Comic-Con 2010 Thursday: Panel and Event Picks

One person's cool panel at Comic-Con is another's ho-hum.  So with the schedule for day one, Thurday July 22 at Comic-Con International 2010 in San Diego now available, here are some hot and top picks along with some personal choices as well.  Your panel mileage will surely vary.

Daytime Programing:

10:00-11:00 The Spark of Imagination— A writer and filmmaker summit, including children's author Tony DiTerlizzi (The Spiderwick Chronicles) whose new novel is The Search for Wondla; LAIKA president/CEO Travis Knight (lead animator, Coraline); artist/writer Mike Mignola (Hellboy); director John Stevenson (Kung Fu Panda); and graphic novelist and Comic-Con special guest Doug TenNapel (Earthworm Jim). Moderated by Geoff Boucher,   HeroComplex.com blogger with The Los Angeles Times. Room 25ABC

10:00-11:00 DreamWorks Animation: Megamind— Imagine Superman and a Lex Luthor/Braniac combo both rocketed to earth as babies from two different planets in the same part of outer space and you have Megamind. Voicer actors Will Ferrell (Megamind), Tina Fey, and Jonah Hill and director Tom McGrath will share footage beyond the trailers for the November 5 release. But so far, no Brad Pitt (Metro Man).  Hall H

10:15-11:15 DC Comics Writers Unite!— It was a DC Nation hit at WonderCon earlier this year in San Francisco, and now a gathering of DC Writers comes togethr at Comic-Con, with Paul Levitz (Legion of Super-Heroes), Dennis O'Neil (Batman, The Question), and J. Michael Straczynski (Superman, Wonder Woman),  Gail Simone (Birds of Prey, Secret Six), Judd Winick (Justice League: Generation Lost, Power Girl), and moderator James Robinson(Starman, Justice League of America). Room 6DE

10:30-11:30 Danny Elfman— Danny Elfman has collaborated with director Tim Burton for more than 25 years. Those scores include Beetle Juice, Batman, Edward Scissorhands, Nightmare Before Christmas, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and this year's Alice in Wonderland.  and many more. Expect a big announcement from this soundtrack and popular music (Oingo Boingo in the '80s and '90s) legend. Room 6BCF

10:30-11:30 The Power of Myth— A gathering of fantasy authors, which include Comic-Con special guest Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson and the Olympians), Amber Benson (Calliope Reaper-Jones), Esther Friesner (Sphinx's Princess), Thomas Greanias (The Promised War), Lev Grossman (The Magicians), Les Klinger (editor, The New Annotated Dracula), Seanan McGuire (October Daye), Michael Scott (Secret of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel), and Thomas Sniegoski (Where Angels Fear To Tread). Moderated by Maryelizabeth Hart of Mysterious Galaxy.Room 24ABC

11:00-12:00 The Clockwork Girl— A stereoscopic 3D computer generated feature film in production, based on the comic book series published by Arcana. The panel will include producer Sean O'Reilly, Alexa Vega (Spy Kids) and Sean Covel and Doc Wyatt (Napoleon Dynamite) and they'll screen a featurette.Room 9

11:00-12:00 BOOM! Irredeemable/Incorruptible Panel— Writer Mark Waid and  artist Peter Krause talk about the two hit comic book series, proof of how good indie company superhero stuff can be. Room 32AB

11:15-12:45 Walt Disney Pictures: TRON: Legacy— It's the third year at Comic-Con for this produciton and now the film is finally arriving soon. Clips will alone will draw a full house, along with  director Joe Kosinski, producers Sean Bailey and Steven Lisberger, and cast members Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitnerfrom the original Tron, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, and Michael Sheen, Moderated by Patton Oswalt. Plus...  special surprise guests. Hall H

11:30-12:30 DC Nation Convention Kickoff!—  It's a celebration of DC Comics with  co-publishers Dan DiDio and Jim Lee. What do you want to know about Brightest Day or The Return of Bruce Wayne. Maybe you can argue about Wonder Woman's new costume, too. Room 6DE

11:30-12:30 Spotlight on Kurt Busiek— He's written Superman, Justice League/Avengers, Conan, and his own creator-owned projects Astro City and Arrowsmith. A chance to meet one of comics' current writer superstars. Room 8

11:30-12:30 Iron Man and Rocket Men: Is Stark Industries an Appropriate Model for Private-Industry Space Exploration?— The concept for this panel is certainly original. New Space entrepreneurs Mark Street (XCOR Aerospace) and John Hunter (Quicklaunch) discuss realistic options for future space exploration. Presented by the San Diego Space Society (SD Space), the panel also includes Chris Radcliff (SD Space) and Dave Rankin (The Mars Society - San Diego cofounder).  Moderated by Jeff Berkwits (former Amazing Stories editor and two-time Hugo Award nominee). Room 24ABC

12:00-1:00 Caprica, Battlestar, and Beyond— Hosted by actor/authorRichard Hatch (Tom Zarek on the modern Battlestar Galactica, Capt. Apollo on the original BSG), and including composer Bear McCreary (Battlestar, Eureka, Caprica), producer/writer Michael Tayler (Battlestar, Caprica, Star Trek), science consultant Kevin Grazier (Battlestar, Eureka), there will be talk about the upcoming BSG movie based on the '70s TV series, including trailers.Room 6A

12:00-1:00 Gamera, The Invincible!— Author August Ragone (Chronicle Books' Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters) presents a visual tribute to Godzilla's No. 1 rival, the original Mutant Flying Turtle, Gamera as Shout! Factory has launched new DVD releases of the '60s and '70s films, including  Gamera vs. Barugon. Room 32AB

12:30-1:30 Bongo Comics Sneak Peek— Bongo Comics offers a preview of upcoming projects featuring The Simpsons, Futurama and more. Room 3

12:30-1:30 Batman: The Widening Gyre— DC group editor Michael Marts, series artist Walt Flanagan, and inker Art Thibert talk about what lies ahead for the special series Batman: The Widening Gyre written by Kevin Smith and due in hardcover this December.  Room 4


12:45-1:45 Marvel: Breaking into Comics the Marvel Way— Talent liaison C. B. Cebulski is joined by special guests Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction, Skottie Young, Humberto Ramos, and other Marvelites will talk about how to become a pro writer, artist or editor. Room 6DE

1:00-2:00 USA Network's Burn Notice— Bruce Campbell (Sam Axe),Matt Nix (creator and executive producer), and Alfredo Barrios, Jr.(executive producer) head up a panel on Burn Notice, with an exclusive sneak peek at upcoming episodes. Ballroom 20

1:00-2:00 Sony Pictures Entertainment: Battle: Los Angeles and Salt— Showcases for two new films from Sony Pictures, the former about an invasion of L.A. with Michelle Rodriguez, Aaron Eckhart, Neal Moritz, and director Jonathan Liebesman; the latter the new Angelina Jolie movie about a CIA spy who may or may not be a counter-spy. Special guests are promised. Will it be....she? Hall H

2:00-3:00 DC Focus: Geoff Johns—  DC Entertainment's COO now, Geoff Johns rose in the past decade to become a superstar comics writer, including Justice Society of America, Superman, Blackest Night and the new Brightest Day and of course, the "rebirths" of Green Lantern and The Flash. Will he let loose with some bits on the Green Lantern movie?  Hosted by Eddie Berganza, DC group editor. Room 6DE

2:00-3:00 Spotlight on Tom Palmer— Comic-Con special guest and legendary comics inker and artist Tom Palmer will be joined by Dean White, color artist on the Kick-Ass comics series, and possibly another member of the creative team as a new Kick-Ass series us soon to be published. Moderated by Mark Waid.Room 9

2:00-3:00 Hasbro Transformers— Aaron Archer (Hasbro Brand IP Development), Matt Proulx (Hasbro Marketing), and Hasbro Design'sMichelino Paolino, Brian Wilk, Eric Siebenaler, Alan Roach, and Miyaki Tomoya are joined by Activision's Matt Tieger to talk about what's new with Transformers. Plus, details about the Transformers: War for Cybertron video game from Activision.Room 25ABC

2:15-3:15 USA Network's White Collar— Moderated by White Collar's very own conspiracy theorist, Willie Garson (Mozzie), on hand will be creator Jeff Eastin, stars Matt Bomer (Neal Caffrey), Tim DeKay (FBI Agent Peter Burke), Marsha Thomason (Agent Diana Barrigan), Sharif Atkins (Agent Clinton Jones), and co-EP Jeff King. Ballroom 20

2:15-3:15 Summit Entertainment: RED— Summit Entertainment presents a sneak peek of exclusive footage from RED with Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and Helen Mirren, based on the cult DC Comics graphic novel by Warren Ellis.  With Ellis, director Robert Schwentke, and some (all?) of the film's stars plus footage and also the final trailer. Hall H

2:30-3:30 The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide Turns 40— Celebrate the history and impact of the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide with former CGC president and primary grader Steve Borock, CBG's Maggie Thompson, historian Jon McClure, Guide staffers J.C. Vaughn and Mark Huesman, and special guests. Guide creator Robert M. Overstreet is a Comic-Con special guest in celebration of the 40th anniversary. Room 3

2:30-3:30 State of the Geek Report: From Avatar to Zardoz— A panel of experts examine the state of science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film and TV, from Star Trek and Star Wars  to Avatar. With Steve Melching (The Clone Wars), Ashley E. Miller (Thor, X-Men: First Class),Steve Kriozere (Elvis Van Helsing), Jeff Bond (former Geek Monthly editor), and Bill Hunt and Todd Doogan (Digital Bits). Room 4

2:30-3:30 I Can't Write, I Can't Draw, But I Love Comics!— How to be part of the industry beyond story and art, such as computer programmers, motion-capture actors, retailers, agents, development executives, and publishers. Panelists include Rudy Coby (Labman), Jacob Melvin (DreamWorks), Joseph Gatt(God of War), Derek Douglas (Digital Development Management), Steve Goldstein (Stubbs Alderton & Markiles), Matt Cohen (Killspace Entertainment), Jud Meyers (Earth 2 Comics), and Filip Sablik (Top Cow Productions). Moderated by science/tech journalist Susan Karlin(Discover). Room 24ABC

2:30-3:30 Comics Arts Conference Session #4: Recapturing Copyright for Gold and Silver Age Comic Book Creators— Copyright lawyer Marc Greenberg (Golden Gate University School of Law) covers key developments in the Superman case (Siegel v. DC) and explores the claims filed by the Jack Kirby estate to the rights to the major Marvel Comics characters he created or co-created. This could be very interesting and very emotional. Room 26AB

3:00-4:00 Spotlight on Jenette Kahn— She guided DC Comics for 27 years as its president and publisher, the youngest female executive in Warner Brothers history. Former DC president and publisher and fellow Comic-Con special guest  Paul Levitz interviews Kahn about her years at the company and her new career in the movie industry as a producer of such hits as Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino. Room 5AB

3:00-4:00 Dark Horse Horror— With Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, writer of the weird Steve Niles(Criminal Macabre, City of Others), and The Goon creator Eric Powell plus Dark Horse editors Scott Allie and Shawna Gore (boy, does she have the right name for horror, or what?) Also first look at upcoming Dark Horse horror books. Room 9

3:00-4:00 Masters of the Web— Hollywood Writer/ProducerRoberto Orci (Star Trek 2, Cowboys & Aliens, Transformers, Star Trek, Alias, Mission Impossible 3) and writer/directorEdgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim vs the World) moderate a panel hosted by AMC Theatres Blog Editor John Campea with some of the top movie blog site folk, including Screenrant.com, Joblo.com), Latino Review.com,Cinematical.com and CHUD.com). They'll hand out some passes .  to the annual, "From Dusk til Con" party and one attendee will win a pass good for one year of free movies at AMC Theatres. Room 32AB

3:15-4:15 Marvel: Mondo Marvel— Featuring Jeph Loeb (Hulk), Brian Michael Bendis (Avengers), Marvel talent liaison C. B. Cebulski, Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (The Thanos Imperative), Jim McCann (Hawkeye & Mockingbird), senior editor Mark Paniccia, and more. Ask 'em about The Heroic Age. Room 6DE

3:30-4:30 Zenescope Presents: Charmed Comics— Like Buffy and Angel, The Charmed Ones are back, but in comics form.  Writers Paul Ruditis(Charmed novelist) and Raven Gregory (Zenescope's Wonderland, The Waking) take  questions, raffle off some prizes.Room 24ABC

3:30-4:30 Entertainment Weekly: The Visionaries— This already looks like the big pow-wow of Comic-Con as J. J. Abrams (Star Trek) and Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) talk pop culture. It's a major geek-verse event. Hall H

4:30-5:30 Digital Comics Now!— Panelists include David Steinberger (CEO of comiXology), Micah Baldwin (CEO of Graphic.ly),Michael Murphey (CEO of iVerse), and Wade Slitkin (CEO of Panelfly). Moderated by Chip Mosher (marketing director, BOOM! Studios). Room 4

4:30-5:30 DC Comics' 75th Anniversary— Another huge panel in meaning. 75 years ago Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson started a comic book company (National Allied Publications) that pioneered the use of new material (as opposed to comic strip reprints) in its books. In 1938, Action Comics #1, featuring Superman arrived and everything truly changed. National eventually became DC.  Moderator Paul Levitz Dan DiDio and Jim Lee (co-publishers, DC Comics), Geoff Johns (chief creative officer), and Comic-Con special guests Jenette Kahn (former president and publisher), Dennis O'Neil(writer/editor, Batman), and comics legend Jerry Robinson (Batman). This is huge, comics-wise. Room 6DE

4:30-5:30 Transformers Prime— Executive producers, Transformers big screen writers (Star Trek, too)  Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, plus Jeff Kline talk about the new animated series from Hasbro Studios, showcase  footage and reveal characters. The show will premiere later this year on a new television network, The Hub. Room 7AB

4:30-5:30 Spotlight on Phil Jimenez— Comic-Con special guest Phil Jimenez (Astonishing X-Men) takes questions and hopes to offer answers that lead to more questios about comics and what fans want.  Room 8

4:30-5:30 Graphic Novels 101— Does your public library carry graphic novels and if no, why not? With Jill Patterson (La Habra, CA Branch Library), Merideth Jenson-Benjamin(Glendale, AZ Public Library), Kearsten LaBrozzi (Glendale, AZ Public Library), and Hillary W. Chang (McCully-Moiliili, HI Public Library).Room 26AB

4:45-5:45 Our Heroes Have More Fun: the Anti-Heroes of Showtime— Talks from  Dexter's Michael C. Hall and showrunner Chip Johannessen (24) David Duchovny and Tom Kapinos of Californication and Mary-Louise Parker and Jenji Kohanof Weeds  Plus: Nurse Jackie, too.  Ballroom 20

4:45-5:45 Lionsgate: The Expendables— Lionsgate presents scenes on the action movie all-stars film featuring director, writer, and star Sylvester Stallone(Rambo),  Dolph Lundgren (Universal Soldier), Steve Austin(The Condemned), Randy Couture (Scorpion King: Rise of the Warrior), and Terry Crews (Gamer). Will Ah-nuld show up, too?  Hall H


5:00-6:00 SFX presents The British Invasion— UK writers from TV, comics, books, and movies talk about the perspectives of British SF. With Dan Abnett (Ultramarines), China Miéville (Perdido Street Station), Paul Cornell (Doctor Who), Kieron Gillen (Thor), Pat Mills (2000 AD), and Toby Whithouse (BBC's Being Human creator). SFX magazine's Dave Bradley moderates. Room 5AB

5:30-6:30 Indie Comics Marketing 101— Panelists include Sam Humphries(writer, Fraggle Rock and CBGB, creator of MySpace Comic Books), Laura Hudson (editor-in-chief, Comics Alliance), Ben McCool (writer, Choker, Superman, Memoir, JLU), and Chip Mosher (marketing director, BOOM! Studios). Room 4

Categories:  Art and Illustration | Comics | Seminars & Workshops |Writers & Writing

5:30-6:30 Spotlight on Ivan Reis— Comic-Con special guest, artist Ivan Reis (Blackest Night, Green Lantern, Brightest Day) is well, tremendous (check out the triple-truck fold-out panel from Blackest Night #8), left) Eddie Berganza (DC senior editor) andJoe Prado (artist on Brightest Day) talk about his skyrocketing career.Room 7AB

5:30-6:30 Geek Girls Exist— Kristin Rielly (Geek Girls Network) leads a discussion with Morgan Romine (The Frag Dolls), Bonnie Burton (The Star Wars Craft Book), Marian Call (singer/songwriter), Sarah Kuhn (One Con Glory), Jill Pantozzi (Has Boobs Reads Comics blog), Veronica Belmont (Qore), Kari Byron (MythBusters), and Kiala Kazebee(GeekWeek.com). Comic-Con hasn't been a guy only domain for a long time and some of us are very grateful for that, thank you.

5:30-6:30 Comics Academy and the Death of Captain America—Jeffrey Kahan (University of La Verne; author, Caped Crusaders 101) on how to use comic books in the classroom. David Rojas (founder of Comics Academy) lectures on "The Death of Captain America". Wish comics were taught in school when I was a kid. Room 24ABC

5:30-6:30 Creating the New Mythology—  Peter David (Incredible Hulk, X-Factor) and Marc Guggenheim (Wolverine, Resurrection) on the creation of today's modern myths - from comics and other media. Moderated by Comics Experience's Andy Schmidt (X-Men, Annihilation). Room 30CDE

5:45-6:45 Marvel: What's Next: Welcome to the Digital House of Ideas— Updates a plenty on Marvel.com, Marvel Digital Comics, and Marvel Motion Comics. Plus, Marvel.com's free streaming animated shows, how to "Create Your Own Comic" and "Super Hero" original video productions, and the Marvel Audience Network, including a social network. Room 6DE

6:00-7:00 Abusing the Sci of Sci-Fi— Watch, listen and get frustrated or be fascinated as science on some of your favorite TV show or in films is debunked as bogus or praised as truthful. Astronomer and Discovermagazine.com blogger Phil Plait moderates a panel with Jaime Paglia (Eureka), Zack Stentz (Fringe, Thor), Bill Prady (The Big Bang Theory), Kevin Grazier(NASA scientist and Eureka advisor), and Sean Carroll (physicist and Discovermagazine.com blogger). Room 5AB

6:00-7:00 Universal: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World— Genre-bending filmmaker Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz), graphic novel author Bryan Lee O'Malley, and the cast of Universal Pictures' Scott Pilgrim vs. the Worldprovide offer a sneak peek at this buzzed-or-hyped film. Hall H

6:15-7:15 Vertigo: The New Classics— A look at new titles and story arcs from Senior VP/executive editor Karen Berger, along Rafael Albuquerque (American Vampire), Peter Gross (The Unwritten), Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth), Chris Roberson(iZombie), Scott Snyder (American Vampire) are on the panel. Room 6A

Nighttime Programs

7:30-8:30 Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog— The Web sensation is now a new Comic-Con tradition: Sing along at this screening of the original three acts of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, hosted by the California Browncoats, complete with lyrics books and call backs.  Dr. Horrible stars Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother), Nathan Fillion (Castle, Firefly) and Felicia Day (The Guild),  written by Joss Whedon (Serenity), Jed Whedon (Dollhouse), Zack Whedon (Fringe), and Maurissa Tancharoen (Dollhouse). Room 6A

7:30-9:30 First Look! Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics— Warner Home Video and DC Entertainment present a first look at the new documentary Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics that chronicles writers, artists, editors, publishers  who gave us Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and so much for the 75th anniversary of the comic book company that endures.  There will also be a panel of DC legends, past and present. The documentary is narrated by Ryan Reynolds (Green Lantern) and will be distributed by Warner Home Video in November 2010. Room 7AB

7:30-8:30 Transcending Trauma: From the Birth of Batman to the Rise of the Red Hood— An intellectual look at trauma leading to comic book icons such as Batman, the Hulk, Iron Man, the Punisher and the second Robin, Jason Todd, who came back to life as the Red Hood. A panel of doctors with expertise in child/adolescent, adult, and forensic psychiatry discuss responses to traumatic experiences and apply theories.  Not your typical fanboy programming here. Room 8

8:00-11:00 BBC America: U.S. Premiere Screenings of Doctor Who and Being Human— The season opener of Being Human and the two-part finale of Doctor Who, written by showrunner Steven Moffat. What else do you need to know?. Room 6DE

10:00-12:00 World Premiere of Lost Boys: The Thirst— Its all about the Frog Brothers in Lost Boys: The Thirst. Original film cast members Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander present this first-ever screening of the cult classic's third film. Warner Bros. is providing the free popcorn to boot. BYOF (Fangs). Indigo Ballroom, San Diego Hilton Bayfront