Summary of Sunday panels

28 JUNE 2015

The final panels of Comic-Con are before us. It’s Kids’ Day, so you parents and ageless nerds alike should find a lot of appealing panels today. If you’re wondering how much your offspring is really going to enjoy these panels, know that SDCC is good about presenting activities that are both participatory and passive, so kids of all personalities can feel comfortable attending.

Let’s look at Hall H. You Supernatural fans have had your campout planned since the badge sale, but others might still be on the fence.

We have: Vampire Diaries at 10, Supernatural at 11:15, American Horror Story/Scream Queens at 12:30, Heroes Reborn at 1:45 and FX's showcase of The Strain, Bastard Executioner and Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll at 3.

 

Onto Hollywood, which is pretty much spent after its 3-day orgy of programming. But we have a few things.

The Last Day of Summer: TV Guide Magazine's Farewell to Phineas and Ferb will be at 10 in 6BCF.

Sixty Years of Gumby. I love knowing Gumby fans are numerous enough to merit a panel. 11 in 29AB.

World Premiere of LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Attack of the Legion of Doom. The premiere is followed by a panel. 11:15 in 6BCF

An Exclusive Sneak Peek Panel for The Enchiridion and Marcy's Super Secret Scrapbook Featuring The Lord of Evil and Marceline the Vampire Queen. This sounds rather intense: Adventure time voice actors and illustrators show the “premiere of the terrifying book trailer. Surprises may include musical numbers and surprise guests. Audience participation is encouraged.” Noon in 7AB.

Danger Mouse New Series: Exclusive Reveal. Noon in 29AB. “The series return, exclusive character reveals, and a sneak peek at this surreal new spinout animated comedy series."

Illustrators: The Hidden Gems of Film and Television. 23ABC at 12:30.

Children's Hospital Special Video Presentation and Q&A. 25ABC at 1.

Official Sailor Moon Panel. Celebrate the release of Sailor Moon 200 episodes on Blu-ray. 1:00 in 6A.

World Premiere of Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem. “The Dark Knight isn't seeking tricks or treats when Gotham City's most lethal villains take to the streets on Halloween night in the newest DC Comics animated film, Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem.” 1 in 6BCF.

Nickelodeon Animation Featuring Sanjay and Craig. 6DE at 1:45.

It's back. Buffy Musical: Once More With Feeling & Juliet Landay Q&A is at 2:45 in 6BCF.

Browncoats Meeting Room, in 14A at 3.

 

Youngsters have:

IDW: Kids Comics at 10 in room 4.

Little Fish Comic Book Studio: Building The Artistic Tomorrow. 10 in 23ABC. This is an “exciting all-ages, all-abilities comic and manga art studio” based in San Diego.  

Cartoon Design for Creative Kids. “You will learn how to draw your own funny cartoon characters using basic geometric shapes and more.” 11 in 30CDE.

Middle Grade Spectacular “explores the boundless world of middle grade fiction.” Ages 8 and up. 11 in 25ABC.

Oni Press: Monster Art Battle. “Three artists go head to head on the drawing boards... Kids of all ages are welcome, and every attendee receives free comics." 11 in 32AB.

Kids and Comics: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Plants vs. Zombies, Itty Bitty Hellboy and More. Noon in 24ABC.

CBLDF: You Can't Draw That! Live Art Jam at 12:15 in 5AB.

Different Is Cool.  Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon “invite young creators and readers to a discussion about how the best way to break into comics and build a career may not be by doing what everyone wants, but by doing what only you can do.” 11:15 in 6DE.

Manga Tutorials for Kids will be in 30CDE at 2.

Raising Future Fans: Geeky Parents and Children Speak Out. In 14A at 2.

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes will be at 2:45 pm in room 5AB.

Kids Draw Superheroes will round out the day at 4 in 30CE.

 

Onto science, nerd life and culture.

End Bullying! Responding to Cruelty in Our Culture is at 10:00 in 24ABC

Fangirl Foods: Food Network's Chef Duff Goldman. 10 in 14A. “In a world where superheroes, Star Wars, Adventure Time, and Doctor Who are taking over the culinary world, it's no wonder that geeks and nerds are the current reigning champions.” Didn’t know this was a thing, but that’s what is great about SDCC: you’re always learning.

No Cape Required: Modern Day Superheroes in 10 in 25ABC. Discuss “crafting an original superhero narrative, debate the best superpower and explore what it takes to be a true hero.”

There will be an Open Meeting of the Christian Comic Arts Society at 10 in 28DE.

The Girls Are All Right! discusses “the challenges and thrills of creating diverse heroines that appeal to a new generation of readers and hook them for a lifelong love of comics.” 10 in 30CDE.

Fantastic Fans and Where to Find Them: Wizarding World and Potterverse Fandom Panel. 10:15 in 6A.

2015: Greatest Geek Year Ever? Decide yes or no at noon in 25ABC.

Starship Smackdown XV: Battle of the Intergalactic Stars Edition. “Join this panel of sage spaceshipologists as they outwit, outplay, and outphaser each other.” Includes Bobak Ferdowski from NASA as an actual spaceship builder, Daren Dochterman, the VFX supervisor from Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Director's Edition, and numerous sci-fi writers and actors for “the geekiest and most beloved panel of all time in this, or any other dimension, known or unknown.”2:15 in 6A.

Queer Imagery in Animation. “Works of animation that tackle same gender attraction and gender identity exploration.” 3:00 in 28DE.  

Super Asian America. “Diversity and representation, the making of some of your favorite superheroes, and fan advocacy efforts for an Asian American Iron Fist.” 3 in 29AB.

Who's the Muse - Science or Science Fiction? Weigh in at 3 in 32AB.

The Future of Fan Culture is at 3:30 in 26AB. A lot of fan self-examinations this year.

 

What's Hot in Young Adult Fiction. 3:45 in 5AB.

No Tow Trucks Beyond Mars. “How we go boldly where there's no one around to fix it. Hear stories from the trenches of the heartbreaks, close calls, and adventures of real-life solar system exploration. Q&A session following.” 4 in 32AB.

 

The Comics category is not as strong as other days, but there are still some good offerings.

Emily the Strange Panel Experience is in 32AB at 10.

Only What's Necessary: Charles M. Schultz and the Art of Peanuts. If you missed the 65th anniversary panel, maybe you can catch this with Chip Kidd and Paige Braddock for a preview of  “upcoming coffee table book, Only What's Necessary: Charles M. Schulz and the Art of Peanuts.” 10 in 29AB.

Marvel: Women of Marvel. 11:15 in 5AB. "Women from multiple disciplines in the creative process at Marvel discuss what it's like working as a woman in comics today and what it means for the future of the industry."

Marvel: Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends.  “Exclusive and revealing.” 12:30 in 6DE.

Nickelodeon Returns to Comics. An inside look at how Nickelodeon's hit properties Sanjay & Craig, Breadwinners, and Harvey Beaks are being turned into Papercutz graphic novels. 12:30 in room 8.

Image Comics: Where Creators Own Imagination. 2:00 in 7AB,

DC Comics: Too Tough Trivia. 3:30 in 6DE.

Quite a few creative panels today.

Comic-Con How-To: Plot Structure: Creating the Foundation to a Page-Turning Story. Maxwell Alexander Drake will give you "insight into how to create a structure that will become the foundation for your story, as well as providing you with several tools to help you stay organized." 10 in room 2.

How to Create Your Own Novel: From the First Idea to Publishing, and What You Need to Sell Your Work to TV and Film. “How to craft your story idea into a marketable novel, television series, or film property.” In room 8 at 10:30.

Creating Comics the ComiXology Way is at 11 in 24ABC.

How We Tell Stories: “strategies for telling stories and how these change when you're writing for online, alt-weekly magazines, or your own sketchbook." 11 in 28DE.

A Style of Your Own: Developing Your Signature Art Style. 11:30  in room 8.

Comic-Con How-To: New Methods in Digital Painting and Coloring with Brian Haberlin will be at 11:30 in room 2.

From Comics to Animation. “Learn what it takes to convert a comic to an animated project and how to succeed in both.” 23ABC at 1:30

How To: Drawing with Jim Lee. Room 2 at 1:30.

Fund My Comic. “An in-depth discussion that will give you the knowledge to successfully create, fund, and promote your own comic.” 2:00 in 29AB.

Where Do Ideas Come From? 28DE at 2.  “Rapid-fire tips, tricks, and strategies for vanquishing those blocked brain cells and deadline demons.”

Landing that TV Animation Storyboard Job. 23ABC in 2:30.

Business of Cartoon Voices. Be warned: “Only serious students need show up.” 25ABC. 3.

Full-Time Creative Work on a Part-Time Schedule.  “This panel deals with the basic, though imperative, approaches and concepts for what you need to know to accomplish any project in any media with any goal.” Includes a giveaway of a one-year subscription to Adobe's Creative Cloud. In 24AABC at 4.

And finally, the opportunity to unleash all your Comic-Con ponderings:

Comic-Con Talk Back. 3:30 in 23ABC. “President of the Comic-Con board of directors John Rogers will be present to listen to attendees' concerns about this year's event.” I feel this isn’t descriptive enough, so let me expound. This is an opportunity for you to talk about the hotel room issue or bring up questions about the convention center expansion and possible SDCC move – all the brooding thoughts and grievances that haunt you throughout the year. CCI isn’t always transparent or communicative, to put it mildly, so take advantage of this panel.

 

And then the sun sets and it’s time to say goodbye - tired, broke, sad and a little relieved that it's over.

So that's Sunday. Yes, it's a lighter day of programming. Two thoughts: you might think this is the perfect day to go hit all those alluring off-sites like Assassin's Creed and Game of Thrones. It is not. Everyone has the same thought, and the lines on Sunday are unbearable. 

The other thought: don't forget the sales in the Exhibit Hall. Lots of merchandise, toys, books, shirts and art will be marked down so the vendors don't have to ship it home. The crowd is also lighter, because some people have left, others are sleeping in and others are nursing a hangover over a leisurely brunch. So even if the Exhibit Hall struck you as a fetid swamp of humanity on other days (particularly Saturday), it's worth doing a final spin on Sunday.

I'll post my overall thoughts on the programming and the best ways to manage your time and make your choices in a bit.

Our final day

27 JULY 2014



Sunday is here and if you are anything like me, you could barely drag yourself out of bed this morning. I think we're all ready to go home.  So what is everyone doing to wind down today?

It's our first Doctor Who-less Sunday in Hall H in a while, but people still camped for Supernatural. Mischa Collins handed out coffee to people in line, which is half-adorable and half like feeding wild raccoons.

It's Kids Day, so you parents will probably have a whole list of places to take your offspring, but one panel that will be popular with everyone is "Sesame Street& Pop Culture: 45 Years of Spoofs on the 'Street'  with parodies of Comic-Con and Star Wars - moderated by Chris Hardwick.  10:15 in Room 6A.

Then we have a smattering of random panels that don't follow much of a theme. 
 
"The Fifth Beatle: The Beatles, The Big Screen, and Beyond" should be popular with fans of the graphic novel. 10:00 in 24ABC.

"Robert Kirkman's Skybound Comics" will draw people in. 11 in 7AB. So will "Image Comics: I Is for...Innovation" at 2:00pm - 3:00pm Room 7AB and "Fictionalized Nonfiction: The Art of Combining Fact and Fiction" will share experiences by Gilbert Hernandez, Mimi Pond, David Lasky and others at 3:00 in 32AB.

Marvel has "Marvel: Next Big Thing" is at 12:30 in 6DE, followed by "Marvel Comics' 75th and Daredevil's 50th" at 1:45.

"Nerdist News Live" should be fun. 2:00 in 24ABC.
 
Quentin Tarantino will be at the very long-titled “Dynamite 10th Anniversary Panel Featuring Quentin Tarantino as He Comes to Dynamite! The Sequel to Django Unchained-Django Meets Zorro”  2:15 in 6BCF.
 

We have the "bullying panel" people keep talking about: "End Bullying! Responding to Cruelty in Our Culture." This is about geek bullying, LGBT bullying, cyber-bullying and such. 3:00 in 24ABC.

But if you're not in the mood for healing, you can go to "Comic-Con Talk Back" and share all of your most vivid opinions on SDCC with John Rogers, president of the Comic-Con board of directors. Go ahead, be honest, be bold, be firm. It can only help. 3:30 in 23ABC.

If you're still sticking around by 4:00, go to "Full-Time Creative Work on a Part Time Schedule" to get a one-year subscription to Adobe's Creative Cloud. 24ABC.

Writers get a last hurrah with "How to Create Your Own Novel: From First Idea to Publishing and What You Need to Sell your Work to TV and Film" at 4:00 in 7A - or they can learn "The Secrets of Writing" at 4:00 in 30CDE.

Finally we have "The Battle for Multicultural Heroes" at 4:00 in 28DE.

Also, remember that a lot of vendors mark down their stuff on Sunday. If something caught your eye earlier but its price tag scared you off, this is the time to go back and see if you can negotiate.

Enjoy your last day in nirvana, nerds.

Sunday panel summary

14 JULY 2014

The last day of the Con is up. No surprises here. Kids Day seems like Super Kids Day this year – there is so much to do for every child’s interest and participation level. Whether your youngster is shy or outgoing, interested in gaming, comics or movies, you’ll find something guaranteed to thrill them. For the rest of us, there’s plenty of options to choose from but it’s a lighter day on the whole than the preceding three.

I predict that Sunday is going to be the day people will swarm the outside events, both because they have fewer panels that appeal to them and because by then word of mouth will have trickled through the crowd. That happened last year, and lines for a few were considerably worse than Thursday and Friday. My advice is not to leave the ones you really want to hit up until the last minute.

Also, if you don’t see a lot of panels that appeal to you today, remember that many vendors in the Exhibit Hall mark down their stuff on Sunday. They’re more opening to bargaining too. I’ve always scored a few killer deals on Sunday, especially on big hardcover books.

Let’s jump in.

 

Hall H has Supernatural at 10, The Following at 11:15, Sons of Anarchy at 12:30 and The Strain at 1:45.

This might look lighter than previous years, but it's still going to pack them in. Doctor Who campers won't need to be reckoned with  but the Supernatural fanbase is nothing short of fanatical. And a lot of people are very interested in The Strain.

 

 
Kids Day

10:00 brings us “Comics for the Whole Family”  in 23ABC; “IDW: Kids Comics!” in Room 4; “Kids Draw: A Comics Live Drawing Panel" in 30CDE; "LEGO: Legends of CHIMA" in  25ABC and "Nickelodeon: New Animated Comedies-Bringing You Buds, Baps & Bad Seeds!" in 7AB.

Expect this to be super popular: "Sesame Street& Pop Culture: 45 Years of Spoofs on the 'Street'  -  special screening of the new Sesame Street spoofs "Numeric Con" and "Star S'mores" (parodies of Comic-Con and Star Wars), all moderated by Chris Hardwick.  10:15 in Room 6A.

"Batkid: The Film" isn’t about a new DC character borne of one unholy night between Selina Kyle and Bruce Wayne; it’s a documentary on Miles Scott, a young cancer survivor whose Make-A-Wish-Foundation wish was to be Batman's sidekick.  10:30 in Room 8.

"Cartoon Design For Creative Kids" sounds fun.  11:00 in 30CDE.

"Middle Grade Extravaganza" is at 11:00 in 25ABC.

"Monsterpalooza with Oni Press and Friends!" has a timed drawing competition, based on kids’ suggestions.  11:00 in 32AB.

 "Panels & Pictures" will show you the "latest in great graphic novels for kids."  12:00 in 32AB.

 

"Secret Origin Kids Club - A beginner's introduction to comic book reading and the exciting choices available for kids!" Sounds like this will help you indoctrinate your kid into the wonderful world of comic book nerddom when you're only familiar with adult titles. 12:30pm in 23ABC. 

"Archie Action Hour: Sonic, the Hedgehog and Mega Man" will be at 1:00 in 32AB.

"LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham" is at 1:00 in 6BCF .

"Nickelodeon: Sanjay and Craig" is at 1:00 in 6A.

Comics, Games, Toys, Publishing

"The Emily the Strange Panel Experience" is at 10 in 32AB. I forgot they’re making a movie out of this but they are and you can find out more about it here.

"The Fifth Beatle: The Beatles, The Big Screen, and Beyond" details how the Brian Epstein Story is jumping from graphic novel to film.  10:00 in 24ABC.

"Robert Kirkman's Skybound Comics: is at 11 in 7AB.

"Marvel: Women of Marvel: is at 11:15 in 5AB.

"Dark Horse Builds Characters: Tomorrow's Comics Today" is at noon in 24ABC.

"Marvel: Next Big Thing" is at 12:30 in 6DE, followed by "Marvel Comics' 75th and Daredevil's 50th" at 1:45.

"What's Hot in Young Adult Fiction" is at 1:00 in 25ABC.

"Digital Comics: Going Beyond the Page" is at 1:30 in room 8.

 "Image Comics: I Is for...Innovation" is at 2:00pm - 3:00pm Room 7AB, followed by "Diamond Select Toys: The Best of All Worlds," a preview of upcoming items, at 3:00.

"DC Comics-My Secret Origin, or How I Broke into Comics" is 3:00 in 6DE.

"Fictionalized Nonfiction: The Art of Combining Fact and Fiction" will share experiences by Gilbert Hernandez, Mimi Pond, David Lasky and others. 3:00 in 32AB.

Creatives

Once again, room 2 has the magic. "Collaborative Sequential Storytelling" is at 10:00, followed by "Figure Sculpting" at 11:30, followed "Building Your Fandom Armada" at 12:30. Finally, "Drawing with Jim Lee" is in there at 3:00.

"Creating Comics the ComiXology Way" is at 11:00 in 24ABC.

"Cartoon Voices #2" is at 11:30 in 6A.

"Fund My Comic" is at 2:00 in 29A. This isn't an actual plea to bootstrap someone else's comic but an exploration of raising funding.

"Resin Casting and Silicone Moldmaking" is at 2:00 in 30CDE.

"Where Do Ideas Come From?" will go through "proven tips, tricks, and strategies for vanquishing those blocked brain cells and deadline demons." 3:00 in 28DE.

"Full-Time Creative Work on a Part Time Schedule" is giving away a one-year subscription to Adobe's Creative Cloud to everyone who attends. Yes, really. 4:00 in 24ABC.

"How to Create Your Own Novel: From First Idea to Publishing and What You Need to Sell your Work to TV and Film" will be at 4:00 in 7AB.

Alas, "The Secrets of Writing" will cruelly also be at 4:00 in 30CDE.

Hollywood, Culture

CCAS Sunday Devotional & Christian Comics Panel is in 28DE. 

"World Premiere of Scooby-Doo! Frankencreepy" is also at 10 in 6BCF.

"The Cross-Generational Appeal of Doctor Who" is at 11:00 in 29A.

"From Snidely Whiplash to Voldemort and Back: The Guys (and Gals?) We Love to Hate" has Matthew Holm, Talia Hurwich, Faith Erin Hicks, Ted Naifeh , Jonathan Hamel, and Royden Lepp at 11:30 in room 8.

"Teen Titans Go! Video Presentation and Q&A" will be at 11:45 at 6BCF in case you missed it Preview Night.

"Warner Archive Collection: A Batman for All Seasons" is at noon in 7AB.

"Nerdist News Live" is probably going to be a lot of attendees' last panel. 2:00 in 24ABC.

“Dynamite 10th Anniversary Panel Featuring Quentin Tarantino as He Comes to Dynamite! The Sequel to Django Unchained-Django Meets Zorro” The title says it all. 2:15 in 6BCF.

"End Bullying! Responding to Cruelty in Our Culture" will cover geek bullying, LGBT bullying, cyber-bullying, etc. There's a quote in here from CNN that suggests a therapeutic element to the panel: "From now on, Comic-Con convention-goers will come for cosplay, entertainment, freebies, autographs-and healing." And comic books, CNN. Let's not forget what started this whole juggernaut. 3:00 in 24ABC.

"Comic-Con Talk Back" is, in addition to being titled oddly, your chance to speak vividly and openly with John Rogers, president of the Comic-Con board of directors. He is very eager to hear all of your "concerns." Every year I'm highly sarcastic about this panel but now I'm going to be serious and say that CCI isn't known for taking feedback from we commoners - so this is probably an excellent opportunity to give attendees a voice. If you feel strongly about the attendee experience - online sales, harassment, Con policies, Travel Planners, whatever - go ahead and share your thoughts. It helps everyone. 3:30 in 23ABC.

 "Buffy the Musical: Once More with Feeling" is highly popular and a fun way to wind down your Con. 3:30pm in 6BCF.

"The Battle for Multicultural Heroes" sounds like a much-needed and valuable panel, and I wish it came earlier in the Con instead of being stuck at the end when a lot of people have already hit the road. "Diverse geek experts will discuss breaking ethnic stereotypes and what changes need to happen for us to boldly go into the future." 4:00 in 28DE.

 

And that wraps up the Con. I hope everyone is still excited about whatever kind of badge they have.  I'll share my observations on this year's programming later.