Seen and heard at Comic-Con: Superman, for once, and not the Joker

SAN DIEGO – Associated Press journalists open their notebooks at this year’s Comic-Con in San Diego:

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NO JOKER; SUPERMAN THIS YEAR

Keiran Castillo, 21, opted for a Superman outfit for this year’s Comic-Con, eschewing his favourite character, The Joker. Still, the San Diego resident who has been coming to the event annually since 2004, couldn’t resist lapsing into his Joker monologue, expertly mimicking the voiceover done by actor Mark Hamill (yes, the guy who plays Luke Skywalker), drawing cheers from passers-by. Castillo says he opted for the black-blur outfit worn in the TV series “Smallville” because it was easy to assemble and “it gives me a break from the Joker.” — Matt Moore (https://twitter.com/MattMooreAP )

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CHECK YOUR CLOSETS

It’s amazing what you can find in the closet. Mike Pellerito, the president of Archie Comic Publications Inc., said they found a trove of copies of “Archie Meets the Punisher,” a tongue-in-cheek crossover that sees Marvel’s violent vigilante track a villain to Riverdale only to square off against the high school gang. “We found them in a closet, a whole box of them,” he said. “So we bagged and boarded them and offered them for sale. One guy offered $5 and we thought ‘OK, why not?’” On Thursday the demand was brisk, given the title has been out of print for nearly 20 years. — Matt Moore (https://twitter.com/MattMooreAP )