies, and zombie games are sure to get the crowd excited.

Stay tuned to unWiredTV for more information, interviews, previews, and videos on Comic-con, and get those costumes complete, because one of the greatest conventions in the world is almost here.