It’s a busy week for fans and professionals as they all (we all?) get ready for the world’s biggest Nerd Prom: San Diego Comic-Con. It’s a fascinating combination of creativity, passions and entrepreneurial dreams. There’s hustle and hucksterism. It’s also about friends and reunions and smiles and encouragement.

I hope to see you there. I’ll be spending a lot of time at the Atomic Toybox booth (#2549), Don McGregor’s booth, and at a series of panels. Drop in and say “Hi”! Here’s my sched:

“How to Get News Coverage”
Thursday, 7/25/24
10:30AM – 11:30AM, Room: 10

Small press publishers: What makes the difference between an item that will get news coverage, previews, and interviews and what doesn’t? Many publishers have no idea what to submit to the press, how to submit it, and why they are being overlooked for coverage. Comics journalist Rik Offenberger (First Comics News, G-Man Comics) moderates this panel of comic journalists who will tell you what they are looking for in your submission: Alexander Raymond (Monstar public relations), Ed Catto (Agendae, Pop Culture Squad, Captain Action), Francis Sky (First Comics News, Massacre Twins), Heidi MacDonald (The Beat), JC Vaughn (Gemstone Publishing), Josh Waldrop (Ultima Digital Media), Michael Kingston (Headlocked Comics, BOOM! Studios), and Rob Salkowitz (ICv2, Forbes).

AHOY Comics Gets Toxic!
Friday, 7/26/24
5:00PM – 6:00PM, Room: 28DE

AHOY Comics has made a name for itself on the comics scene with its acclaimed creators, witty satires, and commitment to bold and risk-taking storytelling. Author and legendary director Lloyd Kaufman (Troma), comics creators Matt Bors (Toxic Avenger, Justice Warriors), Mark Russell (Second Coming), Tyrone Finch (Deadweights), Melissa F. Olson (Project Cryptid), Juan Castro (The Wrong Earth), and AHOY Ops guy Stuart Moore (Captain Ginger) discuss the future of the publisher that asks its readers to expect more. Get the scoop on exciting upcoming projects like award-winning writer Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows’ sword-and-sorcery satire Babs; Pulitzer finalist Matt Bors and Fred Harper’s take on Troma’s Toxic Avenger; Tom Peyer, Jamal Igle and Castro’s epic multiversal satire The Wrong Earth; Russell, Bryce Ingman, and Peter Krause’s gut-bustingly funny superhero parody My Bad; the star-studded, cryptid-packed anthology series Project: Cryptid, and more.

Translating Toys: From Toys to Animation
Friday, 7/26/24
7:00PM – 8:00PM, Room: 23ABC

Just how do toys, or any ideas, make it into the world of animation? Following on the heels of last year’s Captain Action Classic Collection, this year the team, along with Flint Dille (GI Joe, Transformers), Michael Polis (Yo Gabba Gabba, Captain Action), Steve Forde (Go Hero), Acori Honzo (LBO), J.C. Vaughn (Gemstone), and Joe Ahearn (Captain Action), look to the future with a major announcement, and offers experiences that can also be used as a primer or template for other IPs looking to launch animation in today’s competitive marketplace. Moderated by Ed Catto (Captain Action).

Hands On: Developing the Skills and Finding the Right Jobs in Pop Culture
Saturday, 7/27/24
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM,
Room: Shiley Special Events Suite, San Diego Central Library

After the recent wave of technology and entertainment company layoffs, finding a job in pop culture or entertainment can be daunting for recent college graduates. Dr. Chris Wildrick (Syracuse University), Dr. Christina Knopf (SUNY Cortland), Rob Salkowitz (University of Washington), Dr. Billy Obenauer(University of Maine), Darlynne Overbaugh (Stova), and Bailey Day (Ithaca College) discuss how they help students develop the skills needed and the persistence to find job opportunities in today’s entertainment economy—be it comics, movies, TV, or gaming. Moderated by Ed Catto (Ithaca College).

TwoMorrows Turns 30!
Saturday, 7/27/24
4:00 to 5:00pm
Grand 12 & 13- Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina

Publisher John Morrow reveals how TwoMorrows Publishing has made it 30 years in this tumultuous business, getting by with a lot of help from his friends! In addition to getting the scoop on John’s own anniversary issue of The Jack Kirby Collector (the publication that started it all in 1994), panelists include Stephan Friedt (co-author of the Eisner Award–nominated book The Pacific Comics Companion), Greg Biga (John Severin biographer and associate editor of Comic Book Creator magazine), Keith Dallas (co-author of the new book Comic Book Implosion: Expanded Edition and editor of the American Comic Book Chronicles history book series), Ed Catto (regular Back Issue Magazine contributor, and new associate editor of RetroFan magazine), and Dewey Cassell (author of TwoMorrows’ biographies of Mike Grell, Marie Severin, and Herb Trimpe).

Creating Without Compromise: The Don McGregor Spotlight Panel
Sunday July 28, 2024
1:00 to 2:00pm
Room 4

From the jungles of Black Panther’s Wakanda to the rolling hills of Zorro’s Los Angeles pueblo and even beyond to the twisted American futurescape of Sabre, Don McGregor has been telling stories with heart and conviction for 50 years. He’s brought his own original characters—Lady Rawhide, Detectives, Inc., Alexander Risk, Nathaniel Dusk, Ragamuffins—to life and breathed new life into established heroes like James Bond, Killraven, Spider-Man, Morbius, and The Batman. McGregor is never shy at pushing boundaries either, be it with a first interracial kiss, comics’ first supporting cast of gay couples, or Sabre—one of the earliest graphic novels and a retailing innovation. Get an in-depth look at what drives Don McGregor and why his fans always want more! Moderated by Ed Catto.

Travel safe and enjoy all this nonsense – whether you are onsite or just keeping up from afar.