With no 'Game of Thrones' or 'Avengers,' Comic-Con rolls on as studios race to fill the gap

Ness "Nesshead" Magaña of Pacoima adjusts his steampunk goggles as he waits to get his entry badge to Comic-Con International last year at the San Diego Convention Center.

July 18, 2018 3:30 AM PT

“Game of Thrones” is MIA. A new “Star Wars” will not be blasting off. The superheroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are taking a timeout.

This year’s edition of Comic-Con, the annual gathering for thousands for comic book and pop culture fans eager to be the first to see what’s on the horizon of the heroic, fantastic and spectacular, is being preceded by the question, “Guess who’s not coming to San Diego?”

A four-day feast of panels, autograph sessions, parties and screenings, the 49-year-old Comic-Con has evolved from a gathering spot for mostly costumed fans of comic books and video games to celebrate their geekiness to a key promotional stamping ground for Hollywood studios and top stars to provide enticing, teasing glimpses of upcoming projects to audiences beyond the core comic book constituency.

But this year’s event may be more notable for the no-shows.

Citing production demands, HBO announced last month that it was pulling out of this year’s Comic-Con. That’s bad news for devotees of “Game of Thrones,” which is still shooting its final season, scheduled to air in 2019, and “Westworld,” about an amusement park filled with robot “hosts,” which racked up several Emmy nominations last week.

As for explaining the absence of “Star Wars” and Marvel’s many-pronged “Avengers” franchise, Comic-Con’s strength as a platform has, to an extent, led companies that own the properties to focus on events over which they have more control. Both properties are owned by Disney, which pulled them out of Comic-Con in favor of D23 Expo, a biennial, fan-centric gathering the company has utilized in the past to, among other things, announce plans for “Star Wars” attractions at its theme parks.

Marvel skipped Comic-Con 2015 as well, and in August 2019, fans of all the titles under Disney’s corporate umbrella will visit the Anaheim Convention Center for D23 panels similar to ones they may have once attended some 100 miles to the south.

In past years, major studios at Comic-Con have hyped their upcoming movies and shows with star-studded panels, exclusive footage and other surprises to boisterous crowds packed inside the San Diego Convention Center’s 65,000-square-foot Hall H. Naturally, studios aim to generate positive buzz about upcoming movies and shows, but they also recognize the presentations as an acknowledgement of the importance of devoted fans who wait in line for hours for the chance to make it into the room. A strong presentation in part helps let fans know their devotion is appreciated.

That said, the high expectations of Hall H have set a standard that studios don’t take lightly. Fox held back on showing any advance footage from “Deadpool 2” or its upcoming “X-Men” at last year’s Comic-Con, which disappointed fans at the time. Whatever buzz Guy Ritchie’s 2017 epic “King Arthur” may have generated in Hall H did not boost its poor showing at the box office. When Marvel revealed its plans to forgo the trip to San Diego in 2015, studio President Kevin Feig told the Hollywood Reporter, “If you can’t go to Comic-Con and over-deliver, then don’t go.”

Concerns over the health of Comic-Con have long circulated the fan community. The proliferation of other conventions in New York and Los Angeles along with Comic-Con’s sibling event WonderCon have led some insiders to question the value of Comic-Con. Plus, studios wary of footage leaking from Comic-Con onto the internet (as has happened with anticipated films like “Suicide Squad” and “Deadpool”) could be leery of how much they want to reveal.

But with Comic-Con committed to San Diego through 2021, the event’s viability at least in the near future seems secure. Some 135,000 passes again sold out quickly when they were released in January, and another 200,000 fans are again expected to crowd the area around the San Diego Convention Center, where interactive exhibitions tied to upcoming and current shows (called activations) will fill the streets.

“It’s all about the event, not about any one person,” comic- and TV-writer Mark Evanier told the San Diego Union-Tribune in advance of the convention, which he has attended every year since its 1970 debut. “They have no problem packing the room.”

However, not having Jon Snow or Iron Man in the Comic-Con mix presents an opportunity for movies and shows with smaller footprints that might have been previously regulated to smaller rooms, a reality that hasn’t escaped the notice of major studios.

No Marvel or HBO? No big deal, San Diego Comic-Con observers say »

Warner Bros. has booked Hall H to spotlight the CW’s teen favorite “Riverdale,” and projects from its DC Films stable including “Aquaman,” the Zachary Levi-led “Shazam!” and a glimpse of the next Wonder Woman film, “Wonder Woman 1984,” with a likely assist from star Gal Gadot (who’s been a hit at Comic-Con for the last three years). The studio’s arsenal also includes Wizarding World’s next installment, “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” the kaiju film “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” and “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.”

Universal will host panels on M. Night Shyamalan’s “Unbreakable” sequel, “Glass,” along with the latest installment of the horror warhorse “Halloween,” headed by co-writer Danny McBride and director David Gordon Green.

Sidestepping Disney’s control over much of the Marvel Universe, Sony Pictures will also present a Hall H panel on “Venom,” a Spider-Man spinoff that features Tom Hardy. 20th Century Fox will preview “The Predator,” an extension of the 1987 action franchise, and offer up a victory lap for its Marvel hit “Deadpool 2.”

Paramount has booked the massive room to introduce “Bumblebee,” a spinoff to the “Transformers” franchise. An avowed comic fan, the Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA will unveil “Cut Throat City,” a heist movie he directed.

“You’re either rallying your base to have more of a connection with you and then go out and spread the gospel, or you’re introducing your property to new fans,” Rachel Walker said in an interview with The Times last year. She has worked in marketing independent films and genre at multiple installments of Comic-Con.

As in previous years, television also puts a major footprint on Comic-Con. Major Hall H presentations include a session for “Star Trek: Discovery” and salutes to the 10th anniversaries of AMC’s “Breaking Bad” (tied to the screening for the season premiere of prequel “Better Call Saul”) and Joss Whedon’s cult favorite, “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.”

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Rachel House, Mark Ruffalo, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Taika Waititi, Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, and Karl Urban, from the film “Thor: Ragnarok.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Taika Waititi and Jeff Goldblum from the film “Thor: Ragnarok.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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From left: Ben Mendelsohn, T.J. Miller, Zak Penn, Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke and Ernest Cline from the film “Ready Player One.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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From left: T.J. Miller, Ben Mendelsohn, Olivia Cooke, Tye Sheridan from the film “Ready Player One.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Josh Hutcherson, left, Eliza Coupe and Derek Wilson from the television series “Future Man.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Eliza Coupe, from the television series “Future Man.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Josh Hutcherson from the television series “Future Man.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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“Riverdale” cast at the LA Times photo studio at 2017 Comic-Con.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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K.J. Apa, a.k.a. Archie Andrews from “Riverdale,” shows off his signature red hair at the L.A. Times photo studio at Comic-Con 2017.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Ashleigh Murray, from the television series “Riverdale,” photographed in the L.A. Times photo studio at Comic-Con 2017.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Madelaine Petsch, from the television series “Riverdale,” photographed in the L.A. Times photo studio at Comic-Con 2017.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Casey Cott, from the television series “Riverdale,” photographed in the L.A. Times photo studio at Comic-Con.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Lili Reinhart, from the television series “Riverdale,” photographed in the L.A. Times photo studio at Comic-Con 2017.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart, from the television series “Riverdale,” photographed in the L.A. Times photo studio at Comic-Con 2017.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart from the television series “Riverdale.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Aidy Bryant and Eric Knobel from the animated television series “Danger & Eggs.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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James Frain, Shazad Latif, Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Mary Wiseman and Anthony Rapp, from the television series “Star Trek Discovery,” photographed in the L.A. Times photo studio at Comic-Con 2017.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Sonequa Martin-Green from the television series “Star Trek Discovery.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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James Frain, from the television series “Star Trek Discovery,” photographed in the L.A. Times photo studio at Comic-Con 2017.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Doug Jones from the television series “Star Trek Discovery.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Anthony Rapp, from the television series “Star Trek Discovery.”

(Jay L. Clendinin / Los Angeles Times)

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Joe Keery, Natalia Dyer, and Dacre Montgomery, from the television series “Stranger Things.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Christine Adams, Cress Williams, China Anne McClain and Nafessa Williams from the television series “Black Lightning.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Cress Williams, who stars as the Black Lightning in the new TV series “Black Lightning,” was at the L.A. Times photo studio at Comic-Con 2017.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Cress Williams, Christine Adams, Nafessa Williams and China Anne McClain from the television series “Black Lightning.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Comic Book artist and illustrator Babs Tarr, in the L.A. Times photo studio at Comic-Con 2017.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Parisa Fitz-Henley, Dylan Bruce, Sarah Ramos, Francois Arnaud, Arielle Kebbel, Jason Lewis, Yul Vazquez and Peter Mensah from the television series “Midnight, Texas.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Taboo, Will.I.Am, and apl.de.ap of “The Black Eyed Peas.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Deedee Mango Hall, Rebecca Sugar, Michaela Dietz and Zach Callison, from the television series “Steven Universe.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Richard Rankin, from the television series “Outlander.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Dule Hill and James Roday, from the film “Psych: The Movie.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Isabelle Cornish, Sonya Balmores, Mike Moh, Anson Mount, Serinda Swan, Iwan Rheon, Eme Ikwuakor, Ken Leung and Ellen Woglom, from the television series “Marvel’s The Inhumans.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Ruth Negga, Dominic Cooper, Joseph Gilgun, Ian Colletti and Graham McTavish from the television series “Preacher.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Dominic Cooper from the television series “Preacher.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Graham McTavish from the television series “Preacher.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Tobias Menzies, Sam Heughan, Caitriona Balfe, Sophie Skelton and Richard Rankin, from the television series “Outlander.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Richard Rankin and Sam Heughan, from the television series “Outlander.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Sophie Skelton, from the television series “Outlander.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Michelle Gomez and Pearl Mackie, from the television series “Doctor Who.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Michelle Gomez, from the television series “Doctor Who.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Katie McGrath, David Harewood, Odette Annable, Jeremy Jordan, Melissa Benoist, Chris Wood and Mehcad Brooks.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Melissa Benoist, from the television series “Supergirl.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Mehcad Brooks, from the television series “Supergirl.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Jeremy Jordan, from the television series “Supergirl.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Katie McGrath, from the television series “Supergirl.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Chris Wood, from the television series “Supergirl.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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David Harewood, from the television series “Supergirl.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Chris Meloni, from the television series “Happy!,” photographed in the L.A. Times photo studio at Comic-Con 2017.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Grant Morrison and Chris Meloni, from the television series “Happy!,” photographed in the L.A. Times photo studio at Comic-Con 2017.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Jade Eshete, Samuel Barnett, Elijah Wood and Hannah Marks from the television series, “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Elijah Wood from the television series, “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Valorie Curry, Jackie Earle Haley, Peter Serafinowicz, Griffin Newman and Yara Martinez from the television series “The Tick.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Peter Serafinowicz and Griffin Newman, from the television series “The Tick,” photographed in the L.A. Times photo studio at Comic-Con 2017.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Peter Serafinowicz and Griffin Newman, from the television series “The Tick,” photographed in the L.A. Times photo studio at Comic-Con 2017, in San Diego, CA.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Justin Theroux, Kumail Nanjiani, and Michael Pena, from the film “The Lego Ninjago Movie,” photographed in the L.A. Times photo studio at Comic-Con 2017.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Justin Theroux, Kumail Nanjiani, and Michael Pena, from the film “The Lego Ninjago Movie,” photographed in the L.A. Times photo studio at Comic-Con 2017.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Justin Theroux, from “The Lego Ninjago Movie.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Olivia Munn, from the film “The Lego Ninjago Movie.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Michael Pena, from “The Lego Ninjago Movie,” photographed in the L.A. Times photo studio at Comic-Con 2017.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Zach Woods, from “The Lego Ninjago Movie.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Jon Bernthal and actress Deborah Ann Woll from the television series “Marvel’s The Punisher.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Jon Bernthal, from the television series “Marvel’s The Punisher,” photographed in the L.A. Times photo studio at Comic-Con 2017.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor LaKeith Stanfield, from the film “Death Note,” photographed in San Diego at Comic-Con, 2017. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actors Nat Wolff and Margaret Qualley from the film “Death Note photographed at Comic-Con in San Diego, 2017. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Director David Ayer, actress Lucy Fry and actor Edgar Ramirez from the film “Bright.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Noomi Rapace from the film “Bright.”

(Jay L. Clendinin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Joel Edgerton from the film “Bright.”

(Jay L. Clendinin / Los Angeles Times)

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Toks Olagundoye, Danny Pudi, David Tennant, Kate Micucci, Beck Bennett and Ben Schwartz from the television series “DuckTales.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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The new cast of DisneyXD’s “DuckTales” Danny Pudi, Ben Schwartz, Kate Micucci and David Tennant at the L.A. Times photo studio at Comic-Con 2017.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actors Tim Roth, Kimmy Robertson and Dana Ashbrook from the television series “Twin Peaks.”

(Jay L. Clendinin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Kyle McLaughlin, Matthew Lillard and Everett McGill from the television series, “Twin Peaks.”

(Jay L. Clendinin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor James Van Der Beek from the television series “What Would Diplo Do?”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Creator Noah Hawley, actress Jean Smart, executive producers John Cameron and Lauren Shuler Donner from the television series “Legion.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actress Jean Smart from the television series “Legion.”

(Jay L. Clendinin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actor Ricky Whittle from the television series “American Gods.”

(Jay L. Clendinin / Los Angeles Times)

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Producer Andrew Gernhard, director and executive producer Melissa Joan Hart, executive producer Paula Hart and writer Scott Abbott from the film “The Watcher in the Woods.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Director and executive producer Melissa Joan Hart from the film “The Watcher in the Woods.”

(Jay L. Clendinin / Los Angeles Times)

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Actresses Talitha Bateman and Lulu Wilson from the film “Annabelle: Creation.”

(Jay L. Clendinin / Los Angeles Times)

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Director David Sandberg, actress Stephanie Sigman and actor Anthony LaPaglia from the film “Annabelle: Creation.”

(Jay L. Clendinin / Los Angeles Times)

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Show creator Dana Gould, actress Janet Varney and actor John C. McGinley from the television series “Stan Against Evil, “

(Jay L. Clendinin / Los Angeles Times)

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Producers Tom Sheppard, left, Tom Root and Matt Senreich from the television series “Robot Chicken.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Genre fixtures like “Doctor Who” (and its first female doctor, Jodie Whittaker) and “The Walking Dead” occupy Hall H alongside its spinoff “Fear the Walking Dead.” “Talking Dead” host Chris Hardwick, who usually moderates those panels, has been sidelined due to recent abuse allegations from ex-girlfriend Chloe Dykstra. Filling in for both panels — as well as “Talking Dead” on an interim basis — will be Yvette Nicole Brown of “Community” fame.

Comic-Con also continues to provide a promotional lift for shows well beyond the zombie or superhero realms. NBC will present panels for comedies “The Good Place” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” the latter of which was recently picked up by the network after it was dropped by Fox.

A year-round Comic-Con? An under-wraps San Diego museum is slowly coming to life »

That said, for all of Comic-Con’s continued size and importance from a marketing perspective, its broader reach has also spelled an end of the road for some longtime fixtures. Denver’s Mile High Comics, which had maintained a presence in the convention’s main hall for 44 years, departed last year as founder Chuck Rozanski cited one property in particular when describing the decision to The Times.

“When you have HBO putting their ‘Game of Thrones’ experience across from the convention center, that acts as a real magnet ... you don’t want to see your customers leave for across the street,” he said.

This year will mark the exit of Bud Plant, a comics distributor who has exhibited at every Comic-Con since its inception. “After 48 consecutive years of exhibiting at Comic-Con, I am not going to set up this year,” Plant said in a Facebook post about the decision. “It’s nothing against the show itself. The attendees these days are, in general, not our customers or they are not looking for books.”

While HBO, Marvel and others are unlikely to stay away long, the decision for these exhibitors is more final as a Comic-Con that is focused on its namesake is unlikely to return. “San Diego Comic-Con is magic,” Rozanski added. “But it moved on and it’s not my world anymore.”

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