Fans worldwide know and love the gigantic spectacle labeled New York Comic Con. However, fans attending the event this past Sunday were treated to a surprise guest. Though technically not on the list of speakers for the jammed-packed panel, Rick Riordan, creator of Percy Jackson & The Olympians, made a surprise appearance.

Surprise Visit

To the joy of fans in attendance, Rick Riordan made a surprise appearance at New York Comic Con this past Sunday with his wife, Becky Riordan, who closed out the panel for the upcoming Disney+ adaptation of Rick’s cherished, modern-day mythological fantasy novels, Percy Jackson & The Olympians. The books are about a boy who discovers he is a demigod, a half-human and half-god being, and is the son of the mighty sea god Poseidon. It seems Riordan is eager for everyone to see how the new adaptation has turned out. Famously, he was not as enthusiastic about the movie versions of his books back in the early 2010s, but they did generate quite a bit of money at $430 million worldwide.

Of the fans that filled the hall wall to wall, many wearing orange and black Camp Half-Blood t-shirts handed out at the door cheered and applauded when seeing Rick Riordan. Of course, Riordan did not come empty-handed. Several clips were shown for those fortunate enough to be present at Manhattan’s Javits Center. One of the many clips was a five-minute reel of Walker Scobell, who plays Percy, in an early test of his fighting skills while at the famous Camp Half-Blood, a place for young demigods in training. However, this was only a taste of the even bigger surprise!

Bigger Sneak Peak & Similarities 

The real treat of the event was the sneak peek of the first seven minutes of the premiere episode! This sneak peek explores Percy’s back story to the second grade, then a thrilling chase scene, and finally Percy, his mother Sally (Virginia Kull), and his friend Grover (Aryan Simhadri) attempting to outrun the fearsome Minotaur! Though seven minutes is not that long, the preview gave insight into the aesthetic of the filming and how the story will unfold. Above all, it showcased the chemistry between the actors. It is interesting to see how the show will do things differently than the previous movies did. Scenes shown in those seven minutes were also in the films, yet they feel very different. This could be for a few reasons. For example, new actors, writers, and producers, to name a few.

Season one takes a different approach to The Lightning Thief story. This time, Percy is shown as a troubled kid with bad grades and school bullies he must deal with daily. Unlike the movie version with Logan Lerman, who played a more teenage version of Percy, who also struggled with dyslexia and visions. Walker Scobell’s Percy is only around 12 years old.