L.A. Comic Con always proves an interesting show, and this year's convention was no different. To begin with, there was practically a stampede for the show floor entrance on Saturday. Having attended for many years prior, this disorganized spectacle was a surprise development, though one could hardly blame attendees for being impatient. After all, this day would showcase reunions of two Hellboy (2004) stars and The Office cast, as well as a main stage appearance by the director of Zombieland: Double Tap with a "surprise" (which, unsurprisingly, included cast members like Jessie Eisenberg and Rosario Dawson). Stan Lee's vision for a competitive local comic con keeps growing each year. This year, being a huge fan of Ron Perlman and the original Hellboy films, I was most interested in the reunion panel including Doug Jones (Abe Sapien). I also wavered up till practically the last minute but ended up splurging on the Hellboy Photo Op with both actors, something I never do but just couldn't resist the opportunity. The Hellboy Reunion panel was only a half hour but touched on how the actors got their parts, working together, director Guillermo del Toro, cast mates Selma Blair and John Hurt (Liz Sherman and Trevor "Bloom" Bruttenholm, respectively), and the challenges and prospects for wrapping up the trilogy. See the following excerpts and clip(s) below. Ron Perlman: I heard of Hellboy exactly seven years before we started filming (the first) Hellboy, cause that's how long Guillermo took to get the movie made. Doug Jones: I had not heard of the Hellboy comics, so when Guillermo came and offered me Abe Sapien he gave me the script and a pile of graphic novels at the same time and said, "Read up, and get back to me tonight." I had, like, hours to study up and say "Yes, I love it; I'll do it." and I did. Perlman: I had nothing to do with getting the film made, I had a lot to do with telling Guillermo if he wanted to get it really made, he should stop using my name, because I was not going to get anybody to write a check of that magnitude since I was obscure and invisible, basically. But he has his quirky little idea -- these directors, they're so weird -- and he stuck to his guns and that's why it took him seven years. But it was all Guillermo versus the studios and I was basically just in the background, waiting, listening to some of the anecdotes, some of the notes that he got. ... One of the notes that he got from some really brilliant executives at Universal Studios was, "Does he have to be red?" Moderator: Guillermo had you [Perlman] in mind, and then Mike Mignola had his character that he'd been doing since the early '90s and he also had a specific actor in mind, and they said "Well, who are you thinking of?" "Who are YOU thinking of?" and at the same time they said the same person. Is that the way you heard it? Perlman: That's the way I heard it. I never believed it, but that's how I heard it. Moderator: How did you guys meet on the set? Perlman: We knew each other for seven months and I had no idea that that was Doug Jones under all that blue shit. He used to get there three or four hours ahead of me and I was there for five hours in the makeup chair, and I don't think we saw each other for real until the wrap party. Jones: I think we brushed at the concierge level of the hotel for breakfast one day and I was like "Hey, Ron," and he's like "Yeah? Who are you?" Moderator: How long did you shoot for when you're spending six, seven, eight hours in makeup ...? Jones: Still film a 10, 12 hour day; 18 hour days were the norm, honestly. Hellboy 2, especially: six months in Budapest, Hungary, six days a week. See the clips below for more of the panel discussion, including a funny on-set anecdote from Jones, reminiscing about the late John Hurt, a message to attendees from Selma Blair, the Hellboy reboot, and plans for completing the original Hellboy trilogy. The Hellboy Photo Op afterward was a virtual rollercoaster of emotion as fans lined up early as requested, then we had to wait for about 30 minutes beyond the scheduled time. Once the line began moving, it raced at practically breakneck speed with barely time to even say "Hi" and pose. Thankfully the photo turned out okay. I also made time to attend the Press Start: Scoring for Video Games panel with composers of titles like Journey, Flow, The Banner Saga, Assassin's Creed Syndicate, Killzone: Shadow Fall, Total Warhammer and Grand Theft Auto. They discussed their work on new games Telling Lies, Erica, John Wick: Hex, BattleTech, Disintegration and Call of Duty: Mobile. The revealing discussion included game and behind the scenes clips. See below for a link. One standout panel I missed due to a conflict with the photo op was Storytelling in Video Games. It advertised an inside look with studio Machinegames into their Wolfenstein franchise. The casts of The New Order, The New Colossus and Youngblood were scheduled to discuss the stories and acting for these games. Director Tom Keegan was going to provide insights into the casting process of video games. Cosplayers continue to be drawn to this comic con, and likewise continue to be a draw for plain clothed attendees. The wide variety of cosplay costumes included a female Predator, Aloy, Monster Hunter, Samus, an Endgame Iron Man, Wookie, Polaris, Thanos and Gamora, Gandolf and Thranduil, and a drag queen Deadpool. I always come away impressed with the skill on display, and invigorated by the enthusiasm. See photos below and in the Photography link. Last but by no means least, vendors provided an equally impressive array of wares. I can often find cool, relatively obscure action figures (i.e. The War of the Gargantuas, Ray Harryhausen feature creatures, kaiju, etc.) at the Collector's Edge booth, where this year I picked up a rare Giant Robot figure. I also liked the Japanese-inspired T-shirt collection at the Baby Panda booth. But the exhibitor that most fascinated me this year was a Japanese artist whose stylish prints and T-shirts expressed a unique cultural flair. Yasunobu Shidami displayed a variety of prints and T-shirts depicting samurai and geishas, not an unusual subject but his creativity and talent result in images that are impressionistic, dreamlike and powerful. Sometimes accompanied with messages about courage or strength, the black and white or color illustrations/paintings evoke character and beauty with a style that is breathtaking. All in all, the show again succeeded in keeping me informed, entertained and thrilled at the vast pop culture choices on display whether in the form of panel discussions, cosplay or merchandise. It's also been a wonderful tradition to carry on with my child. Here's to many more! For information, details and videos of the panel discussion including video game composers, visit L.A. Comic Com 2019: Scoring for Video Games Panel. For more photos from the L.A. Comic Con show floor, visit the Photography section of this site.
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