Original The Sandman illustrator David McKean may be formally retired, but he still had a little contribution to make to the upcoming Netflix The Sandman series, according to Neil Gaiman.

During a panel at San Diego Comic Con today, Gaiman revealed that McKean had contributed a little unique flair to each episode that we won't get to see until the show is out:

"When Sandman first started everyone asked me if Dave McKean would do anything, but he had retired, formally," Gaiman said. "But I called Dave and said, 'We are doing the TV show, you have to do something.' So every episode has end title sequences, and it’s a different sequence for each episode, that Dave McKean made."

Whatever McKean is contributing, it's sure to be wonderful, as the artist has an enormous portfolio of celebrated work including books by Gaiman, Ray Bradbury, Stephen King, and more, as well as having directed multiple films and done plenty of his own independent art.

Gaiman's Netflix Sandman series is debuting at last on August 5 after multiple failed attempts to get an adaptation greenlit. During today's panel we also got a look at multiple exclusive clips and a new trailer for the show. You can keep an eye on the rest of what's transpiring with Comic Con, including IGN's live coverage, right here.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' second season will feature a major crossover episode with Star Trek: Lower Decks that will mix the worlds of live-action and animation.

Paramount+ announced the news during the Star Trek Universe panel at San Diego Comic-Con and Strange New Worlds' star Anson Mount, who plays Captain Christopher Pike, revealed that Tawny Newsome's Ensign Beckett Mariner and Jack Quaid's Ensign Brad Boimler will join the U.S.S. Enterprise in this special episode.

Furthermore, Star Trek: The Next Generation actor and director Jonathan Frakes, who player Commander William Riker, will be directing the episode for a third Star Trek series connection.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds co-showrunner Henry Alonso Myers talked about how this unexpected crossover came to be and how the stars really did align to make it so.

"All of us are huge Lower Decks fans on the Strange New Worlds writing staff," Alonso Myers said. "One of our writers is also a writer on The Boys and had the idea for a crossover and we thought it would be great if we could get even more people to come on. The crazy thing is that we had a whole discussion about it and then Alex [Kurtzman] called us and said, out of nowhere and coincidently, “hey, you guys should do a crossover with Lower Decks,” and I was like, “Have I got good news for you!"

Alongside the Lower Decks crossover, the Gorn look to be a big part of Strange New Worlds future, and not in a great way for our crew.

"I think early on, when Akiva and I were breaking the pilot, we wanted the Gorn to be the big bad of the series; The idea of what we could to do with the Gorn now, with the technology, stretching them over the season as the big bad, it’s the exciting," executive producer Alex Kurtzman said. "It’s still episodic, but they’re there. It’s not going to be the only time you see the Gorn.”

Paul Wesley was also in attendance at Star Trek Universe, and on his birthday no less, and he talked about brining Captain James T. Kirk to life.

“We only saw Kirk for a handful of scenes in the finale and that was a particularly intense episode and when you go back and watch the original episode, 'Balance of Terror,' Kirk is quite intense in that episode so I look forward to fans seeing a different Kirk," Wesley said. "Certainly not a different timeline Kirk but one who is a bit lighter. As a lieutenant on the Farragut. Still finding his way. There’s more levity. It's an exciting season. So I’m looking forward to everyone seeing that."

Oh, and the team behind Strange New Worlds surprised Wesley with a Kirk cake for his birthday and it's just wonderful.

It’s Paul Wesley’s birthday so they brought him a custom creamy KirkCake™ #sdcc #StarTrekSDCC pic.twitter.com/DU6hv6pMIj

— Fowler Zip Zap Zop SDCC (@TheMattFowler) July 23, 2022

There is no premiere date or window for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' second season, but this news should excite fans and prove that the possibilties are endless for this show that is truly going where no one has gone before.

The first season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds recently came to a close and we gave it a rare 10/10. In our review, we said, "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ first season manages to recapture the joy of classic Trek in a way that perhaps many of us didn’t know was missing until we experienced this show."

The news of this crossover was accompanied by a teaser and posters for Star Trek: Picard's third season that shows the return of the crew of The Next Generation and a trailer for Lower Decks' third season that teases a visit to Deep Space 9.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Star Trek: Lower Decks received a trailer and character posters for its third season during the Star Trek Universe panel at San Diego Comic-Con and they tease a visit to Deep Space 9.

The trailer begins by showing the aftermath of Captain Freeman being put on trail following the Season 2 finale and shows some of the adventures the crew will go on when the series returns to Paramount+ on August 25, 2022.

Prepare yourself for warp 10 excitement! #StarTrekLowerDecks Season 3 premieres August 25 on @ParamountPlus! pic.twitter.com/QwOYsOMQL1

— Star Trek on Paramount+ (@StarTrekOnPPlus) July 23, 2022

While Deep Space 9 was only shown for a moment at the end, the trailer also features Beckett Mariner, D'Vana Tendi, Bradward Boimler, and Samanthan Rutherford at Sisko's Creole Kitchen, the New Orleans restaurant that was owned by Captain Benjamin Sisko's father Joseph.

Star Trek: Lower Decks creator and showrunner Mike McMahan stopped by the Star Trek Universe panel to give fans a few more details on this trip to Depp Space 9.

"Yes, on Lower Decks, we circle Deep Space 9 and we count the pylons," McMahan said. "Then we go into Deep Space 9 and enjoy the Kardassian architecture. And you might see some friendly faces in there. It feels to me like one last walk around Deep Space 9. I can’t wait for you guys to see it."

These four crew members were also featured in the character posters revealed during the panel, and you can check them out in the gallery below.

In our review of the first five episodes of the second season of Star Trek: Lower Decks, we said that it "continues that balanced groove with even more confidence in mixing comedy with away mission hijinks and character progression."

The Star Trek Universe Panel was full of other news, including a teaser and posters for Star Trek: Picard's third season that shows the return of the crew of The Next Generation and a live-action and animated crossover of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

The first teaser and posters for Star Trek: Picard's third and final season have been revealed and they feature many of the returning crew members from Star Trek: The Next Generation, including Geordi La Forge, Worf, Dr. Beverly Crusher, Deanna Troi, and Commander William Riker.

The teaser and poster were shown during the Star Trek Universe panel at San Diego Comic-Con and Jeri Ryan's Seven of Nine and Michelle Hurd's Raffi Musiker also received the character portrait treatment. The one notable crew member missing from these portraits is Brent Spiner's Data despite the confirmation that he will be returning.

As long as you remain steadfast, you are never without hope. #StarTrekPicard concludes with Season 3 in 2023, exclusively on @ParamountPlus. pic.twitter.com/MD2TTRi0gY

— Star Trek on Paramount+ (@StarTrekOnPPlus) July 23, 2022

The return of Star Trek: The Next Generation's crew was first announced during this year's First Contact Day celebrations, and Picard showrunner Terry Matalas shared a few words as to why Jean-Luc having his friends by his side for this final mission was the only way to go.

"I remember watching the premiere of ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ almost 34 years ago with my father like it was yesterday. It was the spark that ignited my love for science fiction,” said Picard Season 3 showrunner Terry Matalas. "So, it’s most fitting that the story of Jean-Luc Picard ends honoring the beginning, with his dearest and most loyal friends from the U.S.S. Enterprise. It would be an understatement to say that giving these characters a proper send-off is an honor. The entire STAR TREK: PICARD team and I can’t wait for fans to experience this final, high-stakes, starship-bound adventure in season three!”

At the Star Trek Universe panel, executive producer Alex Kurtzman discussed why the team had to fight against the idea of brining the whole crew back right away.

"When we first started, the first instinct is the bring back the entire crew of the Next Generation," Kurtzman said. "Patrick [Stewart] said if we're going to do the old crew we need to earn it. We didn’t want to have the crew come in and do cameos. We wanted to have everyone have significant roles and then also whet the appetites for fans. We wanted them all in different parts of the galaxy and then have them come in and unite together."

Star Trek: Picard will premiere on Paramount+ in 2023, and it looks to feature a "singular villain" that takes inspiration from the "mind games between Kirk and Khan" in Wrath of Khan. This final season will also deal with Picard facing trauma he underwent as a child that he's been trying to run away from his entire life.

In our review of the second season of Star Trek: Picard, we said that it is a "disappointing entry in the legendary captain’s journey, and possibly the worst season of Star Trek ever."

The Picard news was accompanied by a teaser and posters for the announcement of a live-action and animated crossover of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks and a trailer for Lower Decks' third season that teases a visit to Deep Space 9.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

During a San Diego Comic Con panel, we got a (sort of) update on George R.R. Martin's Winds of Winter, with the author confirming that he's still working on the book and doesn't intend to cameo in any Game of Thrones shows or series until it's done.

When a fan asked if he'd consider a cameo, Martin replied:

"I don’t know. For the last couple years since COVID hit I’ve barely left my house. Also, you may not know this but there’s this book I’m writing and it’s a little late. So I won’t be doing any acting until I finish and deliver that book and if the show is still running then then maybe."

However, Martin added that he did actually do a cameo in the original Game of Thrones...that we unfortunately never got to see.

"I did do a cameo in the original pilot of Game of Thrones but they reshot most of that so I wound up on the cutting room floor," he said. "I was also supposed to be a severed head. In the scene where Joffrey shows Sansa the heads one was supposed to be mine. Then they found out how expensive it was to make a severed head so they just bought a box of severed heads. One of them turned out to be George W. Bush, and they got in a lot of trouble. Who knows? Maybe I can yet become a severed head."

House of the Dragon has had plenty to share lately, including a brand new trailer a few days ago and an extended edition planned to drop on Discovery tomorrow. We learned the series will incorporate multiple time skips, that it may serve as a foundation for other Westeros stories, and that its redesigned Iron Throne includes 2,500 swords. We also learned about some of the other unused Game of Thrones prequel ideas, and spotted a handful of new stills from the show.

And there's tons more coming from all your favorite shows, films, games, and more out of San Diego Comic-Con 2022, and we've got the full schedule to guide you through the weekend of panels, announcements, trailers, and surprises.

Game of Thrones writer George R.R. Martin has shared some of the historical influences behind the upcoming HBO show House of the Dragon, which is based on his novel Fire and Blood. As part of the SDCC panel on the show, Martin said he gets inspiration from history and turns it up to 11.

"Game of Thrones, as I’ve said, was based on the Wars of the Roses," Martin said. "[House of the Dragon] was based on an earlier period in history called the Anarchy. I pilfered freely from history. When Henry I, when his only legitimate son drowned, he was left with his own legitimate child Matilda, he made her heir and then made his lords swear their fealty to her. Then when he died, her cousin came in and there was this big war that she wound up fighting for decades."

“I get inspiration from history and I turn it up to 11.” - George R. R. Martin #HOTDSDCC #HouseoftheDragon

— House of the Dragon (@HouseofDragon) July 23, 2022

The real-life war between Empress Matilda and Henry I's nephew Stephen of Blois seems to mirror the events that will unfold in House of the Dragon, which similarly takes place hundreds of years before Game of Thrones.

In this story, there's a power struggle between King Viserys Targaryen's brother and daughter that leads to the civil war known as the Dance of Dragons. In House of Dragons, that conflict will play out between Emma D'Arcy's Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Matt Smith's Prince Daemon Targaryen. When asked why Westeros has such a problem with queens, Martin said the answer lies in history.

"That was the inspiration there," Martin said. "I don’t think Westeros is any more anti-woman than real life. What we call actual history."

It's been a busy week for House of the Dragon already. We got a brand new trailer a few days ago that honed in on the queenly conflict at the heart of the prequel. We learned the series will incorporate multiple time skips, that it may serve as a foundation for other Westeros stories, and that its redesigned Iron Throne includes 2,500 swords. We also learned about some of the other unused Game of Thrones prequel ideas, and spotted a handful of new stills from the show.

After a week of new interviews, images, and trailers, today's SDCC panel on Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon gave us a look into what it's like to ride a dragon in the show, and the answer is apparently pretty weird.

Milly Alcock, who plays the young Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen described dragon riding to the audience. She said they worked on a stage that was "basically the size of this whole hall" (that would be San Diego Comic Con's Hall H), and:

"You’re propped up on what looks like a mechanical bull that you might ride in a bar or pub and it lifts up six feet in the air and there are four guys with leaf blowers," she said. "It's strange."

Additionally, Paddy Considine, who plays King Viserys Targaryen, confirmed he does not ride a dragon in the show. “The only dragon I’ve ever ridden is the one from Neverending Story," he said, referring to a fairground ride he had experienced.

It's been a busy week for House of the Dragon news. We got a brand new trailer a few days ago that honed in on the queenly conflict at the heart of the prequel. We learned the series will incorporate multiple time skips, that it may serve as a foundation for other Westeros stories, and that its redesigned Iron Throne includes 2,500 swords. We also learned about some of the other unused Game of Thrones prequel ideas, and spotted a handful of new stills from the show.

And there's tons more coming from all your favorite shows, films, games, and more out of San Diego Comic-Con 2022, and we've got the full schedule to guide you through the weekend of panels, announcements, trailers, and surprises.

Queen Studios has quickly made a name for itself on the collectibles scene thanks to a series of MCU statues and busts that are so lifelike it's scary. And thanks to Comic-Con, IGN had the chance to see several of these pieces up close.

Check out the slideshow gallery to see these incredibly realistic busts of Chris Evans' Captain America, Tom Holland's Spider-Man, Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange and more:

For those who have never beheld a Queen Studios product in person, the company is renowned for using a combination of medical-grade silicone, glass eyeballs and hand-punched hair to create stunningly lifelike (albeit extremely expensive) pieces. Their new Captain America bust may just be their most impressive yet, though the bust is certainly rivaled by the 1:2 scale statue also on display in the Queen booth.

That's not to say Queen only focuses on MCU characters. This year's Comic-Con booth also features upcoming pieces inspired by Egyptian mythology, science fiction and horror. There's even a Jurassic Park-inspired T-Rex statue from Queen's partner Elite Creature Collectibles.

Sideshow Collectibles also has quite an impressive spread at Comic-Con this year, including some gorgeous Star Wars, Marvel and DC statues and a whole lot of Hot Toys figures. IGN also got an early look at the next wave of Mandalorian figures in the works at Hasbro.

There's tons of news for all your favorite shows, films, games, and more coming out of San Diego Comic-Con 2022, and we've got the full schedule to guide you through the weekend of panels, announcements, trailers, and surprises.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Black Adam has gotten a new trailer at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, and it showed off the newest DCEU anti-hero facing off against the Justice Society's Atom Smasher, Doctor Fate, Hawkman, and Cyclone. It was also confirmed that Viola Davis will once again play Amanda Waller in the film.

The trailer was revealed at DC's San Diego Comic-Con panel following a big entrance by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in full the Black Adam outfit. Johnson quickly changed out of the costume and walked back on stage saying, "I heard Black Adam was here, that's so cool!"

Johnson also shared a few words about why this journey becoming Black Adam was such a special one for him.

"it has been a long journey, fueled with passion, with commitment, with grit," Johnson said. "It’s been easily over 10 years. I’ve been working with [director Jaume Collet-Serra] for about 5 years now and so that’s when he came on board for this. The journey has been an incredible one. I love coming to Comic-Con. To be here in Hall H, representing a DC anti-hero is a dream come true. The dream, having been in the business for years now, I’d bring movies here and hope you guys would like them but this is a dream come true."

Speaking of Collet-Serra, he also discussed what intrigued him about taking on this project and what the core of Black Adam is all about.

"What attracted me to this was obviously working for DJ one more time but also Black Adam as a character," Collet-Serra said. "This man was a slave thousands of years ago, and in our movie, he awakens in modern times and that’s something that’s unusual. I like movies with characters who work in a grey area with their own sense of justice and morality. Like movies in the 70s like a Dirty Harry character. When the system is broken and corrupt and can’t protect the innocent the system needs to get brought down. There’s also heart in the movie and a sense of family in the movie."

There were a few other nice moments from the panel, including when Hawkman actor Aldis Hodge said that when Johnson called him about the role and eventually welcomed him to Black Adam, his "brain exploded. It was the "greatest moment" of his career.

Lastly, Johnson was asked if Black Adam or Superman would win in a fight.

"Don’t threaten me with a good time," Johnson laughed. "As you guys know, since we’re in deep with this mythology. Pound for pound they’re pretty close. I think it all depends on who’s playing Superman. I’ll just say that. I’ll leave it at that.”

Black Adam introduces the DC antihero in live-action, and Johnson has teased that it's the start of a series of movie appearances. We can likely expect to see Adam cross paths with traditional foe Shazam in future, but Johnson also wants to fight Superman down the line. To do so, the artist-formally-known-as-The Rock wants to surpass the original comic book character's physique.

Black Adam will be released on October 21. Joining Johnson in the title role are Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate, Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, Noah Cintineo as Atom Smasher, and Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone.

Alongside Black Adam, Shazam: Fury of the Gods received its first trailer and it was filled with the Shazam-ily, Helen Mirren's Hespera, and references to the DCEU and Fast & Furious.

For more on San Diego Comic-Con, check out our roundup of everything announced so far!

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Black Adam made a shocking live appearance at San Diego Comic Con today at the Warner Bros. panel, descending from the heavens amid a lightning storm into Hall H.

Through fog and lightning, the Man in Black has finally arrived to Hall H. #BlackAdam #SDCC pic.twitter.com/CaVR88w8Sk

— DC (@DCComics) July 23, 2022

Not long after Black Adam had come and gone, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson emerged, saying "I heard Black Adam was here, that's so cool." Very cool, Mr. Johnson, very cool indeed.

Johnson, who obviously plays Black Adam in the upcoming film, spoke on stage about his experience with the role:

“The journey for Black Adam, it has been a long journey, fueled with passion, with commitment, with grit," he said. "It’s been easily over 10 years. I’ve been working with Jaume [Collet-Serra] for about five years now and so that’s when he came on board for this. The journey has been an incredible one. I love coming to Comic-Con. To be here in Hall H, representing a DC anti-hero is a dream come true. The dream, having been in the business for years now, I’d bring movies here and hope you guys would like them but this is a dream come true.

Later on the panel, Johnson was asked who would win in a fight: Black Adam or Superman.

“Don’t threaten me with a good time. As you guys know, since we’re in deep with this mythology. Pound for pound they’re pretty close. I think it all depends on who’s playing Superman. I’ll just say that. I’ll leave it at that.”

And a kid also asked him if Kevin Hart got jealous when Johnson was cast as Black Adam.

"Yes, Kevin Hart gets jealous with everything," he replied. "Also, you’re already taller than Kevin Hart."

Black Adam is set for release on October 21, introducing the DC antihero in live-action for the first time, and Johnson has teased that it's the start of a series of movie appearances. Joining him are Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate, Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, Noah Cintineo as Atom Smasher, and Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone.

There's tons of news for all your favorite shows, films, games, and more coming out of San Diego Comic-Con 2022, and we've got the full schedule to guide you through the weekend of panels, announcements, trailers, and surprises.