As the business of video games now surpasses the annual revenues of both film and music combined, interest in pursuing a career in the game industry has increased staggeringly in recent years. This has spawned a wide variety of educational and vocational options for individuals to pursue game development, but how exactly does one get the knowledge they need and then find a job in this very competitive industry? Learn from veteran game industry professionals about what it takes to launch a game development career and how there are many paths into the industry.
Saturday March 29, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am PDT
Room 213CD
Hear how incorporating comics into the curriculum increases engagement and access for all students while developing a love for learning (and secretly powering up literacy skills) and how the Comic-Con Educator Book Club brings together teachers from across the region in pursuit of great reads, community, and strategies for the classroom. Panelists will share resources, tips, and tools you can add to your utility belt. Featuring Jaime Chavez (school counselor, San Diego Unified), Mick Rabin (resource counselor, Youth Advocacy Dept., San Diego Unified), Mike Cruz (elementary teacher, Temecula Valley USD), Ella “Dizzy” Rogosin (social science teacher, Sweetwater UHSD), and Scott Nielsen (mild/moderate special education teacher, Grossmont UHSD) and moderated by Jewyl Alderson (San Diego County Office of Education). You too can become a super teacher!
Saturday March 29, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm PDT
Room 213CD
Jeopardy fans rejoice! We present to you the state of women in the comics industry—past, present, and future—in a fun quiz show format. Editor/journalist Heidi MacDonald (Comics Beat, Publishers Weekly) joins comics and TV writer Amy Chu (Carmilla: The First Vampire, Red Sonja) and writers Tilly Bridges and Susan Bridges (Monster High, Star Trek Prodigy). Winners get a No-Prize!
Saturday March 29, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm PDT
Room 213CD
The new year has brought new challenges to free expression through the comic arts, and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is here to share the latest news and strategies. How could new laws affect comic books, graphic novels, manga, and even cosplay? What is happening with the CBLDF's current court cases? What is the connection between the attempted TikTok ban and the Comics Code—and what, if anything, can be done about censorship on online platforms? Interim director Jeff Trexler and others will share their thoughts on these and other important issues, as well as what you can do to make a difference.
Saturday March 29, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm PDT
Room 213CD
ComicsBeat kicks off its 21st year with discussions of all the hottest stories in comics and entertainment. Editor-in-chief Heidi MacDonald is joined by a panel of experts who will give you the inside scoop on what’s in and what’s out. Bring your most burning questions! With Heidi MacDonald, Yael Tygiel (Inside the Con, Fanversations), Henry Barajas (Death to Pachuco, Gil Thorp), Patrick Meaney (House of Demons), and others.
Saturday March 29, 2025 2:00pm - 3:00pm PDT
Room 213CD
Actor Thomas Jane (Troppo, The Lycan), writer/producer Matthew Arnold (Emerald City, Eden), animator/producer and writer Chuck Austen (She-Ra and the Princess of Power, The Tormented, Edgeworld), and newcomer Omar Morales (Major Thomás, LA Strong) discuss comics, storytelling, their passions, inspirations, and latest projects. Moderated by Barbra Dillon of Fanbase Press.
Saturday March 29, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT
Room 213CD
Weird Tales is in its 102nd year of publishing stories that are a bit too strange, too dark, too odd, too . . . weird . . . for any other magazine. New York Times bestseller Jonathan Maberry has been editing the magazine since its return, bringing it into the 21st century while still honoring the tradition that built the “unique magazine,” which features stories, essays, and poetry by writers ranging from bestsellers to newbies. Panelists include Weird Tales contributors Dennis Crosby, Scott Sigler, Lisa Kastner, Ray Porter, and Chris Ryall.
Saturday March 29, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Room 213CD
Esteban Cifuentes (toy designer and creator of FIST) and Michelle Alvarez (marketing and social media) reveal the path to building an original franchise in Colombia and then taking it to the global stage. From action figures to comics, animation, and video games, you will discover the challenges and strategies to consolidate intellectual property in the entertainment industry.
Saturday March 29, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT
Room 213CD
Small companies and creators are creating, crowdfunding, and selling their own action figures. Do you want to be one of them? Attendees will hear directly from creators who are making and marketing their own independent toys and making their mark on the collectible community. Moderators ToyShiz and Richard Mayerik will be joined by Doc Wyatt and Gavin Hignight of Wandering Planet Toys and others to discuss how they turn their ideas into reality and make independent toys for collectors everywhere.
Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00pm - 7:00pm PDT
Room 213CD
A panel of renowned composers discuss the unique challenges and creative process involved in scoring horror films and television. Discover how music elevates the fright factor and plays a key role in shaping iconic scenes that haunt audiences long after the credits roll. The panel will be led by Louie Stephens of BMI and Chandler Poling of White Bear PR.
Saturday March 29, 2025 7:00pm - 8:00pm PDT
Room 213CD
Poster artists Kyle Lambert (Stranger Things) and Ethan Pro (Star Wars) talk about the art of creating awesome painted movie posters, how they got their start, and the future of poster art. Historian Chad Frye presents a tour of the history of movie posters from their earliest days. Moderated by Tom Racine.
Saturday March 29, 2025 8:00pm - 9:00pm PDT
Room 213CD
