In the literary world, there are mystical beings, futuristic landscapes, magic and mayhem, heroes and villains, and slowly but surely, more diversity in our heroes. Panel participants are the creators that have made a more diverse world with their novels. Join authors Gene Luen Yang (The Shadow Hero), Josephine Angelini (Trial by Fire),Sherri L. Smith (Orleans), Adele Griffin (The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone), Greg Weisman (Spirits of Ash and Foam: A Rain of the Ghosts Novel), and Lydia Kang (Control), as moderator David Mariotte of Mysterious Galaxy leads the discussion of what is "diversity" in genre writing, what it looks like, and why it is important.
Saturday July 26, 2014 10:00am - 11:00am PDT
Room 7AB
These authors know how to thrill readers with stories of kick-ass heroines who traverse the boundaries of other worlds and dimensions. Deborah Harkness (All Souls Trilogy), Marjorie Liu (Labyrinth of Stars), S. J. Harper (Reckoning), Christina Lauren (Sublime), Tonya Hurley (Blessed series), and moderator Chris Marie Green (Only the Good Die Young) discuss the paranormal elements in their action-packed novels that keep their protagonists on their toes and readers on the edge of their seats.
Saturday July 26, 2014 10:30am - 11:30am PDT
Room 8
Temple of Art is an ongoing 2-year art and photography project, a unique conversation among over 50 artists that includes original work incorporating multiple modalities and disciplines. The show currently has a book published by Baby Tattoo, bicoastal gallery openings, and a feature-length documentary. Creator Allan Amato (commercial photographer, Justified, Wilfred, Necessary Roughness ) will be curating, discussing art as a battleground between ego, alchemy, and discipline. The panel features such greats from both the comics industry and the fine art world as Dave Mckean (Mirror Mask, Sandman), Barron Storey (Sandman:Endless Nights, Marat-Sade Journals), Kent Williams (Kent Williams: Opthalm, The Fountain), Jason Shawn Alexander (Abe Sapien, Batman: End Game), David Mack (Kabuki, Daredevil), Bill Sienkiewicz (Electra Assassin, The New Mutants), Grant Morrison (Batman: Arkham Asylum, The Filth, Happy), Jim Mahfood (Clerks, Tank Girl), Stephanie Inagaki (fine artist, Miyu Decay), and Ryan Graff (designer, publisher). Moderated by Jon Schnepp. A video presentation of original works from the show and preview of the documentary will be played as well. Giveaway T-shirts, postcards, and posters.
Saturday July 26, 2014 11:00am - 12:00pm PDT
Room 25ABC
If writers' rooms were like superhero teams then "Inside the Writers' Room" just lined up the Justice League and The Avengers for this all-star insider look at your favorite TV series. The scribes behind some of today's hottest genre shows share their candid thoughts on how to write and rewrite the series you love (and sometimes loathe). Find out the deep, dark secrets (and low-calorie snacks) of the writers' room-and why network executives actually care about what you write on message boards. Get the straight scoop on how shows go from inside their heads to a dry erase board to your television sets and tablets from some of today's most talented and outspoken writers and producers, moderated by Sony Pictures Television's jocular senior VP of drama development & production, Chris Parnell. The heroic lineup this year includes Michael Narducci (The Vampire Diaries, The Originals), SteveHolland (The Big Bang Theory), Sarah Watson (Parenthood, About a Boy), William Harper (Grey's Anatomy), Christine Boylan (Constantine, Once Upon A Time), Ashley E. Miller (The New Terminator TV series, Fringe, Andromeda), Steve Melching (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Transformers Prime), Gabrielle Stanton (Haven, Castle, Arrow), Jose Molina (Sleepy Hollow, Firefly, Agent Carter), and Mark A. Altman (Femme Fatales, Castle, Free Enterprise TV Series).
Saturday July 26, 2014 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
Room 24ABC
Every day, our present begins to look more and more like science fiction. We converse with AIs on our phones, communicate by digital avatars, and maintain entire social presences online. Movies like Her demonstrate how familiar-and how close-we are to a world where Cylons co-mingle with humanity. Authors Daniel H. Wilson (Robogenesis), Andy Weir (The Martian), Jason Hough (The Dire Earth Cycle), Daniel Price (The Flight of the Silvers), M. D. Waters (Prototype), and Nick Cole (Soda Pop Soldier) discuss potential robot uprisings with moderator Maryelizabeth Hart of Mysterious Galaxy!
Saturday July 26, 2014 12:00pm - 1:00pm PDT
Room 7AB
Whether it's a dystopian society, the aftermath of an apocalypse, or an unknown intergalactic landing point, the way YA novels envision the future is often complex and layered with problems and untapped possibilities. A dynamic group of authors including Emily Lloyd Jones (Illusive), Benny Zelkowicz (Foundry’s Edge), Romina Russell (Zodiac), Michael Johnston (The Heart of Dread series), Pierce Brown (Red Rising), Cam Baity (Foundry's Edge), Charles Yu (How to Survive in a Science Fiction Universe), Benny Zelkowitcz (Foundry's Edge), and Cecil Castellucci (Tin Star) discuss how they create their worlds of tomorrow, the architecture and outlining involved, and what we learn about our contemporary selves as a result of these future landscapes.
Saturday July 26, 2014 1:00pm - 2:00pm PDT
Room 28DE
Female creators talk about how to cultivate your ideas and bring them to life. Leave with inspiration, confidence, a solid plan of action, and tons of new ideas. Moderated by Stephanie Pressman (Fashionably Nerdy, Stalking LeVar) and featuring America Young (Geek Therapy, The Chimaera Project), Helenna Santos (Ms. In The Biz), Heidi Cox (Stalking LeVar, Geek Speak TV), Kristen Nedopak (The Geekie Awards, The Skyrim Parodies), Patty Jean Robinson (Pike & Trident, Awkward Embraces), Samantha Mason (Fashionably Nerdy, Legends of Atoll), and Stephanie Thorpe (Elf Quest, Shelf Life).
Saturday July 26, 2014 1:00pm - 2:00pm PDT
Room 23ABC
Endgame: The Calling is an engrossing apocalyptic adventure novel at the core of a groundbreaking interactive project that will be published on October 7. A YA trilogy by international bestselling author James Frey and New York Times bestselling author Nils Johnson-Shelton, the Endgame trilogy follows 12 teens as catastrophic events lead them on a global quest in search of three ancient keys that will save not only their bloodlines but the world. Each book in the series is also the focal point of an interactive experience within the Endgame universe, consisting of a sequence of challenging puzzles that, when solved, will ultimately lead to the location of a hidden key. The first eligible reader to solve the final puzzle for the first book will find the key and win $500,000 dollars' worth of gold. Google's Niantic Labs is developing a location-based augmented reality game that will bring Endgame to life in the real world and allow players to join in battle to unlock the mysteries of Endgame. Panelists James Frey (co-author of Endgame and creator of Full Fathom Five), 20th Century Fox's Wyck Godfrey (producer of the Endgame film, The Maze Runner, and The Fault in Our Stars), John Hanke (leader of Google's Niantic Labs and creator of Google Maps) and Mat Laibowitz (Ph.D., founder of Futuruption) discuss the Endgame universe they've created.
Saturday July 26, 2014 2:00pm - 3:00pm PDT
Room 7AB
Paul Roman Martinez (Adventures of the 19XX), Travis Hanson (The Bean), and Daniel Davis (Steam Crow) let you in on all the secrets that led them to a combined 10 successful crowd funded projects and over $200,000 raised toward publishing costs. Paul, Travis, and Daniel provide tips you can use on your next project and a Q&A session designed to increase your chances of crowdfunding success
Saturday July 26, 2014 4:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Room 23ABC
Joe Abercrombie (Half a King), Diana Gabaldon (Outlander), Lev Grossman (Magicians Trilogy), George R. R. Martin (Game of Thrones), and Patrick Rothfuss (The Kingkiller Chronicle) have written some of the most memorable books of their time, pushing genre fiction into the mainstream. Join these bestselling authors along with moderator Ali T. Kokmen (Barnes & Noble/NOOK Media) for a discussion on fantasy literature, fandom, and how they mastered their craft.
Saturday July 26, 2014 4:15pm - 5:15pm PDT
Room 6A
Comic-Con special guest Mimi Pond reads from her New York Times bestselling debut graphic novel Over Easy, a chatty, slyly observant coming-of-age story about a young woman going from naive, sexually inexperienced art-school dropout to self-aware, self-confident artist. Pond's wry and limber anecdotes create a compelling portrait of a distinct moment in time-when hippies became punks and free love was on everybody's mind. Pond, who has written for The Simpsons and Pee Wee's Playhouse and created comics for National Lampoon, the LA Times, and Seventeen, will talk about the origins of Over Easy and share anecdotes about her creative process.
It's the annual comics journalism panel, and despite what you may have heard, comics journalists are still alive. Are they well? You'll find out with The Beat's Heidi MacDonald, Bleeding Cool's Rich Johnston, and Comics Reporter's Tom Spurgeon, as they are joined by Eisner Award-nominated Matt Meylikhov of Multiversity, Joshua Yehl of IGN, and Jill Pantozzi of The Mary Sue to talk about what's new in comics and what's new in covering them.
Saturday July 26, 2014 6:00pm - 7:00pm PDT
Room 23ABC
Authors James Dashner (The Maze Runner) and Christina Lauren (Beautiful Bastard), together with their publishing teams-literary agent Michael Bourret (Dystel & Goderich Literary Agency), executive editor Krista Marino (Random House, Delacorte), literary agent Holly Root (Waxman Leavell Literary Agency), senior editor Adam Wilson (Simon & Schuster, Gallery), and associate director of publicity Kristin Dwyer (Simon & Schuster, Gallery)-discuss their roles and interactions navigating the path from story idea to bestseller. Moderated by author Nathan Bransford (How to Write a Novel).
Saturday July 26, 2014 6:00pm - 7:00pm PDT
Room 25ABC
Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club, Choke, Haunted), director David Fincher (Fight Club, Seven, The Social Network, and Gone Girl), Gerald Howard (Doubleday executive editor), and special guests discuss the seminal novel's journey from book to film and beyond. Moderated by Rick Kleffel (TheAgonyColumn.com).
Saturday July 26, 2014 7:00pm - 8:00pm PDT
Room 25ABC
David Pomerico, executive editor from Harper Voyager US, provides an overview of the upcoming season's best new fiction. From the publishing powerhouse that brought you Divergent, comes the latest and greatest in teen fiction. Christina Colangelo and Lauren Flower of HarperTeen present major upcoming YA book releases that will transport you from a dystopian version of Oz to an apocalyptic battleground and beyond. Get ready to grab plenty of HarperTeen giveaways, limited-edition goodies, and advance copies!
Industry gossip hound Rich Johnston (Bleeding Cool) hosts this panel discussing Bleeding Cool magazine's upcoming "Top 100 Comic Industry Power Rankings" and the big comic book news breaking at Comic-Con.
In this seminar, author/publisher Mark O'Bannon (The Dream Crystal, The Dark Mirrors of Heaven, Aia the Barbarian, Fantasy Imperium, Better Storytelling) discusses how to create a buying frenzy, what every author ought to know about writing and marketing, and some plain talk about a simple business that often sounds complicated.
Saturday July 26, 2014 8:00pm - 9:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
Iconic weird tale author H. P. Lovecraft (1890-1937), in his introduction to the story The Call of Cthulhu wrote: "We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age." Was he right? A panel of scientists and Lovecraft experts will discuss the science behind Lovecraft's stories and what modern research has revealed about humanity's place in the cosmos. With Cody Goodfellow (Deepest, Darkest Eden: New Tales Of Hyperborea), Shane Haggard (Chemistry instructor, San Diego City College), Leslie S. Klinger (The New Annotated H. P. Lovecraft), Andrew Leman (The H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society), and Lisa Will, Ph.D. (astronomy and physics professor, San Diego City College). Moderated by Aaron Vanek (The H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival and CthulhuCon-Los Angeles).
Johnny Cavooto (Sartana), Brandon T. Perlow (publisher, Watson and Holmes), Bryan Graham, Jeffrey Twohig (FuzzyLogixMedia), and Rebecca Nelson (FuzzyLogixMedia) discuss the process of being published and troubleshooting production issues. Moderated by Gini Koch.
Studios today are not buying movies. They are buying franchises. They want "Story Worlds" that can exist in multiple mediums. But it's not just big franchises. Even smaller stories can be enhanced by using the multitude of mediums available to modern storytellers. In this panel discussion hosted by the New York Film Academy's Screenwriting Department, industry experts weigh in on the concept of transmedia, from franchise creation to audience engagement, and how the new media landscape influences, expands, and oftentimes even enhances the storytelling process. Moderated by Adam Finer (chair of industry outreach and professional development, associate chair of media studies, New York Film Academy), the panel includes Dafna Pleban (editor, BOOM! Studios), Margaret Dunlap (The Middleman, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries), Adam Moore (Dirt3, Vendor, associate chair of screenwriting, New York Film Academy), Nunzio DeFilippis (New X-Men, Amazing Agent Luna, director of curriculum development, New York Film Academy), Christina Weir (New X-Men, Amazing Agent Luna), Joe Harris (X-Files: Season 10, Ghost Projekt), and Flint Dille (Ingress, Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay).
Saturday July 26, 2014 8:00pm - 9:00pm PDT
Room 25ABC