Naruto is one of the world's most popular manga series, with over 60 bestselling volumes published. Get all the latest news on the Naruto manga, anime, video games, and more at this super-sized panel, featuring guests from VIZ Media, Bandai Namco games, and a special guest you'll have to see to believe!
Thursday July 24, 2014 10:00am - 11:30am PDT
Room 8
Get the latest updates and exciting news from VIZ Media staff on your favorite manga and anime! There will be a special giveaway for attendees as well.
Thursday July 24, 2014 4:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Room 7AB
UPDATED: Wed, Jul 16, 12:58PM Amanda Nanawa (director of programming, FUNimation Channel), Jill Snider (senior programming manager, acquisitions, Starz), Azusa Kudo (international business development, Bang Zoom!), Paul Snow (head of west coast entertainment partnerships, YouTube) and Mario Rodriguez (digital development manager, Group 1200 Media/FUNimation) offer insight on programming anime for the U.S. audience. Panel moderated by Malik Forté (gaming editor, Nerdist Industries).
Thursday July 24, 2014 4:30pm - 5:30pm PDT
Room 26AB
What's it like to work as a comics creator in Japan? What does it take to get your manga published in top magazines like Shonen Jump or Morning? How do you get a job as an assistant to a top manga-ka (comics artist)? Felipe Smith (writer/artist, All-New Ghost Rider, Peepo Choo, MBQ), Jamie Lynn Lano (former assistant manga-ka on The Prince of Tennis, author and artist, www.jamieism.com), and Steve Cummings (Wayward, Uglies, and Pantheon High) are three people who lived the dream in the motherland of manga, and boy, have they got stories to tell! They, along with editor/manga publishing pro Lillan Diaz-Pryzbyl (head comics editor, Sparker Monthly, former senior editor, TOKYOPOP Inc.), offer insights about what it really takes to make a living in manga in Japan (and North America), followed by what should be a lively Q&A session moderated by Deb Aoki (editor, MangaComicsManga.com).
Thursday July 24, 2014 5:30pm - 6:30pm PDT
Room 26AB
UPDATED: Thu, Jul 17, 10:09AM Manga sales have started coming back from the recession lows, and simultaneous publishing is starting to make inroads. So how are the people in the industry faring? Questions will be answered, and stories will be told! Hear it directly from long-time professionals Jonathan Tarbox (Fist of the North Star), Stephen Paul (One Piece), Ed Chavez (marketing director, Vertical), Nathan Collins (Battle Royale Remastered), and Lillian Diaz-Przybyl (head editor, comics, Chromatic Press).
Thursday July 24, 2014 6:30pm - 7:30pm PDT
Room 26AB
Find out all that's new and awesome with the VIZ Animation team! We'll be talking about upcoming releases, share some announcements and tell you all about the anime streaming service Neon Alley. Bring all your anime questions, too.
Friday July 25, 2014 10:00am - 11:00am PDT
Room 25ABC
Comic-Con special guest Sara E. Mayhew (Legend of the Ztarr, Secrets of Sorcerers, Love Pet) introduces her new Kickstarter-backed manga series Legend of the Ztarr and how she works to promote humanism and critical thinking through pop culture entertainment. Learn all about this new rising star in the manga scene with Q&A about creating manga, storytelling, and popularizing science and skepticism.
A team of Korea's prolific artists and animation studios represented by Jongmin Shin (Padak, Breakups, Demian) showcases the latest and greatest trends in Korean comics and animation. They will also showcase their recent and upcoming productions on some of today's hottest comics. Join Jongmin and crew for this session moderated by Austin Osueke (publisher of eigoMANGA).
Friday July 25, 2014 7:00pm - 8:00pm PDT
Room 32AB
Kodansha Comics is back in San Diego and ready to talk about the hottest manga of the year, Attack on Titan! Penguin Random House's Dallas Middaugh and Kodansha USA's Kana Koide talk about what's happening with Sailor Moon, Attack on Titan, Fairy Tail, Vinland Saga and No. 6, to name just a few. They'll have some new title announcements and an Attack on Titan sampler for everyone to check out.
Saturday July 26, 2014 12:30pm - 1:30pm PDT
Room 8
VIZ Media is releasing the 200-episode classic Sailor Moon series for the first time on Blu-ray and with an all-new completely uncut and uncensored English dub. Join members of the VIZ Animation team for a presentation on all the ins and outs of the production of this legendary anime series. Bring your questions, too, for the Q&A session at the end!
Saturday July 26, 2014 12:30pm - 1:30pm PDT
Room 5AB
Meet UDON's artists and editors, including Joe Ng (Street Fighter Origins: Akuma), Long Vo (Street Fighter II HD Remix), and Chris Butcher (director of marketing, UDON) as they discuss this year's big hits and preview their upcoming 2014/2015 books, including the new Manga Classics line. Panel attendees will be the first to hear about some amazing as yet unannounced titles featuring iconic properties from across the pop culture spectrum.
Saturday July 26, 2014 5:30pm - 6:30pm PDT
Room 26AB
There's a lot of manga available in English now, but what's really worth reading? A panel of opinionated bloggers, retailers, manga mavens, and comics curmudgeons spotlight the best new manga that hit the shelves in the past year. Hear them rave about their favorite continuing series! Watch them rant about the excruciatingly mediocre manga that they were forced to read (so you won't have to)! Find out which manga Brigid Alverson (CBR, Robot 6, MangaBlog, Good Comics for Kids), David Brothers (4th Letter), Christopher Butcher (Comics212.net), and Deb Aoki (MangaComicsManga.com, Publishers Weekly) have loved and loathed so far this year, hear about their picks for the most anticipated upcoming releases for fall and beyond, and discover their favorite underappreciated gems that are worth picking up.
Saturday July 26, 2014 7:00pm - 8:00pm PDT
Room 23ABC
Japan has long had a history of "visual novels", which are highly evolved story-based games for PC as well as game consoles like PS2/PS3. These games simulate interaction between the player and various characters, often with romantic elements. While many games are adult, the genre is well represented by both adult and nonadult games, and many of the top games are made into mainstream anime series. Peter Payne, owner of JASTUSA, will outline the history of these games from the 1980s to now and will include discussion of the growth of the genre, as well as covering subgenres. Examples of these are "otome games," or girl-centric romance Sims for female players (one of the hottest kind of games for girls in Japan now), and games like Steins;Gate, a hardcore sci-fi/time travel visual novel (all ages) with romantic themes. Steins;Gate was recently released in the USA in English.
Saturday July 26, 2014 7:00pm - 8:00pm PDT
Room 29A
eigoMANGA's team of manga artists and animators will teach kids of all ages tutorials on manga illustrations and storytelling. Join seasoned manga artists Mino Miyabi (The Voice of Innocence, 5D), Dahveed Kolodny-Nagy (Mad Beanz), and Austin Osueke (Rumble Pak, Sakura Pakk, Alpha League).
Sunday July 27, 2014 1:00pm - 2:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
San Diego's own Little Fish Comic Book Studio is proud to present a group of emerging San Diego talent discussing the unique comic work they've created under the mentorship of Klaus Janson (Dark Knight Returns, Superman). Join San Diego's buzzed-about comic and manga art studio for this session moderated by Alonso Nunez (executive director, Little Fish Comic Book Studio).
Sunday July 27, 2014 1:00pm - 2:00pm PDT
Room 28DE
The pop culture explosion through gaming, comics, TV, and film has opened up new opportunities for cultural diversity; however, many challenges and obstacles still exists in today's media. In this humorous but poignant discussion, diverse geek experts will discuss breaking ethnic stereotypes and what changes need to happen for us to boldly go into the future. Panelists include Linda Le (professional cosplayer), Andre Meadows (Black Nerd Comedy), clinical psychologist Dr. Andrea Letamendi (The Arkham Sessions), and Tony B. Kim (Crazy4ComicCon.com).
Sunday July 27, 2014 4:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Room 28DE