Saturday Comic-Con @ Home 2020

This year because of the COVID pandemic, there is no Comic-Con down at the San Diego Convention Center. That place is actually full of people that need assistance – either housing or medical. But the bottom line is, with the virus floating around there is no comics convention in downtown San Diego this year.

That is not stopping Comic-Con from going forward though.

Instead of the annual trek to the pop culture Mecca, we are instead able to participate in the wonderful yearly event from the goodness of our homes.

This year we get…Comic-Con @ Home.

Saturday Morning @ Comic-Con@Home

Here’s a rundown of the panels that interest me on Saturday.

From 10am to 12pm

• Narrative Design for Computer Games
  Industry vets Neal Hallford (Betrayal at Krondor), Haris Orkin (Call of Juarez), Anne Toole (Horizon Zero Dawn), and Xalavier Nelson Jr. (We Are the Caretakers) break down how narratives are crafted and executed in the gaming industry. Moderated by Jana Hallford (Swords & Circuitry: A Designer’s Guide to Computer Role-Playing Games).
• Back to the Moon and Beyond with NASA
  NASA is returning humans to the surface of the moon by 2024 as part of its Artemis program. This decade, the agency and its partners will explore more of the Moon than ever before, including the lunar south pole. Using the Moon for scientific discovery, NASA will also test technologies to move humanity farther into the solar system, beginning with Mars. The panel, hosted by William Shatner, will include NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Kjell Lindgren as well as space technology expert LaNetra Tate, and spacesuit engineer Lindsay Aitchison, who are working to get humanity back to the moon and beyond!
• DC@Home Day Two
  Be sure to drop in on this panel to hear from DC’s hottest talent about their latest works and how they’re making DC and The World’s Greatest Super Heroes the home for fans of great superhero storytelling worldwide! The creative talent behind some of DC’s most popular characters are on hand to give behind the scenes details on their stories and how they put their own unique voices to the heroes and villains that DC fans have come to know and love (and hate)! DC talent to appear: Greg Capullo, Cecil Castellucci, Katana Collins, Kami Garcia, Jorge Jimenez, Daniel Warren Johnson, Dan Jurgens, Jim Lee, Sean Gordon Murphy, Bruno Redondo, Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, and Brad Walker.
• The Official Dune Publishing Panel
  Bestselling science fiction authors Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson discuss the exciting new Dune graphic novels, comics, and original novels coming out this fall. Joined by their editors, Herbert and Anderson will discuss content from their past and upcoming projects, including Frank Herbert’s masterpiece Dune (Ace) with senior editor Jessica Wade, the graphic novel adaptation of Frank Herbert’s masterpiece, Dune: The Graphic Novel, Book 1 (Abrams ComicArts), with editor Charlotte Greenbaum, the prequel trilogy of books beginning with Dune: House Atreides (Del Rey), with executive editor Anne Groell, the prequel comic series Dune: House Atreides (BOOM! Studios) with company CEO & founder Ross Richie, and Dune: The Duke of Caladan (TOR), with editor Christopher Morgan. https://www.mystgalaxy.com/comic-con-home-dune

Saturday Afternoon @ Comic-Con@Home

From 12pm to 2pm

• Calling All Book Lovers: A Sneak Peek at New Books from Tor, Tor Teen, and Tor.com Publishing
  From Brandon Sanderson to V.E. Schwab, from Christopher Paolini to Cory Doctorow, Tor publishes some of the greatest sci-fi, fantasy, and horror stories around. This will be a panel to shine a spotlight on some of the exciting books that Tor, Tor Teen, and Tor.com Publishing have to offer. Join the book lovers from the Tor team as they share a sneak peek at new and upcoming SFF, and updates from fan-favorite authors, as well opportunities to win some fabulous freebies. Visit bit.ly/torSDCC for more information on our books and authors.
• Constantine: 15th Anniversary Reunion
  Keanu Reeves, director Francis Lawrence, and producer Akiva Goldsman reunite to reflect on the making of the 2005 DC Comics adaptation. Moderated by Collider’s editor-in-chief Steven Weintraub.
• Blast Off with Disney+’s “The Right Stuff”
  From Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way and Warner Horizon Scripted Television, Thie Right Stuff is the first scripted Disney+ original series from National Geographic. The series takes a clear-eyed look at the early days of the US space program. The series follows seven of the military’s best pilots become astronauts for the newly-formed NASA at the height of the Cold War. Competing to be the first in space, these ordinary men achieve the extraordinary, inspiring America to turn towards a new horizon of ambition and hope. In this 45-minute panel moderated by former NASA Astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison, you will hear from the cast and crew about making this compelling and cinematically extraordinary series, PLUS an exclusive first look will be revealed!
• Masters of Storytelling
  The all-stars in storytelling from Image Comics–Ed Brubaker (Pulp, Cruel Summer), Chuck Brown (On The Stump), Alex de Campi (Dracula, Motherf**ker), Matt Fraction (Adventureman), and Emma Kubert (Inkblot)–reveal their secrets behind creating some of the best stories in comics. Moderated by Marla Eizik, executive assistant at Image Comics.

From 2pm to 4pm

• Doctor Who Time Lord Victorious Panel
  Launching in September 2020 over twelve weeks, Time Lord Victorious is the BBC’s brand-new, multi-platform Doctor Who story told across comics, novels, audio, vinyl and digital! Go behind the scenes with writer Jody Houser, artist Roberta Ingranata, colorist Enrica Eren Angiolini, editor Jake Devine, and BBC producer James Goss to discuss the new Time Lord Victorious comic series.
  https://linktr.ee/TitanPanels
• IDW in 2020 and Beyond
  Look ahead to everything new from IDW Publishing! Learn what’s next for your favorite series and much, much more! There’s nowhere better to get a behind-the-scenes look at IDW than this conversation with Chris Ryall (IDW president, publisher, and chief creative officer), John Barber (IDW editor-in-chief), and moderator George Gene Gustines (senior editor at the New York Times).
• Authors on the Best Advice I Ever Got
  These authors have some writing advice for you! Kevin Hearne (The Iron Druid Chronicles), Alexis Henderson (The Year of the Witching), Micaiah Johnson (The Space Between Worlds), Sarah Kuhn (Haunted Heroine), and Josh Malerman (Malorie) talk about the best writing advice they ever got, and what advice they would give to aspiring writers. Moderated by Del Rey editorial director Tricia Narwani.
• Bill & Ted Face the Music
  Cast Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, Samara Weaving, Brigette Lundy-Paine, William Sadler, director Dean Parisot alongside writers Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson gather for a lively panel moderated by filmmaker and fan Kevin Smith.
• Peacock Original Series: Brave New World
  Based on Aldous Huxley’s groundbreaking novel, Brave New World imagines a utopian society that has achieved peace and stability through the prohibition of monogamy, privacy, money, family, and history itself. Join creator and showrunner David Wiener (Homecoming, The Killing) and cast members Alden Ehrenreich (Solo: A Star Wars Story, Hail, Caesar!), Jessica Brown Findlay (Winter’s Tale, Downton Abbey), Harry Lloyd (Game of Thrones, The Theory of Everything), Hannah John-Kamen (Ant-Man and the Wasp), Nina Sosanya (Killing Eve), Kylie Bunbury (When They See Us), and Joseph Morgan (The Originals) for an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at the making of Peacock’s highly anticipated new series. Brave New World will be streaming exclusively on Peacock, NBCUniversal’s new streaming service, beginning July 15. The series is from UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group.
• The Fleet Science Center Celebrates: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – The Stories and Science of Androids, Space Travel, and Aliens
  For seven seasons Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has managed to take us on one wild ride after another. The show is coming to an end with season seven, which premiered on May 27, and we are excited to celebrate the show with this panel. It is one thing to explore the amazing, and sometimes scary, abilities of inhumans (mutants), and quite another to take these stories into a matrix-like world, into space and even on a time-traveling adventure. Join the Fleet Science Center and executive producers, writers, and actors from Marvel’s immensely popular TV show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., as they reveal how these stories came to life and discuss with San Diego scientists if they got the science right. Panelists are Jeffrey Bell (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. showrunner, executive producer, and writer), Andrea Decker (Fleet Science Center, moderator), Dr. Virginia De Sa (professor in the Cognitive Science Department at UC San Diego), Elizabeth Henstridge (actor, Jemma Simmons), Dr. Anila Kanchan Madiraju (research associate at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies), Melissa Miller (scientist and science writer at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography), James Oliver (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. co-producer and writer), Sharla Oliver (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. co-producer and writer), Dr. Troy Sandberg (postdoctoral researcher at UC San Diego), Joel Stoffer (actor, Enoch), and Craig Titley (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. executive producer and writer).

From 4pm to 7pm

• HBO’s Lovecraft Country
  From showrunner and executive producer Misha Green, the new drama series Lovecraft Country follows the thrilling journeys of Atticus Freeman (Jonathan Majors), his friend Letitia (Jurnee Smollett) and his Uncle George (Courtney B. Vance) across 1950s Jim Crow America as they overcome the racist terrors and terrifying monsters ripped from an H.P. Lovecraft novel. Join cast members, Jurnee Smollett, Jonathan Majors, Michael Kenneth Williams, Aunjanue Ellis, Wunmi Mosaku, Abbey Lee, and Courtney B. Vance in a conversation moderated by Sarah Rodman, executive editor of Entertainment Weekly.
• What We Do In The Shadows
  Named “TV’s best comedy” by the Hollywood Reporter, What We Do in the Shadows is a documentary-style look into the lives of four vampires and their loyal familiar who, in a surprising twist, is a descendant of famed vampire slayer Van Helsing. Join us in raising a glass of regular human alcohol beer to the sharp-toothed cast–Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Kayvan Novak, Mark Proksch, and Harvey Guillén–and the creative team for a spirited discussion hosted by special guest, Haley Joel Osment.
• AMC’s NOS4A2
  NOS4A2 returns to Comic-Con for its second season, which kicked off on Sunday, June 21 and airs through August 23. Moderated by Entertainment Weekly’s Clark Collis, the panel will feature showrunner and executive producer Jami O’Brien, executive producer Joe Hill and cast member Zachary Quinto. NOS4A2’s second season picks up eight years after the events of season one. Vic McQueen (Ashleigh Cummings) remains more determined than ever to destroy Charlie Manx (Quinto). Charlie, having faced his own mortality, emerges desperate for revenge against Vic. This time, he sets his sights on the person who means most to Vic – her eight-year-old son Wayne. The race for Wayne’s soul sends Vic and Charlie on a high-speed collision course, forcing both to confront the mistakes of their pasts in order to secure a hold on Wayne’s future.
• Ahoy Comics: Expect More!
  Ahoy Comics has burst on the scene with acclaimed creators, smart satires, and a commitment to publishing fun and eclectic storytelling. Join editor-in-chief Tom Peyer, artists June Brigman and Steve Pugh, and writers Mariah McCourt, Stuart Moore, and Mark Russell for this panel discussion. Will Jesus return (again) with all-new Second Coming comics? Is there any escape from Billionaire Island? Why don’t all comics feature old ladies saving the world, like Ash & Thorn? Will Ahoy continue to publish funny comic books in these dark times? Get the answers straight from the brain trust of Ahoy Comics in this intimate, pre-recorded, virtual panel.
• What’s New In Small Press Comics
  Catch up on everything awesome coming from some of the best small press publishers in the world. Joshua Starnes (publisher, Red 5 Comics) hosts James Haick (president of Scout Comics and Entertainment, Inc.), Christina Harrington (managing editor, AfterShock Comics), Josh Werner (art director at Source Point Press), and Manny Castellanos (director of sales, Mad Cave Studios) as they give an early look into new books coming out this year!
• Farscape…To Be Continued
  Farscape is now on Amazon Prime and there has been talk of its return. Join Farscape cast members in celebration of this epic sci-fi series! Panelists include Gigi Edgley (Chiana, Farscape), Ricky Manning (writer, Farscape), Rebecca Riggs (Commandant Grayza, Farscape), David Franklin (Lieutenant Braca, Farscape), Lani Tupu (Captain Crais, Farscape), and Paul Goddard (Stark, Farscape). Moderated by Kirk Thatcher (Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge).
  @farscape @farscapenow #farscape @gigiedgley @voiceoverlanituputalks @froonium @rebeccariggs @davidfranklin @kirkthatcher @paulgoddard

It’s a Wrap

Saturday has tons of stuff to watch and I am really excited for these panels I picked out. I’m particularly looking forward to finding out about the Dune comics that are coming out and the panel for What We Do In The Shadows should be great since I missed them last year. That is one of my favorite shows on the air currently. Looking at IDW and Ahoy Comics I think will be cool to so I can get some ideas of what series like Second Coming, TMNT, G.I. Joe, Usagi Yojimbo, and Star Trek are gonna be up to this year.

Ramble 2020.03.07 | Saturday Comic-Con @ Home 2020