But wait! It hasn’t even happened yet! Here’s a more in-depth look at the Wonder Con Schedule, taking place in San Francisco Feb. 27- Mar. 1. If I could attend said conference — and if I could split my body into multiple clones — these would be some of my top picks of the con! Read on after the cut, or read the whole schedule here!
Friday
1:00-2:30 Comics Arts Conference Session #1: Between Two Flashes: A Survey of American Superhero Comics, 1950-1956—Doug Highsmith (California State University, East Bay) and Chuck Huber (University of California, Santa Barbara) conduct a sweeping investigation of superheroes in the 1950s. This “lost decade”— running from the final Golden Age appearance of the Jay Garrick Flash in All-Star #57 (1950) to the first appearance of the Barry Allen Flash in Showcase #4 (1956)—was more than just DC’s “Big 3″ of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. This presentation traces the influences underlying the abortive superhero mini-revivals of the early fifties to the far more successful appearance of Silver Age heroes at decade’s end, including the impact of the Adventures of Superman television series, and parallels to the themes and sensibilities of superhero comics that appeared in other popular genres of the time will. Finally, sources of reprints of stories from the era, including AC Comics’ Men of Mystery title and Marvel’s Atlas Era Heroes Masterworks volumes, will be briefly reviewed. Room 204/206
2:00-3:00 Black Panther Animated Series—He is the King of Wakanda, and soon he will be the King of TV! BET and Marvel Entertainment proudly present an exclusive look at the upcoming Black Panther cartoon, featuring the voice talents of Djimon Hounsou and more! Denys Cowan, senior VP of animation for BET and others discuss the genesis of the Black Panther comic series, as well as the creation of the animated series based on the origin story of “Who Is the Black Panther?” set to debut in mid-2009. Find out more behind the Black Panther and get a sneak peek at the cartoon at this star-studded panel! Room 103
2:30-3:30 Spotlight on Matt Fraction—One of the hottest writers in comics, the uncanny and invincible Matt Fraction (Uncanny X-Men, Invincible Iron Man) comes to WonderCon as a special guest for the very first time. Fraction will talk about his work and answer questions in this Spotlight panel. Room 104
2:30-3:30 Real Archaeology of Indiana Jones—Daryl G. Frazetti of the Department of Anthropology at Lake Tahoe Community College discusses the actual archaeology found in the Indiana Jones films. The world’s most famous archaeologist may be fictional, but much of the archaeology mentioned in the films is oh so very real and just as exciting. Actual sites and actual mysteries are explored. Find out what is happening in biblical archaeology, explore the real Temple of Doom, go on the quest for the Holy Grail, and delve into the mystique of the actual crystal skulls. This discussion encourages participation in this presentation of real adventure and discovery. Room 236/238
4:00-5:00 DC Nation—The DC Nation is back on the convention circuit and is gathering for WonderCon. DC is always looking for new recruits, so be sure to come on by with your friends as VP of sales Bob Wayne, senior story editor Ian Sattler, and some of the industry’s top talent discuss where the DC Nation is heading in the coming year! Room 103
4:00-5:00 Spotlight on Trina Robbins—Who better to interview Trina Robbins than Lee Marrs? Cartoonist/animator Lee Marrs and writer/herstorian Trina Robbins first met in 1970, during the Dark Ages of Underground Comix. Both were among the Founding Mothers of Wimmen’s Comix, the first ongoing all-woman feminist comics anthology. Room 232/234
5:00-6:00 Marvel: Ultimate Comics We told you the Ultimate Universe was no more, and Ultimatum is proving that. As an era ends, Ultimate Comics begins. Line editor Mark Paniccia is on hand to answer questions, drop a bombshell or two, and to welcome a surprise guest to make a jaw-dropping announcement! Room 103
6:00-8:15 Wonder Woman DVD Premiere + Exclusive Green Lantern Sneak Peek—Embark on a journey of untold beauty, grace and strength as Princess Diana uses her remarkable gifts and evolves into Wonder Woman, the world’s most renowned female superhero. Warner Premiere, Warner Home Video, DC Comics, and Warner Bros. Animation present the West Coast Premiere of the next entry in the DC Universe animated original movie series featuring the action-packed origin story of the Amazonian princess—from her mythological beginnings through her introduction to Steve Trevor, her travels to America, and a no-holds-barred battle with Ares, the God of War. Wonder Woman’s stellar cast includes the voices of Keri Russell (Waitress), Nathan Fillion (Castle), Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2), and Rosario Dawson (Sin City). The screening will be followed by a panel discussion of the film by Emmy Award winning animation legend Bruce Timm, breakthrough director Lauren Montgomery (Superman Doomsday), screenwriter Michael Jelenic (Batman: Brave and the Bold), and, making her first appearance at WonderCon, Academy Award nominee Virginia Madsen (Sideways), the voice of Queen Hippolyta. DC Comics senior VP of creative affairs Gregory Noveck will moderate. Wonder Woman will be available to the public on DVD on Tuesday, March 3. And don’t leave early, because the panel will close with a WonderCon exclusive—the first look at this summer’s highly anticipated DCU animated original movie starring Green Lantern! Esplanade
6:00-7:00 Resident Evil 5—Get a sneak peek at one of the most anticipated video game releases of 2009 and get a chance to see actual gameplay of Capcom’s Resident Evil 5 before it goes on sale in March. Some lucky audience members will get hands-on game time. Capcom’s product managers, Mike Webster and Matt Dahlgren and creative director Francis Mao, provide insider info on all the great new features on this first original Resident Evil game for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Plus see behind-the-scenes graphics, view all the Kijuju viral videos that are burning up the Internet, and learn everything you want to know about RE5 in the Q&A session! This panel is recommended for mature audiences. Room 103
Saturday
11:00-12:00 From Fan to Creator: Goal Setting for Creative Types—Which side of the convention table do you want to be on: artist or fan? And what’s keeping you from getting there? If you have an idea in your head that you’ve had trouble bringing into reality, you might benefit from this fun and practical goal-setting workshop, designed specifically for the WonderCon crowd. Teacher and coach Douglas Neff provides simple, proven techniques for achieving your most important goals. Whether you want to write your own screenplay, draw your first comic, or shoot your independent film, you’re sure to get something useful from this informative and energizing workshop. Room 204/206
11:30-12:30 Warner Bros.: Watchmen—Warner Bros. and WonderCon present a panel devoted to the most eagerly awaited movie of 2009: Watchmen! Visionary director Zack Snyder brings the classic graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons to vivid life on the big screen, opening March 6. Join Zack Snyder and members of the film’s cast LIVE on the WonderCon big stage for this exclusive panel presentation! Esplanade
11:30-12:30 Street Fighter IV—Celebrate the phenomena of Street Fighter as Capcom presents an in-depth panel about all the great features, characters, and even some secrets of the just-released Street Fighter IV for PS3 and Xbox 360. Meet the Capcom team consisting of SF master Seth Killian, product managers Grant Luke and John Diamonon, game producer Rey Jimenez, Capcom rep Randy Reyes, and creative director Francis Mao, as they share insider info about SFIV and SFIITurboHD Remix. Plus, watch clips of the exclusive SFIV anime from the SFIV Collector’s Edition as well as behind the scenes art and graphics. Finally, they’ll be pulling would-be Street Fighter champs from the audience for an impromptu fight club onstage to test your SF might to win awesome prizes! All this and a Q&A session to end the panel! Room 103
12:00-1:00 Dark Horse—Director of publicity Jeremy Atkins and editor Shawna Gore (Creepy, Emily the Strange, Criminal Macabre), along with a cast of top creators, present an exclusive preview of all that Dark Horse has to offer in the coming year. With breaking news on all of your favorite Dark Horse titles, including early insight into the relaunch of the legendary Creepy anthology, be the first to know about everything from heroes to horror. Room 104
12:30-1:30 Matt Fraction and Michael Chabon—It’s a meeting of the writers’ minds, as comics writer Matt Fraction talks with Pulitizer Prize winning author Michael Chabon (The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay) about comics and much more. Room 103
1:00-2:00 Extending the Franchise: Wanted—Matt Hawkins (publisher, Top Cow) and J. G. Jones (artist/co-creator, Wanted) have seen the Wanted characters come to life on the big screen with the film’s release in Summer 2008. Now with guidance from Pete Wanat (executive producer, Universal), the video game Wanted: Weapons of Fate will continue the Wanted mythology in March. Come find out how they’ve turned a comic book series into a multimedia blockbuster, as Hawkins, Jones, and Wanat talk about the future of Wanted! Room 104
1:30-3:00 DC Universe—The repercussions of Final Crisis are here—and with the future overshadowed by Black Lanterns, could the days of the DC Universe be numbered? Your guides to this brave new reality include VP for sales Bob Wayne, senior story editor Ian Sattler, and some of the industry’s best and brightest stars! Room 103
1:30-3:00 Comics Arts Conference Session #5: The Power Of Comics—Randy Duncan (Henderson State University) previews his forthcoming comics studies textbook The Power of Comics: History, Form and Culture (in April from Continuum Books). The text is designed to help students appreciate the diversity and potential of the comics medium, understand comics as a unique medium of communication, discover the governing principles of comic books/graphic novels as an art form, analyze the narrative and rhetorical techniques of the comic book/graphic novel art form, and evaluate works of the comics medium. Room 204/206
1:30-2:30 Queer Women in Comics—You think Alison Bechdel (Fun Home, Dykes to Watch Out For) is one of a kind? We know she’s unique, but there are lots of other queer women working in comics. Paige Braddock (Jane’s World), Greta Christina (Best Erotic Comics), Joey Alison Sayers (Thingpart), and Leia Weathington (Bold Riley) present a spirited discussion of what it means to be lesbian, bi-female and transgendered in comics today. Moderated by Patty Jeres, Prism Comics board co-president. Room 220
1:30-2:30 Comic Books and Indie Movies—With the animated series Xombie: Dead on Arrival, comic books Godkiller and How I Lost My Virginity, and indie movies Threat, Gimme Skelter, and Slumber Party Slaughterhouse: The Game, Halo-8 has carved out a unique niche in alternative pop culture. Join Halo-8 president Matt Pizzolo (writer/director of Threat and the upcoming Godkiller film adaptation) and other special guests from the Halo-8 roster for a Q&A session as well as a sneak peek at the new Xombie: Dead on Arrival DVD and an exclusive preview of the “illustrated film” Godkiller. Room 236/238
3:00-4:00 The Spectacular Spider-Man—Q&A session with The Spectacular Spider-Man supervising producers Greg Weisman (Gargoyles) and Victor Cook (Hellboy: Blood and Iron), character designer Sean Galloway (Hellboy animated films), and Josh Keaton (The Even Stevens Movie), the voice of the teenage Peter Parker. It’s the animated series that hearkens back to the webslinger’s junior year in high school, when a not-so-typical 16-year-old must conceal his secret identity, endure the pressures of teenage life, and combat never-before-seen supervillains. Based on Marvel Entertainment’s popular superhero, The Spectacular Spider-Man is produced by Culver Entertainment, a Sony Pictures Television Company, will premiere on Disney XD in March. Room 103
4:00-5:00 Spotlight on James Robinson—WonderCon special guest James Robinson returned to comics last year with amazing work on Superman. One of the chief architects of the “Super-Universe” at DC, Robinson is also known for his Eisner Award winning work on Starman and Leave it to Chance. DC Comics senior story editor Ian Sattler interviews Robinson. Room 104
5:00-6:00 Nuts & Bolts: How a Comic Is Made—Christian Beranek (Dracula vs. King Arthur), Thomas Mauer (Popgun), and Tony DiGerolamo (The Simpsons) discuss how comic books are put together. From the ground up to the store shelves, these guys are here to answer your questions and share their experiences. Room 204/206
8:30-11:30 The Fifth Annual WonderCon Masquerade—The Masquerade, WonderCon’s flashy and fun on-stage competition, features amazing costumes re-created from movies, TV, comic-books, video games, and anime, plus original designs inspired by fantasy, science-fiction, and more. Trophies and other prizes will be awarded to the most outstanding entries. The Master of Ceremonies is artist-writer Phil Foglio. No flash photography is allowed, and doors will open for audience seating beginning at 8:00. Special advance movie previews will be shown during the judging intermission. Click here for more details. Esplanade
Sunday
12:00-1:00 Marvel: X-Men—They have left the East Coast and made a home here in San Francisco, embraced by the population. But war is following as their past and future catch up with them! Executive editor and head of the X-Men line Axel Alonso, Uncanny X-Men scribe Matt Fraction, and special guests talk about “Messiah War” and all things X-Men! Room 103
12:30-1:30 Comic Book Couples—Lois and Clark. Barry and Iris. Peter and Mary Jane (well . . . not anymore). The real story about comic book couples is in the real life team-up of comics lovers and creators. Couples Brian Azzarello and Jill Thompson, Wendy and Richard Pini, Trina Robbins and Steve Leialoha, and Batton Lash and Jackie Estrada talk with moderator couple Andrew Farago and Shaenon Garrity about comics, love, and their love of comics. Room 236/238
1:00-2:00 Matt Fraction and Ed Brubaker—One’s a Casanova, the other’s a Criminal, and we’re not sure if they’ll show up Incognito or as their true selves, but we do know it’s going to be a fascinating hour. WonderCon special guests and sometime-collaborators Matt Fraction and Ed Brubaker sit down for a talk about comics and other stuff they both love. Room 103
1:15-2:00 Chuck Special Presentation and Q&A—Chuck makes its first appearance at WonderCon with a Q&A and special screening of an extended trailer. Co-creator/executive producer Josh Schwartz (Gossip Girl) and co-creator/executive producer Chris Fedak will be on hand to talk to fans about the second season of the popular action-comedy, which features all-new guest stars. Airing Mondays at 8:00 PM on NBC, Chuck is produced by College Hill Pictures, Wonderland Sound and Vision in association with Warner Bros. Television. Esplanade
2:00-2:45 Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Q&A Join executive producer Josh Friedman (War of the Worlds [2005]) as he previews the rest of this exciting season and answers questions from fans. Joining Josh is actress/singer Shirley Manson, who plays Catherine Weaver on the show, which airs Fridays at 8:00 PM on FOX. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is produced by Bartleby Company and The Halcyon Company in association with Warner Bros. Television. Esplanade
2:00-3:30 Cover Story: The Art of the Cover—A WonderCon tradition back for another year. Moderator Mark Evanier picks covers and then picks the brains of the artists who created them. This year’s lineup includes WonderCon special guests Dave Johnson, Jim Lee, Aaron Lopresti, and Wendy Pini. Room 103
2:00-3:00 IDW Summer Movie Preview: G.I. Joe, Star Trek, and Transformers—IDW editor Denton J. Tipton hosts writers Chris Mowry (Transformers Movie Prequel) and Mike Johnson (Star Trek: Countdown), and artist Andrew Griffith (Transformers Movie Prequel) for a discussion about their books that lead in to this summer’s biggest blockbusters. Room 104
2:00 3:00 Self-Publishing Queer Comics—Got an LGBT comic book idea and want to publish it yourself? Panelists Brian Andersen (So Super Duper), Paige Braddock (Jane’s World, Martian Confederacy), Justin Hall (True Travel Tales, Hard to Swallow), Andy Hartzell (Fox Bunny Funny, Monday), Johnny Nolen (Gravity Faggot), and Sean Z (Myth) as they discuss the nuts and bolts of creating your comic, promoting it, and getting it into the stores. Moderated by Zan Christensen (Mark of Aecus). Room 220
2:00-3:00 Comics Academy—The purpose of Comics Academy is to foster an appreciation of comic books and graphic novels in academia. The academy promotes using comic books to spark investigation into academic subject areas and to teach abstract concepts in K-12 education. The mission of Comics Academy is to nurture the path to literacy through the study and production of comic books and graphic novels. David Baldizon will discuss this and how it affects the future of comic book publishing and education. Room 232/234
2:30 3:30 Sunday Conversation with Ian Sattler—All are welcome to join DC Comics senior story editor Ian Sattler for a relaxed Sunday afternoon discussion. Share your thoughts, or just listen, as some of comics’ biggest names reveal why they love this industry. Room 236/238
4:00-5:00 Buffy the Musical—Let’s end this show with a bang! The powers that be behind Whedonopolis.com host an officially sanctioned screening of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer musical episode “Once More With Feeling” as WonderCon 2009′s big closing event! Many say this is the finest, funniest, most ingenious episode ever to come out of the Buffy-verse. But remember, the best part of the show is up to you! This ep was made for talkin’—back, that is—and singing and shouting and dancing in the aisles, with or without your dry cleaning! Audience participation: it isn’t just for Rocky Horror and mob riots anymore. For more details on the screening visit www.whedonopolis.com, then show up for music, singing, and dancing crazy! Esplanade
January 17th, 2011 at 3:20 pm
Dis Blog is on da for real. Hit em hard and hit em fast, Peace PLAYA