6 JULY 2019
Saturday panels went up today. That's 3 of 4 days, which was enough for several people to contact me and weigh in. So far it's an even distribution between people who think this year is great and those who think it's not quite worthy of a year 50 Comic-Con. What do you think?
Big rooms:
Hall H: Not quite as tight as Friday, but still good. Star Trek, Westworld, EW's "Women Who Kick Ass" and finally Marvel before Kevin Smith. I wish Marvel was earlier in the day, before Westworld, but it is what it is.
Ballroom 20: Excellent day. Once you're in, you'll never leave: you'll see Batwoman's pilot, the Simpsons, American Dad, Family Guy, Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl and more.
Indigo: Mixed blessings in here. I think all of these will appeal to people, but not necessarily the same people. The Magicians, Wynonna Earp, DC Universe, Snowpiercer, The Good Place, The Expanse.
And then we have....
In the new genre of How Comic-Con Used To Be
Memories of the First Comic-Con is at 10:00 am. Originals from
1970 share their memories in room 28DE.
Then we have Comic-Con in the 1990s – from people who were there, of
course – in room 8 at 12:30 pm.
There’s also a panel on the background of Comic-Con awards
like the Eisners and the Russ Manning Promising Newcomer award. 5:30 pm in room
7AB.
I really hope Sunday has a panel on Comic-Con’s future. Not
the annual talk back session, but an actual panel where CCI talks about what we
can expect going forward. As in, the Cons we’ll actually attend, rather than
the ones that happened before we were born. Or maybe they can have a panel revealing
all the shady secretive CCI things that we always suspected but have never been
able to confirm. Don’t get me wrong, I think all these “Comic-Cons of Yore”
panels are cool but they’re beginning to seem like the only way CCI knows how to
mark their 50th birthday. Have a mid-life crisis and do something wild,
CCI!
Movies and TV
Jetson fans: you can see “remastered footage and giveaways” at 10:00 am
in room 6A.
The Horton Grand is rich with spoils today. Starting off:
actual Sesame Street characters do improv at 11:30. Later Sesame Street talks
about its future in room 6BCF at 2:45.
Scooby-Doo was born the same year as SDCC and will celebrate
that in room 6A at 12:30 pm.
If you’ve ever wondered how Mean Girls would work in iambic
pentameter, you can see a Shakespearian version at the Horton at 2:30 pm.
My heart pounds just typing this: Guillermo del Toro and
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark will be at the Horton at 4:00 and we’ll get
to see “an original monster created specifically for the film.” If the only way
I could get tickets to this is Mephistopheles showing up in my room at the
Marriott, I’d probably go for it.
Bear McCreary presents his musical genius in room 25ABC at
5:00 pm.
Joe Hill returns to talk about his NOS4A2 show in room
6A at 5:30. The book was a hit but the show has earned mixed reviews so far; I
still think the panel is worth it.
What We Do in the Shadows, labeled here as “TV's #1 vampire
comedy,” will be in room 6BCF at 6:30
Science, Kind Of
The Art of Infection. Go to the Marriott at 3:00 pm and squirm
as you imagine “real-life outbreaks of fictional infectious diseases.”
Another 50 year panel: engineers who actually built Apollo
11 will share “rare photos” and somehow tie old comics into it. Room 5AB at
3:30 pm.
Fleet Science Center experts tell you the truth about time
travel and the quantum realm in room 25ABC at 6:00 pm.
What happened this year in space? Find out from “some of the
leading scientists in the cosmology world” in room 25ABC at 8:00 pm.
Nerd Culture and Comics
What’s happening in the Dark Horse world? Find out at 11:00am
in room 23ABC.
Watch a historical slideshow on Jack Kirby’s life in room 7AB
at 11:00 am.
Star Wars Fan Groups (beyond just the 501st Legion) meet at
the museum at noon.
One of the top panels this year: George Takei talks about
his new graphic memoir They Called Us Enemy, about being a kid in American
internment camps. Thank god that would never happen today! Room 25ABC at 2:00pm.
I feel like this needs a bigger room.
J. Michael Straczynski shares his autobiography, which
debuts at Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore at SDCC, at 1 pm in room 7AB. Later he
shares his writing wizard secrets in room 2 at 7:30 pm.
Chris Ware is back at 1:30 in room 8.
You can find out about the latest Marvel comics news at 1:45
pm in room 6A.
Geek Travel: do you know the secrets? 2:00 pm at the museum
theatre.
Usagi Yojimbo, your favorite samurai rabbit, takes center
stage at 3:00 pm in room 28DE.
Fantagraphics is always a good panel, and they’ll be in 26AB
at 4:30.
The annual LGBTQ panel is back to celebrate the 50th
year of Stonewall. This will be followed by the usual mixer, hence why this
runs from 7:00pm - 9:00pm. In room 29AB.
And now it’s Saturday night. What should you do?
The Horton serves up a screening of Kiki’s Delivery Service –
but with trivia and prizes. 7:00 pm.
Or you can go see Kevin Smith in Hall H. This has been a walk-in
before so don’t let the Hall H part intimidate you. Marvel fans will clear out and go get dinner after camping all day. Then you can see
the world premiere of Shooting Clerks in room 5AB at 10:00 pm.
Crunchyroll prepares you for new anime and gives you a “special
gift.” 8:30 pm in room 7AB.
And that brings us to Sunday.
Oh my gosh! There's so many panels to choose from. I literally have to sit down and put a little check mark for the ones I want to see. And you're right. There seems to be more panels this year than last year. So choosing will be difficult. And I think this is the best time to broaden your horizons. I may choose panels that I normally would never go. But it's time for a change instead of roaming around the convention floor for hours.
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