Popverse's top stories of the day

• COVID left fans wanting the personal touch from their local comic stores
• Think Spy x Family is just a cute slice-of-life anime? You aren't ready for what is coming in season 3 and beyond
• Dan Mora, Scott Snyder, and Frank Miller lead an all-star line-up in Artist Alley for New York Comic Con 2024

Rings of Power fans were treated to a brand-new trailer for season two today, as the Lord of the Rings spinoff show took over San Diego Comic Con's Hall H for a panel all about what fans can expect from season 2. Popverse's very own Graeme Macmillan was liveblogging the entire panel from deep in the Hall H hubbub, and one fun tidbit jumped out to us - what we can expect for creatures this season. 

"We're creating an army of Orcs for the season finale," teased a prothestics designer on the panel. But that's not all, the show itself is expanding. Sauron actor Charlie Vickers said (joining the panel remotely on the big screen),  "I think the characters have changed, just because the circumstances have changed. Now that it's season 2, we are bringing in more creatures."

Later in the panel, Isildur actor Maxim Baldry mentioned a fight wit a creature he would have (Who's afraid of spiders?" he asked) and Tyroe Muhafidin, who plays Theo, brought up his love for Ents, which we got to see a few times in the trailer. 

It wasn't just season 2 that brought more creatures, though. Apparently there were quite a few orc interruptions during the panel also on the big screen leading to Sam Hazeldine (Adar) showing up on stage to defend his character. "Of course [Adar] isn't an evil character. He's protecting his children."

Now if you're waiting desperately for the next season of The Rings of Power, you're not going to have to wait too long. The Rings of Power season 2 debuts on Prime Video on August 29.

Get a fuller San Diego Comic-Con experience with a full rundown of our SDCC 2024 stories, as well as all the big SDCC 2024 news, how to make the most out of San Diego Comic-Con, and the real burning question: how much does it actually cost to go to SDCC?