Who and What in Webcomics to See at Comic Con 2012
San Diego Comic Con is the premiere comic convention bar none and every year they have some of the best programming like panels and seminars about comics or making comics. They also have a zillion comic artists and creators at tables in Artists Alley as well as a huge Small Press area. If you are going to Comic Con it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the mass of events and signings and sheer volume of the noise on the convention floor. So, we decided that we’d help everyone out in two ways.
Comic Rocket is making this cram list so you can find out who’s coming to the show, where they’re going to be, and then where on Comic Rocket we’ve got their comics listed. That way you can read a bunch of a creator’s work before you meet them so you won’t be all, “Yeah, uh, I like your work on that thing…” You’ll have read their comics and be able to tell them exactly what you like about it. If a title is orange it is a link so go read that comic! This is much easier than running over to the Webcomics Pavilion on the show floor and trying to guess who and where everyone is.
Since no article I write would be complete without a divided purpose the second half of this missive is a list of stuff you should check out. It’s a list of panels and signings everyone into web comics should want to attend. This is a growing list of course. If I missed something send me a note at info@comic-rocket.com and I will be sure to include it. Additionally, I may mention creators that have panels but aren’t going to be on the show floor or those that tell us they’re just going to be hanging out at the con (complete with their twitter handles so you can stalk–er–contact them!)
Lastly, we’ve just added our evolving list of attendees to our Events table. You can go HERE to find out where creators are going to be in a handy list with columns and everything.
CRAM LIST:
Kris Straub, creator of Starslip and Chainsaw Suit and Scott Kurtz, notable webcomics personality and creator of PVP will both be in Booth 1237 They are also doing a panel called The Business of Webcomics on Friday at 5:00 pm in room 24ABC and Straub is on the Shifty Look panel on Saturday. Kris will be bringing Starslip Volumes 1 through 4, Chainsawsuit for Everyone, The Chainsawsuit Initiative, Chainsawsuit 3, stickers, shirts and some surprises at the booth! He will also be doing commissioned art and sketches. Scott will be bringing PVP merchandise.
Lea Hernandez creator of comics like Clockwork Angels and The Garlicks will be with the Cartoon Art Museum signing books at Booth 1930 from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Friday. She’ll also be at the Hero Initiative booth (Booth #5003) from 4:30 pm to 7:00 pm on Saturday. She should be signing books and doing a sketch or two.
Rebecca Hicks, the creator of The Little Vampires, will be at Booth 1831 with merchandise and comics.
Alina Pete of Weregeek willl be at Booth 1831 as well.
Jason Brubaker the creator of reMIND will be at Booth 1133.
Shaenon Garrity creator of Narbonic and Skin Horse will be busy all weekend with several signings and panels. Thursday, she’ll be at the Lost in Translation panel at 6:30 PM room 26AB. Friday she’ll be signing with Prism Comics at Booth 2144 at 4:00 pm. Saturday she’ll be signing with the syndicate Universal/UClick in Booth 1714 at 12:00 pm and on another manga panel Best and Worst Manga at 6:00 PM in Room 23ABC. Sunday she’ll be doing the Cartoon Art Museum Booth Sketch-A-Thon at 1:00 pm Booth 1913 and a final signing with Prism again at 3:00 pm.
Karl Kershl, creator of Abominable Charles Cristopher is a special guest of the convention so in addition to having a table in Artist’s Alley (AA II-09) he’s also the subject of a spotlight panel on Thursday from 11:30 to 12:30 in room 4.
Shing Yin Khor will be bringing her absolutely delightful Marlowe the Monster to Comic Con and will be at Table P-06 in The Small Press area. I bought one of her monsters at Stumptown this year. I suggest everyone go see her stuff if you can.
Travis Hanson artist of The Bean will at Booth E11 drawing FREE sketches all weekend.
Tony Cliff creator of the beautifully-drawn Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant will be with Bolt City at Booth 2235.
Keith (Keef) Knight of the The K Chronicles will be in the Small Press area at table K-15. He’s also hosting a panel: The Nappy Hour on Friday from 2:00-3:00 pm in room 24ABC. Now if only his band The Marginal Prophets were playing my life would be complete!
Doug TenNapel creator of ratFist will be at Booth 1601 with hard-bound copies of his new graphic novel Cardboard and Nnewts posters for sale. He will also be on a panel with Smith Micro, publishers of Manga Studio as well as their new animation software Motion Artist. You can read more about what he’s planning here.
C. Spike Trotman of Templar, Arizona and the tip book Poorcraft will be at Booth 1330 selling TAZ books, toys, original pages and copies of Poorcraft. Doubtless she’ll also be dispensing invaluable money-stretching advice. She will be on Keef’s Nappy Hour panel too!
Dumbrella will be at Booth 1335 with signings and merchandise from a heap of webcomikers:
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Meredith Gran of Octopus Pie will be there signing and selling Octopus Pie stuff as well as issue #1 of Marceline and the Scream Queens that she did the cover for. She’ll also be on BOOM!’s panel on Friday.
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Jonathan Rosenberg of Scenes From A Multiverse will be there.
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Chris Yates should have Reprographics stuff.
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Richard Stevens of Diesel Sweeties will have stuff.
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Steven Cloud who does Boy on a Stick and Slither will be at the booth.
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John Allison of Bad Machinery will also be selling stuff there. Dumbrella Booth #1335
Overall, Dumbrella is bringing the talent this year!
Meanwhile back at the rest of the list, here are some more webcomics people attending…
Brad J. Guigar is bringing Evil Inc. to the show at Booth #1228 Brad will also be on Friday’s Business of Webcomics panel detailed below.
A comic convention wouldn’t be complete without Penny Arcade and both Gabe and Tycho will be attending in the form of Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins. They’re at Booth 1334. They also have a few panels including Friday’s Business of Webcomics and the Penny Arcade Q&A with Gabe and Tycho on Saturday. Watch the sparks fly as their Kickstarter becomes the talk of the show. Or at least one of the talks.
Jim Zub will be bringing Skullkickers to Con at Booth 1231 as well as sitting on the Kickstarting Your Webcomics Career: Keenspot 2012 panel on Sunday.
Brock Heasley of Super Fogeys will be in the Small Press area on both Friday and Saturday at Booth M-13. He says, “stop by to say hi!”
Ethan Nicolle of Axe Cop and Bearmageddon fame will be at Booth 2306. He also has a panel on Sunday.
Scott Yoshinaga (aka kimonostereo) and Audra Ann Furuichi creators of nemu nemu will be at Small Press table O-14.
Kate Beaton of Hark a Vagrant is a special guest of the convention. She will be with Drawn & Quarterly who are at Booths 1629 1728 selling her new calendar. She’s also on two killer panels the Trailblazers of Comics Thursday 1:00-2:00 Room 25ABC and Spotlight on Kate Beaton 1:30-2:30 Room 5AB
Several creators are going to just be hanging out at the show or are going to be on panels and not have tables. Here are a couple just hanging out and their twitter handles because we love you. Either one of Matt Heistand (@TheThreeOneFive) and Dan Fifield(@Dan Fifield) from Deep Dive Daredevils will be floating around the floor and so will Christina McKenzie (@mcruthless) of Gran Grimoire.
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Some Panels You Should Want to See
There are several panels I mentioned in the listings above. There are a few more below that will also be of interest to Comic Rocket readers. Most of the text is taken from directly from the San Diego Comic Con schedule. That may change soon as I get more details from people.
THURSDAY
11:30-12:30 Spotlight on Karl Kerschl (Live-Drawing The Abominable Charles Christopher) Comic-Con special guest Karl Kerschl (The Abominable Charles Christopher, Teen Titans: Year One, Assassin’s Creed) creates a new episode of his Eisner Award-winning webcomic The Abominable Charles Christopher live on stage, with help from the audience. Room 4
2:00-3:00 Creating Comics the comiXology Way. comiXology has not only transformed the industry in making digital comics available everywhere, but they have also created the foundation for comic storytelling to be expressed in new ways. Originally created to artfully display comics on small screens, comiXology’s revolutionary Guided View reading technology has evolved to dramatically change how comic stories are being told. From early experiments like Box 13, Valentine, and Power Play to more recent efforts like Marvel’s Infinite Comics, comiXology’s Guided View has ushered in a new era in comic book creation. Join comiXology co-founders David Steinberger and John D. Roberts and Power Play artist Riley Brown as they show you the ins and outs of creating comics using the Guided View tools and discuss comiXology’s plans for these tools. Room 11AB
12:00-1:00 Comic-Con How-To: Examining Fan Art Under the Law – A Counter-Cultural Disconnect? Is fan art a secret obsession or is it okay to do it in public? This presentation lays down the law and includes a review of the impact of new technologies on the genre, commentary on the fantastic fan art event of the century in 50 Shades of Grey, as well as the confessions of fan art fanatic. Joshua S. Wattles is the former acting general counsel of Paramount Pictures, a past president of the LA Copyright Society and an adjunct law professor at Loyola and Southwestern University law schools in Los Angeles. He is currently Advisor in Chief to deviantART. His panel will be joined by a mystery fan artist. Room 2
1:00-2:00 Trailblazers of Comics Room 25ABC with Kate Beaton
1:00-2:30 Comic-Con How-To: Advanced Digital Inking Technique Learn how to digitally ink and take all your black-and-white artwork to the next level. Comics artist Brian Haberlin will delve into Photoshop’s treasure trove of features that not only enhance comic applications but make possible countless creative pen and ink opportunities rarely seen before. If you’re serious about your black-and-white artwork, this session is a must. Room 2
6:30-7:30 Lost in Translation Room 26AB
FRIDAY
2:00-3:00 The Nappy Hour- Host Room 24ABC Keith Knight moderates an hour with C. spike Trotman and others.
1:30-2:30 Spotlight on Kate Beaton Room 5AB
5:00-6:00 The Business of Webcomics Room 24ABC.
6:00-7:00 Are Digital Comics Expanding the Market? Digital comics are the hottest trend in publishing today, exploding onto the screens of iPads, tablets, and phones everywhere. How is digital distribution transforming the industry and the market? Is digital opening the medium to a vast new global audience, or is it the death knell of comics as we know them? Author and futurist Rob Salkowitz (Comic-Con and the Business of Pop Culture) leads a provocative, no-holds-barred discussion with the leaders of the digital comics revolution: comiXology co-founders David Steinberger and John D. Roberts, Dark Horse publisher Mike Richardson, and IDW publisher Ted Adams. Room 9
7:00-8:00 MonkeyBrain Comics Room 4 Co-publishers Chris Roberson (Memorial) and Allison Baker reveal all about MonkeyBrain Comics, a creator-owned digital comics imprint. Joining them are moderator Bill Willingham (Fables) and creators Chris Schweitzer (Crogan’s Adventures), D. J. Kirkbride (Popgun), Brandon Seifert (Witch Doctor), Joe Keatinge (Hell Yeah!), Colleen Coover (Small Favors), and Paul Tobin (Gingerbread Girl).
7:00-8:00 Digital Art, Part 2 Room 11AB David Marquez (Ultimate Spider-Man) and Comic-Rocket.com founder Tim Shields join former Marvel and IDW editor and Comics Experience founder Andy Schmidt (X-Men, G.I. Joe) and comiXology co-founder John Roberts for this final panel on how to create digital comics and how to use the medium to its full effect. In part 2, they discuss the future of comics and how digitally generated art can craft comics specifically for digital devices and how that differs from print. In other words, they illuminate how to get the most out of creating digital comics. Hosted by Comics Experience.
7:30-8:30 Making a Living in Manga Room 8 Now that Japanese comics have been available in English for over 30 years, several generations of artists inspired by manga are trying to live the Bakuman dream of being full-time comics creators. But in the superhero-centric North American comics market, are they fighting the odds? Comics creators Adam Warren (Empowered), Becky Cloonan (Demo, Conan the Barbarian), Fred Gallagher (Megatokyo), and Audra Furuichi (Nemu-Nemu), along with industry pros Christopher Butcher (blogger, Comics212.net; director, Toronto Comic Arts Festival), JuYoun Lee (senior editor, Yen Press), Erik Ko (editor-in-chief, UDON Entertainment), and moderator Deb Aoki (Manga editor, About.com), explain the ins and outs and ups and downs of making a living as a manga creator in North America.
SATURDAY
11:00-12:00 Shifty Look Room 25AB
2:30-3:30 Penny Arcade Q&A with Gabe and Tycho Room 5AB
6:00-7:00 Best and Worst Manga Room 23ABC
7:00-8:00 Smith Micro and Techland present the future of comics! Room 4
SUNDAY
2:00-3:00 Kickstarting Your Webcomics Career: Keenspot 2012 Room 4 Pioneering webcomics publisher Keenspot returns for their insane 12th annual Comic-Con panel to drop some knowledge! Get words of wisdom from the man behind the second most-funded Kickstarter comics project of all time! Learn how a popular Image Comics creator doubled his book sales at cons by giving his comic away for free online! Hear an amazing major announcement about the future of comic books! Creators scheduled to appear include Thomas Fischbach (Twokinds), Jim Zub (Skullkickers), Benny Powell (Wayward Sons), Brion Foulke (Flipside), Jennifer Brazas (Mystic Revolution), David Campiti (Exposure), R. C. Monroe (Out There), Chris Daily (Punch an’ Pie), Charles Soule (27), and Bobby Crosby (Last Blood).
3:00-4:00 AXECOP panel Room 6DE
Ethan Nicolle (Bearmageddon, Chumble Spuzz) discusses the growing world of Axe Cop, including the new President of the World miniseries from Dark Horse comics and his involvement the TV show in production at FOX. With a possible appearance in person or digitally from his brother/co-creator Malachai Nicolle plus possible surprise guests.
Andy Grossberg is co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Comic Rocket. Previous to helping start the business he was a comics journalist, writer, letterer and sometime editor. He has been working in and around comics for over 18 years in one capacity or another.
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