SXSW attendees who sat in on a panel last Saturday afternoon featuring HBO’s Westworld showrunners and stars were surprised when showrunner Jonathan Nolan introduced SpaceX CEO (and generally real-life Tony Stark) Elon Musk onto the Austin Convention Center stage.

During the panel, Nolan had been previously lamenting at the fact that when he was a kid, he used to spend an “unhealthy amount of time” dreaming about spaceflight, but in recent years the enthusiasm for space travel had waned, so he was talking to “a friend” about how to inspire people to drive the conversation back into space exploration. The inspirational “shocking” idea they came up with was a red sportscar combined with the music of David Bowie. That “friend” was of course Elon Musk, who joined the panel on stage.

Anyone who knows me knows that I can’t resist good barbecue — or any barbecue for that matter. It’s my Achilles Heel, my downfall. So when I had the opportunity to attend the 10th annual BBQ Crash Course at Austin’s South By Southwest Festival (SXSW), I leapt at the chance.

A little context: I’m a Los Angeles native, and while I often smoke my own barbecue, I’ve never had authentic Texas BBQ before. I had no idea what I was in for.

While past reboots of Superman have put a greater focus on the Man of Steel’s life as reporter Clark Kent, newly hired DC Comics writer Brian Michael Bendis’ take on the character will be closely tied to the ideals of good journalism, the scribe explained during a panel at this year’s SXSW.

“I actually spent the day shadowing an Oregonian [journalist], just to show you how important the daily planet is to the stories we’ll be telling,” Bendis told Geeks Of Doom in response to a question about how the current climate of “fake news” and misinformation currently plaguing society might impact the storytelling. “On top of that, Journalism [is] under siege in my lifetime like it’s never been before.”

One huge benefit of reuniting Superman with his iconic red trunks is the amount of attention it creates, which is very useful for DC Comics as it embarks on a brand new era for the Man of Steel. Case in point, the promotion pairs red underwear featuring #thetrunksareback hashtag on the back as well as a wall of Voodoo Doughnuts in the shape of Superman’s shield at this year’s SXSW (see photos above and below).

It may be 2018 in Austin, Texas, but in one corner in the midst of SXSW, it’s Columbus, Ohio in the year 2045. That’s the setting of Steven Spielberg‘s new film, Ready Player One, based on the smash hit novel by Ernie Cline. The Warner Bros. media team transformed an Austin nightspot into the futuristic setting of the film for the interactive festival.