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Tag: San Diego Comic-Con

  • Going to San Diego Comic-Con Just Became Even More of a Nightmare

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    For most people, going to San Diego Comic-Con is a Herculean task long before they set foot in Southern California. It’s expensive, it’s hard to plan, and even if you manage to get a badge, you haven’t gotten to the worst part: the hotels. But don’t worry, it’s about to get worse. For Comic-Con 2026, the convention is changing its hotel reservation policy, which was already dubbed “Hotelpocalypse.” Now, even calling it something like “Hotelpocalypse 2: Beyond Armageddon” barely feels like enough.

    As noticed by the fine folks at the SDCC Unofficial Blog, Comic-Con recently updated its hotel reservation policy for 2026. The system is pivoting from its previous randomized lottery system to a “live-sale format, allowing participants to make reservations in real time based on a randomized queue,” according to the official site. Plus, the once-refundable deposit that you had a few days to pay (and weeks to refund) is now non-refundable, and “inventory is not reserved until the payment is processed.” Basically, now, they’re taking the wait out of it and making it much more cutthroat.

    For years, the process to reserve a hotel required potential attendees to wait in an elaborate online queue system; then, based on a randomized order, they filled out a form and were slotted into a room days later based on factors out of their control. There were a few other details too, but that’s the general idea. It was not a good system, but it did handle the huge number of people vying for the same rooms in a mostly controlled way and allowed for people to make changes in the months afterward.

    This new system, though, is just a killer. Like going after a limited edition item online, but with bigger stakes and way, way more people. Now, on the surface, we kind of understand why this change might seem good on paper. People will know where they stand immediately, with all mystery and waiting taken out of the equation. And, frankly, since we haven’t seen it play out in real time yet, we don’t know for sure it won’t work. However, based on how chaotic the old system was and has been for a very, very long time, we feel like there are just too many chances for this to be worse.

    Everyone will, of course, target the big, popular, close hotels first. Then move down the line. But, with your room not confirmed until your payment is processed, you suffer the chance of getting all the way to the end of the process, hitting a “sold-out” sign, then going back and getting a way worse spot. Plus, the deposit is now instant and non-refundable. In the past, you didn’t have to pay the deposit until you were assigned a hotel. If you like that hotel, great. If you didn’t, you just canceled, and it went back into the system. And, if plans changed in the weeks ahead, you had until a few weeks before the convention for a large percentage refund. Now, none of that is the case. The deposit is “equal to two nights’ room rate plus tax,” which “is required at the time of booking,” plus a 3% “service and technology fee.” There’s just no room for error.

    And all of that is assuming the system can handle the traffic and not crash, which is always a strong possibility. Basically, the old system—flawed as it may have been—at least offered everyone a glimmer of hope and a chance to move things around. This new one is cold, brutal, and unforgiving. How long will it take if you aren’t immediately picked? With people having to carefully select and fill in all their info under real pressure, things will go slowly. Could the sale go on for hours? Days? We don’t know. And hey, maybe it’ll work out. We’ll see. But having gone through Hotelpocalypse many, many, many times over the years, and mostly with negative results, we are understandably pessimistic about this.

    You can read more about the changes on the official Comic-Con site. A date for the sale has not yet been announced, but it’s usually in April.

    Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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    Germain Lussier

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  • Women Creators Dominated at the Eisner Awards | The Mary Sue

    Women Creators Dominated at the Eisner Awards | The Mary Sue

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    Far away from Hall H, there was another reason to celebrate over the weekend of San Diego Comic-Con. The Eisner Awards took place on Friday, July 26, 2024, and women in the comic book industry got some well-deserved recognition.

    The Eisner Awards is an annual event where excellence in sequential art is centered and celebrated. Named for influential comic creator Will Eisner, the award ceremony has been an important feature at San Diego Comic-Con since 1988. This year, there were a total of 32 categories. Women, either as individuals or as part of a team, were honored in 17 categories.

    Let’s take a look at some of the winners.

    The biggest winners of the night were Mariko and Jillian Tamaki for their graphic novel, Roaming. Working with a limited color palette, Roaming follows three college-aged people as they go on a short trip to New York City. It’s about finding and losing connection, and discovering yourself in the messy way that you do in your early 20s. Mariko Tamaki won Best Writer, Jillian Tamaki won Best Penciller/Inker, and the book itself won Best Graphic Album – New.

    Becky Cloonan won in two categories – Best Short Story and Best New Series. In Four Gathered on Christmas Eve, Cloonan’s short story was a stand-out vignette. “The Kelpie” is a take on the shape-shifting water horse from Irish and Scottish lore. The pacing and visuals work together to produce an effective, classic monster story. Cloonan worked on the series, Somna: A Bedtime Story with Tula Lotay. Set during the witch hunts of the 1600s, a woman is driven to madness with visions of a dark stranger who comes to her in her dreams. It is equal parts spicy and spooky.

    For the third year in a row, Rachel Smythe’s Lore Olympus won in the Best Webcomic category. The story is an updated retelling that features Persephone, Hades, and all of your favorite gods and goddesses of Greek mythology. Smythe announced last year that the series is ending in 2024. The final episode was published on June 1, 2024, on WEBTOON.

    Alongside Jillian Tamaki, women won in every illustration-related category. Best Painter/Multimedia Artist went to Sana Takeda for her work on The Night Eaters: Her Little Reapers and Monstress. Jordie Bellaire won the Best Coloring category for Birds of Prey and Dark Spaces: Hollywood Special. Finally, Best Cover Artist went to Peach Momoko for her work on Demon Wars: Scarlet Sin.

    Women were honored in other ways as well

    Jill Thompson and Lynn Varley were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Varley was chosen by this year’s judges. She is a colorist who is known for her work on Ronin, The Dark Knight Returns, and 300. Thompson is a voter’s choice selection. She is a writer and illustrator who is best known for The Sandman, Scary Godmother, and Beasts of Burden.

    The Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award was given to Women in Comics Collective International. According to their website, the organization “serves to highlight the merit and craftwork of marginalized voices, especially that of women and Queer folx of color, who work in various industries, such as comics, publishing, gaming, media, education, and multimedia.” Founded by Regine Sawyer, the group hosts events and organizes panels to bring more awareness to comic creators from diverse backgrounds.

    Lastly, the Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing was given to Jo Duffy. She has worked on Star Wars, Catwoman, Wolverine, and so much more.

    This is a big deal!

    The Eisner Awards have not always been so inclusive. Like so many literary awards, women and BIPOC have historically been left out of nomination and winner circles. According to a survey done by Cori McCreery in 2021, women accounted for only 16% of all winners since the Eisners’ beginning. Mariko Tamaki is one of two women who have won in the Best Writer category. EVER. Two women. The other is Marjorie Liu for her work on Monstress. Besides this year’s win, Tamaki also won in 2020 for her work on Harley Quinn and Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me.

    In recent years, the statistics are looking better for women in the industry. Having women’s work represented in over half the categories at the Eisners this year is a welcome trend in the right direction. However, women can’t be nominated and win awards if they aren’t being hired. According to comic historian, Tim Hanley, women’s representation in comic book publishing hovers just below 20% in most creator positions. While there is still so much work to do, it is always nice to see instances of women thriving in an industry where they have always existed.

    The Mary Sue is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy

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    Lauren Salerno

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  • SDCC: The Wild Robot Panel With Mark Hamill

    SDCC: The Wild Robot Panel With Mark Hamill

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    There’s a ton of talent behind DreamWorks Animation’s upcoming release The Wild Robot, including writer-director Chris Sanders (Lilo & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon) and stars Lupita Nyong’o and Pedro Pascal. But one of the supporting characters is voiced by an actor of particular interest to the San Diego Comic-Con crowd, which was thrilled to see Star Wars legend Mark Hamill as a surprise addition to the movie’s panel.

    Hamill, of course, is also a storied voice-over actor in addition to his work in a galaxy far, far away (as well as other projects, like Mike Flanagan’s Netflix horror series The Fall of the House of Usher). And he brought his wide range of experiences to voicing Thorn, a grizzly bear, in the animated film adapted from Peter Brown’s illustrated novel. First, though, he explained what drew him to the project.

    “When they asked me to consider being involved [with The Wild Robot], the first thing I did was order the book, and I was just knocked out,” Hamill said. “I thought, if they can capture just a small percentage of the effectiveness of this book—and I have to tell you, they just did a fantastic job. When I went in to do the voice session, they had footage. I thought, well, one of the great things was to look at the book, and they kept that.”

    “But it’s just—you have to see it,” he said. “I feel like back in the day, when I was trying to describe Star Wars without people having seen it. [The Wild Robot] is emotional and it works on so many levels. The kids will love it, but everyone’s going to love it. I remember when my kids were small, [I’d] take them to see these movies [like] The Garbage Pail Kids Movie, [and you had to] keep your opinions to yourself [because the kids are] enjoying it. [But] this is one that the the whole family is just going to fall in love with.”

    When it came to voicing Thorn, Hamill explained, “We always have to take a step back and say, what’s my function in the film, to make everything work? What function do I serve? And one of the aspects of the book and movie is that all these disparate animals are thrown into this situation where they have to restrain themselves. Obviously a bear is a predator, but they have to work for the greater good, so they peacefully coexist with the animals that that would ordinarily be their dinner.”

    Thorn is just one of the creatures that Roz the robot (voiced by Nyong’o) encounters when she’s unexpectedly marooned on an island filled with a wilderness unlike anything she’s ever encountered. It’s a found-family story with plenty of sci-fi elements; it’s also a story where Pascal voices a crafty fox. The rest of the voice cast includes Catherine O’Hara as an opossum, Bill Nighy as a goose, Kit Connor as a gosling, Stephanie Hsu as a rival robot, and Matt Berry as a beaver. Ving Rhames is also in the cast.

    The Wild Robot hits theaters September 27.

    Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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    Cheryl Eddy

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  • Cinema Shocker: Robert Downey Jr. Announces Return To Marvel As Dr. Doom In ‘Avengers: Doomsday’– ‘New Mask, Same Task’

    Cinema Shocker: Robert Downey Jr. Announces Return To Marvel As Dr. Doom In ‘Avengers: Doomsday’– ‘New Mask, Same Task’

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    Source: Jesse Grant / Getty

    In a cinema shocker, Robert Downey Jr. will return to Marvel Studios as the villain Dr. Doom for the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday.

    After Avengers: Endgame, Marvel mortgaged its cinematic universe future on actor Jonathan Majors who co-starred in two seasons of the Disney+ show LOKI and Ant-Man: Quantumania. He was also set to star in the now-scrapped Avengers: Kang Dynasty.

    As we all know, he would later be found guilty of assault and harassment charges and quickly terminated from Marvel. Majors’ demise and a slew of misses jeopardized the future of the MCU, leaving fans feeling uneasy about what was to come.

    According to Variety, however, there’s nothing to fear as Marvel has smashed the panic glass by announcing Roberty Downey Jr.’s return to the MCU. During Saturday’s San Diego Comic-Con, RDJ returned to Hall H and announced he would return as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday.

    “New mask, same task,” Robert told the stunned crowd. “I like playing complicated characters,” he said as fans chanted his name.

    Thanks to the source material, they can take several routes with RDJ portraying Victor Von Doom. It’s unclear if he will play a Tony Stark variant that becomes the iconic villain, or if he will be a new version of the character.

    Regardless, fans can rejoice as the MCU seems to have a solid path forward after a disappointing string of past releases.

    Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters in May of 2026 and will also feature the return of the Russo brothers behind the camera.

    Watch Robert Downey Jr. during Marvel’s Hall H presentation below.

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    Noah Williams

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  • SDCC 2024: Marvel Shares New Captain America 4 Footage

    SDCC 2024: Marvel Shares New Captain America 4 Footage

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    Marvel fans got a first, very intriguing Captain America: Brave New World trailer earlier in July, but on the occasion of San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel gave fans inside its Hall H panel an even better look at the studio’s next movie starring one of its flagship heroes.

    Introduced by Kevin Feige to open the proceedings in Hall H tonight, the footage began at the White House. President Ross (Harrison Ford) is hosting an event about the celestial mass that appeared on Earth. He explains that when that happened, many different people rushed to try and claim it. It was a whole mess. But, thanks to Captain America, they finally have found something of value. A new element: adamantium. Yes, that adamantium.

    In a new scene that seems to come after, we see Sam (Anthony Mackie) and Ross speaking in the Oval Office. He wants Cap to rebuild the Avengers but, Cap points out, Ross’ Sokovia Accords previously destroyed the Avengers. So, he asks, what happens when they disagree? We don’t get an answer.

    A bunch of action scenes, including a big part of the White House being destroyed, happen and we see Sam in a normal suit strutting into the Situation Room. He says he has to talk to the President. Everyone leaves, except one woman: Ruth (Shira Haas). Ross says she stays no matter what. Apparently, Sam is worried that Ross’s inner circle has been compromised and Ross tells Ruth to put it to bed. Sam says that’s bullshit. Ross says it’s politics.

    A person in a hood kills a bunch of people in a room. Captain America and Falcon (Danny Ramirez) are flying around together. We see Cap throw the shield from the air with the wings spread out. The phrase “The Future Favors the Brave” appears on screen.

    Ross is giving a speech outside the White House. Shots are fired, he ducks down and starts to Hulk out. Out emerges Red Hulk, with Harrison Ford’s face via motion capture.

    Captain America: Brave New World stars Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson, who took over the mantle of Captain America from Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers. His co-stars include Harrison Ford (as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, a role formerly played in the MCU by the late William Hurt), Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Xosha Roquemore, Carl Lumbly, Giancarlo Esposito—whose villainous role is now confirmed to be Seth Voelker, aka Sidewinder, a founding member of the Serpent Society—Liv Tyler, and Tim Blake Nelson.

    Captain America: Brave New World will arrive in theaters February 14, 2025.

    Additional reporting by Germain Lussier.

    Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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    Cheryl Eddy

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  • Dexter Franchise Announces Resurrection with Michael C. Hall

    Dexter Franchise Announces Resurrection with Michael C. Hall

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    Photo: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Paramount+

    San Diego Comic-Con is counter-Olympic programming for nerds everywhere. Running the same weekend as the 2024 Games opened, SDCC features panels from the stars and creators of our favorite IP-driven projects — including Transformers, the Marvel cinematic universe, Lord of the Rings, The Walking Dead, and more — all for the sake of giving fans what they want: a few crumbs or even a whole new detail about releases in postproduction, newly green-lit shows, and maybe a spicy spoiler a panelist spilled, to the horror of press people the world over. Aside from all the trailers, what are we getting? Let’s dive into the Olympic swimming-pool-size highlights out of San Diego Comic-Con 2024, including a surprise virtual appearance from Kamala Harris, plus major news from Dexter, Doctor Who, Star Trek, The Boys, and more.

    A July 27 Star Trek panel doubled as an info dump about several different projects. The two-episode premiere of the upcoming final season of Star Trek: Lower Decks got a date: October 24. But if the show ending makes you sad, you can rest assured that the franchise still other content in the works. For example, Alex Kurtzman is co-writing a live-action, half-hour comedy with Justin Simien (Dear White People) and Star Trek: Lower Decks star Tawny Newsome. Currently in development at Paramount+, the show will follow Federation outsiders who are serving on a gleaming resort planet — and having their day-to-day “exploits” broadcast to the entire quadrant.

    It also seems like some sort of Star Trek musical, in the vein of the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds musical episode “Substance Rhapsody,” might be on the way. Per Deadline, EP Akiva Goldsman told a fan who asked if there would be any similar episodes in the future, “We’re in the very early stages of figuring out whether we can bring a version of that to the stage.” Meanwhile, Cillian O’Sullivan has joined the cast of the upcoming season of Strange New Worlds and will recur as the legacy character Dr. Roger Korby.

    Show creator Matt Groening surprised the audience by playing a clip of Kamala Harris during a July 27 panel, introducing her as a Simpsons “super fan.” Quoting the 1996 episode ‘Treehouse of Horror VII,” Harris said, “We must move forward, not backward; upward, not forward; and always twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom.” Per The Hollywood Reporter, this is a resurfaced video message that was taken years ago, so it wasn’t recorded specifically for Comic-Con. Still, after a presidential campaign that has included Brat summer memes and an appearance on Drag Race, it doesn’t seem like Harris would mind an opportunity to keep courting the stan vote.

    IFC Films and Shudder had Johnny make a surprise appearance in a July 26 panel to help announce that we’re getting In a Violent Nature 2. Chris Nash will return as screenwriter for the slasher sequel.

    Michael C. Hall made a surprise appearance in a July 26 panel where Showtime announced that he would return as Dexter in the new series Dexter: Resurrection, a present-day follow-up to 2021’s Dexter: New Blood. It is set to premiere in summer 2025. Hall will also narrate the inner voice of young Dexter in the previously-announced origin story Dexter: Original Sin, which is expected to launch in Decemeber 2024.

    The Who-niverse is expanding. Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw will lead the cast of The War Between the Land and the Sea, a five-part spinoff from Russell T Davies ordered by the BBC and Disney+. The news was announced in Hall H on July 26. Per an official description, the show will see a “fearsome and ancient species” emerging from the ocean to trigger an international crisis. It sounds like UNIT — including Kate Lethbridge-Stewart (Jemma Redgrave) and Colonel Ibrahim (Alexander Devrient) — will have to do their best to save humanity without the Doctor.

    We also got some casting news for the main show. A preview of the Christmas special showed Nicola Coughlan’s character, Joy, coming face to face with a Silurian and the Fifteenth Doctor. Meanwhile The Little Mermaid star Jonah Hauer-King was confirmed to star in Doctor Who’s next season as part of Ruby Sunday’s story.

    Haven’t had enough of The Boys? Don’t fret; there’s more coming even after the series concludes with season five. Prime Video has green-lit Vought Rising, a prequel following the rise of the franchise’s New York–based evil media empire in the 1950s. Aya Cash and Jensen Ackles reprise their roles from the original series, while Boys writer and executive producer Paul Grellong will serve as showrunner, Prime Video confirmed. The news was announced at a July 26 panel featuring Boys creator Eric Kripke and cast members Anthony Starr, Jessie T. Usher, Jack Quaid, Erin Moriarty, Karen Fukuhara, Claudia Doumit, Susan Heyward, Valorie Curry, Laz Alonso, Tomer Capone, Nathan Mitchell, and Chace Crawford. It’s the series’ second spinoff after the college drama, Gen V.

    This post has been updated.

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    Zoe Guy,Jennifer Zhan

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  • Justice League Unlimited Brings Back DC’s A-List Team

    Justice League Unlimited Brings Back DC’s A-List Team

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    It’s been a while since we’ve gotten some comic adventures featuring the Justice League. Granted, after they died and got revived in Dark Crisis a while back, they shelved the team and done smaller teamups when needed. But you can’t keep a superhero team down for long, and that means it’s time for the League to make another grand return to the forefront.

    During yesterday’s panel for the future of DC, the publisher offered a short look at Mark Waid and Dan Mora’s Justice League Unlimited. The monthly series will see the League come together again in the aftermath of Aboslute Power and build out its ranks. Along with the main heavy hitters, the book’s new stars include Captain Atom, Star Sapphire, the Atom, and Black Lightning. The team’s first order of business? Tangling with Darkseid, who’ll operate as the book’s big bad and do something that result in the creation of the upcoming Absolute comics.

    The book’s name carries some weight behind it: the Justice League Unlimited cartoon was a big deal back in the day, and part of why the DCAU was held up for so long. Waid and Mora appear to be borrowing more than just the name: the book will feature a rotating cast just like in the show, and the League will be operating out of the Watchtower space station. It’ll be interesting to see how much of the show informs this upcoming comic, particularly since it’ll also probably lead to some kind of crossover with the Absolute universe once that world’s characters have gotten their acts together.

    Justice League Unlimited kicks off on November 27. Funnily enough, the JLU show turns 20 years old at the end of July, and all three seasons are available over on Max.

    Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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    Justin Carter

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  • Which Trailers Are Dropping at San Diego Comic-Con 2024?

    Which Trailers Are Dropping at San Diego Comic-Con 2024?

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    Who’s ready for San Diego Comic-Con? Sure, last year was a little weird for the convention — there were a lot of Hall H cancellations amid the Hollywood strikes, and some panelists who did show up had to avoid talking about struck projects. One thing that didn’t change, though? A bunch of trailers dropped during the convention. We can look forward to that tradition continuing this July. The SDCC panel schedule for 2024 includes The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Transformers One, Everybody Still Hates Chris, and more. There are also the usual suspects: Marvel is set to update its plans for the next phase(s) of its cinematic universe, and there are several Star Wars panels scheduled. So far, it’s already been confirmed that HBO’s The Penguin and AMC/AMC+’s The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol will debut trailers at SDCC. Other panel descriptions are more coy, only vaguely mentioning a first look or preview, but we know they’re coming. Keep checking back for updates below on all the new trailer debuts out of SDCC, including for Transformers One, season two of Rings of Power, and more.

    There’s more where that’s coming From. The teaser for season three of the MGM+ show suggests that the horrors are nowhere near over in this creepy town. Looks like it won’t be so easy for sheriff and de-facto mayor Boyd Stevens to save everyone.

    In the trailer for the spinoff’s second season, Negan has reunited with Lucille, the baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire and named after his wife. That’s one way to get back into the … swing of things.

    Let’s check in on the newlyweds. Korvo and Terry seem to be enjoying married life in this preview of the fifth season of the adult animation series. Will their alien team finally decide how they feel about Earth? Who knows, we’re too busy looking at the shirts!

    Set three billion years before the events of the live-action Transformers, the upcoming animated flick reveals the untold origin story of Megatron and Optimus Prime, old pals who transform into enemies. They should work it out on the remix.

    Season two of Amazon Prime’s expensive-looking fantasy series teases the fall of many rings (nine) and a gruesome battle against Sauron in his quest for power. As he descends on Middle Earth, war is imminent, and gifts are not what they seem.

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    Jennifer Zhan

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  • SDCC 2024: Lucasfilm Reveals Star Wars Acolyte Books, Comics

    SDCC 2024: Lucasfilm Reveals Star Wars Acolyte Books, Comics

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    When the movies stop and TV shows end, what’s a Star Wars fans to do? The written word, you should turn to. Star Wars books have always, and continue to, to thrive, with stories in all different time periods, through various mediums, written by tons of exciting voices. This was on full effect at San Diego Comic-Con this week at the “Star Wars: Stories from a Galaxy Far, Far Away” panel, which included a ton of new book announcements, and even an action figure for good measure.

    Most of the books are, understandably, centered on The Acolyte, it being the most recent Star Wars story we saw.

    First up, there’s Star Wars: The Acolyte Visual Guide by Pablo Hidalgo. Out March 4, 2025, this will detail all the awesome new characters, creatures, and technology introduced in the series. A nice companion to that is The Art of Star Wars: The Acolyte (Season One) by Kristin Baver. Besides that exciting “Season One,” this book will dive into all the designs that went into the series and more. It’ll be out next summer.

    For all you Jecki and Yord fans (RIP), Tessa Gratton is writing an untiled YA novel about their exploits which will be out July 29, 2025. Moving up the Jedi ranks, Justina Ireland has a new novel on the way called Star Wars: The Acolyte: Wayseeker, diving deeper into the past of Vernestra Rwoh and Carrie-Anne Moss’ Master Indara, and, as revealed here on io9, Cavan Scott is doing a new comic about another Jedi Master, Star Wars: The Acolyte – Kelnacca #1. That’s out September 4.

    And, just for the fun of it, the panel also revealed that Hasbro’s next Acolyte Black Series toy will be none other than Vernestra Rwoh. Pre-orders start July 27 at 5 p.m. EST on Hasbro Pulse.

    The Vernestra Black Series – Hasbro

    That’s everything specifically Acolyte that was announced but, just adjacent to all that, is a few new releases set in the same time period: the High Republic. Cavan Scott has a new comic called Star Wars: The High Republic – Fear of the Jedi, which will continue the story of the Jedi’s battle against the Nihil. It has art by Marika Cresta and is out in February. A second volume of The Art of Star Wars: The High Republic is also on the way, which will cover phases two and three of the saga. It’s out in February.

    Finally, the next major Star Wars story coming to your home is Star Wars Outlaws, the video game out in August. Well, it wouldn’t be a Star Wars release without an art book commemorating it and so, The Art of Star Wars Outlaws is on the way on June 3.

    It may be months or years until we see a new Star Wars show or movie but the galaxy is thriving in print. Which are you most excited about?

    Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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    Germain Lussier

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  • Google Play Store Collections Might Finally End My Doomscrolling Fatigue

    Google Play Store Collections Might Finally End My Doomscrolling Fatigue

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    I have a problem. I keep too many of my apps open on my phone. I do it because I constantly check my feeds and then forget to close them out. Google’s latest Android feature could finally offer a new way to browse my feeds without diving into each app individually. If you’ve been enjoying a few of the new capabilities of the Android 15 beta, this is another one to try out. However, you may need to fiddle with privacy settings to avoid the feature becoming a sludge-filled pit of algorithmic content recommendations.

    Starting Wednesday, Android users just need to hold down on the Play Store app icon on their home screen to add one or more Category widgets to their phones. There are seven different categories, from “Read” books and news apps to “Listen” for all your music or podcast content. You can adjust the size of these from taking up the whole screen to the size of a single icon.

    Google

    How Does Play Store Collections Work?

    These widgets offer a few unique ways to keep on top of your apps. The “Games” category provides a rundown of limited-timed events in your installed mobile titles. The “Food” collection will use Uber Eats or Google Maps to recommend some restaurants based on your location (though not if you disable location tracking). The “Shop category will display if you’ve left any items in your carts.

    You won’t have much control over what apps get added to different Collection categories. The “Watch” collection includes most of your regular streaming apps and YouTube and showcases your TikTok For You feed. The “Social” collection displays other apps like Pinterest, Reddit, and TikTok. 

    Several apps won’t show a feed at all. Apps like Twitter, or (sigh) “X,” along with Meta apps like Instagram, won’t display any recommended content, though you can select the apps from the bottom bar inside the widget. Google says neither app supports the current SDK, which is pretty on-brand for Meta and Elon Musk. At the very least, Collections is an easy way to find all your various apps without scrounging them in your app list or home screen.

    The feed refreshes every day, but its recommendation algorithms are still opaque. For instance, if you recently caught a few minutes of Milf Manor yesterday, Google TV might be in the “Watch” category and suggest several more reality TV shows to help rot your brain. If you sunk some time into Clash of Clans, the “Games” collection will shove a bunch of YouTube videos of tutorials and strategy videos to get you playing even more. 

    At least you can manually turn off which apps bombard you with recommended content. With the latest Play Store, you can navigate to the “Personalization in Play” settings page to manually disable different apps from recommending content. This gets applied across all Categories and inside the Play Store itself.

    Google told Gizmodo that it plans to let users create their own custom collections. That feature might roll out sometime later this year, but as it stands, Categories could be a quick way to check on multiple feeds all at once without having to dive into each app individually.

    An App for Apps

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    Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo

    This is Google’s larger effort to make Play Store less of a single shop for apps into its kind of App for apps. Google is also launching a “Comics” curated space inside the Play Store, though it will be restricted to Japan for now. This will display content from various manga apps, including select sample chapters. It’s still algorithmically curated, and you can’t simply browse the full list of sample chapters available through the various manga distributors daily.

    But if the point is to get you to return to the Play Store, then Google will likely need to cool it on algorithmic content generation. The Mountain View tech giant is trying to entice users to spend more money on the Play Store by giving those Play Points members more rewards. Those who have only spent a few bucks on Play Store for Bronze tier status might not get much, but Silver and Gold members can try out a few exclusive events at San Diego Comic-Con. Platinum and Diamond members, or those who are spending a lot more on Play Store, might be able to receive exclusive, physical hardware rewards in compensation for the cash they’re dropping regularly on their apps.

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    Kyle Barr

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  • Doctor Who and Star Trek are Bringing Friendship to San Diego Comic-Con

    Doctor Who and Star Trek are Bringing Friendship to San Diego Comic-Con

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    Comic-Con is where people of all fandoms can come together, including the stars and creatives of big genre shows brushing shoulders at panels. San Diego Comic-Con’s a few weeks away, and the schedule for the annual convention will unite the showrunners behind Star Trek and Doctor Who—Alex Kurtzman and Russell T. Davies–to talk shop for anyone who’ll listen.

    The two men will headline a panel for SDCC’s “Friendship is Universal” experience on Saturday, July 27 ahead of International Friendship Day on July 30. The aim is for the chat to bring together fans of either (or both) franchises and foster a greater sense of community between them. Trek and Who are also going to be the stars of a gallery experience with original props and costumes from both series, and there’ll be a special Doctor Who x Star Trek poster from artist Dusty Abell given to attendeees of Kurtzman and Davies’ panel. (Like friendship bracelets? They’ll be given away at the event!)

    Doctor Who and Star Trek have been in each other’s orbits for a long time. Along with their respective debuts in the mid-60s, they’ve tackled similar themes of race, gender, and war, referenced each other, and become multimedia giants. They even crossed over in the pages of IDW’s Trek comics back in 2012, and Davies spoke in 2009 about his desires to do a TV crossover between them. His dreams died when Star Trek pivoted to film with the reboot movies, and it doesn’t seem like that could happen these days. But the panel may be worthwhile, if only to see Davies and Kurtzman talk about their approaches to the material and to make a connection with someone else in the crowd.

    The “Friendship is Universal” panel will run on Saturday, July 27 5:30-6:30 pm PT in room 6A. The larger gallery will take place at 226 and 230 5th Avenue in the Gaslamp for all of San Diego Comic-Con.

    [via Variety]

    Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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    Justin Carter

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