San Diego Comic-Con Wrap-Up

At some point, San Diego Comic-Con became a sound investment. After the doors opened for the 43rd annual convention July 12, attendees rushed to get limited items from toy companies such as Hasbro, Toynami, and Mattel. According to current eBay auctions, it seems like the early birds caught some very lucrative worms.

After the opening stampede, July 12 turned out to be a relatively slow day. Fans of "Twilight" were treated to the first 7 minutes of the final installment of the series, "Breaking Dawn -- Part 2," and acclaimed graphic novelist Neil Gaiman announced his return to the world of "The Sandman" for a six-issue series.

July 13 quickly became a logistics game. Simply walking through the exhibit hall was a challenge -- and Comic-Con is all about expediency. If it's not Hasbro releasing a limited edition, there's a time-sensitive signing in the autograph area. And the booths are always worth exploring. Comic publishers, movie studios, and toy and collectible companies often pull out all the stops for their areas. Marvel Entertainment had a lineup of "Iron Man" suits of armor; DC Comics had costumes from the movie "Watchmen"; Lucasfilm had a pit of live snakes to celebrate the release of "Indiana Jones" on Blu-ray; and Weta Workshop contributed life-size trolls from "The Hobbit" and sculpted its booth to look like a cave, complete with fake moss.

One of the most eagerly anticipated events of Comic-Con 2012 was the "Firefly" 10th-anniversary panel. Optimistic fans of the cult favorite had high hopes for word about a long-rumored sequel from creator Joss Whedon, but the focus remained on a 10-year reunion special being filmed by the Science Channel.

Some choice tidbits were dropped at Comic-Con, though. HBO's "Game of Thrones" confirmed a Season 3 debut of March 31, 2013. A panel with "The Walking Dead" played a trailer for the highly anticipated third season. During a panel for the upcoming "ParaNorman," actor Christopher Mintz-Plasse revealed that a sequel to "Kick-Ass" will probably start filming in September. Then there was a panel with a little movie called "The Hobbit."

In addition to a 15-minute behind-the-scenes video, stars such as Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, and Elijah Wood discussed their roles and their place in Middle-earth, and director Peter Jackson shared a 12-minute clip of scenes from the film.

Marvel made a few big announcements as well. "Guardians of the Galaxy" is official, and Edgar Wright will helm a movie adaptation of "Ant-Man." Robert Downey Jr. joined Marvel President Kevin Feige to discuss "Iron Man 3," confirming that Ben Kingsley will join the cast as the Mandarin. Feige emphasized that it was only an "Iron Man" film and did not tie in with "The Avengers."

Panels on the final day of Comic-Con tend to be laid-back and more about visiting with fans rather than showing off the next big thing. That was particularly true when it came to the ratings-challenged but adored Fox series "Fringe," which had its final Comic-Con panel prior to its fifth and final season. Though Executive Producer J.H. Wyman was vague about specifics, he confirmed that the cast did know how the series would end.

July 15 also marked the final day of the "Walking Dead" Escape at Petco Park, which was transformed into an obstacle course infested with the undead. Fans paid to participate and run from convincing zombies, able to survive only if they escaped untouched. A 600-person crew used a special light to see if any of the zombies laid hands on the humans. The event was the talk of the weekend, so look for another herd of zombies to chase after conventioneers next year.