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The weekend saw Comic-Con 2009 come to a close, and although it was brilliant fun fatigue had begun to set in - the general chat in the bars around the convention had inevitably turned to how tired people were and how bored they were of queuing to get into TV panels.
Saturday began slowly for us - well, in fact it began with a headlong clash between the need to fight off another hangover and the need to file some copy. The espresso bar in the hotel inexplicably closed at 10am leaving us to soldier on with nothing but cheap filter coffee and a packet of ibuprofen.
Above: Bumblebee checks out the main hall of the San Diego convention centre, where Comic-Con enters its manic weekend phase.
Saturday's two highlights were surely the opportunity to talk to Russell T Davies and David Tennant quietly in the Marriott hotel, and then the chance to quiz the cast and crew of Iron Man 2.
Davies confirmed to SFX exclusively on Saturday afternoon that there's no Doctor Who movie in the offing and that rumours it would be announced at Comic-Con were just internet chat that had got it all wrong. "You can blog and Twitter that straight away!" he joked. "You heard it here first." We duly did . In the US, Doctor Who will be shown on BBC America going forward, which is only right and proper. David Tennant was as charming as always, enthusing about his final days as the Doctor in the remaining three specials and talking about sad it was to say goodbye.
In the public panel the next day, as we all know by now that they revealed the return of John Simm. "It's mental," reported blogger Narin Bahar from inside the hall, as David Tennant appeared in a glittery Stormtrooper shirt. "They're like rock stars here."
Back to Saturday, and Iron Man 2 concluded our day with a bang. The main hall floor was crowded and even people with VIP passes were being turned away at the door. The response from those inside was awesome. SFX had access to the upstairs rooms and sat down with the likes of Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, Jon Favreau, Robert Downey Jr, Don Cheadle and Kevin Feige, to hear directly about their experiences of making the film. Director Favreau confirmed that Iron Man 2 will appear in IMAX, and there were a few hints about the future of Marvel movies and how they might tie together in the timeline - Iron Man 2 is set six months after Iron Man, and the Downey Jr cameo in The Incredible Hulk does not necessarily chronologically follow the first Iron Man film...
Above: first prototype sculpture of a detailed scale model replica of the Nautilus, being prepared by eFX collectables..
In other news from the show floor, it's confirmed Eureka has a fourth season and director Timur Bekmambetov explained how Angelina Jolie could be in Wanted 2 - she's not dead, that final bullet just gets lodged in her brain. Nice. We also saw a series of genuine costumes from Disney films (including the suit from The Rocketeer - a much underappreciated film, we feel), and took a gander at a scale replica of the Nautilus from 20,000 Leagues thanks to eFX collectables.
Saturday also saw our lovely blogger Kell and chum Sarah dressing up in costume as the spirit of SFX magazine, which is surely the most inventive costume ever - and one guaranteed to get American strangers asking, "You say you're a SEX addict?" Nice work ladies, you are officially unembarrassable. Let's hope it inspires a few people to check out the mag!
Above: Sarah and Kell turn a few heads, dressed up as SFX addicts. Not sure who the weirdo is in the middle.
The Sunday panel schedule at Comic-Con has traditionally been less exciting than other days and this year was no different in the US movie stakes, with no major studio presenting. The latest seasons of Smallville, Ghost Whisperer and Supernatural all got coverage but it was really BBC America who took up the slack, and as well as the Doctor Who presentation, Sunday also saw wildly popular Torchwood and Being Human panels in the main hall. It was Brit day for the US fans, basically, which meant they were trying not to spoil Being Human season one which we've already seen over here - we took the opportunity to slip quietly away and fly home to Blighty.
Above: in honour of Tron Legacy, Flynn's arcade is recreated as a bar not far from the convention centre.
Look out for more news and interviews from Comic-Con in issue 187 of SFX. For now - jetlag awaits. Thanks to everyone who took the time to hang out with us in San Diego: celebrities, PR folk, our bloggers, friends and US correspondents - good to meet up, a great time was had by all. Post-match analysis from Narin and Kell on its way in the coming days. Be seeing you.
