Comic-Con Bound!
Monday, July 21, 2008
The great international nerd migration to San Diego begins today. Personally, I won’t be arriving until Thursday morning. Someone needs to stay up here in San Francisco to make sure all of those beautiful new comics arriving on Wednesday get into the right hands.
But once I step off the plane, it’ll be non-stop action until I get back on Sunday. If you are in San Diego this week, here’s a list of all the places you can be sure to find me. I’ve listed them by subject and then again by day of the week. Hope to see you there!
Signings:
I’ll be signing at the AiT booth at one time or another on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. And it looks like I’ll hanging out with good friend and super-cool comics creator, Daniel Merlin Goodbrey! Here’s the complete AiT signing schedule:
If you can’t make it by the booth at one of those times and still want to meet up, shoot me an email. I’ll be able to check my messages via the free wi-fi on the convention floor!
Panels:
I’m on two panels this year at Comic-Con and I’m bringing a suitcase full of inspiration to share at both. I expect the discussions to be lively and full of great advice and information for anyone interested in making comics or working with comics in the classroom!
Th:6:30-7:30 So You Want to Do a Graphic Novel— Writer and publisher Larry Young assembles a team of writers and artists to unlock the secrets and unveil the mysteries of completing your own graphic novel. Panelists Adam Beechen (Final Crisis), Steven Grant (Two Guns), Kirsten Baldock (Smoke and Guns), Matt Silady (The Homeless Channel), and Manny Bello (Dugout) kibbitz, cajole, and inspire you. Room 3
Fri:5:00-6:00 Teaching Comics— A few years ago, there were almost no academic programs for young cartoonists. Now classes and textbooks are popping up all over. Instructors and authors including Phil Jimenez (Infinite Crisis), Steve Lieber (Whiteout), Matt Silady (The Homeless Channel) and James Sturm (Center for Cartoon Studies), will discuss their philosophies of teaching cartooning with moderator Douglas Wolk (Reading Comics). Room 4
For a complete panel schedule check here!
Events:
Beyond the usual after hours drinks at the Hilton, there’s a couple of big events that I plan on attending this year. Hope you can join us for the Eisners and Whitney Matheson’s big Pop Candy meet-up. Not sure where we’re going after the Eisners (but win or lose, I’ll be ready to celebrate the nomination one last time!)
Day-by-Day Schedule
Thursday
4:00-5:00 Join me and Daniel Merlin Goodbrey (The Last Sane Cowboy) for a signing at the AiT booth (#2001)!
6:30-7:30 So You Want to Do a Graphic Novel— Writer and publisher Larry Young assembles a team of writers and artists to unlock the secrets and unveil the mysteries of completing your own graphic novel. Panelists Adam Beechen (Final Crisis), Steven Grant (Two Guns), Kirsten Baldock (Smoke and Guns), Matt Silady (The Homeless Channel), and Manny Bello (Dugout) kibbitz, cajole, and inspire you. Room 3
Friday
2:00-3:00 Signing at AiT/Planet Lar booth #2001!
5:00-6:00 Teaching Comics— A few years ago, there were almost no academic programs for young cartoonists. Now classes and textbooks are popping up all over. Instructors and authors including Phil Jimenez (Infinite Crisis), Steve Lieber (Whiteout), Matt Silady (The Homeless Channel) and James Sturm (Center for Cartoon Studies), will discuss their philosophies of teaching cartooning with moderator Douglas Wolk (Reading Comics). Room 4
Saturday
4:00-5:00 Join me and Daniel Merlin Goodbrey (The Last Sane Cowboy) for a signing at the AiT booth (#2001)!
More Pop Candy party details at this link.
If you are looking for other Comic-Con happenings, please check out what the Writers Old Fashioned gang is up to during the show!
Writers Old Fashioned
Thursday
2:00-3:00 Science Fiction That Will Change Your Life— A discussion of science fiction stories intended to make you rethink your whole life or alter your perceptions. With Annalee Newitz (editor-in-chief, io9.com; contributor, Wired), Austin Grossman (author, Soon I Will Be Invincible), Charlie Jane Anders (news editor, io9.com; contributor, Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet), Graeme McMillan (weekend editor, io9.com, contributor, Newsarama), and Patrick Lee (editor, Sci-Fi Wire). Room 2
6:00-7:00 The Comics Blogosphere— The blog explosion has opened up a new frontier for comics criticism. This lively (and inevitably bloggable) discussion features David Brothers (4thletter!), Jeff Lester (The Savage Critic(s)), Laura Hudson (Myriad Issues), Tim Robins (Mindless Ones) and moderator Douglas Wolk (Reading Comics). Room 32AB
All Weekend Long
And if you are up in San Francisco for the weekend, make sure to stop by Isotope and visit with Jason McNamara who will be holding down the fort while James, Kirsten, and I are down at the show. Make sure to ask him to show you preview pages of his newest book, The Martian Confederacy, drawn by Paige Braddock. It’s looking incredible.
Speaking of James, he’ll be spending some quality time with Darwyn Cooke and friends at booth 2207. They have an incredible schedule of comic book superstars all set to make an appearance at the booth. For the complete scoop, check out iFanboy’s exclusive coverage of the event!
So, there you have it. Time to starting packing. Hope to see you there!
Today in the Studio
A little Comic-Con promotional business (see above.) Tonight: The Dark Knight... finally!
8:30-11:30 The Spirit Presents the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards— The 20th annual Eisner Awards, the "Oscars" of the comics industry, will be given out at a gala ceremony. This year's special them is "The Magic of Comics." Presenters include comics creator/director Frank Miller (Sin City, 300, The Spirit), Spongebob Squarepants creator Tom Kenney, and Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Gos, plus several other celebrities from comics, animation, and film. Other prestigious awards to be given out include the Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award and the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award. The master of ceremonies is Bongo Comics' Bill Morrison. Admission to the Eisners is free to all Comic-Con attendees—just be sure to bring your badge. Doors open for pros and VIPs at 7:30 and for attendees at 8:15. Ballroom 20
All Pop Candy readers are welcome to join Whitney Matheson Saturday, July 26, from 5-7 p.m. at the Altitude Sky Lounge in San Diego. The lovely rooftop venue is located at 660 K St. at the Marriott Gaslamp Quarter, just steps from the Convention Center during Comic-Con.
Admission is free, though you'll have to pay for your own drinks. While an RSVP isn't required, it's strongly encouraged. All readers who RSVP to popcandy@usatoday.com will receive a limited-edition Pop Candy souvenir, and let me just say that you won't want to leave without it!
Several comic-book artists and writers plan to attend, though my spouse is staying home for this one. There's no dress code, and please bring your camera so you can help contribute photos to the blog.
8:30-11:30 The Spirit Presents the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards— The 20th annual Eisner Awards, the "Oscars" of the comics industry, will be given out at a gala ceremony. This year's special them is "The Magic of Comics." Presenters include comics creator/director Frank Miller (Sin City, 300, The Spirit), Spongebob Squarepants creator Tom Kenney, and Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Gos, plus several other celebrities from comics, animation, and film. Other prestigious awards to be given out include the Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award and the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award. The master of ceremonies is Bongo Comics' Bill Morrison. Admission to the Eisners is free to all Comic-Con attendees—just be sure to bring your badge. Doors open for pros and VIPs at 7:30 and for attendees at 8:15. Ballroom 20
All Pop Candy readers are welcome to join Whitney Matheson Saturday, July 26, from 5-7 p.m. at the Altitude Sky Lounge in San Diego. The lovely rooftop venue is located at 660 K St. at the Marriott Gaslamp Quarter, just steps from the Convention Center during Comic-Con.
Admission is free, though you'll have to pay for your own drinks. While an RSVP isn't required, it's strongly encouraged. All readers who RSVP to popcandy@usatoday.com will receive a limited-edition Pop Candy souvenir, and let me just say that you won't want to leave without it!
Several comic-book artists and writers plan to attend, though my spouse is staying home for this one. There's no dress code, and please bring your camera so you can help contribute photos to the blog.