"If you've got a movie that is full of special effects, the squid is just another effect."

With the man who helped him create, Alan Moore, dead set against the movie version, Dave Gibbons sure has been a trooper. He's been beating the drum for the movie for going on a year now, and was on hand to represent Warner Bros. and the film at today's panel.Yes, it definitely is a little ridiculous that they couldn't muster anyone who actually worked on the film to come to Comic Con, particularly with the movie's release just weeks away. But as you may notice, that's becoming a theme of this year's New York Con-- the movie studios seemingly can't be bothered. Still, Gibbons was a gentleman, introducingfootage that many fans hadn't seen yet (but you would be familiar with had you been reading this site), and deflecting enthusiastic fan questions.It's worth noting how well the footage went over with the fans, who were especially thrilled by the opening credits, which take you through the entire history of the Minutemen and introduce you to an America full of real superheroes. Though you barely see some of the most colorful early heroes, like the Silhouette and Hooded Justice, each of them gets their little moment that only the fans may manage to notice. Plus I think the guys were particularly into the part where lesbian Silhouette strolls into Times Square at the end of World War II and kisses a lady nurse.As for Gibbons, he spent the first 10 minutes of the panel fielding nothing but questions about the "giant squid" ending, and whether or not it really was changed in the movie. He wasn't really giving yes or no answers, but he basically admitted that the squid is gone, calling it the MacGuffin, or the gimmick. See, nerds, Dave Gibbons cares less about the giant squid than you do! Give it a rest! He also made an interesting point about the squid's role as a special effect in the story, and how that changes when it's part of an effects-driven movie--Gibbons also had some thoughts on the-ification of superhero movies, and howhad the same effect on comic books when it debuted in the 1980s. Believe it or not, the man who helped create The Comedian doesn't really want all superheroes to be dark. Check out his response to that particular question, about howchanged comics, in the video below.