2008 CCI Panel Recommendations

The massive programming schedule for Comic-Con International is now up: Wednesday/Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

You can click on the individual days and, once you're on that site, on themed tracks like "comic books" for more information.

What follows here is a list of those comics-related panels that in a perfect world, bearing the insta-cloning powers of Jamie Madrox the Multiple Man and the buttock powers of whatever superhero has a well-cushioned ass, I would attend.

My must-sees that match my limited con days (Friday, Saturday) are the Lynda Barry and Kim Deitch spotlight panels, as well as the Eisner Awards and Rutu Modan's spotlight, but I'll probably attend about five on each day depending how my schedule works out. I'll regret missing the Woodring slideshow, and a lot of others, too, actually. Good year.

Here are my notes, and I hope you'll find something you want to go experience either on this list or on the much more complete convention ones.



THURSDAY, JULY 24
10:45-11:45 Reinventing the Page: Stan Lee and Grant Morrison Talk Virgin Comics Ballroom 20
This could be awfully fascinating, or it could be fascinatingly awful.

11:30-12:30 From the K Chronicles to The Knight Life: Keith Knight Room 4
I've never seen Keith speak at length before, but he's certainly a smart and engaging guy at an interesting point in his career.

12:30-1:30 Spotlight on Eddie Campbell Room 3
One of the best living cartoonists and a world-class talker.

1:00-2:00 Mark and Sergio Room 8
Evanier and Aragones: this is one of the best, old school Comic-Con panels.

1:00-2:00 The Future of the Comics Pamphlet Room 32AB
I like the idea of this panel, but I'm not familiar enough with its participants to recommend that anyone attend. I know that moderator Douglas Wolk reads traditional comic books, which is a good sign he'll have pointed questions.

2:00-3:00 Spotlight on Signe Wilkinson Room 4
2:00-3:00 Spotlight on Todd Klein Room 8
2:00-3:00 Spotlight on Jim Woodring: Please Stand By Room 10
I'd love to see all three, but Woodring is the clear winner here: one of the greats, and a very articulate and funny man besides.

2:00-3:00 Clickwheel: On-Demand Digital Comics for iPod and iPhone Room 32AB
4:30-5:30 UClick: Mobile Comics Room 30AB
I know almost nothing about comics delivery into digital form for access via carry-around devices, so these panels could be useful as a primer.

3:00-4:00 Spotlight on Bill Willingham Room 2
3:00-4:00 Spotlight on Ed Brubaker Room 7AB
Two fine, articulate mainstream comics creators with alt- and indy-comics roots. You could pick according to whose work you enjoy the most (for me, that would be Ed) and not go wrong.

3:00-4:00 Comic-Con Talkback 1 Room 4
I have to admit, I have a sick fascination with these panels where people walk into a room and complain at the convention organizers.

3:30-5:00 Golden and Silver Age of Comics Room 8
These broad, historical panels are great because you get to see a ton of creators at once, which can be helpful if you're generally interested in the subject matter but are unable to see all the spotlight panels.

3:30-4:30 Bat-Manga! Chip Kidd and the Secret History of Batman in Japan Room 30AB
Chip Kidd is a funny guy, and I'm looking forward to seeing this book. Win-win.

4:45-5:45 Marvel: Mondo Marvel Room 6A
6:00-7:00 DC Nation Room 6A
Along with creators vs. companies and art vs. entertainment, Marvel vs. DC is one of the three major, overarching stories of the last 30 years in comics. I find these panels pretty dreary, but there are always lessons to be learned in attending them.

5:00-6:00 The Third Annual Comics Podcasting Panel Room 32AB
6:00-7:00 The Comics Blogosphere Room 32AB
I'm going to add a podcast to the site before Halloween, so I would probably benefit from going to the first panel. I know I'll personally benefit from not being among the new wave of folks included in the second panel: for one thing, I probably won't want to kill myself for the next three days, as was the case in past years.

6:00-7:00 The Secret History of Manga in the U.S. Room 4
I like the subject matter, and I like Jason Thompson; I have no idea if this will follow through on that promise or not.

7:00-9:00 Will Eisner: Portrait of a Sequential Artist Room 7AB
If I were a going to the movies at Comic-Con guy, I'd probably see this.



FRIDAY, JULY 25
12:00-1:00 50 Years of Gay Legion of Super-Heroes Fandom Room 3
I'd be interested in hearing about gay fandom from 1958, but I suspect there's not going to be a lot about that.

12:00-2:00 Steve Rude Painting Workshop Room 30CDE
I like listening to Steve Rude talk about painting.

12:30-2:00 That '70s (Comics) Panel Room 8
1:30-2:30 Editorial Cartoons Room 5AB
3:00-4:00 An Introduction to Webcomics Room 3
Three more panels where you can see a bunch of different cartoonists at once as opposed to seeing 15 spotlight panels.

1:30-2:30 Scott McCloud Zot! Room 10
If I go to this, I can ask Scott crabby questions in person about why he didn't write the supplementary material in his new Zot! book to suit my specific, made-up requirements.

2:00-3:00 The World of Graphic Novels Room 3
Okay, I have to attend this one. I'm moderating. Please stop by and see me, and all the cool cartoonists talking about the graphic novel. My first question will be... to Adrian Tomine.

3:00-4:00 Spotlight on James Warren Room 4
This could be really good. Not good enough to make me want to miss the next panel listed:

3:00-4:00 Spotlight on Lynda Barry Room 7AB
This talk with the cartoonist Lynda Barry has a very good chance of being the panel of the show.

3:00-4:00 Spotlight on Al Jaffee Room 8
Warren, Barry and Jaffee at the same time: again, that's just mean.

3:30-4:30 Comic Book Heaven: LIVE! Room 30AB
Another old-school panel by a funny moderator.

4:00-5:00 Spotlight on Al Feldstein Room 8
I have no idea what Feldstein's like as a panelist, but certainly the potential is there for a really good interview and fielding of questions,.

4:30-5:30 Vertigo: View of the Future Room 5AB
Insert completely unreasonable but still funny "void and nothingness" joke here.

4:30-5:30 Resources for Creators Room 30CDE
4:30-6:00 So You Want to Be a Comics Retailer Room 32AB
5:00-6:00 Teaching Comics
There is a run of creator- or professional-help panels at the show, which join more established tracks such as comics-related law and the academic conference as major runs of smaller panels at the show that I'm sure someone will extremely interested in attending. These were the helpful ones that jumped out at me.

5:00-6:00 Spotlight on Bernie Wrightson Room 3
5:30-6:30 Penny Arcade Room 5AB
5:30-6:30 Spotlight on Kim Deitch Room 10
6:00-7:00 Larry Marder: The Beanworld Is Back! Room 2
Another bunch of overlapping, quality spotlight panels. I'll be at Kim Deitch, just because he's one of the five best cartoonists in the world and is supposedly a very entertaining talker.

5:00-6:00 Comic Artists Guild: An Open Call for Members Nationwide Room 24A
It's probably bad on a lot of levels that I don't know what the Comic Artists Guild is.

7:15-8:15 Klingon Lifestyles Presentation Room 6A
The title to this panel amuses me and makes me think of Klingons hanging out in barcaloungers watching sitcoms or shooting tupperware with phase pistols. I have a good Klingons at San Diego story I'll tell you if we ever meet and you ask for it.

8:30-11:30 The Spirit Presents the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Ballroom 20
I am so there to lose to Matt Brady.



SATURDAY, JULY 26
10:15-11:15 Spotlight on Ralph Bakshi Room 6B
Not comics, but I'll be at this.

11:00-12:00 IDW Publishing: Ideas and Dreams 2008 Room 3
Worth it for the Darwyn Cooke announcement of one of his forthcoming GN projects he's talked about in past panel appearances (I assume it's one of those and not something else entirely).

11:15-12:30 Quick Draw! Room 6CDEF
One of the half-dozen or so classic comics panels, and always a good time. Mike Peters this year.

12:00-1:00 Spotlight on John Howe Room 3
This isn't comics, but I very much liked the tone and presentation of Howe's last art book.

12:00-1:00 Spotlight on Howard Chaykin Room 8
12:30-1:30 Spotlight on Rutu Modan Room 4
I'd go to both if I could, but since it's a rare US appearance (her first since a late '90s SPX, I think -- whoops, apparently not) for Modan, I'll be at hers.

1:00-2:00 Will Eisner Tribute
This is the first of the weekend's tributes, which include Sunday panels about Jack Kirby, Dave Stevens and Michael Turner you can look up on the full panels list. CCI does a pretty good job with this kind of thing, so if you're a fan of any of those artists, you might consider it.

1:15-2:00 Spotlight on Tite Kubo Room 7AB
Like when will you have the chance to do this again? I'll try to sneak in after Modan.

2:00-3:00 Lettering Roundtable Room 8
There's always one panel I go to that causes my friends to stomp away from me in disgust at the degree and severity of my nerdity. In 2008, this is that panel.

2:15-3:15 Grant Morrison and Gerard Way: Born Under a Black Sun Room 6B
I'm hoping Way murders Morrison and eats his heart. Ha ha, just kidding. I'll take anyone's heart being eaten.

2:30-3:30 Scott Shaw!: Oddball Comics Room 5AB
Again: severely old school, and solid.

3:00-4:00 The Launch of Abrams ComicArts Room 3
Did I miss this announcement? Drink through it? Huh?

3:00-4:30 MAD in the '60s Room 8
This looks like it could be entertaining, and certainly provides a nice way to see Feldstein, Aragones, and Jaffee all at once.

4:30-5:30 The Story of an Image Room 4
Killer guest list including Deitch and Woodring. Also, you can ask Jim Ottaviani, "Why are you up there with the rest of those giants, Jim?" And he'll totally agree with you.

4:30-5:30 Spotlight on Mike Peters Room 8
Is it time for the late career appreciation for Mike Peters yet?

5:30-6:30 The World of Steve Ditko Panel Discussion Room 4
Great guest list of Groth, Mullaney, Starlin, Deitch and Potts, in that they're all good talkers and most have known each other for years and years. Ditko is a subject of endless fascination.

5:30-6:30 Spotlight on Adrian Tomine Room 10
With Keith Knight, the only under-40 North American alt-comics spotlight of the show, I think.

8:30-11:30 Tru:Blood Presents: Comic-Con International Masquerade Ballroom 20
8:30-11:30 Comic-Con International Masquerade Party Sails Pavilion
I haven't been in years, and I'm not going in 2008, and it's a pain to attend, but you owe it to yourself to check it out once in your lifetime. If you don't feel like waiting in line for Ballroom seating, there's overspill seating and a broadcast in some of the other rooms, and you can always just join the party early in the Sails Pavilion. One year I saw Marge Simpson "serve" Captain America in a cartoon character dance-off.



SUNDAY, JULY 27
10:30-11:30 Spotlight on Jim Ottaviani Room 3
Jim, why were you on that panel yesterday?

11:30-12:30 Spotlight on Kyle Baker Room 2
Baker is a talented cartoonist and an articulate panel presence. Plus you can probably get up in time for his panel.

2:30-4:00 Cover Story: The Art of the Cover Room 5AB
The final old-school panel of the weekend, and one of the better ones: artists discussing their choices in making various covers.

2:45-3:45 Virgin Comics: Grant Morrison and Deepak Chopra: The Spirit of the Superhero Ballroom 20
Kids love Deepak Chopra.

Knight, McCloud, Tomine, Ottaviani
 
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