San Diego ComicCon is almost upon us, and you know what that means -- stormtrooper costumes. Lots and lots of them. The white-armored villains have become so prevalent at every geek gathering that they hardly attract much notice, so they've had to get creative. Nowadays, you see Imperial Stormtroopers breaking rank and adding all kinds of weird and wonderful things to their standard issue armor, and becoming something weirdly meta in the process. Some of them, like the Elvis Stormtrooper, have become con celebrities in their own right (he's even got his own website, where he's reached a Kirk Lazarus level of crossover) and you can barely escape a con without a photo of them.

Galactic Binder has collected ten of the best stormtrooper crossovers they've seen. Seeing so many gathered in one place suggests that costumed Stormtroopers are becoming so ubiquitous that they'll soon attract as little attention as a plain Stormtrooper. Hell, maybe ordinary troopers will become so rare that spotting one will be like seeing a unicorn in the wild ...

So, check out the gallery below, and tell us your favorite. I'll echo Galactic Binder and give a special gold star to the samurai stormtrooper for going full circle by referencing Kurosawa.

How fast time flies! A week ago today, we were all hitting the convention floor, and having to battle for seats to the Masters of Web panel. I can't believe it's all over -- and I can't believe I haven't recovered. The bright-eyed Lara Croft you saw only days ago is barely recognizable in the physical wreck that I am now. Despite the toll it takes every year, I'm always sorry when it ends. I miss San Diego, the ocean, the fabulous tacos at the Tin Fish, and the surprises around every corner. But most of all, I miss meeting up with my friends after a long day of panels, enjoying my well-earned dinner, and showing off my swag. While I'm happy to be home in my own bed, and snuggling with my pug, I can't help but miss the thrills of con. So, it's my turn to recap my favorite moments of the con, and hope that those of you who were there have recovered enough to share yours, too.

-- The Watchmen panel. Maybe the Q&A wasn't all that great (no fault of those onstage), but the footage was just so cool. There is a lot of film footage trotted out at SDCC, and while much of it is cool, very little is jaw-dropping. 300 was probably the last time I was truly impressed with what I saw in Hall H, Watchmen may have topped it. (It's even convinced my mom to read the graphic novel! Let's all cheer!)

-- The Owl Ship. The floor displays this year were pretty tame, but this would take the cake in any given year. Whenever I doubt that anyone at SDCC has read a comic book, something like the Owl Ship lands and sends everyone into a nerdy tizzy. At any given time, you could find a crowd exclaiming over it, not because it was from a movie, but because it was from a comic book. Amazing.

The RocknRolla adventure, unfortunately, kept me away from the Punisher: War Zone party and panel, which I had every intention of attending and covering for all of you. In retrospect, it was probably a good thing, since the talk of the convention wasn't the panel or its footage, but of director Lexi Alexander's departure from the project. Obviously the news surprised me, although the timing did not. It was obvious from the scheduling that Lionsgate was trying to bury the panel -- if a studio is trying to sell their new comic book movie, they generally don't schedule a panel at 8:00pm when the geeks are out feasting and drinking. They put it at 2:00pm in Hall H and give us a free t-shirt.

Now, this movie could be terrible. This movie could be pure awesome. I don't know, I'm certainly not going to judge it or Alexander's direction at this stage. But it frustrates me to see any movie this badly handled, its chances of being successful destroyed before it even gets to a theatrical trailer. I just don't understand how or why it happens when the ultimate goal of a movie (from the studio perspective, anyway) is to turn a profit.

This whole debacle has made me a very sad panda. First, for Alexander, who I admire purely from a feminist standpoint. Female directors are too far and few between, and it was exciting to see one not only directing an action movie, but one based on a comic book. I wanted her to succeed in a big way -- and I hope that whatever happens with this film, she has a solid career kicking cinematic ass. At least some studio people are in her corner -- according to MTV Movies, producer Deborah Del Prete says she and Alexander are working together on an adaptation of a little-known British fantasy novel. (I hate teases like that.) So at least she's not persona non grata yet, which is a relief. We need chicks like her in the business.

And I especially feel for Ray Stevenson, who I had the privilege to meet on Thursday afternoon. (See the photo above -- oh, for the days when you could be photographed next to the celebrity in question!) Like a lot of people, I know him mostly as Titus Pullo from HBO's brilliant series Rome. If you haven't seen this series, dear readers, you need to finish this post and then hit your preferred rental outlet. You will love it, and you will love Stevenson in it. You will not doubt that he is capable of being an excellent Punisher.

I've been rooting for this movie to make it largely because Stevenson deserves a bigger career -- and having met him now, it really does break my heart that this movie is getting the run-around. He was so friendly and enthusiastic, and really wants to do justice to the character. (Oh yeah, and he was incredibly handsome. Damn. They make such nice men in the UK.) I haven't attended a lot of promotional signings, but often they are dull and duty-bound affairs. Stevenson and Tim Bradstreet seemed happy to be there meeting everyone. And if they were pulling off that level of enthusiasm despite the Alexander news, then they really deserve a round of applause.

And so, Lionsgate, from one girl who willingly queued to meet your new Punisher, who did it as a fan and not a member of the press, I beg you to do right by this film. It's obvious that all involved worked hard on it and care about it, and they deserve to have their faith rewarded. Don't hack at it, slap a heavy metal soundtrack on it, and shove it out into theatres. Do whatever it takes to make a good film. Your profit margin will thank you, fans of the character will worship you, and you can take your place in the comic book franchise world.