Comic-Con International San Diego starts tomorrow, and its program schedule features roughly three billion panels. (It would appear that the line for the “Scott Pilgrim” movie panel started yesterday.) But a handful of them are particularly notable, because we’ll be there. Here’s the scoop on Techland’s own “Comics and Digital Piracy” panel on Sunday, followed by information on a bunch of other panels featuring Techland contributors.
Our big news is Sunday’s Techland Presents: Comics and Digital Piracy panel, 10-11 AM in Room 25ABC. Techland’s Douglas Wolk will be moderating a discussion of what’s happening in the online-comics Wild West, featuring comiXology’s David Steinberger, Savage Dragon creator and former Image Comics publisher Erik Larsen, manga expert Deb Aoki, and manga editor Jake Forbes. They’ve all got very strong opinions on this subject, so it should be a lively discussion.
(More on Techland: The Future of Digital Comics and the Past of Digital Music)
On Thursday, from 10:30-11:30 AM in Room 24ABC, Techland’s own bestselling novelist Lev Grossman (The Magicians) will be appearing on a panel on The Power of Myth–incorporating mythology into contemporary storytelling–moderated by Mysterious Galaxy’s Maryelizabeth Hart. Other panelists include Amber Benson, Esther Friesner, Thomas Greanias, Les Klinger, Seanan McGuire, Michael Scott and Thomas Sniegoski.
Also on Thursday, from 12:30-1:30 PM in Room 7AB, our friends from io9.com are hosting their now-traditional Sci-Fi That Will Change Your Life panel–recommendations of mindblowing science fiction from the past year. io9′s Annalee Newitz, Charlie Jane Anders, Cyriaque Lamar and Meredith Woerner will be joined by Techland’s Douglas Wolk, comics writer Marc Bernardin and StarWars.com’s Bonnie Burton.
Techland’s Graeme McMillan is moderating the Publishing Comics panel, Friday, 10-11 AM, in Room 8. Panelists Matt Gagnon (Boom!), Gary Groth (Fantagraphics), Dallas Middaugh (Del Rey Manga) and Mark Siegel (First Second Books) all represent very different parts of the comics business; it’ll be interesting to see what they’ve got to say to one another.
Friday, from 12:45-1:45 PM in Ballroom 20, Techland contributor Wil Wheaton moderates a screening and panel for The Big Bang Theory, featuring stars Kaley Cuoco, Johnny Galecki, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar and Jim Parsons, as well as executive producers Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady.
(More on Techland: PAX East 2010: Wil Wheaton Keynote Video)
Later on Friday, from 4-5 PM in Room 4, the Craig Yoe-moderated Krazy Kat‘s 100th Anniversary Celebration! panel will feature a whole lot of unseen Krazy Kat and George Herriman material (including a home movie of Herriman). Panelists include IDW’s Greg Goldstein, Sunday Press’s Peter Maresca, Abrams ComicArts’ Charles Kochman, the great comics critic R.C. Harvey, and Techland’s Douglas Wolk.
Saturday afternoon’s Comics Criticism panel (1:30-2:30 PM, Room 4) is moderated by Ben Schwartz, the editor of the Best American Comics Criticism anthology. It also includes the Comics Journal’s Gary Groth, as well as three of the book’s contributors: Brian Doherty, R. Fiore, and Techland’s Douglas Wolk, who’s starting to feel a little weird about writing about himself in the third person this much.
The Guild‘s panel is 2-3 PM on Saturday in the San Diego Hilton Bayfront’s Indigo Ballroom. Techland’s Wil Wheaton will be there, along with Felicia Day, more cast members, producer Kim Evey and director Sean Becker. “Other surprises” are promised.
(More on Techland: Felicia Day: The Nerd World Interview)
On Saturday from 4-5 PM in Room 3, Techland’s Douglas Wolk is moderating the Comics After Paper panel, in which Family Man‘s Dylan Meconis, Diesel Sweeties/LOLBOTS creator R. Stevens, Tumor‘s Joshua Hale Fialkov and Ulysses “Seen”‘s Robert Berry will be discussing the art of making comics meant to be experienced on computers, mobile phones, touchscreens, e-readers and beyond.
We hope to see you there!
More on Techland:
Comic-Con 2010: Handicapping the Eisner Awards
Comic-Con 2010: What to Get in Line for Early
Comic-Con 2010: The Techland Guide to Having a Good Time at Comic-Con
