Legion M, the world’s first fan-owned entertainment company, releases their full San Diego Comic-Con schedule. The company will have a big presence uniting their investors and fans at the world’s premiere fan event. Fresh off of hosting Stan Lee’s groundbreaking hand and foot print ceremony in Hollywood, Legion M will celebrate the iconic career of the Marvel co-founder with “Stan Lee & Friends: A Celebrity Tribute to the Comic Legend.” Legion M will also celebrate and unite two of the most devout fan bases in pop culture, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Stargate SG-1, with individual 20th anniversary celebration panels and parties.
In just over one year, Legion M has released their first film – Neon’s Colossal starring Anne Hathaway – and have multiple TV/digital series in development including horror-anthology series The Field Guide To Evil and Pitch Elevator, where fans pitch their projects to TV and film executives for a chance to win a development deal. Additional projects include New York Rock Exchange, Upside and The Afterword. One of their series, ICONS: Face to Face, featuring Stan Lee and Kevin Smith, will debut first-look footage at Comic-Con. With the Legion M community now at roughly 12,000 members, the company is poised for another big year connecting with fans at the event at that inspired their inception.
Legion M’s full SDCC schedule is below.
Thursday, July 20
6:00 pm
Through the Gate: Celebrating the Stargate Franchise
Location: Marriott Marquis Grand, Room 1 & 2
Exclusive news, sneak peeks and giveaways will be shared during the 20th anniversary celebration panel. Damian Beurer (Community Manager, Legion M), David Read (Gateworld), Sam Toles (SVP of Digital & New Platforms, MGM), Kieran Dickson (Stargate Consultant and Editorial Director) and special guests will moderate.
More Info:https://comiccon2017.sched.com/event/BNjg/through-the-gate-celebrating-the-stargate-franchise?iframe=no&w=680&sidebar=no&bg=no
7:30 pm
Stargate 20th Anniversary Fandom Party hosted by LEGION M
Location: Side Bar – 536 Market St., San Diego, CA 92101
Legion M invites Stargate fans to celebrate 20 years since the premiere of Stargate SG-1 with a Stargate cosplay contest, classic Stargate trivia challenges, exclusive videos and fan giveaways at the 20th anniversary celebration. In attendance will be Stargate super-fans Damian Beurer (Host, Cosplayer & Legion M Community Manager), David Read (Co-Host & Gateworld editor), Dean Newbury (Stargate Cosplayer) and Ryan Nixon (Stargate Cosplayer).
More Info:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/stargate-20th-anniversary-fandom-party-hosted-by-legion-m-tickets-36014955702
Friday, July 21
10:30 am
Comic Book Law School: 202
Location: San Diego Convention Center Room 11
Learn how to tackle the advanced issues in commercializing your creative work with this interactive seminar featuring Terri Lubaroff (entertainment attorney and Legion M Content Acquisition), Michael Lovitz (attorney and author of The Trademark and Copyright Book comic book) and David Lizerbram (entertainment attorney).
More Info: https://comiccon2017.sched.com/event/BP5M/comic-book-law-schoolacircreg-202-help-is-on-the-way?iframe=yes&w=680&sidebar=no&bg=no#
12:30 pm
SDCC: Stan Lee & Friends: A Celebrity Tribute to the Comic Legend
Premiere of ICONS: Face to Face VR Footage
Location: San Diego Convention Center Room 6DE
Join Felicia Day, Adam Savage and Max Anderson (Stan Lee’s manager) for an intimate discussion about Lee’s life and career. During the panel, Legion M will premiere footage from their virtual reality project, ICONS: Face to Face. The project features trailblazers who have shaped the entertainment industry. Lee is the first to be featured.
More Info: https://comiccon2017.sched.com/event/BP63/stan-lee-and-friends-a-celebrity-tribute-to-the-comics-legend?iframe=no&w=680&sidebar=no&bg=no
Saturday, July 22
12:00 pm
Cospositive: Cosplay with Confidence
Location: Marriott Marquis Grand, Room 1 & 2
Ivy Doomkitty (SYFY’s Heroes of Cosplay, body positive advocate), D-Piddy (YouTuber, international cosplayer), and David Baxter (Legion M Head of Development, Larger Than Life Cosplay) discuss body image and confidence in oneself, self-worth, ways to work on confidence, and how to stay positive in the community when faced with negative people or negative comments on social media. Cosplaying regardless of age, skin color, gender, body type/size, disability, etc. will be covered. Moderated by Bernadette Bentley (actor, cosplayer).
More Info: https://comiccon2017.sched.com/event/BQ1l/cospositive-cosplay-with-confidence?iframe=no&w=680&sidebar=no&bg=no
6:00 pm
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Fandom Party
Location: Side Bar 536 Market St., San Diego, CA 92101
Hosted by Legion M and 20th Century Fox, the 20th anniversary celebration includes a Buffy fandom feud trivia contest, Buffy cosplay contest and a chance for fans to reenact their favorite moments from the series.
More Info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/buffy-20th-anniversary-fandom-party-hosted-by-legion-m-tickets-35698917423

Movie
No Question Mark Box Here; Super Mario Delivers a 1-Up in Theaters

If you were born in the ’80s, ’90s, or literally ANY decade after those, you know about Super Mario. A cultural phenomenon was brought to life on the big screen this last weekend. One that has not only stood the test of time but reinvented itself time and time again. This wasn’t even the first time it’s been made into a movie but, well, let’s be honest.. some of us choose not to acknowledge the LIVE action adaptation of the beloved game from 30 years ago.
It was pretty bad… But this was animation. ILLUMINATION animation at that. The Universal company that brought us Gru and his Minions, showed us the Secret Life of Pets, and gave us a reason to SING! Still, I had my reservations and even some concerns, especially when the casting was announced.
Eyebrows were raised. As big of stars as they were on paper, could they really deliver on voicing characters from a staple of our childhood? They did.
Chris Pratt and Charlie Day may not be Italian, and Jack Black may not be a King or Turtle creature from the Mushroom Kingdom, but they make the characters their own all while paying homage to the lore of a video game.
From the jump, the story reintroduces us to the brothers that just want to save Brooklyn one clogged sink at a time. We feel an instant connection and relate to these “underdogs of the plumbing world”. The movie is riddled with easter eggs, each of which tugs on the heartstrings of every generation of Mario fandom. And the soundtrack was beautifully put together to not only make us feel like we’re taking a walkthrough of the game but like an experience all its own with some familiar favorites thrown in.
Every word in the movie is pure eye candy for both those that are casual fans, and those analyzing every frame to see what they’ll catch next. Bowser’s ship, the Mushroom Kingdom, Kong’s arena, and the Rainbow Road.. They’re all meant to give us just enough of a “new” look at these amazing worlds, but stay true to how we remember them.
The movie itself moves along at the perfect pace. Although, if you don’t really know ANYTHING about the Super Mario Bros, you may have gotten a little lost and felt left behind in the green tunnel. But that’s ok! It’s an adventure of the imagination and a classic story of a boy that meets a girl and tries to save the world from a monster that wants to destroy it.
What’s funny is that you could easily say this is a story about two characters who couldn’t be more opposite if they tried, battling to win the heart of a princess. Who would’ve thought that the King of the Koopas was just trying to impress his crush?
And that song? Ohhh THAT song! It’s my new ringtone and deserves the Oscar for Best Original Song.
Back to the movie.
Universal and Illumination clearly understood the assignment. Is it missing some things or could things have been done differently or even better? Absolutely! We’re the worst critics of the things we hold nearest and dearest to our hearts. But if you’re up for going on a 90-minute adventure through amazing worlds, with awesome music, and characters that’ll make you smile and laugh, then this is the perfect movie to spring you into that warm summer feeling.
Plus there’s the whole part with karts and shells, and banana peels and oh my goodness how amazing was that?? It’s enough to make you want to stand up and cheer, then go home and destroy your friends and family on your favorite track haha.
The bottom line, it pays homage in all the right ways to the little guy with the mustache, while giving us something new and exciting. Take the kids and go see Super Mario Bros. You’ll be glad you did!
Events
Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment returns to WonderCon 2023


Justice League x RWBY: Superheroes & Hunters Opening Act Saturday, March 25 at 1:30 p.m. on North 200A. Talent confirmed so far to participate in the post-screening panel is Natalie Alyn Lind (Big Sky, The Goldbergs, Gotham) as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince and longtime RWBY cast member Lindsay Jones (Camp Camp) as Ruby, Kara Eberle ( RWBY: Ice Queendom) as Weiss, Arryn Zech (Detective Now Dead) as Blake and Barbara Dunkelman (Blood Fest) as Yang – along with Jeannie Tirado (Soul, Saints Row) as Green Lantern and Tru Valentino (The Rookie, The Cuphead Show!) as a cyborg. Also attending the panel will be producer/director Kerry Shawcross (series RWBY) and writer Meghan Fitzmartin (Supernatural, Justice Society: World War II).

Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment returns to WonderCon 2023 with the big screen debut from DC Animated Films: highlights this year include the world premieres of the highly anticipated Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham and Justice League x RWBY: Superheroes & Hunters Part One the weekend of March 24-26 in Anaheim, California. Both screenings will be followed by panel discussions with actors and creators. Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham premieres at The Arena on Friday, March 24 at 6 p.m. Tati Gabrielle (Kaleidoscope, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Uncharted) as Kai Li Cain, Christopher Gorham (The Lincoln Lawyer, Insatiable) as Oliver Queen, David Dastmalchian (Dune, Suicide Squad, Ant-Man) as Grendon, producer/co-director Sam Liu (The Death and the Return of Superman), co-director Christopher Berkeley (Young Justice) and screenwriter Jase Ricci (Teen Titans Go! and DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem Across the Multiverse).
Both films will have encore screenings in the Arena on Sunday, March 26. Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen, Part One will screen at 12:15pm, followed by Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham at 2:00pm