Airspeed Prime here for the 4th year in a row to cover the Korra SDCC Panel for the site. As ever I am not at the convention, but I will be compiling information here from a variety of sources.
- Looks like Ballroom 20 is packed with Korra fans in huge anticipation for this panel. A lot to be excited for, but I think a room of fans also expecting an explanation for yesterdays dramatic news about Korra moving to digital release. I suspect the panel will be good as ever, but I feel they need a great showing to really get the fandom over yesterday.
- Right now it is 1 hour and 45 minutes until the panel starts. 11:15am San Diego Time. 1 hour long. We know an episode screening is expected, but that will be towards the end of the panel more than likely, up front we expect talk about the move to digital and some new Book 3 character discussion. Not to mention they have been asking online for fans to send in questions, let's hope they choose better ones to answer than last year.
- Before Korra is the Big Bang Theory panel, I wonder how many hardcore Big Bang fans lined up overnight with the Korra fans, by the sounds of things it is nearly all Korra fans :)
- 1 hour and 15 minutes to go. Not going to post more pics of the people just waiting, but please comment below with what you expect from this Korra panel?
- KorraNation on tumblr and Nick on twitter will both be posting updates live from the con. So expect the main info to come from them, with fan info to add to it.
- Anyone who has followed previous panel posts, will know of my now legendary internet browser tab count I have for these posts. Currently I am at 10 and we still have 1 hour and 7 minutes to go.
- Big Bang Theory Panel has started apparently.
- Exactly 1 hour to go until the panel starts!
- 45 minutes
- 30 to go!
- Janet Varney just posted this pic of her and some familiar faces pre panel
- 15 Minutes until the Korra panel starts
- Just 5 minutes to go, I won't do a countdown. Next time I post it will be something of note!
- Panel is starting!!!
- Panel moderator is just introducing our panelists, Janet Varney, Setchelle Gabriel, David Faustino, Mindy Sterling,John Micheal Higgins, Mike and Bryan. They are showing funny drawings of the characters with the Voice Actors.
- They are starting by addressing the switch to digital. Part of a huge change in the industry.
- Talking about how the number of digital downloads drastically outweighs the tv numbers.
- Mike and Bryan mention how they wished the transition was handled a lot better, but that the digital numbers are through the roof. Again state that starting August 1st we will get 1 episode a week digitally finishing Book 3 with a two parter on August 22nd.
- They mention that the plan initially for Book 3 was a full digital release, but they switched back to tv and then back again.
- They are showing the episode now, K308 The Terror Within. It is airing on tv in a few hours, so I won't be posting details here about it. Instead it will give me a chance to catch up on posting some pics from the panel so far.
- Here are the funny images they introduced the actors with
- Official Gif from K308 posted by KorraNation
- By all accounts tonight's episode seems ACTION PACKED!!!
- Episode is over, they are starting fan questions, with roughly half of the panel still to go.
- I am only going to post the questions if they are in any way interesting.
- Here we go, question about Korra and Asami's friendship and how they see it developing. Seychelle just says she loves any scene where girls will not let a guy come between them.
- Almost seems like they are afraid to give the crowd a live mic, questions chosen seem cherry picked for easy enough answers.
- John Michael Higgins mentions we will hear Varrick talk about his childhood at some point and it is beyond belief
- The questions are really bad, the voice actors are answering them perfectly well, but in terms of the few times a year we get to ask people on the show questions, the ones they are choosing to ask are very bad.
- This seems at least funny, Dee Bradley Baker has arrived and is leading the voice actors in a rendition of "SECRET TUNNEL" all of them in their character voices.
- Book 3 Artwork time!
- They show Bum-Ju in the sweater that Bumi made him
- Zaheer concept art, Bryan wanted someone who did not look like Tarrlok after Unalaq looked fairly similar.
- Ghazan is shown, Bryan likes designing characters with Tattoos
- Ming-Hua is based off of Bryan's friend, though his friend has arms.
- P'Li is shown
- Red Lotus is shown in winter gear
- They show Suyin next, followed by her husband Baatar and the eldest son is named Baatar Jr.
- They show Suyin's circus photo fullscreen followed by her family portrait
- They have some reps from Studio Mir to show some pencil tests
- Pencil tests for Bolin and Mako vs Ghazan and Ming-Hua. Zaheer's escape. Lin fighting P'Li and Zaheer.
- Panel is winding down, Mike is thanking everyone for coming. He says it will be the last Korra panel at SDCC, though they might be at New York Comic Con.
- http://madystacy.tumblr.com/post/92848523185/panel-sing-along-to-secret-tunnel Video of Secret Tunnel
- They show a trailer for the second half of Book 3. Team Avatar is wanted by the Earth Queen, Bolin and Asami playing Pai Sho, Korra in a strait jacket???
- That is the end of the panel. I will add a few more pictures when they are available, but I will be more focused trying to locate the new trailer.
- Thanks for following along!
- Overall I felt like this panel was a bit of a let down, I hope to actually hear what was said at the start about the digital move, but outside of the episode airing, it does not seem like it was the most exciting panel. Fan questions were terrible and the concept art while great will come in the art book. At least there is still the Video Game event tomorrow to look forward to.
- WOAH, this looks intense
