Each year, we set aside time to talk about Comic-Con's first superstar guest and the man they call The King of the Comics, Jack Kirby. Jack left us in 1994 but his influence on comics, film, and this convention has never been greater. Discussing the man and his work this year are Len Wein, Scott Shaw!, Charles Kochman (editorial director, Harry N. Abrams Books) and Kirby family attorney Paul S. Levine, plus members of Jack's family. And of course, it's moderated by Mark Evanier.
Sunday July 27, 2014 10:00am - 11:15am PDT
Room 5AB
Kenneth Hough (University of California, Santa Barbara) examines comic book speculations on drone warfare in the 1940s and 1950s, comparing these early images with modern debates about the use of unmanned weapons. Melissa Colleen Stevenson (Stanford University) compares Fables' Fabletown Compact with the Truth and Reconciliation commissions instituted in South Africa after apartheid and the Ley de Punto Final passed in Argentina after the fall of dictatorship there, examining how Bill Willingham's work approaches real world philosophical questions about the nature of forgiveness, the demands of justice, and the very human desire for vengeance. Hadas Marcus (Tel Aviv University) reviews how various environmental themes are depicted in comics, from classic examples that only touch upon somewhat vague ecological topics, to contemporary works that explore looming environmental and sustainability issues in a much more detailed and often darkly apocalyptic manner.
Sunday July 27, 2014 10:30am - 12:00pm PDT
Room 26AB
The best stories stay with you forever. They shape who we are and what we love. Join some of the industries great storytellers as they talk about stories that shape and mold and stick with you long after the book has closed. Featuring Paul Pope (The Rise of Aurora West), Dav Pilkey (Captain Underpants), Rachel Renee Russell (The Dork Diaries), Brandon Mull (Sky Raiders), E. J. Altbacker (Shark Wars), Pseudonymous Bosch (Bad Magic), and P. Craig Russell (The Graveyard Book) in conversation with David Mariotte of Mysterious Galaxy.
Sunday July 27, 2014 11:00am - 12:00pm PDT
Room 25ABC
Skybound's Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead) and other Skybound writers and artists-including Josh Williamson (Ghosted), Khary Randolph (Tech Jacket), Matt Roberts (Manifest Destiny), and Chris Dingess (Manifest Destiny)-discuss not only their own works but the ever-changing landscape of the modern comic book industry. Moderated by Skybound editorial director Sean Mackiewicz.
Sunday July 27, 2014 11:00am - 12:00pm PDT
Room 7AB
Comic-Con special guest Chuck Dixon (Batman, Punisher, Winterworld, Bad Times) will conduct his own informal Q&A about comic book writing, the creation of Bane, how to live in Florida but write about life in a world of constant winter, and what it's like to be a lightning rod of controversy in a world of make-believe.
Sunday July 27, 2014 11:00am - 12:00pm PDT
Room 28DE
How important is reading at an early age? Panelists will demonstrate how students can create their own comics in a classroom and the benefits of utilizing graphic novels in academic settings. They include New York Times bestselling author Frank Beddor (The Looking Glass Wars, Hatter M), writer Anina Bennett (Boilerplate, Heartbreakers), writer/editor Dave Elliot (Weirding Willows), librarian Karen Green (Columbia University),New York Times bestselling author Marjorie Liu (Astonishing X-Men, Dirk & Steele), Harvey Award nominee Connor McCreery (Kill Shakespeare), and comics retailer Mimi Cruz (Night Flight Comics). Secret Origin of Good Readers free 70+ page companion resource book PDF and reading lists at www.night-flight.com/secretorigin courtesy of XMission.com.
Sunday July 27, 2014 11:00am - 12:30pm PDT
Room 23ABC
From Ms. Marvel to Black Widow, from Twitter to tumblr, women in comics has been one of the most talked-about topics in the industry recently. Join the conversation as women from every discipline 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. Panelists include producer and photographer Judy Stephens, Marvel's The Watcher host Lorraine Cink, Marvel Studios asset manager Alexis Auditore, artist Katie Cook (All-New Marvel NOW! Animal Variants) artist Rachelle Rosenberg (Amazing X-Men), and special guest editor-in-chief Axel Alonso!
Sunday July 27, 2014 11:15am - 12:15pm PDT
Room 5AB
Marc Guggenheim (Arrow, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters) shares his first novel, Overwatch, which blends the espionage and legal thriller genres, while delving into the inner workings of the CIA. Join Marc and moderator Joe Kelly for this Q&A session as they discuss what inspired Marc to write his first novel and his work in television, film, and comic books.
Sunday July 27, 2014 12:00pm - 1:00pm PDT
Room 25ABC
Disney Publishing Worldwide gives SDCC attendees a special sneak preview of upcoming books from Disney Press, Disney-Hyperion, Marvel Press, and Disney Lucas Film Press, along with their interactive storytelling and creativity apps. Moderator Rose Brock (award-winning librarian) and panelists Nachie Marsham (executive editor for Disney Book Group), Michael Siglain (executive editor for Disney Lucas Film Press/Disney Book Group), Tomas Palacios (editor for Marvel Press), Dina Sherman (senior marketing manager for Disney Book Group/School & Library Division), Michael Zagari (lead producer for Disney Digital Media), and Brooke McKnight (marketing manager for Digital) will demonstrate and talk about some of the exciting new reads and apps coming from DPW. Disney cosplay fans are encouraged to come-as long as costumes are kid-friendly!
Author/journalist and Comic-Con special guest Michelle Nolan (Love on the Racks) will join moderator Maggie Thompson (former editor of Comics Buyer's Guide) and Bud Plant (45 years of Bud Plant Comic Art) for a discussion and Q&A about Michelle's more than 50 years as a comics historian/entrepreneur.
Strong protagonists, engrossing romance, humor, action, and angst! This popular annual Q&A session and chat about the hottest new titles and trends in YA fiction is moderated by Nathan Bransford (The Jacob Wonderbar series)and features Kresley Cole (The Arcana Chronicles), Kami Garcia (The Legion Series), Tessa Gratton (United States of Asgard series), Tahereh Mafi (the Shatter Me series), Natalie Parker (Beware the Wild), C. J. Redwine (The Defiance series), Brendan Reichs (The Virals series), Margaret Stohl (The Icons series), and Scott Westerfeld (Afterworlds).
Sunday July 27, 2014 1:00pm - 2:00pm PDT
Room 25ABC
UPDATED: Mon, Jul 14, 09:57AM Moderated by Racebending.com, an intersectional, all-women (social) Justice League of television creators, graphic novelists, artists, and cultural commentators will explore the topic of women in the superhero world. Featured panelists include Marjorie Liu (Astonishing X-Men), Marguerite Bennett (Batman), and Faith Erin Hicks (The Adventures of Superhero Girl), Dr. Andrea Letamendi (UnderTheMaskOnline.com), Joanna Estep (Bold Riley), and Jules Rivera (Valkyrie Squadron).
Sunday July 27, 2014 1:30pm - 2:30pm PDT
Room 23ABC
Long time Disney creators Patrick and Shelly Block discuss how they went about designing their new epic fantasy world set on Luminas. They will provide tips on crafting interesting characters, and thoughts on the art of being original. Patrick and Shelly Block are creating the graphic novel, Frostlings; Shelly writes the dialogue and provides ideas for characters, and Patrick hand paints the pages using brushed ink and watercolors.
75 years ago the Marvel Universe first came to life with the release of Marvel Comics #1 (soon to become Marvel Mystery Comics), featuring the Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner. The company was called Timely then, but as you can see, the word "Marvel" was already part of its comics world. Continuously publishing since 1939, Marvel revolutionized comics in the early 1960s with the help of legends such as Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Steve Ditko. Ever since then, Marvel has proven what remarkable staying power and worldwide appeal these characters have. Daredevil celebrates his 50th anniversary this year, for one! Newer waves of talented artists and writers have all taken the helm at developing these beloved characters' storylines and influencing their looks and appeal into the 21st century. Moderated by Mark Waid (Daredevil), Comic-Con special guests Dan Slott (writer, Superior Spider-Man, Amazing Spider-Man) and Joe Quesada (chief creative officer, Marvel Entertainment) will be on hand to discuss these heroes and what keeps them fighting the good fight.
Drawing creator-owned comics can be tough, but our panelists make it look easy. Join AmyReeder (RocketGirl), ChrisBurnham (Nameless), TulaLotay (Supreme: Blue Rose) and a few very special guests as they discuss work ethics, storytelling, finding collaborators, and creating some of the best comics in the business.
Everybody talks about comics growing up-but can they still mature without (GASP) forgetting the children? Join this eclectic group of creators and editors for a lively roundtable. What are the challenges of entertaining different age levels? Are there lessons comics should take from manga, animation, and YA literature? And what advice should any aspiring creators know if they want to make their comics truly awesome for all ages? Bring your kids along, or just your inner child, and find answers that will get you laughing, learning, and looking at the craft of all-ages comics in a whole new way! Featuring as moderator writer Tom Pinchuk (Max Steel) with writer/artist Katie Cook (My Little Pony), writer Jenni L. Holm (Baby Mouse), editor Shannon Watters (kaBOOM!, Adventure Time), editor Sarah Gaydos (IDW Kids Comics), and writer/editor Joel Enos (Ben 10, Perfect Square).
Sunday July 27, 2014 2:00pm - 3:00pm PDT
Room 32AB
Join Dynamite publisher Nick Barrucci, Dynamite senior editor Joseph Rybandt and moderator Alan Kistler as they present a special 10th Anniversary Celebration featuring the upcoming Django/Zorro crossover creative team of Reginald Hudlin (editor, Django/Zorro), Matt Wagner (writer, Django/Zorro) and of course the very special guest Quentin Tarantino as they help to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Dynamite Comics!
Sunday July 27, 2014 2:15pm - 3:15pm PDT
Room 6BCF
UPDATED: Mon, Jul 21, 05:44PM The comics industry can be tough to break into! Come by for an inside look at how some of DC Entertainment's top talent -- Nicola Scott (Earth 2), Scott Snyder (American Vampire, Batman, Batman Eternal, The Wake), and Charles Soule (Red Lanterns, Superman/Wonder Woman, Swamp Thing) -- made their careers crafting the tales of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and more.
The Beat's Heidi MacDonald will get today's best literary cartoonists to spill their guts on just how they use moments and memories from their lives with actual facts from the time period and how they combine everything into the art of nonfiction or the fictitious memoir. Gilbert Hernandez is the cartoonist behind Marble Season, Bumperhead, and Love and Rockets that touches on his childhood but never tells the full story of his life as one of the famous Hernandez Brothers. Mimi Pond'sOver Easy tells the story of Madge, an art school drop out in the '70s when hippy met punk, a story close to her own life. David Lasky's The Carter Family is a biography of the first superstar group of country. MacDonald will ask: Do they draw likenesses from memories or from photographs? Do they take liberties with the facts to tell a more engrossing story? "Fictionalized Nonfiction" will peek into the creative process of today's leading graphic novelists.
Sunday July 27, 2014 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT
Room 32AB
For artists and writers who get "stuck," veteran writer/editor Barbara Randall Kesel (MLP FIM, Meathouse Man, Airwolf) brings proven tips, tricks, and strategies for vanquishing those blocked brain cells and deadline demons! Part information, part motivation, all entertaining!
Sunday July 27, 2014 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT
Room 28DE
First Second authors Faith Erin Hicks (Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong), Lucy Knisley (Relish), Paul Pope (The Rise of Aurora West), and Gene Luen Yang (The Shadow Hero) in conversation.
Sunday July 27, 2014 3:30pm - 4:30pm PDT
Room 26AB
No matter which industry (comics, illustration, movies, webcomics, design or animation, costuming or cosplay), "breaking in" has never been a more apt term than in today's media. It is a full-time job, and you only have part-time hours to accomplish it. Topics cover a myriad of organizational subjects: different kinds of leadership that match your groups needs, the importance of starting everyone on the same page and how to keep everyone there, how to build your team, a variety of angles on deadlines and work environments. The panelists, representing a broad cross-section of levels of authority, departments, work pipelines, and sizes of organizations, come from a variety of media, including illustration, writing, design, animation, podcasting, and live-action film production. Topher Davila (art director, GeekdomWear), Sean Glumace (Adobe education leader), Brendan Creecy (Radio BrendoMan podcast), Heather Joseph-Witham, Ph.D. (Mythbusters and various TV), Gene Turnbow (general manager, KryptonRadio.com), Ron Coleman, Ph.D. (molecular geneticist), Jonelle Davila (creative director, TheGeekGirlProject.com), Chris Dickens (writer and co-creator of Vigilante Project), and Mario Martinez (co-creator, TomatoTV), provide content that is a mix of speaking, questions and some short interactive applications where the audience can directly apply the topics covered. As an added bonus to help get your creative work life further along, the panel will give away a one-year subscription to Adobe's Creative Cloud.
Sunday July 27, 2014 4:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Room 24ABC
The Winner Twins, multiple award-winning and national bestselling sci-fi authors, scriptwriters, and producers, teach you how to create your own novel step by step, from building your universe to overcoming writer's block to the different paths to publishing. The teenage twins have written four science fiction novels and have taught their unique award-winning creative writing method to hundreds of thousands of convention attendees, teachers, and students across the country. The Winner Twins will be joined by bestselling author and renowned actor Richard Hatch, of Battlestar Galactica fame, and other surprise guests who will teach you how to create a film or TV treatment from your novel, and how to pitch it.
Acclaimed comics writer James Hudnall (Harsh Realm, Espers, The Age of Heroes, Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography) explains the secrets to better writing and making a story that matters and reveals seven key secrets that can turn an ordinary story into something special. He is joined by author Dr. Terry Cronin (The Skinvestigator, Students of the Unusual) for a discussion on how to make the most of your fiction.
Sunday July 27, 2014 4:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
