San Diego, Cali. -- Comic-Con 2017 is in the rearview mirror and before we look ahead to returning here next summer, let's take a look back at this past weekend and give out some awards based on our own experience covering the event as press... and as fans... regardless of if these picks are superhero-related or not.
BEST MOVIE TRAILER -- THOR: RAGNAROK
This trailer stood out as (surely debatable) the best of the bunch since you not only get a new look and tone for the Thor franchise, but you're getting a non-Avengers movie with Hulk (who can say complete sentences now!), as well as the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first female villain, in Hela. Watch the trailer by clicking right here.
BEST TV SHOW TRAILER -- STRANGER THINGS Season 2
I am a sucker for 80s nostalgia. Being born in the late 70s and growing up in the 80s will do that. I'm more excited for the new season of STRANGER THINGS than I am for THE DEFENDERS.
BEST MARKETING CAMPAIGN -- MR. ROBOT
By far the best marketing campaign was USA's MR. ROBOT, which opened a small store front called the E-Coin Bank where you could get an E-Coin card to use around the Gaslamp in Downtown San Diego. They also had an E-Coin website where, when you sign up, you got 20 free E-Coins you could use at real food spots around the Gaslamp to get yourself a free slice of pizza, a cup of ice cream, a soft pretzel for a snack and other food goodies. Also, throughout the weekend the Evil Corp. signage slowly got vandalized by F-Society. One of the best campaigns I've seen since I've been attending SDCC.
BEST EXCLUSIVE -- Usagi Yojimbo
I have been a fan of Usagi since I can remember. Unfortunately, this was one of the hardest to get exclusives and the line for Nickelodeon's booth was way too big and always capped off. I did not get this for myself because they sold out of it so quick. It was my No. 1 exclusive on my personal want-list. Sad.
BEST BOOTH -- DC Comics
Always the crowd pleaser in their booth, DC had costumes of the heroes (minus Superman) featured in JUSTICE LEAGUE as well as tons of movie figures and collectibles throughout. Plus, their booth has plenty of room for signings and giveaway where as Marvel's booth is small, cramped and over-crowded all the time.
The main drag in the Gaslamp is down 5th and it gets crazy crowded. But if you go just one street over things are less crazy. If you love tacos, then San Diego is the place for you as it seems like every other restaurant is a taco shop. This isn't a bad thing but after trying every taco spot I could in my time here, my favorite was by far Las Hadas. Not only were their tacos delicious but they also offer a burrito the size of an average adult male's forearm. (And I ate all of it!)
Always packed and worth the wait. Do your taste buds a favor and treat yo' self to their tasty burgers!
BEST SANDWICH -- CONFIDENTIAL (Because I'm selfish.)
There is a tiny little spot but I cannot divulge its name or location because it is never busy. It has the best sub sandwiches I've ever had in my entire life. I seriously dream about these sandwiches throughout the year until I get a chance to treat my tastebuds to them at SDCC every year. If you DM me on Twitter and say what it is, I might let you know if you're right. But you have to keep it a secret, too.
I love me some New York street pizza and The New Yorker gave me the closest thing to the real deal. In fact, their specialty pizzas will now haunt me for the next 12 months until I return next summer.
BEST EXPERIENCE -- Seeing RICK & MORTY Season 3 Episode 2 at Petco Park
I was one of the lucky 4,000+ people who got into Petco Park to see Episode 2 early. I'm a big fan and we got one of several Seal Team Rick masks and I got to buy a Pickle Rick shirt after since the Rickmobile was there selling them. "I'M PICKLE RICK!!"
BEST FIGHT -- Two women in a fender bender
I do not condone violence but I saw a fight breakout on the street the night before Preview Night. One lady nudged the back of another and the lady's SUV, whose bumper got dinged. She got out screaming and punched the other lady in the face, while she was still behind the wheel of her car. The lady who got punched followed the other lady closely and hopefully the police got involved at some point. I do not know what happened beyond what I saw. It was a vicious punch, too, but an excessive reaction to a tiny little fender bender.
— DailySuperHero.com (@DailySuperHero) July 21, 2017
Going to SDCC for several years now, I've been searching for the best pair of shoes that wouldn't destroy my feet with blisters from all the walking and line waiting. Last summer I found them when I bought and brought a pair of Sanuk with me. This year, I brought three pairs with me and never had any pain or blisters in my feet. Their soles are made of yoga mat material and I highly recommend getting yourself a pair, especially for extensive walking or standing. You'll thank me.
And here's a few of our WORST awards...
WORST EXPERIENCE -- Insane over-crowding felt inside the Convention
I've been going to SDCC for seven years now and this year felt like it was the most over-crowded on the showroom floor. I remember when you could easily walk around and it was not shoulder-to-shoulder on Preview Night, as well as on Sunday, but that was not the case this year. I'm not sure if more tickets were sold each day or not, but it felt more claustrophobic than ever. However, this is the price you have to pay in having the privilege of being at the world's biggest pop culture event.
WORST INTERSECTION -- Harbor Dr. / Market St.
Right outside of the Manchester Grand Hyatt, at the intersection of Harbor/Market, is the worst intersection when trying to cross over Harbor. Due to more trolley's for SDCC, it took upwards of 15-20 minutes to get a crosswalk signal to walk. Stay away from this intersection!
WORST PANEL -- 20th Century Fox
With both NEW MUTANTS and DEADPOOL 2 coming out before next summer's SDCC, Fox had the opportunity to hype up both of these movies in their presentation. Instead, they didn't reveal a single thing about either or anything for their upcoming Marvel movies. What a huge disappointment after the studio had great momentum on the heels of their recent releases for DEADPOOL and LOGAN.
Written by Daniel Wolf, DailySuperHero.com Founder & Publisher
