This year’s New York Comic Con begins this Friday, October 8, its first year in its new autumnal slot. It’s not quite as overwhelmingly huge as San Diego Comic-Con (maybe half or two-thirds as big, without nearly as much movie-studio presence), but there are still a bunch of panels you’ll want to get there early for–not least Techland’s own panel, Friday at 7 PM! Here are seven you don’t want to miss.
TECHLAND PRESENTS: THE DIGITAL AGE OF COMICS
Now that every major publisher is going digital, it’s the perfect time for a discussion with the publishers, creators, facilitators, and instigators to chat about the Wild West of comics in the digital era. Techland’s Douglas Wolk will moderate an all-star panel including Dan Buckley (Marvel), Erik Larsen (Savage Dragon), Aaron Colter (Dark Horse), Filip Sablik (Top Cow), David Steinberger (comiXology) and Chip Mosher (BOOM! Studios). Friday, 7:00 PM, Room 1A24
(More on Techland: New York Comic Con: At Home Among Strangers)
WILL EISNER’S NEW YORK
A tribute to the great cartoonist of this particular city, with a terrific lineup, including Jules Feiffer (Eisner’s assistant and frequent ghost-writer in the Spirit days), Denis Kitchen and David Hajdu, among others. Friday, 2:00 PM, Room 1A14
SHERLOCK
The U.S. premiere of BBC’s “Sherlock,” starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes. It’s been getting ecstatic reviews overseas. Friday, 8:00 PM, Room 1A06
MTV GEEK WITH STAN LEE
You basically can’t move at this year’s NYCC without tripping over Stan the Man, but this panel is where MTV will apparently be announcing the initial titles being published by MTV Comics. Saturday, 11:00 AM, Room 1A08
WILDSTORM: RED AND OTHER ASTOUNDING TALES
This should be interesting: a spotlight panel on an imprint whose impending closure has already been announced. At least Red artist Cully Hamner will be on hand.
Saturday, 1:15 PM, Room 1A24
(More on Techland: The Guy Who Hates Comic-Con Goes to Comic-Con, Part I)
KURTZ V. RALL: THE PRINT/WEB DEBATE
Scott Kurtz and Ted Rall have had… let’s say… harsh words for each other in the past about web comics vs. print comics. So this conversation will be lively, at the very least. Saturday, 7:30 PM, Room 1A14
THE WALKING DEAD
It’s not entirely clear what’ll be happening at this panel about the upcoming AMC show, but you might want to bring your zombie repellent just in case. Sunday, 2:15 PM, IGN Theater