First-timers: what to expect over the next 2 weeks

 6 JULY 2025

In 17 nights, we'll walk into the splendor and bombast of Preview Night. If this is your first San Diego Comic-Con, you might be wondering about, well, everything. Here's a quick summary of the announcements and updates to look out for between now and SDCC.

Panels and programming

The big announcements: SDCC panels and programming are usually announced 2 weeks to the day before. So you'll get the programming for Thursday, July 24 on Thursday, July 10, etc.

The Exhibit Hall map

The Exhibit Hall is the nerve center of the convention center - a massive space full of vendor booths as far as the eye can see. It's crowded, it's chaotic, and the merchandise on sale ranges from tacky trinkets to rare nerd treasures. Even if you are focused solely on parties and screenings, you'll want to take a spin through it. CCI will publish this soon.

Guest and celebrity announcements

CCI has already announced 7 rounds of special guests - but you'll hear about more actors, artists, writers, and creators who are confirmed to show up somewhere on the premises. If you have specific smaller creators or exhibitors you'd like to visit, watch their socials. Many of them will announce what they're bringing, invite you to enter a lottery for certain exclusives, take pre-orders and commissions, and generally offer useful information.

Offsites

We've heard about the Lodge and a few others, but more will be announced. I find the best ones are never that anticipated in advance, such as the Blade Runner activation or the Dungeons and Dragons one from a few years ago. Your best source here is fellow attendees, whose recommendations are more trustworthy than a marketing campaign. Pay attention early on; as word of mouth grows, the best offsites will grow longer and longer lines each day.

Shuttle map

SDCC shuttles go hither and yon, and it's good to know how and where you can leverage that free transportation - especially late at night when you wind up in unexpected parts of town.

Lotteries and sign-ups

Photo ops, autographs, and exclusives aren't easy to get and people always have some kind of complaint about it. The exclusives portal opens in a few days. If you have any questions on the process or instructions, ask people before you take your shot. I've seen people waste lottery entries because they didn't realize their options.

Local events

These aren't official, sponsored events, but you'll see plenty of promotions for bar specials, club parties, and other businesses trying to capitalize on SDCC. My only advice here is find out how far they are and don't travel too far - it's usually not worth it.

343 SDCC Checklists

Every website in existence, including this one, will publish some kind of  "2 things to bring to Comic-Con" list. These are helpful if repetitive. What really matters is making your own list and staying organized rather than throwing a bunch of stuff into a duffle bag on the night of July 22.

Amazon Prime Day and other big box retailer sales

This is a great opportunity to get things like an air mattress or sunscreen or a sketchbook.

A few hotel rooms popping up

Don't be too optimistic, but some people will begin canceling or shortening their trips over the next few weeks. Sometimes Sunday panels are a snoozer and people decide to leave Saturday. Some people will get ill or have something come up at work. This means a few A-list hotel rooms will flicker back to life, but you'll have to be quick to grab them. 

Essentially - a lot of information will flow your way the next few weeks. Some of it will be trivial, some of it meaningful, and it's easy to miss something that would be personally relevant to you. If you haven't yet, create some kind of system now where you document your wish list, schedule etc. and make sure it's accessible on your phone. CCI has an app but it won't cover everything you're tracking.

Finally, I know this has been a quiet year and if you're thinking something mind-blowing is going to pop up that changes everything.... Well, I think it's best to temper expectations. Don't be disappointed if you don't hear anything earth shattering. SDCC will still have plenty of surprises - look at last year's drone show. Everyone was thrilled/angry about Deadpool and Wolverine, which turned into a mean and wicked mess, and then was dazzled by a surprise light show. Enter into this Con with neutral expectations and I'm sure you're going to find something beautiful.

It only gets better from here!

19 things we want to see at San Diego Comic-Con

 30 JUNE 2024

We all bring different wish lists to Comic-Con. SDCC plays Santa to us all, handing out (or withholding) toys for gamers, anime fans, collectors, comic readers, Marvel and DC fans, creatives, and so on. But there are some things I think many of us are crossing our fingers for. Such as...

#1. Anything to revive interest in all the shows pushed out to 2025

This is a general one because it's just applicable to too much. We all have favorite TV shows that got delayed over last year's strike. It was such a bitter pill to swallow when we saw "<Show name> will return in 2025" which sounded so far away at the time. But now that some of those beloved shows are returning within 6 months, it's reasonable to think their marketing gods will dangle them under our noses and say, "remember us?"

#2. The San Diego Comic-Con Cruise

Talk about arriving in 2025. What will happen on this cruise? Who are the guests? What are the events? The website offers some of that, but we need to know more. While I am not the cruising type, I do think this looks very fun and probably solves the perennial "how do I meet people?" question that attendees ask every summer. Hopefully SDCC makes a big splash (sorry) about this. 

#3. Deadpool anything

Landing right on SDCC weekend is always iffy, as the release cat is out of the bag at that point - but we should see some fun promotions and events.

#4. Friday night DC premiere

I'm extremely excited for the animated Watchmen (which will keep the graphic novel's ending) but I suspect we are more likely to get Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths (also good) if DC continues their Friday night Ballroom 20 animated film tradition. Both are excellent choices, really. 

#5. Beetlejuice 2

Confession: Despite being a hardcore Halloween/goth/paranormal comedy fan, I didn't see classic Beetlejuice until 2 years ago... And I was less than wowed by it. I'm excited about the sequel though because I figure Jenna Ortega, Monica Belluci, and Winona Ryder will sear the screen with their combined star power. Having a panel on this would be super fun. 

#6. Lord of the Rings

"Highly anticipated" doesn't quite describe the new movie hitting later this year. At least, it's come up in literally every "so what else is coming out this year" conversation I've had. Everything about it looks tantalizing.

#7. Severance Season 2 

Remember this offsite? Let's hope for round 2. And if there is one - go as soon as you can, because it will grow unbearably long lines fast.

#8. Nosferatu

Bill Skarsgard seems like he has a fun career and is just possibly on track to become our generation's Lon Chaney. We're getting a Nosferatu exclusive at SDCC; a panel would be quite nice and a creepy 1920s offsite even better.

#9. Interview with a Vampire

I am not holding out a lot of hope that Sam Reid and Jacob Anderson will grace our SDCC stage, but I know IWTV fans are aching for that very event. We'll see!

#10. SDCC Documentary 

Just like a true superhero, SDCC has an origin story - and you will hear it in documentary See You at San Diego. Per Deadline, "The See You at San Diego documentary will follow how a scrappy group of teenage fans, zinesters, illustrators, stoners, hippies, weirdoes, bookworms, and science buffs in the late 1960s joined forces with an unemployed thirtysomething comic fan to create what has now become one of the most influential pop culture events ever." To be clear, I don't think this is going to release soon but it would be interesting to get a peek at it and hear some stories from the SDCC immortals who were around at the start.

                                                  

#11. Heretic

If you too are an A24 fan, you may be hoping to get a glimpse at this November release about 2 Mormon girls attempting to convert Hugh Grant. A screening would be dope on a rope, but I'd settle for an intriguing A24 panel with a few clips.

#12. Marvel

Deadline says Marvel will dominate Hall H on Friday (well, they said they'd be there; I added the "dominate" because Marvel plays second fiddle to who exactly?) The Hall H line started yesterday.

#13. Alien

This standalone installment takes place between the events of 1979 and 1986. I need an incredible offsite, a beautiful supplementary graphic novel, and maybe a plushie.

#14. The Crow Reboot

You know that in recent years, many cosplayers have angrily defended the relevance of dressing up as Brandon Lee - nay, the need to show up at Comic Cons dressed as their icon. Now, on the 30th anniversary of the Crow (yes, that's the right number), their commitment is entirely justified as the franchise gets rebooted. So I simply cannot imagine an SDCC where this doesn't launch strong promotion and a few hundred cosplayers. Right?

#15. AI

AI is a conversation happening in every creative field right now (my friends and I talked about its impact on our livelihoods for hours last night) and it's highlighting the always-fraught divide between creators and executives (or my computer slyly tried to correct it to, "executioners.") Last year at SDCC, Mike Mignola called it a "train that's going to be hard to stop" and Dave McKean shared his experiences using Midjourney and how he concluded that part of art's power is its personal genesis.  I expect several panels on AI this year - from legal parameters to collaboration to career adaptation to ethics - and possibly a fistfight.

#16. Joker: Folie a Deux

In all of his iterations, Joker inspires worship, action figures, cosplayers, and sometimes, unfortunately, imitators. With the movie coming out in October, fanboys and cosplayers should be feeling inspired.

#17. Exclusives that are attainable and actually exclusive

This subject has been beaten to death, but it's still annoying to have an item marketed to us as a "Con exclusive" and then get a separate vendor email about it going live for literally everyone on the planet on the same day as the Con. It's also annoying to see exclusives get gobbled up by vendors and their friends who are already in the Exhibit Hall before we get in. And - to make it a magic 3 - it's triply annoying to have an artist exhaustively promote her items all over social media, get everyone excited, and then bring only 25 of them and be sold out in 10 minutes. I know most of this will repeat, but I'm hoping some of the more indie booths/vendors/creators will do things a little differently this year. 

#18. Sandman Season 2/Dead Boy Detectives

Production has already started; will we get a panel that answers online speculation and provides some pretty visuals? And maybe an announcement that our favorite dead boy sleuths are returning?

#19. My Favorite Thing is Monsters Part 2

I remember when My Favorite Thing is Monsters came out and Jamie and Gilbert Hernandez gave Emil Ferris a shoutout during their panel. Most of the audience seemed puzzled by the mention and unfamiliar with her work. Now the book has hit massive heights of praise and popularity and Part 2 released this year. I'd love an Emil Ferris panel. Maybe she could team up with E.M. Carroll, whose A Guest in the House seems to complement her work nicely.

No doubt your list looks very different. What are you hoping for? Do you think you'll get it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do you think of Thursday and Friday panels?

 7 JULY 2023

We're in those magic days when CCI releases the line-up of SDCC panels. So far we have slightly more than half the Con. Let's review.

Wednesday

Preview Night shows include:

• World premier of Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake
• New episodes of Riverdale and Teen Titans Go!
• Screenings of Mrs. Davis and Superpowered: the DC Story. 

Thursday

CCI served up some changes this year. Archer is today in Ballroom 20 and not on Friday in the Indigo Ballroom? Tegan and Sara created a graphic novel about middle school? 

Overall, today confirmed that SDCC is moving in a ReedPop direction in terms of offering more pop culture that is not as tethered to traditional concepts of nerddom. Take Cruel Summer, for instance. That's been happening for a while but it feels more and more pronounced as time goes on. Like I can't imagine a Friends or Pretty Little Liars panel in Hall H back in the day when I first went to Comic-Con, but now I absolutely think one would fit right in.

Ballroom 20 is decent, offering Ghosts, Archer, What We Do in the Shadows and Twisted Metal. 

Hall H is scant - that's the only word for it. There are just 3 panels: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Project K (which does look interesting) and Spider-Man 2. If you're looking for Kevin Smith, he's in room 6BCF.

CCI continues their much-appreciated efforts to bring forth marginalized voices, with panels presenting Indigenous, neurodiverse, Indian, and LGBTQ perspectives. Even Mormon gaming culture gets a panel.

We've always had creative panels on Thursdays, and this year that includes practical advice on freelance tax tips (something I know from personal experience very few tax advisors understand) and financial management for creatives.

Overall, this feels like a scattershot day. It's good news in that you should be able to access most any panel you want. And if this is your first day in the Con, you'll have plenty of time to ransack the Exhibit Hall and wander off to cross offsites off your list. Maybe even go to the Comic-Con Museum.

Friday

There have been years where Friday offered up riches that made Saturday look tepid. This year is not one of them. It's interesting, for sure; some of the smaller literary and comic panels caught my eye and who knew that Jamie Lee Curtis wrote an eco horror graphic novel or that Disney is collaborating with the ghost of Ernest Hemingway. (Answer - everyone but me, probably.) 

But I can't pretend that this is one of those Fridays where Ballroom 20, Indigo, and Hall H are blazing with beautiful options. I think we can call this a dilettante's Comic-Con, where you can safely weave in and out of panels, the Exhibit Hall, offsites, and social events without committing too much time in any one spot. I don't mean that as a bad thing; I think people might actually come out of this with a higher net satisfaction because they won't be spending 12 hours waiting for just one thing.

Here are a few highlights.

Todd McFarlane, Junji Ito, Ben Templesmith, and Jim Lee all have panels.

Today offers up good Star Wars and Star Trek content. Special shoutout to my friends' panel, Star Wars Fandom in the Immersive Frontier, which you absolutely will want to attend in your best Sith Lord finery. 

Today seems the official spooky day. A new paranormal series calls Haunted Discoveries premieres tonight; there's also a panel called Mary Shelley Presents, the title of which made my soul twinge, and several horror comic panels. Madelaine Petsch's new film trilogy The Strangers has a panel too, which will be catnip for every Cheryl Blossom fan. Show up early.

While Thursday has also been a ripe day for creatives, this Friday offers lots of good how-to panels on storyboarding, breaking into comics, ghostwriting, comic writing, fiction writing, designing tabletop games, cosplay, podcasting and a whole lot more. Put your genius hat on!

I haven't watched Invincible but I know people who like it, and I suspect the panel with Robert Kirkman and hopefully Steven Yeun and maybe Sandra Oh will be super popular.

Hall H offers up 3 panels again - and one of them is from Collider. Ouch. You'll see Haunted Mansion footage and get a Creator poster, true. Then there's the Walking Dead universe and Entertainment Weekly's Brave Warriors which is code for your TV boyfriends.

The Indigo Ballroom offers up a decent day with Rick and Morty, Bob's Burgers and Metalocalypse, among others. 

The sun goes down and multiple entertainment options rise up:

Justice League Warworld premieres. These DC premieres are a Friday night staple and it's nice to see them continue. If I wasn't going to Mosh Eisley, I would go to this.

Or maybe I would go to the 8:15 premiere of Sand Land from the creator of DragonBall, which also should entice anime fans. 

The Eisners are tonight and so is a Christian mixer.

And so is a panel that says it is NOT a special screening of Invincible Season 2. I'm convinced!

So.... there's half the programming. So far I'm seeing about 40% of attendees insist this is as good as every other year and 60% say ".....Oh." And then there are the uncounted attendees who maintain a diplomatic silence.

The other day I was reminiscing about the years we hustled back and forth between Nerd HQ and Conan and ScareDiego and other events that made SDCC feel like such a rich, nonstop party. I think the absence of those is contributing to a sort of empty feeling many of us have - without them, we naturally look to official Con programming so much more. 

And I think that programming is still quite good, if lacking the "It" factor of earlier years.There's a huge difference between looking at the programming as a whole and experiencing panels one by one. I'm sure the Big Room attendees, who spend the entire Con in Ballroom 20, Hall H, or Indigo, have thoughts about this year. But that just means they now have the time to explore something new. 

And as Ted Roosevelt reminded us, comparison is the thief of joy - so we're probably all best served by focusing on this year for what it is. Once we're there, I think SDCC will feel as emotional and exciting as it always does. 

A word on the exclusives portal

 4 JULY 2023

Happy Independence Day! I apologize for being MIA but my last week has been death, food poisoning, and other grisly obligations. 

Things are about to get real this week with the panels being announced. Right now, though, I know many of us are struggling with the exclusives lottery. If you're having trouble with the portal or you're dismayed at what's currently on offer, here's my advice:

Wait.

There is zero point to committing yourself right away. Last year, if you'll recall, some vendors were added after we allocated our points - and we weren't able to reassign them. That was a bitter pill. Hopefully that won't be the case this year but I wouldn't rush in, just to be safe. The portal is open until 16 July. Wait and see.

I actually got picked for my favorite exclusive last year (alas, for a time slot during my favorite panel) so don't conclude this is hopeless, as many attendees will insist. I know it's difficult, I know the user interface is terrible, and right now the exclusives on offer aren't appetizing or abundant. But more will be added. I think we're all trained to launch into action the nanosecond something goes live, but this is one time when it pays to hang back.

For now, keep checking it out and focus more on the exciting information we're about to get:

• The Souvenir Book cover. This is always a fun reveal that signals Comic-Con magic is in the air. Last year it was announced the day before the programming went live, which means we might get it tomorrow. Or maybe not.
• Panel and programming announcements. If you're new - panels and such are announced 2 weeks in advance to the day. Thursday panels will be announced this Thursday, Friday panels on Friday, etc. We'll also officially find out Preview Night pilots and some other stuff. 

After that, we'll get the Exhibit Hall map and other useful information, but I think it's the panels that will really set the tone for how attendees feel about this San Diego Comic-Con. So don't get too frustrated over the exclusives panel - good things are on the way.

You're going to love having a low-key SDCC

 24 JUNE 2023

Hello, fellow pallbearers! Did you hear the news? This is going to be a funereal San Diego Comic-Con, according to fans and nerds everywhere.

But don't send out memorial cards yet. Yes, many studios are sitting this out - that would be Marvel, Sony, Netflix, Universal, and others - but there will still be plenty to look forward to. And no, I'm not just putting a brave face on it. 

The reality is, you could never see every panel worth seeing anyhow. You couldn't do Indigo Ballroom, Hall H, and Ballroom 20 all at once, most of us have failed to access at least tasty offsite due to lines/schedules, and - this is crucial - most of us have invested hours waiting for big-ticket panels that wound up being utter duds. It's fine to be disappointed that you're not going to get the panels and celebrities and trailers you hoped for, but there will be other things to captivate you.

I suppose I'm less than sympathetic to everyone's moping because I already went through this years ago with SDCC - my SDCC, that is. The elements that I liked most died off and I did caterwaul about it a bit, including on this blog, but then I got over it and learned to enjoy other things about the Con. 

You will too! Here's how I know:

1) SDCC attracts scrappy innovators and entrepreneurs. Right now, greater minds than mine have observed the starpower vacuum at the Con and are cooking up events and screenings and offerings to take their place. Every savvy marketer knows the end of July plants a big group of zealous fans looking for their next passion in San Diego. Someone is going to capitalize on that opportunity. 

2) Some of the best discoveries every year are from smaller studios and companies. I'm not downplaying the magic that Marvel or Sony might have brought but the thing is, you're going to hear about their releases anyhow. Now you'll have the space for those equally good but often overlooked projects.

3) You can - depending on your inclination - party a little harder or relax a little deeper this year. Or do both. Maybe you'll have time to sleep in, get a massage, go to the fancy sauna at your fancy hotel. You'll have time to linger over good meals at good restaurants. And if you have Con friends, you'll be able to really catch up over drinks instead of just briefly hugging it out in the convention center lobby.

4) If you don't have friends, this is the year to make them. No more shyness. No more crippling sense of inadequacy or social anxiety. No one cares! It's Comic-Con, we're all weird, so just be friendly, ask if people want to hang out, and see where the day or night takes you. 

5) This could be the birth of your next passion. SDCC offers exposure to anime, tabletop games, independent films, lesser-known artists, obscure comics, cosplay, science fiction, collectibles, and so much more. If you're interested in some Con elements, chances are you would be fascinated and fulfilled by others - but previous years have just been too busy for you to really check them out. This is your chance to try out new interests and see what catches your fancy.

6) You can enjoy other parts of San Diego. You do want to check out the Comic-Con Museum - that's not even a question. There's also the beach. And there will be events across town that might be distant from the Gaslamp but are still worth attending.

I don't want to downplay the emotional importance of what feels like a loss for many of you. I really do get it. But I think over the next few weeks - especially once the official schedule comes out - we'll all find panels and events to get excited about. So take off your black armband, come out of mourning, and put on your explorer's hat. You're going to have a more adventurous Con this year and it's going to be a good thing.

How do you feel about virtual SDCC panels?

24 JULY 2020

So now we've had a full day of virtual San Diego Comic-Con. While we'd all rather be there in the flesh, there are some obvious advantages to this format: For the first time ever in history, you can see every single SDCC panel. You don't have to wake up early, get in line, sacrifice your favorite show for your favorite comic book; you don't have to sit through a boring panel to see the panel you want; your feet aren't aching from walking too many miles the day before. You can eat your preferred snack, loudly discuss the content with a friend, and skip back to make sure you heard something correctly. You don't even have to get out of bed.

That said, some panels have definitely been better than others. Lessons learned include.....




If you're going to just offer up a Zoom call, like we have every day with friends and coworkers, be witty and fun.

You can tell the actors from the creators here, sorry. The performers tend to be more engaging and play to the audience; creators often just talk to each other in the typical mundane conversation we all have with our friends, which can be boring to the thousands of people watching. The Upload cast, below, didn't really share any groundbreaking announcements but they were fun to watch.

Footage is always good. A mix of footage and talking is even better.

Some panels really nailed this, like the Superhero Kung Fu Extravaganza and Crunchyroll. I didn't stop watching for a second.

And then some made little effort at all and showed this when someone was speaking by phone:

Come on, seriously?


Trying to fit too much on screen, however, is a fail.

Some panels tried to offer up artwork, screenshots, panelist thumbnails and desktop shots all at once which was hard to look at.

The How-To Panels actually worked well in this medium.

I think this format might even be better than a traditional in-person panel. What do you think?

Final lesson: There's high demand for virtual panels.

Last I checked, Star Trek's first panel had a 42K view count and that will keep rising. Obviously as these panels filter into public consciousness, the demand will grow. So will SDCC offer virtual badges in the future? It's not as if merely recording a normal panel would be as satisfying, but possibly they could offer two tiers of panels - something that could offer promotion to at-home creators while saving them travel expenses. 

We'll see what the other panels bring.

Top panel picks of Comic-Con at Home

23 JULY 2020

So Comic-Con at Home is officially underway. So far it feels a bit underwhelming. Ordering a variant cover issue or Funko Pop online isn't quite the same as physically holding and admiring it in your hotel room; the Art Show on Tumblr has been kind of meh; I can't speak to gaming and other activities but I haven't heard anyone mention them, either.

Let me be clear, I really appreciate CCI pulling this together and I think they've done an outstanding job on short notice. But this experience has proven (for me, at least, and many others) how vital the visceral experience of SDCC is - even the lines, the frustration of a clogged Exhibit Hall aisle, the annoyance of getting stuck in a back row at your most anticipated panel. Being there really has no substitute.

However, I do think the panels are going to be a bright spot. I know a lot of attendees are all about offsites and partying, so maybe they won't be interested, but those attendees who live to see their favorite actors and creators in person can still get a (remote) taste of that over the next 4 days.

You can see all your options here but my top picks would be:

THURSDAY

Thursday - 10 am
Star Trek Virtual Panel
Various cast members kick off a Comic-Con that is sort of boldly going where SDCC hasn't gone before.

Thursday - 11 am
Marvel's Storyboards
In addition to Joe Quesada, you're promised a mix of storytellers from film, media, comics.

Thursday - Noon
Cartoon Networks
Clips from a variety of shows will roll out, along with "special announcements."

Thursday - 1 pm
Marvel's 616
Different documentaries explore "the intersections of storytelling, pop culture and fandom within the Marvel Universe." Definitely worth watching.

Thursday - 2 pm
Upload on Amazon
Fun new show that isn't super geeky or futuristic, but worth watching.

Thursday - 2 pm
Virtual Tour of the Comic-Con Museum
I know you're curious...


Thursday - 4 pm
80th Anniversary of Bugs Bunny
Is Bugs Bunny really that old? A look back at his evolution.

FRIDAY

Friday - 11 am
HBO Max and Cartoon Network: Adventure Time
I feel like Adventure Time is the perfect antidote to this grim year so I will definitely be catching this.

Friday - Noon - 3pm
Fear the Walking Dead
The Walking Dead
The World Beyond
The Walking Dead panels are the quintessential Comic-Con experience. 

Friday - Noon
Undiscovered Country 
Are you reading this yet? 

Friday - 1 pm
Ray Harryhausen Archive
Even if you've seen his old footage before, this is still a fun panel.

Friday - 5 pm
Archer
How often have you wanted to be in the Indigo Ballroom late on Friday afternoon to see Archer's voice cast - but were always pulled elsewhere?

Friday - 5 pm

The Mueller Report

Yes, that Mueller Report is now a graphic novel. "Pithy," according to the description - and probably a thousand times more interesting than the upcoming election debates.

SATURDAY

Saturday - 10 am

Cosmos

Start Saturday off right with your favorite intergalactic commentary.

Saturday - 11 am

Back to the Moon and Beyond with NASA

NASA usually brings good SDCC content and their panels typically have lines out the door. If you haven't caught one yet, now's your chance.

Saturday - 3 pm

Bill and Ted Face The Music

Despite not seeing a Bill and Ted movie until 3 years ago, its iconography is burned into my brain and I'm guessing yours too - which makes this a nice nostalgia bath. 

Saturday - 4 pm

Adrian Tomine 

Will focus heavily on his brand new memoir, which looks compelling.

Saturday - 4 pm

Lovecraft Country

HBO new series about a "thrilling journey" across 1950s Jim Crow America as the characters face "racist terrors and monsters ripped from an HP Lovecraft novel." Yes, please.

Saturday - 5 pm
Wynonna Earp
She's back on SYFY and bringing you sneak previews and bingo games in this panel.

Saturday - 5 pm
What We Do in the Shadows
Your favorite vampire show is back.

Saturday - 6 pm
Kevin Smith
More SDCC nostaglia. Pretend you're in Hall H and get a look at his new film.

SUNDAY

Sunday - 11 pm
Next
We're all starved for new shows and this one (starting on FOX this fall) is about a rogue AI and how technology is our new overload. Not exactly fresh territory, but the panel will tell us if it's worth a shot.

Sunday - 2 pm
Nathan Fillion
And good guest speakers to match.

Sunday - 3 pm
Ripley's Believe It or Not
"The most bizarre, iconic and truly terrifying artifacts in history." A fun hour of schlock with which to end SDCC.

Sunday - 4 pm
Ray Bradbury in Hollywood
This old-timey look at greats like Bradbury, Leonard Nimoy and Ray Harryhausen promises to teach even "avid fans" something new.


What are you watching?

The hottest panels at SDCC 2019

13 JULY 2019

Hey, did you know what the top panels are this year at Comic-Con? They're all in Hall H and they have names like Marvel and Westworld and Supernatural. Question answered!

Or not. Look, there are many enticing panels happening in the big rooms this year, but there are great panels happening in smaller rooms and even outside the convention center. It's all a matter of opinion, of course - but here's what I'm hearing people get the most excited about.


Marvel
Obviously. Given that the panel runs 90 minutes, from 5:15 pm to 6:45 pm on Saturday, and features "surprise panelists," you can bet this is going to roll out the good stuff.

Supernatural
Bring a grief counselor.  This is the very final goodbye and that means the end of an era for a significant percentage of SDCC veterans. Hall H on Sunday morning.


George Takei
Too many people are anticipating this panel on They Called Us Enemy for room 25AB to hold them all. Line up early. 1:00 pm on Saturday.

Game of Thrones
Hall H on Friday will be packed anyhow, but this will be the motivating force for many in those seats - no matter how ambivalent they are about the final seasons.

The Witcher
Will Netflix deliver? You'll have an idea if you hit this panel, moderated by fan favorite Yvette Nicole Brown. Hall H on Friday at 2:15 pm.


Syfy's Great Debate
Ballroom 20 at 3:30 on Thursday. This is always fun and it's interactive - sort of - with great panelists.

The Russo Brothers
11:00 in Hall H on Friday morning. Obviously they'll feed you plenty of Endgame insights, but also satisfy your curiosity about their new studio.

Veronica Mars
Emotional panel and a big Friday morning draw in Ballroom 20 for the world premiere - 10 years after the original series.

Marvel Comics: Next Big Thing
What's ahead for the X-Men? Why are the moderators being so secretive? Saturday in room 6A at 1:45 pm.

Ray Harryhausen: The Lost Movies
Another nostalgic panel - but one that may be tough to get into, given that it follows NASA's alien search panel and Making a World of Monsters. I think a lot of people will line up for NASA and then stay straight through. Room 26AB at 6:30 pm on Friday.

Batwoman
I remember how much eye-rolling there was initially over Ruby Rose playing Kate Kane but now the pilot is poking at everyone's curiosity. If you don't see it Preview Night, you can catch it Saturday morning in Ballroom 20 at 10:30.

Hush
I'm 94% sure I can't make this, but the rest of you can head to Ballroom 20 Friday for the 7:15 or 9:30 showings. These DC animated premieres have been hit or miss but they're always entertaining on some level, and often followed by exciting announcements.


The Boys and Carnival Row
3:30 pm and 4:45 pm on Friday in Ballroom 20. If the Amazon offsite does its job and stokes anticipation even higher, these two shows (or just one) could wind up generating the most buzz post-Con - but we'll see.

Creepshow
Will Joe Hill's Creepshow panel finally convince everyone to subscribe to Shudder? Tricia Helfer, Adrienne Barbeau and Greg Nicotero make this an anticipated panel. 5:45 in 6BCF.

Snowpiercer
Remember when everyone lost their minds over the movie? And now we have a wintry show. This is in the Indigo at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday and people will be highly motivated to see it.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Whether you read these books as a child or adult, whether you're coming for Guillermo del Toro or just like scary movies, this panel is a big get. Just remember you need to do the morning Horton ticket lottery for this. 4:00 pm on Saturday.


Ray Bradbury and the World of Comics
Everyone (with taste) loves Ray Bradbury and the fact that this panel is in the Museum theatre is just added catnip. I don't think it'll be impossible to get into but I do think it will be a much-loved panel. Thursday at noon.

DC Universe 
If you're physically zonked by Saturday night, settling into the Indigo Ballroom to watch footage of Doom Patrol, Harley Quinn and Titans and inevitably hear exciting announcements is a good way to spend your evening.


 

You'll notice I didn't mention many comics panels. That's not because I don't care - comic books are my #1 interest at Comic-Con - but rather because I feel this year is middling in that regard. I'm sure some people are excited to go see Scott Snyder, Jim Lee, Joseph Linsner,  Jim Starlin, Robert Kirkman, and the feminist/Mexican/LGB+ comic panels. I'm sure they'll be great. But I don't think they'll be that difficult to get into and I don't hear many people anticipating them. Rather, they're the kind of panels attendees know will be there year after year, and schedule in between their more competitive agenda items.

How do you feel about SDCC50 panels? About what you expected?

A few words on panels and programming for SDCC first-timers

3 JULY 2019

These are exciting days if you have a badge for San Diego Comic-Con - especially if it's your first time. However, the next four days are going to be extra exciting because they're 2 weeks before actual SDCC - and that's when SDCC has historically published their programming.

If you're a first-timer, or you're used to other Cons/events, I think you'll be taken aback when you see how many options there are. So, assuming you're a complete noob, here are a few words of advice.

There is far, far more programming than has been announced already - so you do want to check the official schedule.
You know this, right? But I have met first-timers before who didn't; they genuinely thought Hall H was pretty much the only line-up at the Con, which is so adorable it almost hurts. If you're that new to Comic-Con, you should know that most media coverage is Hollywood-centric and ignores the other, less glamorous, 90% of SDCC: the comic book nerds, the hardcore collectors, the MTG fanatics, the backyard astronomers and robotics geeks, the anime fans and aspiring artists and game designers - and all the panels that cater to us.

So please don't think that the mainstream SDCC river streaming through social media is the whole story. It doesn't scratch the surface. Check out the programming because it's highly likely you'll spot something that caters to your specific fandoms or niche interests.


Document everything that catches your eye - even if they conflict. 
CCI offers an app for this, but you can also create your own spreadsheet, phone list, etc. If you're working with a group to split up line waits and nab Exhibit Hall items on Preview Night, you'll especially want some kind of coordinated reference point.

I know this may sound tedious, but once you're there in the thick of the lights and thunder and roaming Wookies, it'll be difficult to remember all your panel choices, times and locations. And because some panels will be too crowded to get into, or you'll realize your 1st choice panel eliminates two others and happy hour with your friends, you'll want to keep track of your 2nd and 3rd choices as well.


Attack SDCC as a team.
Attendees are a lot like spotted hyenas. We may not be the most charismatic megafauna, but we're bold and smart and we team up to get what we want.  Like scavengers we feast on other's leftover swag; we can go for long distances without getting tired. We target both the Hall H wildebeest and the obscure Exhibit Hall booth lizard.

And we take down our prey in packs, because it brings us richer spoils. Have someone save your spot in the Ballroom 20 line while you go pick up tickets to a Horton Grand screening. Make deals and trades, be generous and helpful. There are so many panels and tournaments and waits running concurrently that it's very hard to do it all alone.


Factor in travel time and line waits when you plan your schedule.
As a first-timer, you probably have no idea when to get in line for the Batwoman pilot or how far room 28DE is from room 7 or what a fulfillment room even is for that matter. You won't know how long it takes to go get a late breakfast at Broken Yolk and come back to the convention center. So for now, just assume that you won't be able to hop between back-to-back panels except in rare cases - that you'll need to build in some padding between events. The convention center is easy to navigate, but it will be crowded and some stairways/escalators/halls can be blocked for mysterious staff reasons.

Just something to keep in mind as you ponder lines and your choices.

 

Finally, don't write off panels as a whole because you think they're boring.
For one, they're a chance to put your feet up and escape the frenzy and fever of SDCC for an hour.  For another, they're a great way to expand your nerd universe and discover new comic books, TV shows, upcoming game releases and such. And panels aren't necessarily dry - many are interactive or instructive and some get quite boisterous. Just putting that out there, in case you assume the only worthy panels are in Ballroom 20, Indigo Ballroom or Hall H.


We'll see what tomorrow brings. Have a fun 4th of July Eve.

Catching up with SDCC

27 JUNE 2019

Who wants to watch pre-presidents debate when we can talk about Comic-Con? Let's review recent developments.

Exclusives
Yes, we're back to the lottery system; this time, though, we each have "credits" we can allocate to our favorite exclusives to increase our odds of being selected. You need to do so by 9 July. Winners will be selected within a few days. I know last year's exclusives system stirred up considerable rancor; I hope this year goes better for you, but don't get your hopes up too high.


Conan
Everyone is hyped over the release of the Funko figures and the date announcement, but I hope you're being practical as well by spiffing up your 1iota account. Remember - the rabid rush for Conan tickets is not strictly first come, first serve, but also about whose account proves they'd be a colorful addition to the audience.

Also remember the timing. I know programming won't be officially announced until next week, but you probably have a good idea by now of what day is your Hall H day, which one is your offsite day, etc. If Conan feels vital to you, request all 4 shows when tickets go live and try to trade later if you have to. But remember that you have to show up early the morning of the taping and then return in the afternoon to be released in the early evening. You won't be able to juggle this with another demanding line wait.


Comic Creator and Gaming Creator Connections
If you're not familiar with CCC, it's where comic book artists and writers interview each other for a few minutes and decide if they want to swipe right or left. I've heard mixed things from people who attended but I'm sure it's worked out for others. There's a session Thursday night and Friday night and you have to have a badge for that day to get in. Artists can go both nights; writers have to pick just one because we are legion. One new development this year: 10 "emerging artists" from DeviantArt will be there, seeking your gifts. 

Gaming Creator Connection on Saturday is a little different; you'll have 15-20 minutes to speak to different mentors in different aspects of the industry. You can also attend Game Pitch Review on the same day.

Email programs@comic-con.org if you're interested in either of these.

Merchandise
Some people can't wait for each year's official merchandise to be released and others don't care; this anniversary year, though, seems to have sparked a thirst for all things stamped SDCC. I'm usually not interested and even I'm eyeing the Batman shirt.

Don't forget that these items really are exclusive to the Con, and so your friends staying home may be extra interested in having you pick up a few up for them. 


Blood Drive Appointments
Don't forget to schedule your donation to the community. The SDCC blood drive has saved more than 67,000 lives over the years. It's easy to go (they take walk-ins), it's quick, and you walk away with great swag, like an Endgame t-shirt. You're also entered into raffles, with good odds of winning. (I've won prizes twice and I never win anything.)

 

What's a Studio?

Sony announced today we're not getting a look at Zombieland 2 (or anything else) at the Con. This sparked the usual hand-wringing over "major studios" skipping the Con, including Warner/DC, and how only Disney and Paramount will be there. I find these announcements triply irritating because:

• There's more to SDCC than Hall H and movie trailers - some of us are beyond excited to see the colossal Warner/DC booth, the Batwoman and Pennyworth pilots, the Veronica Mars premiere and the Saturday night DC Universe special event.
• If these writers would join us in 2019, they'd realize SDCC attendees are just as likely to fangasm over Amazon, Netflix, HBO, AMC (well, maybe not as much anymore) and other offerings. The idea that only old-school studios matter is a dinosaur.
• These articles tend to imply SDCC's star is dimming. Again, that's through their industry lens. While there's definitely a dynamic of many studios realizing the Hall H ROI isn't there, it's natural for a 50-year-old juggernaut like SDCC to continually shift and evolve - and many attendees don't consider a Tarantino trailer critical to their Comic-Con experience.

Panel Buzz

So speaking of panels... what are you excited to see? Here are some obvious choices:

Marvel anything: No contest, especially if we get a look at Black Panther 2.

Supernatural's final panel: Every Saturday night at Comic-Con, I see women head toward the convention center with sleeping bags and pillows, staking their claim to see the Winchester brothers. This fandom is insane (ranking with Twilight, IMO) and I can't imagine how intense this last panel will be.

Riverdale, right after it: I know everyone likes to roll their eyes at Riverdale these days, with good reason, but it's still crazy popular. And Cheryl Blossom cosplay is always a good look.

HBO Game of Thrones and Westworld: Obviously GOT will be nuts, and I'm curious how polite fans will be toward Weiss and Benioff. More excited for Westworld, personally, unless the GOT panel announces a graphic novel told from the direwolves' perspective.

Scary Stories Told in The Dark: If it comes. Is it coming?

The final Arrow panel: Also sure to be emotional. Honestly, Ballroom 20 on Saturday is going to be nonstop greatness, for those of you who are skipping Hall H.

Harley Quinn premiere: While this hasn't gotten as much buzz as other DC animation, the HQ fanbase is devoted - and really this is just guaranteed to be fun.

Veronica Mars reboot: No doubt many young attendees are thinking "the lady from the car commercials?" but HEY, Veronica Mars was quite a thing in its day - and this will be stormed by passionate fans.

The Boys: This seems to be stirring up significant curiosity pre-Con - and I think this will be a major draw.

Carnival Row: Same. 

Top Gun: Maverick: People I never thought would be into this have it on their top 5 list. 

Batwoman pilot: There's been a lot of scoffing in my Sapphic circles over this - but we're all still going to watch it, right? At least the pilot to see if it's decent.

Pennyworth: Same mix of cynicism and interest, but I think people will be eager to see it.

It Chapter Two:  Major get for Wednesday night. Who needs a $750 ticket to The Gathering when you can hit up ScareDiego?

The Order: A "horror drama" from Netflix, this looks like a great reason to be in the Indigo Ballroom on Thursday afternoon.

Are you excited yet?