Thursday programming summary

10 JULY 2014



And we're off to the races.

To rehash what we already knew: Preview Night Pilots in Ballroom 20 are The Flash, Constantine, and iZombie , with a new episode of Teen Titans Go!  Onto the cornucopia that is Thursday.


Hall H will have Dreamworks at 11:30, The Giver at 1:30, Paramount Pictures at 3, EW at 4:30, Batman '66 with Julie Newmar and Adam West at 6:00.

I'll say it again: I saw the original Batman show/cast panel last month and they were fantastic. Lots of energy from the cast and audience.

Ballroom 20 has 24 at 10, Under the Dome at 11:15, Scorpion (world premiere) at 12:05, Reign at 1:15, Community/Greendale Forever at 2:15, Teen Wolf at 3:30, Hannibal at 4:45 and Penny Dreadful at 6.

Oh, how I wish I could get  into Penny Dreadful. Maybe all the Teen Wolf fans will clear out and open up the room. But most of the Hannibal fans will probably stay for it.

Indigo Ballroom has Legends of TV Land with Betty White at 10:30, Dig at 11:30, Sony/Goosebumps/Jack Black/Pixels at 12:30, Key & Peele at 1:30, The 2nd Annual Musical Anatomy of a Superhero at 3, George RR Martin at 4, the Hobbit at 5, and Goonies Never Say Die at 6.

Random panel called out for its sheer awesomeness: NASA's Next Giant Leap. Report to room 6A at 3:00 to discuss NASA's plans for the future and see Buzz Aldrin, Seth Green and famous-for-5-minutes Bobak Ferdowsi, he of the Mohawk fame. I can't decide if I'm semi-unique in my bloodlust to see this, or if other attendees will be just as excited and line up well in advance. Probably the latter. NASA at Comic-Con! I hope they pass out t-shirts.

Anyway.

Hollywood and pop culture panels roll out with:

"#FreeBabylon5: A Fan Campaign" is from 10 - 11 am in 29A.

"Mattel & WWE" - I'm not sure how to classify this, since it includes TV, books and video games, but Hulk Hogan, Daniel Bryan, Michael Cole and Paul Heyman will all be there. 10:15 in 6DE.

"Toy Story That Time Forgot" is at 11:15 in 6A and will show a sneak peek at the upcoming holiday special.

"The Legacy and Return of Battlestar Galactica" is at 10:30-11:30 is in 6BCF. Richard Hatch will be there and they'll discuss both the series you loved and the upcoming movie. Fingers crossed that beautiful cylon Tricia Helfer will be a "surprise guest;" we know she's going to be at Saturday's Syfy Ascension panel.

Kaiju forever! "Godzilla and the Master of Monsters" will show rare footage of how the original Godzilla movies were made. 23ABC at 11.

"1984's Greatest Geek movies" is in 5AB at 2. I swear we had the exact same panel last year. I'm surprised that mainstream blockbusters like Indiana Jones, Repo Man and Gremlins are categorized as "geek cinema" but well, nostalgia is a powerful drug.

"The Art of Big Hero Six" - Disney shares its magic at 2 in room 7AB.

More animation: "Meet the Flintstones and George Jetson" talks about Hanna Babera's beginnings at 3 in 30CDE.

"Star Trek at 50". 23ABC at 4:00.

"Breaking Barriers: Transgender Trends in Pop Culture." 5:00 in 28DE. I love that CCI is getting more and more inclusive of LGBTQ content.

"Costume Designer's Guild" is at 5 in 23ABC.

"Witches of the East End" is at 5:45-6:45 in 6DE.Looks like the cast will be there, which is nice for Twin Peaks fans who'd like to see Madchen Amick.

"Children's Hospital Special Video Presentation" is at 6 in 25ABC.

"Heroes of Star Wars Rebels" is at 6 in 6BCF and will show an exclusive preview.

"LGBT Geek Year In Review" is at 6 in 28DE.

"Firefly Online!" 6:30 in 24BC.

"The 90's Live On": Clinton-era collectibles. 7:00 in 29A.

"PodCRASH with That Chris Gore Live" is at 7:00 in 25ABC.

"Sharknado 2" is at 7:15 in 6BCF. Seriously? Sharknado got a bigger room than American Horror Story? I wonder if AHS was a last-minute addition, because I'm baffled that the most ridiculous show on television, Reign (don't get me wrong, I still watch it) is in Ballroom 20 and Ryan Murphy's crown jewel is a room that seats fewer than 900. That has to be it.

"Freddy Vs Jason" is at 8 in 7AB.

"Nerdist Science" is at 8 in 25ABC. "The science hidden in your favorite fandoms." I think that might be a polite way of calling out all the terrible non-science parading through our favorite shows and movies.

"Psychology of Cult TV Shows." 8 in 23ABC.

"Adventure Time Royal Ball" is at 9 in 7AB. Wear your favorite AT outfit and you could win a prize; even if you don't, you still get to see some of your favorite episodes.



On the publishing, comic book side and toy side:

"God Is Disappointed In You" is at 10 in 32AB.

The Witcher panel will show upcoming publications and a demo of the new video game. 10:00 in 6A.

"Hasbro: Transformers" is in 25ABC at 11.

"Charles Schulz and Social Commentary" is in 25ABC at noon.

Lots of panels on Digital this year, including: "The Switch to Digital" in 7AB at noon and "ComiXology: Ask Me Anything" which invites your digital questions at 2:30 in room 8.

"Batman in the 70's" is in 5AB at 1.

CBLDF shares the "History of the Comics Code" at 1 in 30CDE.

Fans of Dark Horse horror will want to go to "Drawing on Your Nightmares: Modern Horror in Comics" at 1 in 23ABC. And then they'll want to hit "Reinventing Horror" at 7 in 5AB.

"Female Heroes, Then and Now" - sexism, comic books, geeks and science fiction. 32AB at 1:00.

Avatar Press brings us Alan Moore, Max Brooks, Garth Ennis and others at 1:30 in room 4. Is one hour really enough for all of that literary wattage?

Blizzard Entertainment shows off its upcoming collectibles, books and more at 2:15 in 6BCF.

"Maybe you didn't win tickets to the Outlander premiere, but you can hear Diana Gabaldon read aloud from her 8th installment at 3:00 in the Horton Grand Theatre.

"When Magic & Myth Meet Main Street" - Jim Butcher again, with Seanan McGuire, Amber Benson and current It boy Greg van Eekhout. 25ABC at 3.

"Batman 75" has Scott Snyder, Neal Adams, Greg Capullo, Frank Miller, Grant Morrison - you get the idea. 3:30 at 6BCF. Once again, it just seems cruel to stuff that many visionaries in a room and only give them an hour to divide up between them.

Skybound's The Walking Dead is at 4:15 in 6A. Yes, Robert Kirkman will be there.

"The World of Capcom" is at 4:45 in 6BCF.

"Skylanders" is in 7AB at 6.

Vertigo "is ready to blow your mind" at 6 in room 5AB.



Thursday has always been a creative-heavy day and this year is no different. On the writer/artist side of things we have:


"Don't Tell Your Story, Show It!" 10:00 in room 2.

"Breaking into Comics the Marvel Way" is also at 10 in 7AB. Later we have "The Writer's Journey: Breaking into Comic Books and Scriptwriting" at 3 in 32AB, then "Breaking into Comics Right Now" at 1 in 28DE and "Breaking into Comics and Staying In" at 4 in 30CDE.

"Wonderbook: Writers on Creativity and Inspiration" is also at 10 in 25ABC. Jeff Vandermeer (whose Booklife I recommend to every writer) will lead, but Charles Yu, Lev Grossman and other writers will be there. This could be one of those "obvious is obvious" panels but the caliber of panelists make me think it will be a thoughtful and useful discussion.

"Taming the Web: the Nuts and Bolts of Web Series Creation" is at 10:30 in 24ABC.

"Comic Book Law School 101" is back at 10:30 in 30CDE.

"Comic Creator Connection All-Stars" is at 11 in 32AB. If you're considering being a walk-in at CCC, this panel could help you decide.

"Point of View: What's the Point" is in room 2 at 11 and led by Maxwell Alexander Drake, which is probably the best writer name I have ever heard.

How "Fan Fiction Can Lead to Being a Professional" is at 11 in 29A.

"Science Fiction and Fantasy Lit" is at 11 in 5AB with Marie Lu, Rachel Caine, Jim Butcher, Jason Hough, Dr. David Brin and other writers. So far all of the creative panels sound great, but there's no doubt this will draw fans and writers in like flies.

"How to Get News Coverage" is at 11:30 in room 8. Panelists cover the gamut from HuffPo to Comic Book Resources to the Mary Sue to Broadsword Comics, so I'm guessing they'll share some valuable wisdom.

It's unfortunate that "The Pitching Hour" is at the exact same time in 5AB, because a lot of creatives would probably like to attend both.

"Color Me RADD" is at noon in room 9 and focuses on colorists and storytelling.

At the same time is "Editing Comics the BOOM! Way" in 28DE and "Advanced Digital Inking Techniques" is at 12:15 in Room 2.

"Beyond Cliches: Creating Awesome Female Characters" is in 28DE at 2. I'll interject here that this panel isn't just for women, it's for everyone. Back when I read manuscripts from unpublished authors, a depressing number of heroines were virtually interchangeable.

"I Can't Write, I Can't Draw But I Love Comic Books" is a job panel for those who can't, well, you know. 3:00 in Room 9.

"Insights for Indie Creators" is at 4 in 32AB and "Indie Comics Marketing & PR" is at 6:30 in room 8.

"Tips on Pitching" is in room 2 at 4:45. Last year SDCC had a pitching workshop before Comic Creator Connection; they did away with that this year, but you've got 2 panels today to help you with this specific skill.

"Artist as Brand: Rise of the Artist Entrepreneur." 7:30 in room 8. Much as I hate the title of this panel, it reflects an accurate reality.




That, my friends, is a whole lot of panels. CCI is continuing to add more panels in the evening hours, which I really like. And while there are some tough choices to be made, on the whole it looks like people will be able to fit in panels for all their different interests.

I think this stands as proof that there's nothing second-rate about having a Thursday badge. While this day may not offer the same Hollywood starpower as Friday and Saturday, it still serves up high-profile shows & movies - and the workshops and panels for creatives can't be beat.