This year’s Comic-Con gets under way at an awkward time for superhero movies, which means fewer tentpoles in tights will fly into San Diego July 21-24.
Most of the coming onslaught of comic-book movies -- and that includes “The Dark Knight Rises” and “Man of Steel” -- aren't far enough along in production to preview at the convention. On top of that, except for July 22's "Captain America," this year's slate already has hit theaters.
That leaves "Cowboys & Aliens" and Sony's “The Amazing Spider-Man” as the only top-shelf comic book movies with a substantial presence at the annual fest.
Not that the fanboys won't have plenty of other things to salivate over. Some of the announced highlights:
>> “The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn”: Paramount will open Comic-Con with a panel about the Steven Spielberg adaptation on July 22. There are whispers of a possible Spielberg appearance, but whether that will happen is anyone’s guess. Except Spielberg’s.
>> "Cowboys & Aliens": Jon Favreau's take on the cult comic, starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford, will premiere on July 23.
>> "The Amazing Spider-Man": New Spidey Andrew Garfield (right) will be joined by co-star Emma Stone, director Marc Webb and producer Avi Arad for a panel July 22.
>> "Hunger Games": The cast of the highly anticipated futuristic young-adults battle-to-the-death film is busy filming the movie in North Carolina, but Lionsgate is sponsoring a sweepstakes to send a fan to the set.
>> "Pacific Rim": Director Guillermo del Toro and cast members of the futuristic young-adults horror film will participate in a panel discussion on July 22.
>> "Batman" TV series: "Batman" himself, Adam West, along with Burt Ward (Robin) and Julie Newmar (Catwoman), will show up for a Q&A on July 22.
>> "Chuck": The television show, a favorite of Comic-Con fans, will celebrate its final season with a panel discussion featuring executive producer and co-creator Chris Fedak, and stars Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strahovski, Joshua Gomez, Ryan McPartlin, Mark Christopher Lawrence, Vik Sahay and others July 23.
>> And there will be a tiny nod to “Dark Knight Rises”: Tom Hardy, who plays Bane, will be at Lionsgate’s booth for an hour July 22, along with Joel Edgerton, promoting their movie “Warrior.”)
As has become the norm since Comic-Con moved into the Hollywood mainstream, most studios will have a presence at this year's fest.
Universal, for example, is not only premiering "Cowboys & Aliens," but it plans a big session on "
