Superheroes crossing over into each other’s comics to take on villains and occasionally fight each other was usually a thrill for readers. Clearly those running the major comic-book film franchises understand the appeal as it’s happening more often regardless what character’s movie it is. Following their lead, Sentries Shawn Bourdo and Gordon S. Miller are teaming together again for this post.
Gordon S. Miller’s picks:
1. WARNER ARCHIVE’S MONSTERS FROM HELL (11:30am – 12:30pm, Room 5AB) – Representatives from Warner Archive Collection (WAC), Trailers From Hell, and Famous Monsters of Filmland unite to talk about monster/dinosaur films and upcoming Blu-ray releases.
2. MARVEL ANIMATION PRESENTS (12:30pm – 1:30pm, Room 6A) – With Spider-Man: Homecoming just hitting theaters, it’s time for an all-new version of Marvel’s Spider-Man. It will be curious how different it will be from the previous iteration, Ultimate Spider-Man. They will also be news about Marvel’s Avengers: Secret Wars and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy.
3. THE CENTENNIAL OF THE KING OF COMICS, JACK KIRBY (2:00pm – 3:00pm, Room 29AB) – Illustrator and comic book historian Arlen Schumer pays tribute to the legendary artist Jack Kirby to tell the origin story of all origin stories. It is a great opportunity to learn about the man behind so many favorite comic book characters.
4. ODDBALL COMICS LIVE! (4:00pm – 5:30pm, Room 7AB) – Cartoonist Scott Shaw! provides one of the most consistently entertaining convention panels again with this look at the weirdest and wackiest covers to have ever graced comic books.
5. BROAD CITY (7:00pm – 8:00pm, Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront) – Yas, Queen! Co-creators, writers, and stars Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer are coming to San Diego for a preview of the upcoming season. This should be a funny panel.
Shaun Bourdo’s picks:
1. SPACE: THE FINAL ESCAPE (10am, Room 7AB) – I’m excited about the topic and less so about the panel. I am not going to get this far into the Con without getting some Space talk. Part of what I love about the Convention each year is the resources I get for my interests in Censorship, Zombies, and Space. Last year was amazing for the level of space talk including me meeting an actual astronaut. I’m hoping we get some good theoretical talk about why space stories appeal to us so much.
2. RIVERDALE (11am, Ballroom 20) – This show generated a little buzz here last year but it felt like a baby brother to the CW lineup – somewhere between Arrow, The Flash, and the stalwarts like The 100 and Supernatural. I was surprised that I became so enthralled with this show. It bore the Twin Peaks tribute on its sleeve. The writers showed an affinity for classic films and the teen shows of the Nineties, specifically the Beverly Hills variety. Ending last season with Fred’s shooting feels like we are only just through the prologue of a much bigger story. Excited to see what they have up their sleeves for the second go around.
3. WESTWORLD: BEYOND FRONTIER LAW (12:30pm, Room 5AB) Here’s another example of the strengths of the Con this size. Where else am I going to spend an hour talking about the legal and ethical issues brought up by the HBO show of the same name. Not the stars of the film. Not an hour-long commercial for the show. But an actual discussion with judges and lawyers about the human rights of robots. This is my geek flag flying high.
4. EW’s WOMEN WHO KICK ASS: ICON EDITION W/ CHARLIZE THERON (2pm, Hall H) I mean, do I have to say anything more than the name “Charlize Theron”? If I do, then you don’t know me or you don’t know Charlize Theron. I’m excited for Atomic Blonde and here’s the opportunity for an hour with her.
5. SID & MARTY KROFFT (2pm, Room 23ABC) There will be a year when I don’t go see these two at the Con. But it will likely be the year they aren’t invited or they pass away. I don’t get too much information in general from these. I know they’ll talk about the Amazon reboot of Sigmund and their Bugaloos remake. But I stick around for the stories of their exploits in the ’70. The Con is about experiences I can’t get the other 360 days of the year – that’s listening to “old friends” and indulging my geek passions.
