San Diego Comic-Con returns to the San Diego Convention Center and surrounding area. Friday’s programming schedule has been revealed. Below are the panels I am most looking forward to attending, but once Comic-Com commences, who knows where the day may take me.
Regular Show: The Lost Tapes – 10:00am – 10:45am – Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront
J. G. Quintel (creator and executive producer), Sean Szeles (executive producer), Matt Price (head writer), Bill Salyers (voice of Rigby), and Sam Marin (voice of Pops) provide an inside look at Regular Show: The Lost Tapes, with behind-the-scenes stories and updates on the series.
Buy Regular Show: The Complete SeriesOne of the best animated shows of modern times returned without skipping a beat. Can’t wait to learn more about it and what’s to come
President Curtis Premiere Panel – 1:00pm – 1:45pm – Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront
From the Rick and Morty universe comes President Curtis, Adult Swim’s new animated comedy co-created by Dan Harmon and James Siciliano and starring Keith David as President Andre Curtis. Just ahead of the series premiere, the cast and creative team present a first look at the new series that follows the commander-in-chief and his eccentric staff as they tackle everyday issues such as interdimensional diplomacy, paranormal investigations, and unexplained phenomena.
Buy The Thing (1982)When they spoke about this last year, it sounded like a variation on The X-Files filtered through a team led by Harmon. Keith David as the President kills it on Rick and Morty, so more of him is a wonderful bonus.
Marvel Comics to Screen: X-Men ’97 – 2:15pm – 3:15pm PDT – Room 6A
To me, my X-Fans! The creative team behind Marvel Animation’s X-Men ’97, along with special guests, discusses X-Men ’97 Season 2. Featuring insider insights, special anecdotes, and hints of what is to come, this panel offers something for every Marvel fan, including a special giveaway comic at the end of the presentation.
Buy X-Men ’97: The Art and Making of the Animated SeriesI can already tell the line for this is going to be wrapped down the hallways, and while a huge fan of Season 1, I haven’t started Season 2 yet. May burn through it but don’t want anything spoiled. Oh, what a dilemma.
Star Wars Memories: The Early Days of Star Wars, SDCC, and Fandom – 3:00pm – 4:00pm – Room 7AB
Craig Miller (Lucasfilm’s original director of fan relations) presents a slideshow on the early association between Star Wars, San Diego Comic-Con, and fandom, including how the film was first publicized and promoted at SDCC in 1976 and how fans got involved even before the film came out.
Buy Star Wars Memories: My Time In The (Death Star) TrenchesOr I might head over to learn about the early days of both Star Wars and San Diego Comic-Con from someone who was there, way back before nerdy was popular.
Kirkman, McFarlane, Liefeld, Silvestri, Stephenson: Image Comics Legends Together on One Stage – 10:00am – 11:00am – Room 9
Image Comics founders and partners Todd McFarlane, Rob Liefeld, Marc Silvestri, Robert Kirkman, and Eric Stephenson discuss how they revolutionized the comic book industry. The panel explores the risks that sent shockwaves through the comic world and forever changed the landscape of the industry.
Buy The Rise of Image ComicsThe bad boys of comics reunite to talk about the seismic shift they caused in the comic-book industry 34 years when they broke away and formed Image Comics.
SpongeBob: Before It Was Iconic – 6:30pm – 7:30pm – Room 5AB
Thirty years ago, Stephen Hillenburg began developing a strange little cartoon about an optimistic sponge living at the bottom of the ocean. Long before the movies, merchandise, memes, and worldwide phenomenon, SpongeBob SquarePants was simply a sketch, a voice, a storyboard, and a small group of artists trying to make each other laugh. Voice actor Tom Kenny (voice of SpongeBob SquarePants) and writer, director, and producer Derek Drymon, one of the key creative architects of the series, join moderator Brian A. Miller (former general manager, Cartoon Network Studios) for a behind-the-scenes conversation. Through rare stories, early artwork, live demonstrations, and never-before-heard memories, the panel explores the creation of Bikini Bottom, the creative genius of Stephen Hillenburg, and the moment before anyone knew they were making television history. Before SpongeBob became an icon, he was just an idea. This is the story of how that idea changed animation forever.
Buy The SpongeBob 3-Movie CollectionI remember a time before SpongeBob so it should be fun to hear the panel reminisce about those early days before the show hit the big time.
Action Figure Horror Stories – 8:00pm – 9:00pm – Room 32AB
Matt Weinhold, Shawn Sheridan, Larry Strothe, and James Gonis (hosts of the award-winning podcast Monster Party) dissect true toy-collecting nightmares: sticky plastic, canceled toy lines, accessory issues, the Star Wars Early Bird Certificate debacle, and more. Working through post-figure trauma, the group also discusses toy lines that got it right. Well, mostly. Moderated by comedian Dana Gould.
Buy The Star Wars Action Figure ArchiveI have different action figures from a variety of fandoms, so am looking forward to hearing stories shared by fellow collectors.
Any of these panels look of interest to you? Or check out the main link and tell me what panels interest you the most.
