Depp speaks "Tonto talk" in trailer

The San Diego Comic-Con was the week before last. I didn't go this year because 1) I was working and 2) I couldn't get guest passes for my friends. But here's the big news from the Native stereotyping viewpoint:

First Footage of Johnny Depp’s Tonto Shown at San Diego Comic-ConYesterday, at the massive San Diego Comic Con (SDCC), Disney gave about 6,000 attendees a surprise early look at one of today’s most anticipated film projects—both within and outside of Indian country—The Lone Ranger, in which Johnny Depp plays the familiar Native sidekick Tonto to Armie Hammer’s Lone Ranger.

For American Indians, the fact that Depp is portraying a Native American in such a major movie has been a topic of fascination and much debate. From the reports out of SDCC, it seems, the footage will likely add fuel to the fire for those who aren’t happy with the situation. Depp reportedly had one line in the clip:

“There come a time, Kemosabe … when good man must wear mask.”

There has been much talk of a more sensitive and complex portrayal of Tonto; apparently, though, Tonto will speak in the same, well, Tonto-speak of all his previous incarnations.

For an on-the-scene reaction, there may be none better than that of Screencrush.com‘s Jordan Hoffman, who tweeted: “I dunno, Johnny Depp’s kinda Uncle Tomahawking it up with LONE RANGER”Comment:  So far the movie seems about as racist or stereotypical as you'd expect. Tonto speaking broken English in 2012...really? And that respects and honors Indians how?!

On Facebook, someone justified the Tonto-talk this way:OK I'm of two minds on this. I dislike seeing Native Americans depicted in this manner, on the other hand it would be "canon" for him to speak that way as far as the series goes. Tonto was one of my favorite characters because he was underestimated. (I used to own it on CD and cassette, for the old radio show.) I would imagine Depp was in the same issue. If he plays the role with the Native American speaking English, the canon fans will freak, and if he played the character the way it was written, the Native Americans are offended. Add in the movie industry. Sadly, this series was written in the '30s. There really is no good choice in this situation.To which I responded:

"Canon freaks," if there are any, will freak out over the fact that Tonto is the senior partner, he's got weird paint on his face, and a frakkin' bird on his head. His speech is the least of the problems.

The point of doing a remake is to update the things that didn't work. Making Tonto a full partner of the Ranger, good. Having a non-Native play him, bad. Giving him some sort of background, good. Having him speak like an ignorant savage, bad. Etc.

This one line may be an exception--perhaps spoken that way intentionally to mislead fans and stir up controversy. But note what this tells us about Depp's sensibilities. The Tonto talk is an unmistakable insult to Indians...but Depp doesn't care. He's willing to leave us with a first impression--an impression that may last months--of Tonto as an ignorant savage.

Designing a costume based on a white man's fantasy painting and speaking in broken English are all part of the package. For Depp, clearly, The Lone Ranger is about making money for himself, not about honoring Indians.

Movie headed for a flop?

Someone else who saw the trailer calls The Lone Ranger a loser:

The Biggest Winners and Losers of Comic Con 2012!

By Charlie Jane AndersMeanwhile, this is a project that already had terrible buzz before coming to Comic Con—and the fact that they rolled the footage in the middle of a popular panel, without explaining what it was first, was clearly aimed at creating a huge sensation and changing the story. And...it just didn't work. It's not as if this movie's buzz got any worse coming out of Comic Con, but it didn't get any better, either. Johnny Depp looked just as silly as Tonto as you'd expect from the still photos, and the action looked incredibly generic and boring.For more on Johnny Depp as Tonto, see Blogger Attacked for Criticizing Depp and Comanche Filmmaker Criticizes Depp.

SCALPED to end in 2012

Scalped confirmed to end with Issue 60Scalped, the Eisner Award-nominated crime series by Jason Aaron and R. M. Guéra, will end in April with Issue 60.

While Aaron had repeatedly suggested the Vertigo comic was nearing its conclusion, he resisted naming a final issue, writing just three months ago that, “It’s never been a secret that Scalped had a definite ending point. I still haven’t put a specific issue number on it, but we’re certainly getting closer.”

However, during Thursday’s Vertigo panel at Comic-Con International, Executive Editor Karen Berger got specific, confirming that Aaron and Guéra will bring the story to a close with the 60th issue.Comment:  For more on SCALPED, see Jason Aaron = Writer of the Year and Native Women = Whores in SCALPED.

Adam Beach at Cowboys and Aliens premiere

Adam Beach PhotostreamActor Adam Beach attends the premiere of Universal Pictures' "Cowboys & Aliens" during Comic-Con 2011 at San Diego Civic Theatre on July 23, 2011, in San Diego, California.Plus a video of the Cowboys and Aliens premiere at Comic-Con. Adam Beach appears at the 51:55 mark for four minutes and gives a spare ticket to a fan:

"Cowboys & Aliens" Premiere

Comment:  For more on Adam Beach, see Adam Beach in Combat Hospital and Adam Beach in Arctic Air.

Pix of Comic-Con 2011

Here are some pictures to accompany my report on the 2011 Comic-Con:

San Diego Comic-Con--July 21, 2011 (morning)
San Diego Comic-Con--July 21, 2011 (afternoon)

Report on Comic-Con 2011

Thursday I attended the opening day of this year's San Diego Comic-Con. As usual, I went with my pal Victor, an enrolled Pechanga Indian. His young friends Rebecca, Eric, Avelaka, and Ava accompanied us.

As always, I looked for signs of Native and multicultural work. Though I wasn't on the floor that long, I didn't see anything that qualified. The only minorities on display were the usual fourth or fifth bananas in movie, TV, or comic-book casts.

Indians were even more invisible than usual, if that's possible. I didn't see any displays featuring them in Cowboys and Aliens or Twilight: Breaking Dawn. All I saw were:

The Tonto cover from Dynamite's LONE RANGER comic, now several years old.

A sign for Jason Momoa (part indigenous) as Conan the Barbarian.

A couple of old TUROK comics hanging on a wall.

Oh, and a split-second glimpse of this display:



"Jeffrey Weissman aka George McFly signing autographs in Profiles in History's booth 1605 at Comic-Con 2011."

Profiles in History is an auction house that sells pop-culture memorabilia. This time they were advertising the time-traveling DeLorean from Back to the Future III. As you may recall, the DeLorean pops into the Old West--only to be chased by a savage horde of Indians on horseback. Profiles in History had the car posed against a backdrop of these death-dealing Indians.

Presumably the people at Profiles in History approved this; no one thought it was a bad idea. A shamefully stereotypical portrayal of Indians...and they duplicated it for their customers. If they sell World War II memorabilia next, will they put up a 10-foot banner of the Japanese as "slant-eyed devils"? Because that would be roughly the same thing.

Other impressions

As promised, the major studios cut back on their displays for movies. Again, there was almost nothing for Cowboys and Aliens or Breaking Dawn. Or for Captain America or Harry Potter, or the upcoming Avengers movie. About the only movie that got some advance publicity was the Spider-Man relaunch planned for 2012.

Toy companies such as Mattel may have taken up the studios' slack. The biggest displays may have belonged to Hasbro, with its Transformers, Star Wars, and Nerf lines.

Other trends:

Zombies were as big as ever, though vampires may be subsiding in popularity.

Lucasfilm had a large display for some reason. Between them and Hasbro, Star Wars items were everywhere.

More people seemed to dress up as DC comic characters than usual. This may have had something to do with DC's announcement of 52 new or improved comics.

Children's cartoon characters seemed more prevalent than usual.

I did get to spend an hour with Marilyn Thomas, an independent Native filmmaker from British Columbia. She's visiting Los Angeles for a few months to increase her profile and advance her projects. We talked about the differences between Hollywood (no creative control) and Canada's APTN (no money). And how challenging it is to brave the freeways and find your way around LA.

And we had a couple of celebrity sightings, including Jon Heder from Napoleon Dynamite and Johnny Knoxville from Jackass. But that was about it for our time at Comic-Con.

For more on the subject, see Pix of Comic-Con 2010 and Report on Comic-Con 2010.

Off to San Diego '11

I'm off for my annual visit to the San Diego Comic-Con Thursday. As usual, I'll be looking for evidence of Indians and other minorities in comics.

Among the Natives who may be there are Adam Beach (Cowboys and Aliens), Kiowa Gordon (Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn), singer/writer Arigon Starr, actor Rick Mora, filmmaker Marilyn Thomas, and comic-book artist Ted Tso. Alas, Beach and Gordon may be there Saturday while I'm there Thursday.

Oh, well. Stay tuned for my report and pictures.

For more on the subject, see Comic-Con Protest vs. Dudesons Protest and Pix of Comic-Con 2010.

Comic-Con, Eclipse, and Sons of Tucson

Indian Comics Irregular #195:  Seeking Minorities at Comic-Con

Comic-Con protest vs. Dudesons protest

Another debate with Michael Cooke on protests--this time in response to Thoughts on the Comic-Con Protest. I started the debate by posting the following on Facebook:

Comic-Con's anti-hate rally = AIM's anti-Dudesons rally.

Cooke's response:One was absurdist and funny and one was not.Both protests challenged bigoted stereotypes: gays = beasts and Indians = savages. Both sent a message through the media: These beliefs and stereotypes are unacceptable.

How the protesters chose to protest is a detail. Once you concede that a public protest is an effective way to bring attention to your cause, my side has won the debate.

According to your "logic," the Comic-Con people should've just let the Fred Phelps protesters go unchallenged. After all, the idea that homosexuals are immoral is part of our "cultural commons." And protesters could be fighting AIDS or poverty among gays rather than challenging the Phelps claims. The two situations are conceptually quite similar.

Fortunately, the Comic-Con people understand how to influence public opinion, unlike you. You don't do it by ignoring the opposite side and hoping it will go away. You challenge it publicly to demonstrate what regular people consider unacceptable in our society. To persuade those who are undecided or openminded that the bigots are wrong.

Racism okay if it isn't hateful?

Cooke tries again:The Fred Phelps protest at the Comic Con was anti-American rather than anti-gay (they weren't then expressing homophobia!) and very small--the reaction/counter demonstration was far larger and more meant to make fun of or parody the Phelps gang rather than to attack them directly.

The Dudesons TV show is meant to be humorous and may have been insensitive in the attempt, but is not comparable to the Phelps crew as an intentional expression of HATE. The protest against the show was very serious, angry and small (much as the Phelps crew was serious angry and small).

The comparison couldn't possibly be any worse.

The Comic-Con folks were acting spontaneously and creatively in response to a planned protest by the Phelps crew.

To use my argument against me, what would be necessary would be for the counter protesters to be proactive protestors and protest the Westboro Baptist Church directly.

And really, it's not done. Why? Because if you protest the Westboro's Christian homophobia in their church, you are a hypocrite if you refuse to challenge the homophobia in any other church. And no one is willing to go there.

Not even you, Rob."Fags Are Beasts" isn't homophobia?! Wrong.

The Phelps protesters were anti-America only to the extent that America is pro-gay. Their primary target very clearly was gays.

Some of the counter-protesters read about the Phelps protest in advance and prepared accordingly. Not that it matters, but it wasn't just a spontaneous response.

I didn't say the Dudesons were expressing hate. I said the two protests were effective in gaining publicity for gays and Indians against bigotry and stereotyping. What part of that do you disagree with, and why?

The Indians targeted MTV rather than the Finnish performers because MTV is the one perpetuating the offense after being told it's offensive. That isn't innocent fun, it's intentional harm. When you repeat bigoted words and images when you should know better, ignorance is no longer an excuse.

You don't even know what happened at AIM's protest against MTV. You have no clue whether the activists used humor, anger, or what. So spare us the sophistry that there's a right way and a wrong way to protest. You're criticizing AIM because you don't think Native stereotypes are that bad. You're okay with racism against Indians.

Size justifies protest?

Indians can't help it if they're only 1% of the population rather than 10% or whatever for gays. Of course their protests are going to be smaller and less effective. Especially in a place like Southern California where they're diffused among the general population.

So what? That's an argument for changing your demographics, not against protesting as a means of social change. Every movement starts small and gains adherents by establishing its presence. Scattered local activism evolves into sustained national activism. Duh.

You don't need to go to someone's home to protest their activities. Again, you don't seem to get the point of protests. It's not primarily to change the minds of the people you're protesting. As I said before, it's to move the needle of public opinion in general. Your ignorance of this may explain why you don't understand how and why protests work.

Finally, the fact that you consider racist stereotypes "funny" says it all. Whether you realize it or not, you're implicitly prejudiced against Indians. You don't expect people to laugh at the "fags = beasts" meme, but you do expect them to laugh at the "Indians = savages" meme. Thanks for demonstrating your bigotry, bigot.

For more on the subject, see Indians Shouldn't Act Uppity and Devil's Advocate Defends Saginaw Grant.

Below:  Cooke the bigot thinks racist stereotyping is funny. "Ha ha, look at what the dumb savages used to do!"

Thoughts on the Comic-Con protest

Some thoughts to accompany my report and pix of the 2010 Comic-Con--specifically the anti-gay protest:

When comic-book nerds support gay rights, you can believe the issue has gone mainstream. That makes it safe for others to think and say, "You know, maybe gays really are harmless. Maybe it's okay to let them marry."

This is one way protests influence public opinion: by moving the needle on what's acceptable or unacceptable. Claim that "fags are beasts" and hundreds of normal people will shout you down. You can rethink your position or become a reviled outcast...your choice.

The same thing happens with protests against racism and stereotyping. If you protest often enough and get enough people behind you, it'll shift the needle on the acceptability of these things. Beliefs and expressions that were acceptable won't be any longer.

For more on particular protests, see:

Asians protest Last Airbender
Zazzle's "Indian name" t-shirts
Natives lead Arizona law protest
Anti-Dudesons protest at MTV Awards

For more on protests in general, see:

Indians shouldn't act uppity?
Do protests work?
Protesting stereotypes = cop-out?

Pix of Comic-Con 2010

Here are some pictures to accompany my report on the 2010 Comic-Con and the anti-gay protest:

San Diego Comic-Con--July 22, 2010 (morning)
San Diego Comic-Con--July 22, 2010 (lunch)
San Diego Comic-Con--July 22, 2010 (afternoon)

Plus:

Super Heroes vs. the Westboro Baptist Church
Victor Rocha's Photos--Comic-Con 2010

Starring Iron Man, Green Lantern, Lord Voldemort, Boba Fett, Stormtroopers, Neytiri, Bender, the Pope, Jesus, Hitler, the Big Bang Theory cast, zombies, robots, monsters, Indians, and more.

For more on the subject, see Comic Books Featuring Indians.

Report on Comic-Con 2010

Thursday I attended the opening day of this year's San Diego Comic-Con. As usual, I went with my pal Victor, an enrolled Pechanga Indian. This time his young friends Rebecca and Eric accompanied us.

As always, I looked for signs of Native and multicultural work. Here's what we saw:

Zombies, vampires, and post-apocalyptic worlds continued to be big. Among licensed properties, Star Wars seems to be the perennial champ.

The movies getting the biggest push included Green Hornet, Tron: Legacy, and Battle: Los Angeles. I don't know how big they'll be, but they don't have the same cachet as Iron Man, Harry Potter, or Lord of the Rings.

Avatar had almost no presence. There was one giant statue of Neytiri, the hot Indian Na'vi princess, and one vendor was selling a few Neytiri figurines. She may have been there only because she's a sexy fantasy female, not because anyone is demanding Avatar merchandise.

Twilight also had almost no presence, which was a bit surprising. I guess comics and sci-fi fans don't overlap much with Twilight fans.

The Last Airbender also had almost no presence, which probably wasn't surprising given its critical drubbing. I did see one or two kids dressed as Aang, the Asian hero played by a white actor.

Jonah Hex had no presence at all. That must be one of the biggest losers that could've been a franchise.

Native and multicultural aspects

A couple of booths were selling black comic books. Other than that and the usual Japanese anime and manga, I didn't see many signs of minority-themed creative projects.

One t-shirt artist says he was donating part of the proceeds to the fight against SB 1070, Arizona's anti-immigrant law. Nice touch, but it would've been better if he were advertising his opposition on a sign rather than telling to a few customers.

I believe this artist also was working on "Aliens vs. Predators" video. I.e., immigrants vs. enforcers...get it? The one second of video I saw showed Latinos firing futuristic weapons at somebody.

The Blacklava booth was selling Racebending and other t-shirts with pro-Asian messages. It may have been the only booth with an overt message about racial politics.

The Neytiri statue was the biggest example of an "indigenous" presence, and she's a Smurf-cat alien. That's sad.

We saw a poster of Tonto as a knife-wielding savage and a painting of Turok as a dinosaur-killing savage. We saw a few pages of old Western comic-book art featuring Indians, and Victor bought a copy of INDIANS #17 (Spring 1953). A vendor had a Deftones poster with an Aztec priest and a winged serpent.

And that's about it for the Native presence. It was about as close as you can get to zero without being zero.

A genuine protest

We did have one notable multicultural encounter. Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church, the people who protested gays at a military funeral, showed up at lunchtime to harangue the fans and motorists. They carried signs saying "Fags Are Beasts" and the like.

But the Comic-Con people were prepared. Some had counter-signs such as "God Hates Fred Phelps." Others used hyperbole such as "God Hates Kittens" and "Kill All Humans." This did an effective job of parodying the protesters' fanaticism.

You can read more about it here. Eventually the anti-gay protesters left. Victor tweeted the following:The Comic-Conners chased Fred Phelps & his haters away from the event. The Force is strong with the nerds.It makes sense that people who love aliens, monsters, and elves would be tolerant toward gays. But there's a huge contingent of fans who love vigilantes, warriors, and serial killers. I wonder if they're pro-gay too. Did they join the counter-protest or stay indoors with their ultra-macho, ultra-violent "heroes"? Overall impressions The Con may have been slightly less crowded this year. Since the crowds are a huge problem, that's good. Trends: Toys and video games were up this year. Movies and TV shows were down. Comics held their ground: Marvel and DC were down, but smaller publishers were up. Some people have proposed a Creator-Con as an alternative to Comic-Con. This would return the focus to comics. My pal Victor proposed a similar idea called Comic-Con for Comics. Good one, Vic. Comic-Con is becoming a Wal-Mart of pop culture. It needs to stop kowtowing to vendors selling merchandise and return to satisfying fans. For more on the subject, see Pix of Comic-Con 2009 and Report on Comic-Con 2009.

Pix of Comic-Con 2009

Here are some pictures to accompany my report on the 2009 Comic-Con and my Twilight adventure:

San Diego Comic-Con--July 23, 2009

Starring Edward James Olmos (William Adama), Michael Hogan (Saul Tigh), Bruce Campbell, Boba Fett, Ahsoka Tano, Michael Jackson, Iron Man, Bartman, a Sleestak, Star Trek cologne, robots, monsters, and more. Not to mention Rob Pattinson (Edward Cullen), Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black), and Kiowa Gordon (Embry Call) from Twilight and New Moon.

For more on the subject, see Comic Books Featuring Indians.

Our Twilight adventure

As I said, Victor, Eric, Rebecca, and I walked the Comic-Con floor Thursday, but our big adventure happened elsewhere.

In addition to the Twilight panel at Comic-Con, the Twilight people scheduled a series of Q&As at a nearby theater complex. Fans stood in line for hours...to buy tickets for $11 apiece...to see the actors up close. The dozen or so actors were split into two groups, I think. After a long wait, the fans were trotted into an empty theater to spend 7-8 minutes with group 1 and 7-8 minutes with group 2. (Not a good expense of time and money, if you ask me, but I'm not a Twilight fan.)

Anyway, Kiowa Gordon (Hualapai), one of the New Moon Wolf Pack, decided to fly from Arizona at the last minute for these events. Only problem was, no one knew he was coming. So his mother called my pal Victor and asked if he could pick Kiowa up at the airport.

While Eric and I continued to wander the Con, Victor and Rebecca fetched the young wolf-man. We met at the Hard Rock Hotel downtown, where Twilight had a hospitality suite. Saying we were Kiowa's "people," we escorted him to the 11th-floor room.

Into the Twilight world

There a woman said she'd get us into the Q&A event. While Kiowa signed posters, we walked to the Pacific Theaters complex several blocks away. After some confusion and a break for ice cream, we finally got two tickets, two bracelets, and two staff passes. We still didn't know what was happening or what our passes were good for.

We returned to the Con to get the kids some Big Lebowski and Harry Potter souvenirs. Then we returned to Pacific Theaters for the third time. Whew...a lot of walking back and forth.

With our passes, the Twilight people let us into the lobby. There we could view the Nordstrom line of Twilight clothing or buy posters and tote bags while we waited.

Eventually the actors appeared from somewhere, paraded past us, and posed outside for the adoring crowd. We couldn't see this well from the lobby, but it looked crazy. Perhaps a thousand Twihards lined the street and screamed for Edward, Bella, and Jacob.

The actors returned and went upstairs. We talked to someone in charge and, using the "Kiowa's people" line again, followed them. We reached a closed-off theater with guards but, calling ourselves "Kiowa's family" this time, got in.

This theater was the "green room" where the actors waited between Q&A sessions. Everyone was there: Rob Pattinson in a baseball cap, Kristen Stewart looking like Joan Jett for an upcoming movie, Taylor Lautner sitting way up in back with a buddy.



Hanging with the stars

Victor and I and his two young charges sat at the far side of the theater by ourselves. I think we were the only "civilians" in the place. Everyone else was a Twilight actor or support staff.

Eric and Rebecca got up the courage to ask the actors for autographs. The actors were polite and obliging, so the kids eventually scored 13 or so autographs each. Thirteen Twilight autographs on a Comic-Con pass--that may be a record. Those passes may be valuable someday, if they aren't already.

Kiowa came over and hung with us for a while, so we learned he wants to start a band playing eclectic music. Victor traded a Joan Jett comment with Kristen Stewart, since she's doing a Jett biopic and Victor once worked with Jett's band. Eric went over to hang with some stars and was soon telling them about his favorite movie, The Big Lebowski.

All in all we spent about two hours watching the Twilight stars from our vantage point. It was a rare chance to observe Hollywood celebrities in their environment.

Again not knowing what was happening, we got to see a final Q&A session with the Twilight actors, including Kiowa. We learned that the fans, who are about 90% girls, ask a lot of silly questions. I think someone mistook Kiowa for Taylor Lautner--because all Indians look alike? I think someone else asked him to take off his shirt.

Others asked if they could pose for a picture with the stars or get their autographs. That goes beyond silly to selfish and stupid in a room with hundreds of people who want the same thing. "Can I monopolize the stars' time while the rest of you spend your $11 watching me?" Uh, no.

Fleeing the scene

Finally the evening ended. The stars returned to the bus that brought them over and the Twihards, still waiting outside, screamed. Kiowa got his bag and came with us. We walked to Victor's car and nobody recognized Kiowa. (No doubt that'll change with the release of New Moon.)

Because Kiowa had nowhere to stay, Victor volunteered to take him home and get him to the airport the next day. And that's where we parted. I gather Victor's wife and the kids enjoyed having that cute li'l wolf-boy to themselves for a day.

So that was our Twilight adventure. We got to see the Twilight phenomenon up close and personal from the Indian's-eye perspective. It's hard to imagine lovesick girls fans going ga-ga over Twilight until you see it.

To me it reinforced the point I've been making all along: that Indians should be involved in books or movies about Indians. Twilight is a huge opportunity to spread the message that Indians are modern-day people who star in movies. And not a vanishing breed found only on signs and postcards.

For more on the subject, see Quileute Werewolves in Twilight.

Report on Comic-Con 2009

My pal Victor Rocha and I spent a few hours on the Comic-Con floor Thursday with Victor's young friends Eric and Rebecca. Other than our Twilight adventure (which I'll describe later), here's what we saw.

Alas, things haven't changed much since my report on Comic-Con 2008. Read that to get a baseline of the Comic-Con experience.

Fewer comics dealers and independent publishers than ever. If there was an artists alley or art show, I didn't see them. The organizers may have moved them somewhere else.

No minorities worth mentioning--either behind or in front of the booths. Even the Japanese manga and anime presence seemed muted. Comic-Con is a lot whiter than the real world.

Lots of Boba and Jango Fett statues and toys. Since when has the Fett family become the most popular Star Wars figures?

Some Michael Jackson merchandise but no Farrah Fawcett merchandise.

Fewer zombie products than last year.

A big display for the upcoming movie 2012, but only one hint of its basis in the Maya calendar.

Displays for The Last Airbender, which features white actors playing Asian and Inuit roles.

Displays for James Cameron's Avatar, which features an alien but indigenous humanoid tribe.

A few celebrity sightings--including the inevitable Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) but not the inevitable Lou Ferrigno.

For more on the subject, see Comic Books Featuring Indians.

Back from San Diego '09

Celebrity sightings at Comic-Con: Edward James Olmos and Michael Hogan of Battlestar Galactica, Bruce Campbell of Burn Notice, and Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner of Twilight. As for Kiowa Gordon of the Wolf Pack, we got to spend a lot of time with him. More to follow.

Twilight panel at Comic-Con

'New Moon' Cast And Director Delight Fans With Footage At Comic-Con

Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner and Chris Weitz take questions from the crowd and preview footage in San Diego.As soon as the "Twilight" portion of Summit Entertainment's panel began, fans started screaming and it didn't stop once director Chris Weitz was joined onstage by Ashley Greene, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson.

The room of mostly female fans erupted into deafening screams when Lautner and Pattinson entered, with dozens of them yelling, "I love you, Rob!" or "I love you, Taylor!"

As the stars were asked about the filming of the movie, Lautner talked about how important his character's various transformations were to the way he approached the role.

"Jacob goes through a lot in this movie—he transforms mentally and emotionally," Lautner explained. "The most challenging for me was physically, so I had a lot of hard work cut out for me after filming 'Twilight.' I worked really hard to transform Jacob's body so I could portray him correctly for all you guys. And I hope you guys are pleased when you see the results."Comment:  Here's how crazy the Twilight phenomenon is. People were camping out Monday night for a Thursday panel. For a chance to spend an hour with the Twilight stars and 6,500 other fans in a huge room.

Comic-Con 2009:  10 Kick-Ass Sights from the Show Floor, Day 2Even with a 6,500 seating capacity, the line for Hall H was never fewer than 1000 fans strong. At 8am in the morning, we estimated that over 8000 people were already in line, braving the San Diego sun for a chance to sit in on the Disney 3D, Avatar, and yes, Twilight movie panels. We took unabashed glee when the event staff announced to the line that the Twilight panel had reached capacity--over 250 people immediately dropped out of line after the announcement.This shows why it's important to have genuine Native actors and Native lore in Native-themed productions. For many people, Twilight will be the most significant Native experience of their lives.

The Native actors in New Moon eventually should get a piece of this action. But imagine if a Native actor were getting the same attention as Taylor Lautner. People would be clamoring to know more about Indians because of him.

Anyway, we didn't see the Twilight panel, but we did see the stars up close and personal at a nearby theater. More on that later.

For more on the subject, see Quileute Werewolves in Twilight.

Off to San Diego '09

I'm off for my annual visit to the San Diego Comic-Con Thursday. As usual, I'll be looking for evidence of Indians and other minorities in comics. I may see or even meet Kiowa Gordon of the Wolf Pack at a Twilight panel. Stay tuned for my report and pictures.

Black Ghost at Comic-Con 2008

I forgot to mention one curious note I saw at this year's Comic-Con. It was a flyer taped to an empty table announcing something called "Black Ghost and Coyote the Trickster." I gather it's a Western comic book similar to the Lone Ranger and Tonto and any number of variants. I searched the Net but couldn't find anything about it.

Not that I'm impressed with the concept, mind you. I'm sure there have been several cowboy heroes with the words "black" or "ghost" in their names. I think there was a Night Phantom also--same idea. And the COYOTE comic book already gave us a human coyote trickster, so this Indian sidekick seems unoriginal and uninspiring.

Oh, well. For more on the subject, see Thoughts on the San Diego Comic-Con 2000+.

Pix of Comic-Con 2008

Here are some pictures to accompany my report on the 2008 Comic-Con:

San Diego Comic-Con--July 24, 2008

Alas, my pal Victor Rocha (an enrolled Pechanga) was about the only Indian we saw.

For more on the subject, see Comic Books Featuring Indians.

Report on Comic-Con 2008

My pal Victor Rocha and I spent a few hours on the Comic-Con floor Thursday. Here's what we observed:

The major comic-book companies have had a smaller presence in recent years. This year they seemed smaller than ever.

As usual, movie studios and TV networks advertised their wares. The latest Hollywood juggernauts got their due, with displays for Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and Dark Knight along with the upcoming Watchmen and Star Wars: Clone Wars.

Toy companies were a major force this year, with large displays by Mattel, Hasbro, Lego, and a company called Sideshow Collectibles. A lot of the smaller booths were selling statuettes, dolls, stuffed toys, clothing...anything but comics.

Making up for the lack of major comics companies was the incredible diversity of independent comics and artists. The talent and creativity on display in booth after booth was nothing short of amazing.

For some reason, zombies were big this year. You could find a zombie version of almost anything--for instance, Hot Zombie Chicks and Zombie Jesus.

Once again, there were almost no minority-related projects. (That's not counting Japanese anime, which isn't minority-related in Japan.) A few black-owned comic books and that was about it.

The Indian presence at Comic-Con was almost nil. Victor bought an oversized book of Edward S. Curtis photographs and a copy of Native Americans in Comic Books by Michael Sheyahshe, which is finally out. He also bought a print of worried-looking cowboys facing--wait for it--zombie Indians. We saw a toy diorama of savage Indians chasing Indiana Jones and a splash page from an old Tonto comic. Other than that, Indians were basically invisible.

The show seemed a little less crowded than previous years--perhaps because they didn't sell daily passes at the door. Attendees had to be pre-registered. But a few times we hit crowd conditions approximating a can of sardines--especially when someone foolishly designated an aisle "one way."

Celebrity sightings: Avery Brooks of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, John Barrowman and Gareth David-Lloyd of Torchwood, boxer Randy Couture, and the inevitable Lou ("Hulk") Ferrigno.

For a look at all the wackiness, see Pix of Comic-Con 2008.

Below:  John Barrowman in Torchwood, a good British sci-fi series similar to The X-Files.