Comic-Con 2013

Ghenwa Hayek (Claremont McKenna College) examines how graphic fiction has flourished in Lebanon as a postwar generation copes with the burden of memories and a younger generation thirsts to know more. Andrew J. Friedenthal (University of Texas at Austin) compares Justice Society of America comics in the Golden Age with the 1980s' retconned account of their World War II adventures to show how escapist literature helps us deal with history as it happens and after. Sam Cannon (University of Texas at Austin) investigates how Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá's graphic novel Daytripper calls into question racial and national identities as well as the possibility of survival in contemporary Brazil.

Psychologist Patrick O'Connor (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology; Comicspedia) and licensed psychotherapist Josué Cardona (Geek Therapy podcast) discuss geek culture, the psychology of superheroes, and the therapeutic value of comics. Laura Vecchiolla and Elizabeth Smith (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology) and licensed psychologists Frank Gaskill and Dave Verhaagen (Southeast Psych) join them to provide the ultimate expertise on the healing power of superheroes. Travis Langley (Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight) moderates.

Writing instructors Rich Shivener (Northern Kentucky University), John Silvestro (Miami University), and Alex Jenkin (Miami University) discuss how they incorporate Batman, Scott McCloud, Will Eisner, and select indie comics into freshman-level college courses with diverse audiences, even those who are not fans of comics, considering both comics and academic writing as different methods to express arguments, narratives, and ideas. They reveal how students can use academic writing to analyze, realize, and understand comics and use comics to think about the limitations of academic writing and what it can and cannot show.

Aaron Kashtan (Georgia Institute of Technology) discusses why and how instructors can use comics to make students more aware of the materiality of media, both when analyzing media artifacts and when producing media artifacts of their own. Jeremy Johnson (University of Minnesota) describes empirical research on how teachers taught middle-school students about the Holocaust by using comics creation to share a nonfiction, research-based story. Peter Carlson (Green Dot Public Schools, UCLA) and Antero Garcia (Colorado State University) share the findings from their own research on how comic books can serve as tools to foster dialogue and nurture relationships that empower students.

Reading With Pictures presents an all-star panel of educators, cartoonists and publishers as they discuss how (and why) comics are being integrated into the Common Core Curriculum. Dr. Katie Monnin (assistant professor of literacy), Tracy Edmunds (curriculum developer), Gina Gagliano (associate marketing and publicity manager, First Second Books), Anastasia Betts (Graphic Novels 101), Paul Morrissey (editor), and Geoffrey Golden (The Devastator) offer a far-reaching Q&A session moderated by Josh Elder (president, Reading with Pictures).

Trouble finding a book publisher? How about a literary agent? Do you really need your own publicist? Is getting into print different when your book's topic is particularly geeky? Hear how these bookworms got their works into print, how they made money at it, and how you might, too: S. G. Browne (Breathers: A Zombie's Lament), Bonnie Burton (The Star Wars Craft Book), Katrina Hill (Action Movie Freak), Alan Kistler (Doctor Who: A History), Alex Langley (The Geek Handbook), and Dr. Travis Langley (Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight). Moderated by Jenna Busch (Fanhattan).

As a generation of North American comics fans who grew up with manga aspire to become comics creators, they're bumping up against a glass ceiling: a lack of paying publishing options for their work. But a new wave of manga-inspired creators are finding new ways to get published and get paid. Panelistst include editors and comics creators who are forging new paths for making a living in manga, including Lillian Diaz-Pryzbyl (editorial director, Chromatic Press), Faith Erin Hicks (Friends with Boys, Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong), Victor Chu (co-founder/CEO, MangaMagazine.net), Myung Hee Kim (Simon Sues, Bento Comics), and moderator Brigid Alverson (MangaBlog.net, Publishers Weekly).

With possible signs of increasing sales in manga and anime, is this a good time to enter the world of freelance translation and localization? Get some questions answered, hear some fun stories, and learn of possible upcoming trends with long-time freelancers and industry insiders William Flanagan (Fairy Tail), Jonathan Tarbox (Fist of the Northstar), Shaenon Garrity (Case Closed), Mari Morimoto (Naruto), Stephen Paul (One Piece), Ed Chavez (marketing director, Vertical), and Nathan Collins (Metal Gear Solid)!

The hit comedy show from the Upright Citizens Brigade theatre comes to Comic-Con. Who would win in a fight, Batman or Wolverine? Superman or Gandalf? Debates like these have raged for decades. Tournament of Nerds! pits two comedians against each other to battle it out in heated debate. Hosted by Justin Donaldson (Reno 911!) and Hal Rudnick (Screen Junkies) and featuring Jonah Ray (Nerdist), Marc Andreyko (Manhunter), Maddox (The Best Page in the Universe), Roger Barr (I-Mockery), Mike Carlson (Conan), and many more.

Producers Vito Lapiccola and Juan-Manuel Rocha and The Sideshow Network bring you the fourth annual episode of Comics on Comics LIVE at San Diego Comic-Con! Legendary comedians Tommy Chong (Cheech and Chong, Up in Smoke) and Emmy Award winner Rick Overton (The Dennis Miller Show) join comics journalist Rich Johnston (BleedingCool.com) for another wild episode of the podcast where the greatest comic minds meet the greatest minds in comics!

The most important Batman tales are not in comic books, TV shows, or Hollywood movies. They are within the people for whom the Dark Knight has become a symbol. Brett Culp will premiere segments from his documentary film Legends of the Knight and speak with Travis Langley (Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight), Vasilis Pozios (Broadcast Thought), Patrick O'Connor (Comicspedia), and Alan Kistler (Comic Book Resources) about how the modern myth of Batman inspires real people in areas of creativity, education, and overcoming adversity.

Sheila Malone (University of California, Los Angeles) investigates how Batwoman and Batgirl displace the male hero in order to fight crime and live out narratives that befit a superhero/ine in a contemporary non- hetero world where queer, disabled, and renegade motorcycling are super/powerful. Jaclyn Hymes (California State University Northridge) expands Sedgwick's theories of homosociality by applying them to Maggie and Hopey's fluid sexualities in Jamie Hernandez's "Locas" stories. Using the lens of queer theory, Eric Schlegel explores how Wonder Woman, Superman, and Batman's distinct experiences of identity can help LGBTQ individuals, and then in turn society as a whole, understand our own identities.

Civil rights leaders have long used the communicative power of the combined image and word to discuss voter registration, nonviolent resistance, and human rights. Inspired by the graphic novel trilogy March, co-written by Congressman John Lewis and Andrew Aydin and illustrated by Nate Powell, Joseph R. Givens (Louisiana State University), Andrew Aydin (March: Book One; Georgetown University), Stanford Carpenter (Institute for Comics Studies), Damian Duffy (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), and John Jennings (University of New York at Buffalo) will discuss the rich history of creative collaboration between civil rights leaders and comic creators.

Scott Daniel Boras (Winona State University) examines the sensory experience of reading comics, what it means to be a collector, and other aspects of materiality that might be lost or left behind when comic books go digital. Neil Cohn (University of California, San Diego) summarize what the latest research from cognitive neuroscience tells us about what happens in your brain when you read comics. Kay K. Clopton (Ohio State University) analyzes how speech, sound, and emotive effects feed into the experience of reading American and Japanese women's comics.

Comic-Con special guest Georges Jeanty takes you on an intimate journey through the life of the Scoobys as they continued on seasons 8 and 9 of the cult hit show. Anyone interested in Buffy, this panel is for you! Georges will be discussing his almost 20 years in the comic industry and talking about working with series creator Joss Whedon with stories and a Q&A about how these seasons came together...and maybe a little sing-along!

Comic-Con special guest Fred Perry (Gold Digger, Action Time Buddies, Zombie Kid Diaries) discusses his career, including how he got started in comics, key moments in his life and the story of his seminal series Gold Digger, and what it's like to solo-create a comic for over 20 years. Includes a Q&A session moderated by Antarctic Press office manager/editor Douglas Dlin.

The artists and editors of UDON Entertainment discuss their latest titles and reveal upcoming projects in this announcement-packed panel. Topics will include debut titles like World of Warcraft Tribute and Street Fighter Origins: Akuma, plus revelations of new books from some of the hottest names in video games, manga, and animation.

Sean Patrick O'Reilly, CEO and founder of Arcana, and Vlad Yudin of The Vladar Company, offer a panel dedicated to the publishers' diverse books, and some amazing plans for the future. We will discuss properties such as Vladar's HeadSmash, the most anticipated graphic novel of 2013, which debuts at SDCC this year and features a cover from the legendary Tim Bradstreet and an exclusive variant edition from Kanye West's art director, Joe Perez. Roddenberry Entertainment's Worth and Days Missing: Enox, Bill Paxton's 7 Holes for Air, and Gene Simmons's Simmons Comics Anthology are some of the amazing titles being produced in conjunction with Benderspink. In addition to Sean and Vlad, other surprise guests will be attending. Meet creators, learn about properties, and get free Tim Bradstreet posters and free Arcana comics -- what else would you want?

The toy aisles have gone retro! Hit movies and TV shows are no longer a "sure thing" for toy manufacturers these days. Instead of chasing after "the new hotness," most toy companies are now looking to trigger the nostalgia centers in fans' brains by bringing back some of their favorite action figure lines from the past 40 years-and not just popular characters, but also that retro "Mego" and "Kenner" style! Hear it all from a panel of expert toy makers who are bringing back these figures and characters of yesteryear as well as adapting some modern licenses to that retro style. Moderator Daniel "Julius Marx" Pickett from ActionFigureInsider.com will be joined by Bill Benecke (Mattel Design), Ed Cato (Captain Action Ltd), Randy Falk (NECA), Jason Lenzi (BifBangPow!), Eric "Cornboy" Mayse (The Four Horsemen Design), Frank Supiot (Super 7), and Chuck Terceira (Diamond Select Toys).

Join the Christian Comic Arts Society for their annual fellowship mixer. Open to all comics, media, and pop culture fans!

Contributors to What Is a Superhero? (Oxford University Press, 2013) explore the definition of the superhero and the role of the supervillain in the genre from a range of disciplinary, scholarly, and professional perspectives. Co-editors Robin Rosenberg (Huffington Post) and Peter Coogan (Washington University in St. Louis), are joined by contributors John Jennings (University at Buffalo), Stanford Carpenter (Institute for Comics Studies), Dana Anderson (Maine Maritime Academy), Paul Levitz (Legion of Super-Heroes), and Fred Van Lente (Brain Boy).

Dexter L. Thomas, Jr. traces the effect that Yutsoko Chusonji's work had on the Hip-Hop scene in Japan, both as an "edutainment" writer and as the woman who personally bankrolled Japan's first ever hip-hop radio show. June M. Madeley (University of New Brunswick, Saint John) investigates the readership, viewing, and meaning-making practices of manga readers and anime viewers outside Japan, in particular in English translation. Jonathan Valdez (San Diego State University) examines activism from the Asian American community by focusing on comics in Secret Identities: The Asian American Superheroes Anthology and Shattered: The Asian American Comics Anthology, arguing that these anthologies seek to dethrone longstanding Orientalist stereotypes.

The CAC's poster session gives attendees the opportunity to interact directly with presenters.

Comic-Con Group -- In collaboration with the founders of San Diego Comic- Con, the San Diego State University Library's Comic Arts Committee is helping preserve and promote San Diego's rich comics, science fiction, and popular arts culture. Markel D. Tumlin, Anna Culbertson, Pamela Jackson, Michael Lapins, and Wil Weston (San Diego State University) will present on the committee's current projects and activities and SDSU's commitment to collecting and preserving the cultural heritage of Comic-Con, highlighting the Comic-Con Kids grant project and the recent acquisition of Comic-Con co-founder Richard Alf's personal papers. Revolutionary Comics Group Jacob Holt (Henderson State University) examines X-Men's Magneto as a Darwinist and a Civil Rights leader. Mark A. Havstad (Havstad Water and Energy Company) identifies the key traits lacking in extant heroes and heroines that make them scientifically and globally incapable of dealing with challenges like global climate change, religious and fundamentalist worldviews, and widespread poverty. Teaching with Comics Group Nicole Rehnberg (California State University, Fullerton) argues that fairy tale comics can assist students in learning how narratives work by decoding new retellings of familiar stories. Barbara Glaeser (California State University, Fullerton) offers several strategies for using comics to engage reluctant readers and writers and low-achieving students that can be used both in the classroom and at home. Michael Kersulov (Indiana University) discusses his findings on how autobiographical graphic novels and other pictorial memoirs can be and have been used in secondary schools as a way to promote traditional and visual literacy. Postmodern Comics Group Kyle Eveleth (University of Kentucky) examines the ways in which the structural elements of Watchmen's narrative both strengthen and subvert its content to upset "normal" (mimetic) conceptions of time. Paul Cheng (University of California, Riverside) focuses on how Chris Ware's work manipulates the formal techniques of comics to create a "meta-comic" that both celebrates and satirizes the medium, in addition to his often-devastating critiques of social life. Joyce C. Havstad (University of California, San Diego) compares panels from Asterios Polyp with pages from several iconic works of postmodernist literature, showing how Mazzucchelli employs techniques more commonly associated with written novels while adapting these techniques to suit the medium of graphic novels, with implications for both media at large. Comics off the Page Group Lesley Farmer (California State University Long Beach) explores how to teach preservice librarians and education technologists the concepts of information architecture through the use of comic arts. Mara Wood and Allen Thomas (University of Central Arkansas) present the results of their study on how well readers' abilities to connect to and become part of the stories they read are predicted by their frequency of comic book reading. Eric Bruce (Western Oregon University) applies Dynamic Systems Theory, which proposes that decision making is shaped by the interaction of individual, task, and environment, to the world of Batman, considering how the unique characteristics of Batman's character and environment shape his plan of action.

Comics and Transformation Group -- Julie Humphrey (University of California, Santa Barbara) critiques how geek fashion has become a marker of sex appeal and intelligence through popular culture and gender studies. Benjamin J. Villarreal (Columbia University) examines Lee Bermejo's Batman: Noel as a retelling of Dickens' A Christmas Carol, asking if Bermejo's adaptation qualifies as part of a lost 19th-century literary genre because of its source material.

Comics and Psychology Group -- Brian Lott (Henderson State University) looks into the psychological aspects of the Black Widow, asking what cognitive processes are involved in her behavior and how well these fictional representations reflect real-life manifestations. Benjamin Graves (Henderson State University) uses Alfred Adler's theories of individual psychology to examine the links between Ant-Man's size manipulation and his inferiority issues. Tiffany Pitcock (Henderson State University) determines if the "birth" order of the Robins affects their characterizations and relationships with Batman and with one another as pseudo- siblings. Halee Smith (Henderson State University) asks if Bruce Banner's refusal to accept his alter-ego the Hulk as an angry facet of himself is a Freudian defense mechanism or a case of dissociative identity disorder. Samantha Hunter (Henderson State University) investigates if the X-Men's Jean Grey qualifies for posttraumatic stress disorder, how the repression of her memories affects her ability to cope, how her childhood resulted in her choice to join the X-Men, and how Xavier has helped her mental stability over the years.

North America boasts the world's two leading comic book companies that have defined the literary genre for comics. Seattle's Fantagraphics and Montreal's Drawn & Quarterly present their fall and winter lists of works from the world's best cartoonists, perhaps even with a few surprises and giveaways!

The hybrid comic book/prose novel is on the rise. What makes this form so compelling for creators? Where is the form going? A conversation with creators Jeffrey Brown (Star Wars, Jedi Academy), Cecil Castellucci (OddDuck), Tom King (A Crowded Sky), Jim Pascoe (By the Balls), Janet Tashjian (My Life as a Cartoonist), and Nate Powell (March: Book One). Moderated by Douglas Wolk (Reading Comics) about the possibilities and challenges of marrying these two forms.

NewStarship.com founder Huston Huddleston and his restoration team Doug Drexler (DS9, Battlestar Galactica), David Gerrold (writer, Star Trek TOS, TNG), Larry Nemecek (writer/historian, Star Trek), and surprise guests discuss this massive project that began with fans saving a discarded Paramount-built touring set and turning it into what will become the world's first interactive educational Sci-Fi Museum.

Some of your all-time favorite TV shows from the '80s are coming to comics with Lion Forge! Joining the event will be creators Joe Philips (Doctor Who), Rick Burchett (Lady Saber), Carl Reed (Lion Forge), Lorenzo Lizana (Lion Forge), Brandon Easton (Thundercats), Joelle Sellner (Jackie Chan Adventures), Geoff Thorne (Leverage), Jonathan London (Geekscape), Shannon Denton (DC/WildStorm), Flex Alexander (Snakes on a Plane), David Gorden (Bulletproof Knights), and some surprise guests.

Join the award-winning comics historian Craig Yoe, his pal Steve Banes from "The Horrors of It All" blog, and additional panelists for a lively discussion and Q&A session about the comics that gave you night terrors, before the U.S. Senate and Dr. Frederic Wertham shut them down during THEIR OWN reign of terror! Hi-jinx, fun, and thoughtful discourse will abound!

Five years after the Siegel heirs won a historic victory and regained a share of the Superman copyright, a higher court has set aside the verdict and shut down the Shuster estate's claim. As we face the final chapter of the Superman copyright dispute, this panel will explain what is really happening. What crucial details were overlooked or misinterpreted? Is there still hope for other creators? Or does Superman's 75th anniversary mark the end of truth, justice, and the American dream? Moderated by The Beat's Heidi MacDonald, with commentary by Siegel and Shuster biographer Brad Ricca (Case Western Reserve University), this panel features the legal analysis of Jeff Trexler (Fordham Law School), whose influential commentary on the Superman lawsuits set a new standard for comics-related legal analysis and also became part of the case.

This panel examines the intersection of religion and comics in two ways: the presentation of religion in comics and comics' influence on religion and society. Toby Braden Johnson (University of California, Riverside) discusses depictions of Islam in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures, considering both the comics' creators and the analysis of the comics themselves and bringing to light comics' role as a source of social and religious commentary. Sean Sagan (University of California, Riverside) analyzes the True Komix religious tracts published by new religious movement Family International during the 1970s-1980s and asks how this group's sexualized theologies manifest in comic exegesis. Cori Knight (University of California, Riverside) considers acts of creation present in the webcomic Girl Genius. Set in a scientific world, the way the comic's characters create freely or undertake acts of self-creation merits investigation.

Comics have long had a connection with subculture. In the punk movement, comics found an aesthetic that could help preach a message to the counterculture. This panel examines how both mainstream and underground comics have borrowed and used the punk aesthetic for their own means. Christopher B. Field (Southern Illinois University-Carbondale) discusses OMAC by Jack Kirby and how the underappreciated work uses the punk aesthetic. Michael MacBride (Minnesota State University) examines how punk music and Justin Green's Binky Brown react differently to male sexuality. Christopher Douglas (Southern Illinois University) compares the aesthetic of the Japanese cyberpunk manga Akira to the bosozoku motorcycle gangs of the 1980s. Keegan Lannon (Aberystwyth University) discusses Grant Morrison's The Invisibles as a punk manifesto.

Comic-Con offers students of popular culture an amazing venue to study how culture is marketed to and practiced by its fans. Alissa Butler (University of Massachusetts-Boston), Krystal Dean (Wittenberg University), Charity Fowler (Virginia Commonwealth University), Regina Gasser (Wittenberg University), Kenneth J. Garrett (Lynchburg College), Kenley Hoover (Lynchburg College), Nathan Knoebber (Wittenberg University), Sarah Lavinder (Lynchburg College), Lauren Levitt (New York University Steinhardt), and Jessica Stephenson (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) present initial findings from a week-long ethnographic field study of the intersection of fan practice at the nexus of cultural marketing and fan culture that is Comic-Con 2013. Matthew J. Smith (Wittenberg University) moderates.

First Second authors Paul Pope (Battling Boy) and Gene Luen Yang (Boxers & Saints) discuss their creative process, their magical-realist storytelling techniques, and their exciting upcoming books -- projects that each author has been working on for the past five years.