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Comic-Con@Home opening panels discuss the importance of comics in education

San Diego, CA: Wednesday, July 22, was the opening day for Comic-Con@Home, the virtual iteration of the annual event that normally brings tens of thousands of fans to Downtown San Diego in a celebration of all forms of pop culture. This year, because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) and all other conventions around the country have been shuttered in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus. However, just as superheroes never give up, the SDCC board decided to go virtual with panels, exhibits, displays and more. 

For the past four years, Comic-Con International and the San Diego Public Library have partnered for the Comic Conference for Educators and Librarians, generally held as part of Preview Night, the Wednesday before the main convention begins. This year, for the fifth installment, the conference went online with education and pop culture being the focus of the first day’s panels. Seventeen panels, featuring K-12 educators, college and university lecturers, writers and artists, extolled the virtues of using modern cultural elements to promote education and literacy. 

One of the opening panels, titled Comics in the Classroom Ask Me Anything: Pick the Brains of Teachers, Administrators, Creators, and Publishers, featured members of the Lit-X Teacher Cohort along with current and former teachers, some of whom are also comic creators. Lit-X members Eric Kallenborn and Michael Gianfrancesco had collected questions via social media to share with the panel members. The panel, which included teachers Ronell Whitaker and Jason Walz (also a comic creator), comic creator Lucy Knisle, and former teacher and current consultant Lisa Wu, delved into how comics and graphic novels can be used to help readers comprehend literature and understand different cultures and societies.

Teaching and Learning with Comics, hosted by educators Peter Carlson, Susan Kirtley, and Antero Garcia, focused more on how creative illustration can be used in the classroom. As Carlson explained, the goal of the team is to “continually engage a dialogue about the purposeful use and power of comics in all classrooms.” On the panel were professor Nick Sousanis, author of “Unflattening” - his doctoral dissertation done completely in comic book form; cartoonist and teacher Ebony Flowers, author of “Hot Comb” and other books; and comic book authors David F. Walker and Brian Michael Bendis who recently collaborated on the book “Naomi.” 

Through the various panels, certain themes repeatedly came to the forefront. One of these is the power of comics and graphic novels to engage otherwise reluctant or struggling readers and inspire them to explore literature on their own. Many times these students and adults struggle because traditional literature does not engage them in their preferred mode, where the illustrations in comics and graphic novels help bridge the gap between their strengths and areas of challenge.

Another theme was the use of comics and graphic novels as a medium for exploring topics and viewpoints that have often been ignored or dismissed. Comics as a Conduit presented ways that the medium can be a platform to discuss topics like environmental activism, civic engagement, or physical and mental health awareness. In the Books for All: It's Time to Redefine How We Share Books With Kids panel, participants discussed how educators can share impactful and diverse titles with students of all ages. Other panels scheduled for the week will focus on the topics of Indigenous Rights, LGBTQI Identity and more.

Comic-Con@Home runs through Sunday, July 26, with all videos posted on YouTube for free viewing. While some of these will be pulled at the end of the virtual convention, many will remain up beyond Sunday. For more information about Comic-Con@Home, or to view the daily panel schedules and other offerings, visit the website at www.comic-con.org/cci/2020/athome.

Author: Stephen Prendergast is an educator and contributing writer to Geek Round Table. 

How to attend SDCC 2020 #ComicConatHome

San Diego Comic-Con Goes Virtual to Beat Covid

San Diego, CA: For the first (and hopefully last) time ever, the venerable San Diego Comic-Con will be completely virtual for 2020, due to the continuing Covid pandemic. An event that has drawn hundreds of thousands to San Diego over more than 50 years to celebrate the world of pop culture does not simply raise its collective hands and surrender to a world-threatening virus any more than The Avengers or Justice League would. And so on Wednesday, July 22, ComicCon@Home hits the internet with a full complement of panels, exhibits, and an at-home experience to keep even the most rabid Con-fans satisfied.

Running from Wednesday, July 22, through Sunday, July 26, Comic-Con@Home will feature more than 350 panels. These will range from panels focused on art, pop culture and creativity to panels focused on special topics such as Indigenous People, mental health, and LGBTQI Identity. Diversity will feature in several panels over the five days. There will also be the usual big name panels such as the DC@Home panels (Friday and Saturday), several Cartoon Network and Disney+ panels, and panels with some of your favorite stars (find out what makes Charlize Theron a “badass” on Friday).

In order for Con-fans to experience Comic-Con@Home to the fullest extent, all panels and presentations will be posted on YouTube and the Comic-Con International Channel (www.youtube.com/user/ComicCon). Panels will go live at their scheduled times, and many will remain available beyond July 26. Full daily schedules can be accessed through the Comic-Con@Home webpage at www.comic-con.org/cci/2020/athome. Fans can also create a personalized schedule of panels using links on the page. Plus, for those who make a point in collecting new badges every year, you can create your own participant badge - no registration fee or frustrating online waiting room required!

Here are some of the highlights of the week:

Wednesday: This day should almost be renamed Teachers’ Day because of all the panels focused on the educational uses of comics and pop culture. The fun kicks off at 3:00 pm PDT with panels such as “Comics in the Classroom,” “Teaching and Learning with Comics,” and “GeekED: Restoried.” Other education-related panels include “Comics as a Conduit,” “Comics on Campus,” and “Teaching Graphic Novels Online” (perfect as schools return online for the fall).

Thursday: Families and Fandoms feature on the second day of panels. From the Star Trek Universe to X-Men, from Batgirls (yes, plural) to The Lost Cities, this is a day for fandom devotees. Other panels look at how pop culture deals with the current pandemic with “Comics During Clampdown: Creativity in the Time of COVID” and “Building a Geek Brand: Surviving a Pandemic” among other offerings. You can also reach out beyond your inner circle through “Causeplay - In Service to Others” or “Virtual Fandom: Superhero Fandom Adapts to the Pandemic.”

Friday: As usual, Friday is a day for the big “Hall H” level panels. This year the virtual panels include talks on DC Comics, Marvel, Star Wars, Fear the Walking Dead and Vikings. A number of panels will look at the interplay of pop culture and LGBTQI, Indigenous Cultures, mental health and female representation. One panel that is sure to generate a good deal of interest and possibly controversy is “Decoding the Kirby/Lee Dynamic,” which looks at the 50+ year relationship between Jack Kirby and Stan Lee.

Saturday: If you’re not sure what you are interested in, this might be the day for you. Panels run the gamut from scientific to creative to who-knows-what. “Back to the Moon and Beyond with NASA” will feature astronauts, technology and engineering experts, with Captain James T. Kirk himself (William Shatner) as the host. Several panels will look at the creative and business sides of pop culture, while others will visit properties as The Simpsons and Constantine.

Sunday: Comic-Con@Home wraps up with another day devoted to, well, everything. Fans can learn how to cosplay as adults, create a life-size cardboard superhero, or learn more about tabletop gaming. There are also panels on YA Fantasy, a celebration of TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) 30th Anniversary, and new series coming to Netflix and FOX.

For more information about Comic-Con@Home, visit the home page at www.comic-con.org/cci/2020/athome or the Comic-Con International YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/ComicCon.

Stephen Prendergast is a contributing writer for Presidio Sentinel and a member of Geek Round Table. 

How to visit the Virtual Exhibit Hall at Comic-Con@Home 2020 #ComicConatHome2020

San Diego, CA: When the decision was made to move San Diego Comic-Con 2020 online as Comic-Con@Home, the first thought on most people’s minds was how organizers would handle the popular panels that are a major element of the convention. Thanks to current technology and platforms such as Zoom and YouTube, this challenge was quickly handled. However, another huge draw every year is the expansive Exhibit Hall that covers the first level of the San Diego Convention Center. This presented a new round of challenges, which organizers have worked to solve. What has been created can present its own challenges to the first-time online visitor, but with some tips and some practice these, too, can be overcome.

The first step to visiting the Online Exhibit Hall is to head over to the Comic-Con@Home homepage at comic-con.org/cci/2020/athome and click on either the Exhibit Hall link in the top bar or the Online Exhibit Hall link halfway down the page. This will give you a pop-up advisory that you will be leaving the Comic-Con@Home site for a third-party site. The good news is that you won’t leave the page, as a new tab will open with the complete floor plan of the Exhibit Hall. Once you are there, you can stay on the main Hall map with all the vendors and Artists Alley or go up to the Mezzanine where you can find fan clubs and organizations. On the main Hall map you can also click on either Floor Plan Tips or an Exhibitor List, both of which will take you away from the map.

Once you are on the map, navigation is fairly easy. You simply move your cursor around until you find a vendor or artist that interests you. When you click on the name, it will open a pop-up on the left-hand side with the name of the artist or vendor and a box with tabs for Company and Products. Under the Company tab you will generally find some links and perhaps a description of the company or the latest offerings. The Product tab may provide anything from one to more than a dozen product images and a link for More Information. This link will open a new pop-up with a more-or-less detailed description of the product. Generally, the Artists Alley pop-ups will simply have links to the artist’s home page.

While there is not the excitement and color of the live Exhibit Hall, the plus side is that there are no lines or crowds to deal with. Many of the vendors have special event offers that are only available through the Comic-Con@Home Online Exhibit Hall. And since it is open to anyone online, it may be your best opportunity to “walk” the San Diego Comic-Con Exhibit Hall.

Comic-Con@Home runs through Sunday, July 26. Access all the features through the home page at comic-con.org/cci/2020/athome. Panels are available through the Programming tab or through the Comic-Con International YouTube channel at youtube.com/user/ComicCon.

Author: Stephen Prendergast is a contributing writer to Geek Round Table.

GRT's own Ned Cato Jr re-elected to Comic-Con Board for 15th year!

Wow.....15th year re-elected to the Board of Directors of Comic-con International:San Diego.  As of August 12th 2012, the day of the Elections.  I begin my 15th term as a Board Member.  I am Proud that  I represent the Committee members that voted for me.  I am proud to represent Exhibits department in which I work.  I am also proud of all the departments the comprise One of the largest fan-run in the country.  There are upcoming challenges that Comic-Con will face....A too small convention center, other shows encrouching our Southern California presense, rising costs.  We have a lot to deal with but I believe that this show is a unique show and will survive the upcoming challenges.  I will try to bring you interesting info during the next year from my unique postion on the Board.  Stay Tuned.

 

GEEK OUT!

Cool Comic-Con Item!

For those who missed Comic-Con or even those who went, I wanna suggest a REALLY cool item. Limited edition Iron Man dog tag! its covered in resin so it will last forever with out getting scratched......$10 each, but if you buy more than one I can get you a deal! Hit me up if you want one.  It will help out a really good friend of mine, and you will look cool!

GEEK OUT!

We are coming back!

After some time away from podcasting, I believe it is time to restart the SHOW that talked about all things geek.  Losing my father in 2011 put a damper on things in wanting to do shows, but instead of putting the show away, I want to honor my Dad by restarting the show and giving props to my GEEK parents and returning to one of the things I love!

  There will be some of the old cast, and there will be new faces.  I will be hitting up different conventions and giving you the lowdown on them.  I will post pictures as fast as i can, and with Comic-Con coming back in July, I will try to give you a insider's inside view of the show complete with surprises and special guests!  I have missed doing this and wanna get back in the groove.  If there is anything you want us to talk about or see, we will tr and get it for you.

GEEK OUT!

"Big Mike Vs. The Con" Mark Christopher Lawrence Hosts Comedy Nights at San Diego Comic Con

#SDCC Peeps if your your looking for a good laugh at Con. Maybe need an actual DATE type moment then check out this show were working on with BIG MIKE. I'll be blogging a little this week as our fearless leader and team members are making sure that the GEEK World as we know it stands tall.

Peace, 

David Kamatoy

Lamb's Players Theatre Presents "Big Mike vs The Con
NBC Co-Star of Chuck Hosts Comedy Extravaganzas

San Diego, CA - Lamb's Players Theatre, in conjunction with Prayer Dudz, presents Mark Christopher Lawrence of NBC's hit series Chuck in a two-night comedy extravaganza, "Big Mike vs The Con" at the Horton Grand Theater on July 21 and 22. Mark is joined on Thursday night for a family-oriented "clean comedy" show with comics Jimmy Burns, Lester Barrie, and Scott Wood and guest musician K.C. Murdock. Friday night's show is an edgier, more adult-oriented evening with Chuck co-star Scott Krinsky and comics Chris Clobber and Vicki Barbolak and musical guest Josh Damigo. The two nights are a counterpoint to the wildly successful Comic-Con which runs Thursday through Sunday.

Thursday, July 21
Mark Christopher Lawrence is joined onstage by Jimmy Burns, known as "The Teacher Comedian," "Mister Punchline" Scott Wood, and Gospel comedian Lester Barrie. Jimmy Burns has toured with George Lopez, Arsenio Hall, Brad Garrett, and the late Richard Jeni. Jimmy has also co-hosted "Live from Here with James P. Connolly" on the National Lampoon Comedy Radio Network. Scott Wood has performed at such venues as The Ice House, The Comedy Store, and The Laugh Factory, and was named Stand Up Comedy Champion at the Improv Comedy Club in 2010. Lester Barrie has been the opening act for Ray Charles and been a co-headliner with Mike Epps, Jonnie Witherspoon, and Bruce Bruce. Musical guest K.C. Murdock opens the night with his mix of classic and alternative rock and blues.

Friday, July 22
Mark and his co-star from Chuck, Scott Krinsky, are joined by talented comics Chris Clobber and Vicki Barbolack for a night of edgy and adult-oriented humor. Besides his role as Jeff Barnes on Chuck, Scott Krinsky regularly performs at the Comedy Store and Improv in Los Angeles. Chris Clobber is the co-producer of BrewHaHa comedy and has written for major Las Vegas and Hollywood performers. Named Nikelodeon's "America's Funniest Mom" and "California's Funniest Female," Vicki Barbolak has worked with the likes of Pauley Shore, Rhonda Shear, and Roseanne Barr during her years on stage.. Friday's musical guest Josh Damigo was the 2010 winner in the San Diego Music Awards "Best Acoustic" category and the 2009 "Best Local Recording Artist."

We extend a special invitation for the media to attend and review the "Big Mike vs The Con" show on Thursday, July 21, or on Friday, July 22, for a fun filled night celebrating Comic Con in San Diego. For tickets call 619-437-6000. To learn more about Big Mike vs The Con comedy show visit Lamb's Players Theatre at http://www.lambsplayers.org. For media inquiries or to schedule and interview with Mark Christopher Lawrence, call David Kamatoy/Kamatoy Media Group at 619-940-5648.

Comic-Con 2011 Attendee Registration will open at 9am PT on Saturday, February 5

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Comic-Con International will open up registration Feb. 5 after having to close down the sales operation twice because of computer glitches.

Comic-Con spokesman David Glanzer said he can offer no more details about the online sale other than that registration will start at 9 a.m. Pacific Time. The convention will have more information on its website closer to Feb. 5 on how to purchase single-day and four-day badges.

In December, Comic-Con launched a test sale limited to 1,000 passes to determine whether it would be able to accommodate the tens of thousands of people who normally want to buy passes without overloading computer servers.

Deluged with a huge volume of aspiring purchasers, Comic-Con’s online system was able to process the sale of the 1,000 passes within 15 minutes, Glanzer said at the time.

Comic-Con tried twice in November to sell single-day and four-day passes to its pop culture extravaganza, but each time, the sale had to be halted after servers were overloaded, and purchasers were greeted with error messages.

Comic-Con has chosen to partner with TicketLeap for the initial ticketing aspect of registration. TicketLeap is powered by Amazon web services, which provides TicketLeap with access to Amazon’s servers and network so they can bring the flexibility required to create a system that matches the needs of the event. Additionally, when researching ticket sellers to partner with, the ticket fee pricing structure became an important issue. TicketLeap is again at the top of the list because they are able to keep costs reasonable for the buyer; they offer a flat $2.00 service charge per ticket.

It is this combination of the ability to adapt to the size of the event while keeping fees reasonable that make TicketLeap a good match for the initial portion of the registration process.

Registration for Comic-Con is more than just managing ticket sales. With over 126,000 attendees and several different departments, ticket levels and types, the requirements for a show of it's size are daunting. Each year EPIC has been able to meet the daunting challenge for the attendees and staff.

Glanzer said, We believe that continuing our partnership with Epic Registration Services will again result in good customer service and a registration process that will continue to work on site as it has in the past. The size of our show makes it a very unique event, and EPIC has proven that they have the equipment, personnel and the experience to meet the needs of Comic-Con and our attendees.

 

 

GRT's Own Ned Cato Jr, Named Eisner Judge for 2011

 

 

GeekRoundtable's own Ned Cato Jr, has been bestowed with a great honor, being named as an Eisner judge for 2011.  The Will Eisner Comic Industry Award, commonly shortened to the Eisner Award, is a prize given for creative achievement in American comic books. It is named in honor of the pioneering writer and artist Will Eisner, who was a regular participant in the award ceremony until his death in 2005.

Each category is nominated by a five-member panel, voted on by comic-book professionals, and presented at Comic-Con International  held in San Diego, California. Jackie Estrada has been the award administrator since 1990.

The judges will meet in San Diego in late March to select the nominees that will be placed on the Eisner Awards ballot. The nominees will then be voted on by professionals in the comic book industry, and the results will be announced in a gala awards ceremony on Friday, July 22 at Comic-Con.

The other Judges are:

Karen Green

Columbia University's Graphic Novels Librarian. Karen began her library's comics and graphic novels collection in 2005. She works extensively with Columbia faculty in a wide range of disciplines to facilitate the use of comics in their courses and has curated a related exhibition, "Comics in the Curriculum." She has also spoken at several campuses around the country, as well as to librarian groups, as an advocate for comics in an academic milieu. Karen writes the "Comic Adventures in Academia" column for ComiXology.com, which examines issues in comics librarianship, and has written about comics cataloging for Publishers Weekly. She is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art.

 

Andrew Helfer, who spent over 20 years wearing a variety of editorial hats for DC Comics, editing such titles as Justice League and Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight and writing such titles as The Shadow. He later founded the DC imprint Paradox Press, producing a series of 17 graphic nonfiction "Big Books" on topics as diverse as Urban Legends, Conspiracy Theories, and Scandals. His Paradox Mystery and Fiction imprints introduced readers to both A History of Violence and Road to Perdition, two graphic novels later adapted into successful films. His interest in manga led to encouraging DC to publish the wordless adventures of a tiny dinosaur named Gon. After leaving DC, Andrew continued producing nonfiction comics, writing and editing a series of biographies that included Malcolm X and Ronald Reagan, among others. Currently, he is working on a new fiction comics project while raising (with his beautiful wife Jaimie) their brand new (and equally beautiful) daughter Emilia.

 

 

Rich Johnson, who has been in just about all aspects of bookselling, from store manager to buyer to publisher. As the first vice president of book trade sales for DC Comics, he took the forefront in establishing graphic novels in the bookstore and library markets. Under his watch, DC Comics achieved its first New York Times Bestseller with Neil Gaiman's Sandman: Endless Nights. Most recently, Johnson served as co-founder and co-publishing director for Yen Press, a graphic novel and manga imprint for Hachette Book Group. He also co-founded Yen Plus a monthly manga anthology magazine. He currently writes a column for the comic book industry website The Beat. He is also founder of Brick Road Media, LLC, a publishing consulting and packaging firm. He is the author of the graphic memoir My Father's Eyes.

 

Chris Powell, the General Manager & CRO of Lone Star Comics/mycomicshop.com. He has been with Lone Star since 1990, holding positions ranging from sales to executive management. Chris was a founding board member of ComicsPRO, the Direct Market comic retailers' organization, serves on the board of moderators for the Game Pro Symposium and the Advisory Board for the Game Store Resource Forum, and is a past president and current board member of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

 

The Eisner Awards are presented under the auspices of Comic-Con International: San Diego, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to creating awareness of and appreciation for comics and related popular artforms. primarily through the presentation of conventions and events that celebrate the historic and ongoing contributions of comics to art and culture.

Eisner Awards administrator Jackie Estrada can be reached at [email protected].

 

It's Official.........Comic-Con to Stay in San Diego.....through 2015.

For Immediate Release

SAN DIEGO -- Comic-Con International: San Diego (Comic-Con), the largest comics convention of its kind in the world, today announced it will be staying in San Diego for the foreseeable future.

San Diego Mayor Jerry Saunders announces Comic-Con is staying in San Diego, through 2015.

Comic-Con reached a self-imposed attendance limit at the San Diego Convention Center (SDCC) in 2007 and has had to cap attendance at approximately 125,000 people each year since. In looking at ways to better accommodate the growing demand from attendees and exhibitors, the nonprofit organization considered proposals for a move to larger facilities in Los Angeles or Anaheim after the expiration of its SDCC lease in 2012. This decision keeps Comic-Con in San Diego through 2015.

Comic-Con International:San Diego, Executive Director Fae Desmond

"We are grateful for the tireless efforts all three cities put into to their proposals," said David Glanzer, Comic-Con's director of marketing and public relations. "In the end, we feel this decision is the best for all those who attend Comic-Con and for the organization itself. We are happy that the community has worked with us to ensure that we remain here."

Comic-Con was first held in 1970 at the U.S. Grant Hotel, where it attracted 300 people. As the event grew, subsequent homes included the downtown El Cortez Hotel in the 1970s and the San Diego Convention and Performing Arts Center in the 1980s. Comic-Con moved to the then newly built SDCC in 1991. Comic-Con celebrated its 41st year in 2010.

The San Diego Convention Center Corporation has scheduled a press conference for Friday, October 1 at 11:45 a.m. at Lobby E of the convention center.

Eddie Ibrahim, Director of Programming, left, along with Director of PR and Marketing, center, and Comic-Con Board Member Lee Oeth, right, attend the press conference announcing Comic-Con staying in San Diego through 2015

About Comic-Con International:

Comic-Con International: San Diego (Comic-Con), the largest convention of its kind in the world, is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to creating awareness of, and appreciation for, comics and related popular artforms, primarily through the presentation of conventions and events that celebrate the historic and ongoing contribution of comics to art and culture. In addition to its San Diego convention each summer, Comic-Con organizes the San Francisco–based WonderCon each spring and Alternative Press Expo each fall. On the web: Comic-Con.org, Facebook.com/comiccon, Twitter.com/comic_con.