I admit it. I’m one of those types that “never met a microphone I didn’t’ like”. And I love San Diego Comic-Con Panels. There’s a lot this year; so swing by, and join the fun:
Thursday
HOW TO GET NEWS COVERAGE
Small press publishers: What makes the difference between an item that will get news coverage, previews, and interviews and what won’t? Many publishers have no idea what to submit to the press, how to submit it, or 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: Thursday July 24th 10:30am in Room 10.
COVER UP!
Promoting and selling books and comics gets weirder and more difficult every year. Can you really judge a book by its cover? This panel takes a deep dive into what makes a cover in today’s marketplace, and why it is—or isn’t?—important. And to make it that more complicated, what really is important for selling books in today’s digital age? Join Chip Kidd (Random House), Will Dennis (DSTLRY), Jen King (Space Cadets Collection Collection), Cully Hamner (Blue Beetle). Bob Harrison (Pop Culture Squad) and I will be moderating this innovative panel.
And a little about Chip Kidd, officially a Comic-Con Special Guest
As you may know, Chip Kidd is the three-time Eisner Award–winning author and designer of Batman Collected, Batman: Animated, and Peanuts: The Art of Charles M. Schulz. As an editor of graphic novels for Pantheon Books for the last twenty-five years, he has worked with the best in the industry.
This one is right after Kris Longo’s Panick Entertainment Panel at 4:00 (room 25ABC) -so why not drop in for both?
FRIDAY
THE 2025 AHOY PANEL
I won’t be onstage for this one, but it starts at 5pm in Room 28DE, and you will get a first look at the upcoming The Toxic Avenger panel. Look back on the history of the franchise with panelists including author and director Lloyd Kaufman (Troma), Matt Bors (Toxic Avenger, Justice Warriors), Mark Russell (Second Coming), Tyrone Finch (Deadweights), Melissa F. Olson (Project Cryptid), Juan Castro (The Wrong Earth), and writer/AHOY Ops’ Stuart Moore (Captain Ginger).
GETTING BY WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM FRIENDS: CAPTAIN ACTION 2025
Friday at 7:00pm in Room 32AB
Making toys and collectibles and launching an IP isn’t as easy as it used to be. These days, everything is a challenge, from securing the right retailers and distributors to finding reliable manufacturers. Thankfully, pop culture is driven by collaboration. The Captain Action Team—including Michael Polis (Atomic-Nerd) , Jeffrey Vaughn (Gemstone), and panelists from NECA, Funko, IDW, LBO, and others—unpack the highs and lows of modern collabs: what works, what doesn’t, and why these partnerships are more important than ever. Moderated by me, Ed Catto
SATURDAY
Teaching Pop Culture
“Teaching Pop Culture: Embracing the Past/Preparing for the Future” panel at San Diego Comic Con will be Saturday at 2:00. And since it takes place at the San Diego Central Library, it’s free and you don’t even need a pass!
This is a great panel with a bunch of awesome people on it, including Dr. Christina Knopf (SUNY Cortland), Professor Chris Wildrick (Syracuse University), Rob Salkowitz (University of Oregon), Bailey Day (MBA, content producer), and Krista Rozanski (school library media specialist). You can find more here
TWOMORROWS Today
The TWOMORROWS Panel is right after that – 4:00pm in the Grand Ballrooms 12 & 13 in the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina. The publisher of fan-favorite magazines Back Issue, Alter Ego, and Comic Book Creator reveals how they’ve made it over 30 years in this wild and crazy business. New and upcoming book projects are spotlighted in a lively discussion moderated by publisher John Morrow (Jack Kirby Collector), Keith Dallas (American Comic Book Chronicles), Ed Catto (RetroFan), Richard Arndt (The First Comics Companion), and a special Zoom appearance by Peter Normanton (Cryptology).
Toxic Mess Summer
And Saturday night, come celebrate Toxic Mess Summer with AHOY Comics, Troma Entertainment, Retroware Games, and the Toxic Avenger on this can’t-miss panel featuring Pulitzer-nominated writer Matt Bors (The Toxic Avenger), writer Mark Russell (Second Coming, Toxie Team-Up), writer Stuart Moore (Toxie Team-Up), Troma Entertainment founder Lloyd Kaufman, and Retroware Games Art Director Xander Arnot, hosted by The Daily Dead’s Editor-in-Chief Jonathan James.
AHOY’s Toxic Mess Summer has been raging since April, when the trade paperback of The Toxic Avenger revival landed in stores, followed by The Toxic Avenger Pinup Special in May, the launch of the Toxie Team-Up in June, and now the start of a new ongoing series in July: The Toxic Avenger Comics. It’s all leading up to the action-packed Toxic Crusaders beat ’em up videogame landing from Retroware in Q3, the Toxic Avenger film starring Peter Dinklage landing in theatres on Labor Day Weekend, and our new Toxic Crusaders series… and that’s just the beginning! So come get Toxic with AHOY and the gang on this illuminating panel! This one starts at 8 pm in Room 25ABC.
Whew – it will be a busy week! See you soon.
