The Road to Comic Con: Programs

Comic-Con is all about swag and exhibitor booths, right? Nope, not even close. While the exhibitor hall is a huge part of the show as a whole, you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t make some of the unique and interesting panels that are being featured. SDCC has released the programming schedule for all the days and one thing’s for sure—these are going to be long days. There are a many, many panels this year. It would be impossible for us to cover each and every one, but I’ll highlight those that stand out to me for one reason or another.

Wednesday July 20th

A preview night is scheduled for Comic-Con eve, which should be a great way to kick off the festivities with fans. Grab some popcorn and soda and enjoy.

6:00-9:00 Special Sneak Peek Pilot Screenings: Alcatraz, Person of Interest, The Secret Circle, and Supernatural: The Anime Series— Comic-Con and Warner Bros. Television proudly continue their annual Preview Night tradition with exclusive world premiere screenings of the pilot episodes of three of the most highly anticipated TV series pilots of the 2011-12 television season -- Alcatraz, Person of Interest, and The Secret Circle -- as well as Supernatural: The Anime Series, the first-ever anime adaptation of a U.S. television series.

Check out the full schedule here.

Thursday July 21st

Alright, geeks. Start your engines, because this is the official start to Comic-Con. There’s going to be a ton of walking, sitting, eating of fried food, meeting and greeting with artists and fans, as well as uncomfortable collisions between thousands of sweaty bodies in motion. The best advice is to start early and end late.

10:00-11:00 Deadliest Warrior: Vampires vs. Zombies— Vampires and zombies have terrorized and tantalized their way through pop culture for decades, from Dracula to the Twilight Saga to Walking Dead. SPIKE TV and its Deadliest Warrior franchise are going to finally answer the question: Which of these mythical creatures would come out on top in a fight to the finish? Deadliest Warrior steps outside the confines of history for this groundbreaking fantasy episode destined to rouse heated debates amongst fans in the blogosphere for months. The special episode features an array of icons of film and fiction who are authorities on the topic. Through these expert interviews, scientific tests, and careful analysis, They will determine who would win in a battle to the death between these two iconic groups, zombies and vampires. The Deadliest Warrior team of Richard "Mack" Machowicz, Dr. Armand Dorian, and Robert Daly, guests Steve Niles, Max Brooks, and horror legend Wes Craven, and executive producer of Deadliest Warrior and president of 44 Blue Productions Rasha Drachkovitch make their case for who is, indeed, the fiercest. Los Angeles Times writer and HeroComplex.com founder Geoff Boucher will serve as moderator. Room 25ABC

Haven’t you always wondered who would win? My money is on zombies.

10:00-11:00 Comic-Con Film School 101: Preproduction and Screenwriting— Comic-Con Film School is back for another four-day, nuts and bolts class on how to make a movie for very little money using available video technology and desktop postproduction software. Whether you're shooting your first cyberpunk short or that story about the leather-clad girl who hunts aliens, this course will take you from script to final product so that you too can enter your own movie into the CCI-IFF. This first class covers the specifics of preproduction on the cheap, including screenwriting, casting, scheduling, location scouting, crewing-up, and getting equipment for nothing. Panelists for the class include Valerie Perez (producer/star of the Paula Peril series), Jack Conway (writer/producer of Fear News), and Sean Rourke (writer of Ballistica). Marriott Hall 2, Marriott Marquis & Marina

This is a really cool way to start making your own content. Who knows, you might end up at Comic-Con as a presenter someday.

11:00-12:00 X-Play Live— Now into its 13th year, G4's X-Play is TV's longest-running and most watched video game show. Each episode is packed with brutally honest reviews, live demos, and of course intern humiliation. Hosts Adam Sessler, Morgan Webb, Blair Herter, and Kristin Adams and executive producer Wade Beckett make their triumphant return to Comic-Con and promise a no-holds-barred live panel. They'll take questions from the audience, debut a new comedy short, challenge the hardcore fans with trivia, and give out prizes to a chosen few. This hour of reflection and finger pointing is guaranteed to be a life-changing experience. Room 25ABC

This is always good fun.

11:30-12:30 DC: Flashpoint— Everything you know will change in a Flash! Flashpoint, the blockbuster comics event of the summer, has turned the DC Universe inside out! Join DC Comics Executive Editor, Eddie Berganza, and some of the amazing talent behind Flashpoint for a panel that's sure to pose new questions about this explosive event even as it answers others! Room 6DE

I can’t wait to see what DC is doing with this event.

12:00-1:00 Putting the "Epic" in Epic Fantasy: Writing to Excite! — A selection of classic fantasy authors discuss how to tell stories that are "epic" in both senses of the word. Panelists include George R. R. Martin (A Game of Thrones), Brandon Sanderson (The Way of Kings), Patrick Rothfuss (The Name of the Wind), Christopher Paolini (The Inheritance Cycle), Peter Orullian (The Unremembered), K. J. Taylor (The Fallen Moon series), and Kevin J. Anderson (Terra Incognita). Moderated by Michael Spradlin (The Youngest Templar series). Room 6A

I recently became obsessed with Game of Thrones, so I’d like to hear what George R.R. Martin has to say. And as a writer, I might learn something as well!

12:00-1:00 Dark Horse: Fall Publishing Highlights— Three supersecret surprise megastars from the entertainment and publishing worlds (revealed on Preview Night at the Dark Horse booth) discuss their thrilling new comics at this special panel. Discover their spine-tingling new projects coming in fall 2011 and get an exclusive San Diego Comic-Con print, which you'll be able to see larger than life at the Dark Horse booth! Room 32AB

I’m a big fan of Dark Horse so I’m always excited to see what’s coming next from them.

1:00-2:00 Marvel Digital: What's Next?! Comics...and Beyond! — Members of the Marvel Digital Media Group give you the first word on Marvel digital comics, casual games, original streaming video productions, social media outreach, and the future of Marvel's ever-expanding digital endeavors. Room 7AB

I’m curious what is going to come out of this. I hope Marvel hasn’t forgotten that the backbone of any good franchise in this medium is a good STORY.

2:00-3:00 DC Comics - The New 52— DC Comics explodes in September with 52 new number one issues and one panel is not enough to cover it! With a "DC Comics - The New 52" panel each day, there's sure to be something for everyone! Join Dan DiDio, DC Entertainment Co-Publisher, Bob Harras, DC's Editor-in-Chief, and DC Comics Executive Editor, Eddie Berganza, for an up-close look at this unprecedented wave of new series, from the first-ever re-launches of Action Comics and Batman titles to the latest thrills from comics' cutting-edge! Room 6DE

Too much to even cover? I’d say so. They have a ton to talk about and possibly some explaining to do. I’m excited as much as the next DC fan about this whole relaunch, but I’m skeptical too.

3:00-4:00 Game of Thrones Panel and Q&A session— Based on the bestselling fantasy book series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, HBO's Game of Thrones concluded its 10-episode debut season on June 19. The series, executive produced and written by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, follows kings and queens, knights and renegades, liars and noblemen as they vie for power in a land where summers span decades and winters can last a lifetime. Some of the cast featured in the first season and appearing on this panel are (in alphabetical order) Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Ser Jaime Lannister, Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, Kit Harington as Jon Snow, and Jason Momoa as Khal Drogo. Moderated by George R. R. Martin, who also serves as a co-executive producer and writer on the series. Ballroom 20

No way am I missing this.

3:30-4:30 Star Wars: The Old Republic : Join Us, It Is Your Destiny— BioWare and LucasArts are creating the most immersive MMO experience you've ever played with Star Wars: The Old Republic. Hear from BioWare developers as they discuss development of a story-driven MMO, debut new gameplay footage, and perhaps spring a few surprises along the way. Exclusive reveals, giveaways, guests, and Q&A! Room 6BCF

I threw this in because I’m excited about this game quite a bit. I trust Bioware implicitly.

4:30-5:30 Marvel: Next Big Thing— The Marvel Universe is where the biggest comic stories happen -- so wouldn't you like to be the first to know what Marvel has planned? Get the latest news on Marvel's plans for their biggest heroes and villains, with some surprises along the way. Panelists Greg Pak (Incredible Hulks), Jonathan Hickman (FF), Jim McCann (Marvel Zombies Christmas Carol), Nick Spencer (Ultimate X), editor-in-chief Axel Alonso, and others answer all your burning questions while giving you a sneak peek at the future of Marvel. Room 6DE

My guess is that this isn’t going to be quite as interesting as DC’s panel, but Marvel might have a few unannounced surprises. If not, I’m sure they will do some fan service with something else.

4:45-5:45 Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season Four Preview— The epic conflict of Star Wars: The Clone Wars intensifies in the upcoming season, as new battle lines are drawn, new threats arise, and old enemies resurface. Take an unparalleled first look into this fall's action, drama, and adventure as the creators of hit series from Lucasfilm preview some of what will astound Star Wars fans in Season Four. Featuring supervising director Dave Filoni, CG lighting/FX supervisor Joel Aron, and other talents from behind the scenes at Lucasfilm Animation. Hosted by Pablo Hidalgo. Room 6BCF

I saw Dave Filoni and Ashley Eckstein at Star Wars Weekends in May. I loved that panel, so I’d like to see them again, and of course, learn about season 4 of The Clone Wars.

5:00-6:00 Epic Literary Adventures— Jeff Smith (RASL, Bone), Anders Nilsen (Big Questions), Brian Ralph (Daybreak & SCAD professor), and moderator Tom Devlin (Drawn & Quarterly creative director) discuss the overlap between literary and fantasy, the science and art of creating an imaginary world, building a story that is serialized over several years, and carving a unique fantastical niche in an industry mostly known for either autobio or superhero. Room 9

Bone is my favorite graphic novel of all time, so I’m excited to see Jeff Smith. This is sort of the dessert to the George R.R. Martin panel earlier in the day.

8:30-10:00 Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog— Sing along with your fellow fans at this screening of the original three acts of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog hosted by the California Browncoats, complete with callbacks! Dr. Horrible stars Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother), Nathan Fillion (Castle, Firefly), and Felicia Day (The Guild) and was written by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon (Dollhouse), Zack Whedon (Fringe), and Maurissa Tancharoen (Dollhouse). Room 6BCF

This sounds like an absolute hoot and a half and a fantastic way to end day 1.

Well, that’s it for day 1. You can see the full schedule here. We’ll be bringing you more program notes for the rest of the SDCC days later in the week. Let us know what you think! What panels are you most excited about?

Written by Chris Harder

Tags: SDCC, Comic-Con, Panels