From science to magic to mythology, animals have long been a source of inspiration in comics and pop culture. This panel delves into the fascinating portrayal of animal powers, whether derived from scientific principles, magical realms, or ancient myths. Panelists will discuss how animal abilities shape characters, the intersection of nature and the supernatural, and how these stories inspire both wonder and empowerment.
Friday March 28, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm PDT
Room 213CD
Pan-Universal Galactic Worldwide launches its first wave of all-new comics, and the machines are leading the charge. Who is the World War II android called Rupert? What is the post-apocalyptic AI nightmare of SIGNA? And why is the company called PUG-W? The Rupert Wars creators Livio Ramondelli (The Kill Lock, Transformers) and Yuri Ramondelli (Joker: Put on a Happy Face) are joined by PUG-W founder John Nee (Cryptozoic, Marvel, DC, Wildstorm) and moderator Maryelizabeth Yturralde to get down to the nuts and bolts of it all.
Friday March 28, 2025 2:00pm - 3:00pm PDT
Room 213CD
Kidlit authors discuss the craft and business of writing for young audiences. Featuring Marcie Colleen (Penguinaut, Kitten Ninja), Jeffrey Harlan (Donner und Blitzkrieg: Book One of the Minutemen, Invasion: Book One of the Protectorate), Henry Herz (The Festival of Lights, I Am Gravity), Amber Morrell (The Alchemy of Letting Go), Dan Santat (A First Time For Everything, The Misfits series), Leanne Schwartz (To a Darker Shore, A Prayer for Vengeance), and Greg van Eekhout (Happy Town, Weird Kid).
Friday March 28, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT
Room 213CD
Explore with Wayne Lo (Star Wars Clone Wars, ILM VFX art director), Briana Loewinsohn (Raised by Ghosts), and Frank Ordaz (Return of the Jedi, mat painter, fine artist) as they recount the healing power of art in overcoming physical, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual trauma and illness.
Friday March 28, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Room 213CD
Get ready for a preview of new figures and collectibles dropping soon for Nintendo, Sonic the Hedgehog, The Simpsons, and more. Plus, Disguise Costumes will unveil a lineup of must-have costumes hitting stores this year. Stick around after the reveal for an engaging Q&A session with the panel—and test your knowledge in a fun trivia challenge for a chance to win special prizes!
Friday March 28, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT
Room 213CD
Whether self-publishing or working for an independent publisher, writing indie comics presents a unique set of challenges and opportunities to share your creative vision with the world. Learn the tricks and tips of the trade from writers Tom Pinchuk (Remember Andy Xenon?), Nicholas Doan (The Kid and The Ripper), Daniel Gastelum (CHSR), and Mike Wellman (A Shadow Called Danger). Hosted by David Lucarelli (Tinseltown). Free comics for everyone who asks a question!
Friday March 28, 2025 6:00pm - 7:00pm PDT
Room 213CD
Comic book characters are a deep source of inspiration for visual artists as avatars of social commentary and contemporary symbolism. Panelists Alma Villegas (senior director of development, Inner-City Arts), Edgar Arceneaux (artist/director, Studio Edgar Arceneaux and USC Roski School of Art and Design), and Patrick A. Reed (curator/pop culture historian, Hip Hop and Comics panels/Marvel museum exhibitions) discuss their work at the intersection of contemporary art, community, museums, and comics, as well as the work of Andy Warhol, Dulce Pinzon, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and others. Moderated by Gustavo Alberto Garcia Vaca (artist/writer/educator, MoMA, LACMA, Beyond Warriors).
Friday March 28, 2025 7:00pm - 8:00pm PDT
Room 213CD
Trading tapes with strangers online, reading manga in bookstore aisles, and staying up all night to watch the latest episode of Cowboy Bebop. In a world before streaming, how did anime fans survive? Erica Victoria Espejo (author, The Fangirl Diaries) and Stan "Gekinetic" Oh (League of Legends streamer) discuss what it was like to be an anime fan in the '90s and early '00s.
Friday March 28, 2025 8:00pm - 9:00pm PDT
Room 213CD
Teams compete in spirited rounds of mind-bending Star Wars trivia ranging from the movies and TV shows to fandom and parody songs. Hosts Richard and Sarah Woloski (Skywalking Through Neverland/Today in Star Wars History) and Leilani Shiu (The Mandalorian,Obi-Wan Kenobi) facilitate the fast-paced fun as teams answer quirky trivia questions. You don’t have to be a trivia expert, and you may even learn some fun Star Wars facts. Prizes! Prizes! Prizes!
Friday March 28, 2025 9:00pm - 10:00pm PDT
Room 213CD
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
We are experiencing an unprecedented micro-publishing boom in comics. Creators who have worked with companies like Marvel, DC, and Scout for years are walking away from traditional publishing to start their own companies. Rylend Grant and David Avallone, co-hosts of the Telly Award–winning Writers Block podcast, sit down with Micro Publishing company honchos—including Barbra Dillon (Fanbase Press), Ray Anthony Height (Studio Skye-Tiger), and Charlie Stickney (White Ash Comics)—to discuss how and why they went into business for themselves.
Sunday March 30, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am PDT
Room 213CD
The Comic-Con Museum education program leverages all that you love at Comic-Con and brings it to life through programs for schools, the community, and comics fans. Emily Schindler (senior director of learning and engagement, Comic-Con Museum) and Jewyl Alderson (San Diego County Office of Education) will share more about how the popular arts bring learning to life and how you can be part of the movement, whether you are in the creative industry or in education.
Sunday March 30, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm PDT
Room 213CD
Austin Bruns (Ánimo Leadership Charter High School), Warren Smith (Alain Leroy Locke College Preparatory Academy), and MarQuitta Sutton (Alain Leroy Locke College Preparatory Academy) share how comics and graphic novels reimagine ELA classrooms, fostering engagement, critical inquiry, and creativity. Learn how students create digital comics, websites, and cover art while showcasing their work in a classroom comic convention. Moderated by Leondria Brown (Green Dot Public Schools).
Sunday March 30, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm PDT
Room 213CD
The Los Angeles fires, Hurricane Helene, the COVID pandemic—the tragic disasters of the past decade have left a lot of people wondering what they can do to deal with the aftermath—and what can be done to protect themselves for the future. Comic Book Legal Defense Fund interim director Jeff Trexler and others discuss how these events have affected the comics community, what you need to know about contracts and insurance, and where to go for help.
Sunday March 30, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm PDT
Room 213CD
Has crowdfunding become too crowded? Moderator Andy Nordvall (Bad Future Comics) holds a lively discussion with panelists Carl Choi (247 Comics), Eddie deAngelini (The Collectors), Chris Hill (Rapture Productions), Oriana Leckert (Kickstarter’s head of publishing), and C. Solis (The Order of the Nun-Ya) on how to navigate an ever-changing online landscape.
Sunday March 30, 2025 2:00pm - 3:00pm PDT
Room 213CD
Marianne Parker (costume designer, pattern maker), iAsia Brown (senior producer Xbox, Microsoft), Jude Escalante (specialty costumer), Barbara Ingleheart (costume supervisor), and Erica Schwartz (assistant designer/key costumer) share insights and advice on having a career in design and storytelling. Hosted by Heather Cook (speaker and community builder, Microsoft).
Sunday March 30, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT
Room 213CD
Learn how to enhance your creative collaborations with practical advice on networking and communication, helping you unlock your creative potential and promoting effective resource, workflow, and time management. Ron Coleman, Ph.D. (molecular geneticist and comics writer) moderates the panel with Gene Turnbow (founder of SciFi.Radio), James Frye (managing editor, TheConGuy.com; screenwriter), Stephen Burns (Photoshop digital artist, author, lecturer) and Topher Davila (art director, TheJewelryDragon.com, illustrator/producer). As a bonus, one person will have a chance to win a One by Wacom Tablet ($49 value), courtesy of Wacom. In addition, each attendee will get a postcard of covered topics and solutions from past panels.
Sunday March 30, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Room 213CD
