Image Comics: Comics Storytelling, Genre and Craft – Comic-Con 2023: Image Comics: Comics Storytelling, Genre… (sched.com)
Time: Saturday July 22, 2023 10:00am – 11:00am PDT
Location: Room 28DE
Description: Dustin Nguyen (Little Monsters), Zoe Thorogood (It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth), Daniel Warren Johnson (Do a Powerbomb), Alex de Campi (Parasocial), Ryan Stegman (The Schlub), and Pornsak Pichetshote (The Good Asian) come together for a freewheeling conversation about genre, storytelling, industry secrets, and tricks-of-the-trade.
Why we chose this panel: Image comics has been my favorite comics publisher for the past couple years. Their storytelling depth and artistry throughout every aspect of their books is untouched. The talent at the show is a who’s who of big names within Image, and there is a strong likelihood you’ll be hitting up their books after this panel.
UDON Entertainment 2023–2024 Comic-Con 2023: UDON Entertainment 2023–2024 (sched.com)
Time: Thursday July 20, 2023 2:30pm – 3:30pm PDT
Location: Room 4
Description: Celebrating another groundbreaking year of publishing the best video game and anime artbooks and manga from Japan and all over the world, UDON’s chief Erik Ko and director of publishing Matt Moylan announce all the new and exciting projects that UDON is going to offer in the coming months.
Why we chose this panel: Udon is always one of the handful of manga/game/artbook publishers that I make it a point to stop by at. Whether it is their booth (which always has amazing merch) or their panel; they always hit it out of the park. This is a particularly big year too, since they are likely to discuss upcoming merch from massive properties like Street Fighter 6, Spy x Family, Guilty Gear Strive, Persona 5 Tactics and more.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Comic-Con 2023: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (sched.com)
Time: Saturday July 22, 2023 4:00pm – 5:00pm PDT
Location: 6BCF
Description: Aniplex of America and the cast of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba present a discussion of the Swordsmith Village Arc. Featuring Zach Aguilar (Tanjiro Kamado), Abby Trott (Nezuko Kamado), Griffin Burns (Muichiro Tokito), Kira Buckland (Mitsuri Kanroji), and Zeno Robinson (Genya Shinazugawa). Hosted by Aiko Makino (Aniplex of America).
Why we chose this panel: Demon Slayer just wrapped up its Swordsmith Village arc and is hot off a big show at Anime Expo. With a large portion of the main cast ascending into San Diego Comic Con, Demon Slayer fans are in for a treat. It’s one of my favorite animes this year (alongside Chainsaw Man), and I can’t wait to learn the cast’s thoughts on how the current arc has unraveled and what is in store for their characters in the future.
From The Dark Knight to Count Crowley: David Dastmalchian’s Journey from Comic Book Movie Actor to Comic Book Creator – Comic-Con 2023: From The Dark Knight to Count Crowley: D… (sched.com)
Time: Saturday July 22, 2023 4:15pm – 5:15pm PDT
Location: Room 6DE
Description: From his haunting debut in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight to appearances in Marvel’s Ant-Man franchise to his beloved portrayal of Polka-Dot Man in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad and to the pages of his acclaimed Dark Horse Comics series Count Crowley, David Dastmalchian’s career has been touched by the medium of comics at nearly every page turn. An avid comic book reader since childhood, David wouldn’t have it any other way. Join David as he leads the room on a journey from comic book reader, to adapted comic book film, tv star, and voice actor, to comic book creator and writer.
Why we chose this panel: David Dastlmalchian has always been that character that you’d go: “ Wait a second, wasn’t he in x movie or show?!.” He has always popped up as a smaller or side character, but somehow managed to be a standout no matter how many lines he had. From a thug in The Dark Knight, to characters in Ant-Man, Dune, The Flash TV Show, Suicide Squad…the list goes on and on! Dastlmalchian has such a unique perspective being in such massive franchises in varying types of roles. I can’t wait to hear about how his acting roles have influenced his comic writing side.
Star Wars Outlaws: Becoming the Galaxy’s Most Wanted – Comic-Con 2023: Star Wars Outlaws: Becoming the Galaxy’s… (sched.com)
Time: Saturday July 22, 2023 5:15pm – 6:15pm PDT
Location: 6BCF
Description: Brought to you by Ubisoft and Lucasfilm Games, Star Wars Outlaws follows the high-stakes life of rookie scoundrel Kay Vess and her companion Nix in the first-ever open-world Star Wars game. Julian Gerighty (creative director, Ubisoft), Steve Blank (director franchise content and strategy, Lucasfilm), Navid Khavari (narrative director, Ubisoft), and voice talent Humberly González (Kay Vess), Dee Bradley Baker (Nix, Jabba the Hutt), and Jay Rincon (ND-5) share more about the galaxy of opportunity that awaits you in Star Wars Outlaws. Moderated by Chastity Vicencio (Ubisoft News).
Why we chose this panel: Games are somewhat hit or miss at San Diego Comic Con. If we were to say where Star Wars Outlaws lands, it is more certainly a hit! Hailing from the team at Ubisoft. Outlaws managed to be one of the standouts amongst an onslaught of amazing titles that were shown off during the summer gaming show season. Not to mention Nix has already become a fan-favorite with a single trailer. While the game isn’t out until sometime in 2024, no gamer should turn down the opportunity to getting an inside look at what is shaping up to be the next biggest Star Wars gaming franchise.