With this yearâs San Diego Comic-Con just around the corner, now is normally the time that publishers, movie studios, comic creators and various other celebrities start making the kind of noises that get fans excited about whatâs to come. This year, however, things are starting out slightly differently with the news that Paramount Pictures and publisher Tokyopop wonât be exhibiting at the show.
Tokyopopâs absence is just one in a long line of worries for the publisher, which has just been forced to pull back significantly on its publishing program, either releasing titles online only or cancelling them outright (One of the casualties of this decision is Brandon Grahamâs awesome King City), as well as having to make large-scale layoffs to its staff.
(One of the unexpected effects of Tokyopop pulling out? No Wil Wheaton at the con.)
Paramountâs involvement, however, is slightly more in question. Initially, the studio had explained its absence by pointing out that their next big geek movies (including Transformers: Rise of The Fallen, the Star Trek remake and M. Night Shyamalanâs live action version of Avatar: The Last Airbender) werenât coming out until next year, and that âthe timing was off this year.â But when Varietyâs Anne Thompson broke this story, she was contacted by a studio spokesman:
Paramount spokesman Mike Vollman just called me to say: âWe have a vibrant and exciting schedule of activities planned for Comic-Con.â The studio will be unveiling a number of marketing materials on these pics.
So, while they may not have a booth as such, apparently youâll still get fliers for all their products. It may not be as fun as a lifesize Iron Man armor, but I guess that itâs somethingâŠ?
(Flickr image by Karl Monaghan)
Comic-Con Update: Paramount Goes Viral [Variety]
