...the more I think back to Zack Snyder's ComicCon panel, the NY Times story to boot, I really am happy at how extensively the director GETS "Watchmen," and it's potential as a film adaptation.

Here's a synopsis.

A lot of people think all of that was "awesome." Maybe I'm getting old, but I thought it was extremely lame, given the outcome.

(Updated, with Pics.)

I had to. I just...had to. Back in LA now and feeling strangely...safe. No Marvel panel for me tomorrow. No Iron Man. No Hulk. And I really don't give a shit either. It'll just be more santimony, more empty rhetoric about "visions" and not enough material to bother waiting in line for three hours to get into the damn H Hall and see the thing.

I guess another thing I'll be missing is the "Masters of the Web" panel, which ought to be renamed the "Masturbators of the Web" panel. The usual suspects: Devin Faraci, Ed Douglass, Drew McWeeney, Garth Franklin. I respect a few of these guys, but do we really need webmaster circle-jerk #492?

Some scattered pics after the jump.

I settled into my groove, but not much of one. This is still way too many people for far too many stretches to fill the niche. And next year, when the Convention Center contract runs up, they're thinking about moving into a bigger place. As if they'd keep the same cap with the potential out there to make even MORE money.

Yesterday was slow, and yes, Karen Allen was "officially" revealed as being in "Indy IV" at the Paramount presentation. Though the 20 minutes of "Beowulf" wasn't shown, it's instead showing in a theater in town or some such strangeness.

A personal pleasure was being in a scantly attended Joe Jusko spotlight. The Marvel Masterpieces card series are my childhood, and his drawing of Wolverine for that set is my single favorite comic image...ever.

Also, last night, the premiere of DC animation's "Superman Doomsday," which I suprisingly enjoyed. I'm not big on DC animation outside of the early 90s "Batman: The Animated Series," but this PG-13 epic was kind of the shit. It's what the fallout of "Funeral for a Friend" should have been, if you mixed in a touch of what "Quest for Peace" should have been. Trust me....it works itself out.

Today, the Warner Bros. presentation was a complete disgrace. A huge chunk was devoted to "Get Smart," footage and a panel with Steve Carrell, The Rock, the Japanese cat from "Heores" (I despise the show too much to search for his name), etc. There was an interesting look at Joel Silver and Dominik Sena's Greg Rucka adaptation "Whiteout," which could be some genre fun.

The "Watchmen" panel - if you want to call it that - consisted of a long-winded Zack Snyder talking about his vision for the project, which, thankfully, is purist to the tenth degree. Solid R rating, no updating to reflect current environement and damn if he isn't trying to get the pirate story in there, too. His explanation for the young-ish casting decisions was that he wanted actors he could age up and down accordingly. That makes some sense given the narrative. Jackie Earle Haley and another cast member, actress, can't recall, came out but not much from them. Questions were fielded, but really, it was a completely impotent showing and not having "The Dark Knight" here was absolutely STUPID. Whatever.

An interesting "I Am Legend" panel discussion regarding the upcoming comic books spun off the narrative and the film adaptation. Orson Scott Card and Richard Christian Matheson were in attendance among others discussing their contributions to the Vertigo book. Card revealed he finally pried the gaming and comic license for "Ender's Game" away from Warner Bros. and that his next comic project would likely be one based on his classically beloved sci-fi novel.

Let's see, what else. I met the obligatory Lou Ferrigno? I'm skipping the Neil Gaiman spotlight because they've got it in four rooms, which means wall-to-wall people yet again and no sight from the back? I may check out NBC's pilot premiere of "Chuck," or I may just bolt from the convention center into downtown San Diego and hope for a "Dark Knight" trailer attached to a screening of "The Simpsons Movie."

Oh, and that "Sweeney Todd" poster is apparently a Comic Con exclusive. Not the final teaser or one sheet.

That's all for now.

A wall-to-wall cluster-fuck of capitalist greed was expected, but not the absolute exhaustion it would induce. I know the Con has supposedly gone more and more to shit (and how could it not when film studios begin to leech onto it as a jumping off point for genre films that really...don't belong in the same context as they'd like to think. But this...this is disgusting. I am a comic book fan, and I hate the San Diego International Comic Convention.

I said it.

Anyway, I guess it didn't help getting a slow start today and, due to traffic, parking, registering and standing in a gigantic line, I missed the damn Paramount presentation this afternoon. No 20 minute "Beowulf" presentation for me. No "Indy IV" look. None of that. Granted, I'm coming at this as an attendee. I didn't try to take a presss route because I was just curious enough tto see how a regular fan could or couldn't enjoy him or herself here, and while there's plenty to see and do, I just don't know if this kind of mass humanity should beb allowed...anywhere.

To top it off, the majority of that bigass line were people hoping to see Jessica Alba at the Lionsgate panel that FOLLOWED the Paramount presentation in the same auditorium. Straight...to...shit.

So two days is going to be enough for me. I'll check out the Warner Bros. presentation tomorrow and hold out hope that there will be a teaser for "The Dark Knight," but I'm doubtful. There's a rumor it might be shown with tonight's "Superman Doomsday" animated flick. I don't know. WB really is gonna be left with no major showing if this happens, because now it seems they had to pull out of Wizard World Chicago due to some political nonsense.

As the world turns.

Anyway, I'm out o here tomorrow afternoon. I already heard it stated that today, THursday, is worst than a typical Saturday at the Con. Which means this thing is getting more bloated than the World Series of Poker.

At least San Diego is gorgeous as always. A trip across the harbor to Coronado suddenly sounds much more enticing than hearing Joe Jusko or Neil Gaiman talk about why it is they do what they do...

Talk about an about face from the initial film. But what do we think of Tim Blake Nelson's casting? I think it's a totally inspired choice and, frankly, this is a project I'm more and more looking forward to. Three superheroes in one summer may just melt my face off.

I didn't bother heading down for preview night tonight in San Diego and add a fourth day to an already exhaustive schedule, so I'll see the Beowulf presentation tomorrow with all the "little people." But for now, Paramount has posted a trailer that's pretty badass. Check it out!