Ideas, characters, plots, designs, stories, paintings, photos, titles, names, logos, brands-it's enough to drive one crazy if you don't know your copyright from your trademark from your trade secret. But never fear-help is only a 90-minute program away. Noted IP attorney Michael Lovitz, author of The Trademark and Copyright Book comic book, is back for his 20th anniversary of enlightening creators at Comic-Con. His series of programs are designed to provide you with a basic legal foundation in intellectual property and related areas, including securing and enforcing your rights, contracts and licensing, fair use, social media, and much more. This first installment focuses on the basics-that is, understanding your intellectual property rights and how to protect them, focusing on protection and ownership of ideas, inventions, works of authorship, characters, brands and names, from conception through publication and beyond. Attendees are invited to participate in an interactive discussion about basic rights provided under U.S. copyright and trademark laws, including their intersection with new media, as well as new decisions and changes in the law and how they could affect those rights. Along the way, there will be plenty to learn about the protections available, as well as the numerous potential pitfalls, under the U.S. trademark and copyright systems. Please note: The Comic Book Law Schoolseminars are designed to provide relevant information and practice tips to practicing attorneys, as well as practical tips to creators and other professionals who may wish to attend. [This program is approved for 1.5 credits of California MCLE.].
Thursday July 18, 2013 10:30am - 12:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
Every year comics are banned in libraries all over the United States; learn how you can fight back! In recent years, comics that have been targeted for bans include all-ages classics like Bone by Jeff Smith and Dragonball by Akira Toriyama, as well as acclaimed books for adult readers like Alison Bechdel's Fun Home, Neil Gaiman's Sandman, Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and others. Learn more about what comics have been banned and challenged, why comics are banned, and how you can help by being a part of CBLDF's efforts for Banned Book Week!
Thursday July 18, 2013 12:00pm - 1:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
CBLDF proudly debuts Comics on Trial-a new lecture series covering the history of comics censorship and the court cases that changed the medium. In part 1, witness how comics were under attack from the very beginning! Attacks in the popular media gave way to comics burnings in the 1940s. This sparked a wildfire of moral panic culminating with the U.S. government investigating comics before a national audience in 1954 where the face-off between Frederic Wertham and William Gaines changed the medium forever. CBLDF executive director Charles Brownstein tells the sordid tale.
Thursday July 18, 2013 1:00pm - 2:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
Comic-Con special guest FredPerry (Gold Digger, Action Time Buddies, Zombie Kid Diaries) draws a page of Gold Digger (layout to inks) before a live audience, providing commentary on his preferred drawing tools, techniques, and more.
Thursday July 18, 2013 2:00pm - 3:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
Daniel Presedo (Photoshop), Chris Cox (Photoshop), Nikolai Svakhin (Photoshop), Brian Haberlin (Witch Blade, Anomaly), Liam Sharp (MadeFire, Marvel, DC), Bill Sienkiewicz (Marvel, DC), and Freddie E Williams II (DC) prepare for a lively discussion and Q&A. They will be giving away a membership to the Creative Cloud and more.
Thursday July 18, 2013 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
So you want to make comics? This program is your first step toward actually doing it! Top comic book creators Brandon Siefert (Witch Doctor) and Bobby Curnow (IDW editor, Night of 1,000 Wolves) discuss the ins and outs of the comic industry-specifically, what it takes to break into comics and how it's done! This is the panel that no writer or artist dare miss. Bonus: In addition to breaking in, learn how to stay in the comics business! Moderated by Comics Experience's Andy Schmidt (Marvel and IDW editor, writer).
Thursday July 18, 2013 4:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
Got a new comic, a new webseries, a new novel, a new TV show, or a movie? That's great-but pretty meaningless if you and your friends are the only ones who know about. How do you get the word out? Facebook and a webpage, sure. That's what everyone's doing. What can you do to cut through the clutter and get your stuff actually seen, actually talked about, actually out there so people can see it, read it, watch it, buy it? People who have been getting projects seen dating back to Star Wars give you their thoughts and advice on how you can do it for your project. Panelists include Molly Celaschi (Malena Public Relations, Spike TV Scream Awards), Heidi MacDonald (The Beat, Publishers Weekly), Craig Miller (Star Wars, The Dark Crystal), Amy Ratcliffe (Geek with Curves, StarWars.com), and Steve Saffel (Titan Books).
Thursday July 18, 2013 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
The iPad has transformed the way you read comics but did you know you can create comic art on it too? See a comic book character come to life as Hi-Fi's Brian Miller (Wolverine: An Origin Story) and Kristy Miller (Meet the Marvel Superheroes) demonstrate how to paint comics on the iPad. Learn the basic tools and techniques, including which apps work best and how you, too, can transform your iPad into a portable art studio. Q&A session.
Thursday July 18, 2013 6:00pm - 7:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
UPDATED: Wed, Jul 10, 10:30AM Bang Zoom! Entertainment is once again thrilled to bring you this one-hour panel/workshop about voice acting that covers practical dubbing techniques and what to expect at your first audition. This is a fantastic opportunity for attendees interested in the voice-acting profession to get firsthand advice and experience from professionals in an intimate, yet dynamic setting. Join video game voice director Amanda Wyatt (Assassin's Creed, Halo 4, Skylanders) and voice actor Roger Craig Smith (Voice of Sonic the Hedgehog and Batman: Arkham Origins) to get some inside information on how to break into the industry.
Thursday July 18, 2013 7:00pm - 8:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
Comic books and popular culture properties are hotter than ever. But actually making money from your creations that end up on screen requires understanding the legalities and pitfalls of contracts and license agreements in general, along with an understanding of the business models used by the companies looking to make you an offer. Attorney Michael Lovitz, author The Trademark and Copyright Book comic book, will tackle a number of the more advanced issues facing authors, artists, and designers, particularly once they've "broken through" and have started publishing and selling. This session is directed to some of the complicated issues surrounding marketing properties and creative ideas, including transfers and licensing of rights; production, merchandising, and distribution agreements; and key things you should know when Hollywood comes knocking. This interactive seminar gives attendees the opportunity to participate in the discussions as Lovitz covers various means for profiting from creative works, and explores the many important elements that form the foundation of every contract (and time permitting, contract negotiation role playing). With in-depth discussions about the options and opportunities for generating income from your creative endeavors, along with identifying some of the many problems and pitfalls that go hand in hand with each decision, you'll agree this session shouldn't be missed. Please note: The Comic Book Law School seminars are designed to provide relevant information and practice tips to practicing attorneys, as well as practical tips to creators and other professionals who may wish to attend. [This program is approved for 1.5 credits of California MCLE.]
Friday July 19, 2013 10:30am - 12:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
An all-star panel of kids comics creators and educators discuss ways to get children excited about reading, encourage creativity, and cultivate a love of literature using great graphic novels and comics. Panelists include Jennifer Holm and Matthew Holm (Babymouse), Kazu Kibuishi (Amulet), Raina Telgemeier (Smile), Dave Roman (AstronautAcademy), Alex Fajardo (Peanuts), Charles Brownstein (CBLDF), and Meryl Jaffe (Johns Hopkins University). Q&A to follow.
Friday July 19, 2013 12:00pm - 1:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
In 1970 two Manhattan bookstore clerks were arrested and convicted of selling obscene material for Zap #4, featuring work by R. Crumb, Spain and other underground greats. Later in that decade, convention promoter and high school English teacher Phil Seuling was busted for selling a book in the same series, hastening a chain of events that would create the comics specialty market, where the CBLDF has been defending retailers since 1986. Learn the true story of how retailers have been prosecuted for selling comics and how their struggle changed the face of the medium from CBLDF executive director Charles Brownstein in the second part of CBLDF's Comics on Trial.
Friday July 19, 2013 1:00pm - 2:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
Nationally renowned artist and owner of Watts Atelier of the Arts Jeffrey R. Watts walks you through a drawing demonstration in the Watts Method. Jeff will be talking about how traditional training is an absolute must in today's increasingly competitive art markets. If you ever wanted to study at an atelier, Jeff will be announcing Watts Atelier's Online Program, launching this summer. Now you can train in these amazing techniques and methods from anywhere in the world. With Jeff's over 21 years of teaching experience you will not want to miss this opportunity to watch a captivating demo and get insight into your future training options.
Friday July 19, 2013 2:00pm - 3:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
DC Entertainment is proud to have some of the brightest and most talented artists working in comics today. DC Comics artists share their unique approach to the page, with Chris Burnham (Batman, Incorporated), Gary Frank (Batman: Earth One, Justice League), Moritat (All-Star Western), and others.
Friday July 19, 2013 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
In print or digital comic books need color, but do you know how comic books are colored? Learn about the creative art of comic book coloring as Hi-Fi's Brian Miller (Batman: The Dark Knight) and Kristy Miller (Spongebob Squarepants) demonstrate the step-by-step transformation of a comic book page from black and white to full color. Learn the basics of flatting, rendering, color holds, and special effects, along with top digital coloring tips. Q&A session follows.
Friday July 19, 2013 4:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
Comics are a collaborative medium. Do you know how to bring out the best from your collaborators? Join former Marvel and IDW editor/writer and Comics Experience founder Andy Schmidt, artist Klaus Janson (Batman: The Dark Knight Returns), writer Josh Fialkov (The Ultimates, Echoes), and writer Brandon Siefert (Witch Doctor) as they discuss collaborative best practices, tips for writers and artists, and strategies for handling editor feedback. Become the kind of creator everyone wants to work with!
Friday July 19, 2013 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
Learn how a good business plan can lead to great creative results and how great creative can inform an even greater business plan. The minds behind Brand + Entertainment Solutions believe that the two go hand in hand—or more to the point—SHOULD go hand-in-hand, but often do not. Developing keys to successful business and creative execution are the focus of this panel. Featuring B+E Solutions’ Andy Schmidt (CEO, B+E Solutions), Jon Bresman (Star Wars/Mad Magazine veteran), Steve Drucker (VP of IP Development, Hasbro), Josh Fialkov (award-nominated screenwriter, graphic novelist, and video game writer), and Marc Guggenheim (Executive Producer, Arrow).
Friday July 19, 2013 6:00pm - 7:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
With host and Golden Globe nominated actor/director/teacher Richard Hatch (Battlestar Galactica Capt. Apollo, Tom Zarek, Phil Brent, All My Children). Richard will share his career story and the art, craft, and business of becoming a highly skilled, successful actor in today's world. Master fear and create a positive mindset for success.
Friday July 19, 2013 7:00pm - 8:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
On Thursday, you learned the basics, and on Friday you gained a better understanding of contracts, licenses, and agreements. It's now time to learn about some of the more complex issues facing creators, publishers, and other business owners. Noted attorney Michael Lovitz, author of the classic The Trademark and Copyright Book comic book, returns to address some of the more advanced (and often confusing) issues facing the creative and business communities, particularly in light of the ever-expanding worlds of new media, self-publishing and social networking. And this time, he's not alone, as attorneys David Branfman and David Lizerbram and Professor Marc Greenberg join Michael to share their collective knowledge and insights in some of the more cutting-edge legal issues faced by creators and businesses and discuss important recent legal decisions. Still interactive and four times as informative, the panel will touch on as many of the topics as time allows, including recent rulings in comic book creator and publisher litigations; the interplay of copyright terminations and work-for-hire agreements; blogs, podcasts, tweets, and cybersquatters; knockoffs, tarnishment, and dilution; satires, parodies and fair use; and the legalities of fan art and fan fiction. Plus: practical advice on how recent legal decisions and pending cases are likely to affect the field of popular culture and the role they may play in your creative and business plans. Please note: The Comic Book Law School seminars are designed to provide relevant information and practice tips to practicing attorneys, as well as practical tips to creators and other professionals who may wish to attend. [This program is approved for 1.5 credits of California MCLE.]
Saturday July 20, 2013 10:30am - 12:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
For those in the know, manga is a powerful form of storytelling that has its roots in Japan but reaches out to speak to the inner life of audiences all over the world. Unfortunately, manga is also one of the most misunderstood forms of expression in the modern cultural landscape, and for librarians, educators, and aficionados looking to share their passion for this amazing medium, overcoming those misunderstandings can be a daunting task. Comic Book Legal Defense Fund executive director Charles Brownstein is joined by experts to discuss the history of manga, its genre and demographic categories, and the issues affecting its readers in a panel that will provide audience members with more tools to defend this amazing category against uninformed attacks.
Saturday July 20, 2013 12:00pm - 1:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
In 1994, a Florida jury convicted cartoonist Mike Diana of creating obscene material in his hand-made zine Boiled Angel. As part of his sentence he was forbidden from drawing in his own home. In the last decade, an increasing number of individuals, including Christopher Handley and Ryan Matheson, have been targeted and prosecuted by law enforcement for reading manga that the government claims is deviant and obscene material. In the conclusion of CBLDF's Comics on Trial series, CBLDF executive director Charles Brownstein walks through the disturbing current battleground where individuals are being prosecuted for the ideas they draw and read.
Saturday July 20, 2013 1:00pm - 2:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
Marshall Vandruff (MarshallArt.com) will present over a hundred slides of Arthur Rackham's book illustrations to showcase the illustrator's high-level craft in pen and ink, watercolor, anatomy, draftsmanship, and character design and explain the training involved for today's artists who want to apply these classic disciplines and standards to their work in modern media.
Saturday July 20, 2013 2:00pm - 3:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
From chiseled cheekbones to flowing capes (and beyond) discover the cosmic power that Prismacolor Brush|Fine can add to all of your comic renderings. Prismacolor specialists Diana Garrett and Shelley Minnis provide tips and techniques to help you add realism and drama to your characters, including fabric folds, aesthetics, muscles, hair, facial expressions, environments and more. Samples and door prizes provided with the presentation.
Saturday July 20, 2013 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
Take this crash course into how to create powerful, readable comic book art. The fundamentals for what makes comic book art different from illustration, painting, and storyboarding and how to get started are covered by the experts from Comics Experience. Featuring Andy Schmidt (Marvel and IDW editor, Comics Experience founder) and artist Klaus Janson (Batman: The Dark Knight Returns).
Saturday July 20, 2013 4:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
Along with Marvel, Pixar, and Lucasfilm, Disney/ABC Television is home to some of the most creative storytellers in entertainment. Shalisha Francis (Co-Producer, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D); Chuck Kim (executive story editor, Heroes); and Rob Greenlea (director, Grey's Anatomy) joins talent development executives Frank Bennett Gonzalez and Janine Jones-Clark to share experiences and insight about the creative process and the necessary steps needed to break into television and land the job of your dreams. Discussion points include pitching and writing a compelling script, directing a solid episode of television, and the essentials of networking. Moderated by Ken Choy (Hyphen Magazine).
Saturday July 20, 2013 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
Have you ever seen a movie or read a book and thought, that didn't feel like the character or franchise? There’s a reason for that—Join Brand + Entertainment Solutions’ Andy Schmidt (CEO, B+E Solutions), Jon Bresman (Star Wars/Mad Magazine veteran), Steve Drucker (VP of IP Development, Hasbro), and Josh Fialkov (award-nominated graphic novelist) for an in-depth journey on how to dissect characters and franchises—figuring out what makes them tick, what makes them work, and what’s vital to that brand or franchise.
Saturday July 20, 2013 6:00pm - 7:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
An all-star panel of kids comics creators and educators discuss how to use color, line, text, and page design to create effective visual messages. Kids will be encouraged to incorporate tips when creating their own "Earth invasion message or icon." Panelists include Larry Marder (Beanworld, CBLDF), Royden Lepp (Rust), John Green (Teen Boat), Jimmy Gownley (Amelia Rules!), and Talia Hurwich (Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth), moderated by Meryl Jaffe (Using Content-Area Graphic Novels for Learning, Johns Hopkins University).
Sunday July 21, 2013 10:00am - 11:00am PDT
Room 30CDE
eigoMANGA's team of manga artists and animators will teach kids of all ages tutorials on manga illustrations and storytelling. Join our workshop with seasoned manga artist Mino Miyabi (The Voice of Innocence) and Austin Osueke (eigoMANGA's publisher of Rumble Pak, Sakura Pakk, and Alpha League).
Sunday July 21, 2013 11:00am - 12:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
Want to know what it takes to create super awesome comics for kids? Come hang out with the guys and girls who are making it happen every day: Neo Edmund (Red Riding -- Rise of the Werewolf Huntress, Jurassic Strike Force 5), Joe LeFavi (Fraggle Rock, editorial director for Jim Henson Co.), Thomas Zahler (My Little Pony, Love and Capes), Barbara Kesel (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, My Little Pony), Heather Nuhfer (Fraggle Rock, Strawberry Shortcake), and moderator Adira Edmund (Windy Hollows, MFA English Literature).
Sunday July 21, 2013 12:00pm - 1:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
Hey Kids! It's time to get happy, have fun, and be funny! Kristian Andrew Sather (Jetsons, kristiansather.blogspot.com ) returns to Comic-Con with his popular cartooning workshop. Kristian will demonstrate the techniques used in drawing funny cartoon characters. You will learn how to draw your own cartoon characters using basic geometric shapes and more.
Sunday July 21, 2013 1:00pm - 2:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
Sunday at Comic-Con International is one of DCE's favorite days of the show! Talent relations director Larry Ganem with the Eisner Award-winning team of Art Baltazar and Franco (Superman Family Adventures, The Green Team), and the ever dynamic Dustin Nguyen (Li'l Gotham) as they showcase their artistic talents in a panel fun for all ages!
Sunday July 21, 2013 2:00pm - 3:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
Dr. Wei Xu (artist/mathematician, author of Drawing in the Digital Age) explains how simple math and science knowledge can be utilized to make observational drawing much easier to learn.
Sunday July 21, 2013 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
Live action role playing or "LARP" is one of the oldest forms of artistic expression, and it's growing into a huge global movement. Besides being an oft-misunderstood activity in movies and television, LARP is used for psychological research, military simulation, business training, and classroom education. Our panel of experts will explain the differences and similarities between LARP and cosplay, transmedia, ARGs, jeepform, and all forms of participatory, interactive, communal storytelling. They'll trace the history of LARP and examine what's going on with LARP in other countries, including the Nordic nations, as well as in America. With Kaza Marie Ayersman (The Larp Girl), Nick Baumann (The League of S.T.E.A.M.), Dave Funk (co-founder, Larping.org), Ira Ham (Wyrd Con, LLC), Tom Miller (lead designer of Larping.org), and Lisa Schaefer (IFGS). Moderated by Aaron Vanek (Founder, Seekers Unlimited).
Sunday July 21, 2013 4:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Room 30CDE
