I don't think those of us who will be at Comic Con will be able to go to all of these, but if you want to find us at the convention, here are the places to look. If you don't feel the need to find us there, these are just some of the great things we feel are worth checking out.
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Christopher MoonlightTHURSDAY:10:30-11:30 DC Talent Search 1 Learn what DC Comics looks for in artists and how to improve your chances of becoming a working professional! DC Representatives discuss the different needs of the DC Universe, Vertigo, WildStorm, MAD magazine, and Zuda. This informative orientation session explains how DC's Talent Search works and provides numerous tips and tricks on how to improve your work and explore opportunities. To have your work reviewed, attendance at this orientation session is mandatory. (Please note: Not all attendees are guaranteed a one-on-one review.) Room 4
12:30-1:30 Indie Comics Marketing 101 Too Much Coffee Man's Shannon Wheeler has gone from minicomics to self-publishing to Dark Horse and now to The New Yorker.
Heidi MacDonald runs the taste-making comic industry must-read blog The Beat for Publisher's Weekly. Marketing director Chip Mosher is part of the team that has helped rocket BOOM! into the Top 10. All of them know a thing or two about marketing indie comics, and they join forces on this wide-ranging panel where they reveal their secrets! Moderated by former manager of development and content at MySpace and architect of MySpace Comic Books, Sam Humphries. Room 4
2:00-3:00 Spotlight on Bill Sienkiewicz The Eisner Award winning writer/artist is a Comic-Con special guest. Bill Sienkiewicz is best known for his comics work such as Elektra: Assassin and Stray Toasters, but he's also a film designer and writer/director. Bill talks about his career in this special Spotlight panel. Room 2
3:00-4:00 How-To Session: Tom T. Nguyen Tom T. Nguyen is a full-time professional artist and author. He works mostly for DC Comics and does pin-up art. Tom has created a series of how-to videos on YouTube covering the comic book art creation process. He will be covering the basics of how to ink a comic book page. Room 18
3:30-4:30 Marvel: Breaking into the House of Ideas Are you a writer or artist? Ever dream of working for Marvel? Do you find yourself thinking "I could do that...if I knew how!" Well, here's your chance! Join C. B. Cebulski, Marvel's talent liaison, and panelists writer Jeph Loeb (Ultimatum), Marvel editor Charlie Beckerman, artist Mike Choi (X-Force), colorist Christina Strain (Runaways), and more to find out the answers on how to get your foot in the door at every level in the creative process and how to make your job Marvel! Room 6DE
4:30-5:30 Workshop: Creating Creator-Owned Comics the Image Comics Way Want to bring your own vision to comics? Learn how from the people who do it best! Image founder
Jim Valentino (Shadowhawk) and Image luminaries Joe Kelly (I Kill Giants), John Layman (Chew), Jimmie Robinson (Bomb Queen), Steve Seagle (Soul Kiss), and Richard Starkings (Elephantmen) present an unprecedented workshop with an insider look at the creative process and tips on perfecting your pitch. This program will also include a Q&A session giving you the chance to directly talk to many pros who have made their dreams a reality! Room 7AB
6:00-7:00 Neko Press 10th Anniversary Panel Billy Martinez, publisher and creator for Neko Press, will discuss what it takes to keep an independent company going with the changing times. Billy will discuss the many books and stories that came out of his 10-year-old company. A great panel for aspiring artists and anyone interested in moving into the field of comics and art. Room 10
Dan Brereton @ Booth #4900 (Big Wow Art)
Dan is one of the finest comic book painters in the industry today, and will be debuting Volume 2 of his fully painted book The Nocturnals as well as his sketch books The Goddess & The Monster. He'll also have lots of origenal artwork to show and sell, which is always a treat to see.
Exhibit A Press: Booth #1909
Neko Press Comics: Booth #1622
Neko Press- booth 1602- 10 Year Anniversary party!
Stop on by for some exciting live art andappearances by Neko Press creators.Neko Press will be celebrating its 10th year in business.We will have a special 10 year sale on someselected Neko Press books and items, not to mentionbrand spanking new stuff that will be debuting at this event!
Don't forget to hit us up for a limited free inviteto our 10 year anniversary bash.Just ask one of our staff members for the freeinvite flyer to this event onSaturday the 25th after the show.It's going to be a blast!
For info on location and additionalquestions for this event log onto
http://www.comic-con.org/FRIDAY:10:00-11:00 DC Talent Search 2 Learn what DC Comics looks for in artists and how to improve your chances of becoming a working professional! DC Representatives discuss the different needs of the DC Universe, Vertigo, WildStorm, MAD magazine, and Zuda. This informative orientation session explains how DC's Talent Search works and provides numerous tips and tricks on how to improve your work and explore opportunities. To have your work reviewed, attendance at this orientation session is mandatory. (Please note: Not all attendees are guaranteed a one-on-one review.) Room 4
1:00-2:30 Comics Arts Conference Session #7: Strategies and Resources for Teaching a Course in Comics After brief statements about their own approaches to teaching a comics-based course, Alec Hosterman (Indiana University South Bend), Matthew J. Smith (Wittenberg University), and Randy Duncan (Henderson State University) create a dialogue with the audience so attendees can generate new ideas and glean information relevant to their teaching interests. Then Greg Urquhart (Alexander Street Press) previews forthcoming online collections of comic books and strips that will be useful for scholarship and teaching and discusses the issues and decisions the company has confronted in creating the collections. Room 30AB
2:00-3:00 Marvel: Cup o' Joe This is it, Mighty Marvel fans- the no-holds-barred, anything goes, full of surprises panel you wait for all year, and it's here! Marvel's EEK (editor-in-chief) Joe Quesada takes on all questions, shocks the audience with jaw-dropping announcements, and keeps you guessing with surprise guests. You never know who will show up, but you better be here, because this is the panel that everyone will be talking about! Room 6BCF
2:30-3:30 Comics Arts Conference Session #8: The Institute for Comics Studies� The Institute for Comics Studies is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the study, understanding, and appreciation of the comics medium. Director of ICS Peter Coogan discusses the organization's mission, goals, accomplishments, and plans. Board members representing the comics academy and the industry will contribute their comments and be available for Q&A: Randy Duncan (Henderson State University), Stanford Carpenter (School of the Art Institute of Chicago), Angela Ndalnias (University of Melbourne), Mimi Cruz (Night Flight Comics), Danny Fingeroth(Write Now!), Mike Richardson (Dark Horse Comics), Tim Stroup (Cold Cut Distribution), and Henry Jenkins (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Room 30AB
3:00-4:00 Impact University: How to Write and Draw Comics and Graphic Novels� Some of the biggest names in comics teach you what it takes to make it in comics and graphic novels. The star-studded faculty this year includes Peter David (X-Factor), Tom Nguyen (Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters), Brian Miller (Hi-Fi Colour Design), former Marvel editor and now IDW editor Andy Schmidt, publisher and editor-in-chief of IDW Chris Ryall, writer Scott Tipton (Angel), and Comics Buyer's Guide senior editor Maggie Thompson. Find out the best way to submit your work, learn the dos and don'ts of the business, and participate in a Q&A session. Room 30CDE
6:30-7:30 Digital Painting Seminar Patrick McEvoy (Starkweather: Immortal) demonstrate the art of digital painting with Adobe Photoshop and Corel Painter. Using examples from his work on the Marvel Style guide, a panel from Archaia's Starkweather, and a cover from BOOM! Studios' Fall of Cthulhu, Patrick will step through various techniques, starting from pencils and working up to a final rendering. Learn how to bring a fully painted look to your digital artwork! Room 30CDE
SATURDAY:10:30-11:30 DC Talent Search 3 Learn what DC Comics looks for in artists and how to improve your chances of becoming a working professional! DC Representatives discuss the different needs of the DC Universe, Vertigo, WildStorm, MAD magazine, and Zuda. This informative orientation session explains how DC's Talent Search works and provides numerous tips and tricks on how to improve your work and explore opportunities. To have your work reviewed, attendance at this orientation session is mandatory. (Please note: Not all attendees are guaranteed a one-on-one review.) Room 4
11:00-1:00 How-To Session: Adam Hughes is most commonly known for his stylized renderings of women: superheroines, damsels in distress, and figures in fantasy. Adam is considered by many to be one of a new generation of Good Girl artists inspired by Petty, Vargas, and Elvgren. He has worked on many DC titles, most notably Justice League and Wonder Woman, and has just finished a long run as the monthly cover artist on Catwoman. Adam will grace the stage for a two-hour demonstration on sketching characters. Room 18
12:00-1:00 CBLDF Master Sessions: The Heroic Figure with Dave Gibbons As the co-creator of Watchmen and Martha Washington, Dave Gibbons established himself as a master of creating immediately iconic heroes. Bring your sketchbooks and follow along as he shows you his creative process for creating dynamic, heroic figures at this live art demonstration! The original art from this session will be auctioned off on Saturday night at the CBLDF's auction! Room 30CDE
1:30-2:30 The One-Panel Panel A single image can hold an entire world in miniature. Comic-Con special guests
Charles Vess (Stardust),
Hope Larson (Chiggers), and
Michael Allred (Madman), plus Larry Marder (Beanworld) will each show and discuss one particularly meaningful panel from their own comics, how it came together, and where it led them as cartoonists. Moderated by Douglas Wolk (Reading Comics). Room 4
3:30-4:30 Spotlight on
Ray Bradbury The legendary fantasy and science fiction writer is once again a Comic-Con special guest, as he was for the very first show in 1970.
Ray Bradbury will discuss his new books, plays, and other projects with his long-time friend, writer and producer Arnold Kunert, and biographer Sam Weller. Room 6BCF
4:00-5:00 Building Your Art Portfolio Moderated by Comics Experience founder Andy Schmidt (X-Men, Annihilation) and featuring the expert advice of comic creators Chris Bachalo (X-Men, Generation X), Todd Nauck (Spider-Man, Young Justice), Robert Atkins (G.I. Joe), C. B. Cebulski (Marvel Talent Coordinator), and Zander Cannon (Top 10), this panel covers everything an aspiring comics artist needs to know about building a portfolio and getting his or her first gig. Join the discussion and ask your questions at the end! Room 30CDE
5:00-6:00 How-To Session: David Finch Artist David Finch got his start at Top Cow and Image comics more than 15 years ago. Successful books there including his creator-owned Aphrodite IX set him up for the incredible success he received on reaching Marvel Comics in 2001. After a 15-issue run on Ultimate X-Men with Brian Bendis, Finch made his permanent mark on the Marvel Universe with Avengers, Avengers Disassembled, and New Avengers. He is currently finishing up the smash hit Ultimatum, written by Jeph Loeb. David will discuss the creative process of comics and how to compose and lay out a comic book page from a script page. Room 18
5:30-6:30 Del Rey Manga...& Del Rey Comics!� Join the team for the Del Rey Happy Funtime Hullabaloo�Comic-Con 2009 edition! Hear about the newest manga acquisitions from Japan, along with other exciting new licenses and partnerships. Also, hear directly from some of the masterminds behind Del Rey Comics�a fun, new venture that's launching with the comics adaptation of Stephen King and Peter Straub's bestselling novel The Talisman. Get those questions ready now, and Dallas Middaugh (associate publisher), Ali Kokmen (marketing manager), Mutsumi Miyazaki (director of licensing and acquisitions), Tricia Narwani (Del Rey editorial), and Betsy Mitchell (editor-in-chief) will do their best to answer and/or dodge them! Room 4
Allen Spiegel Fine Arts 4701
Alexrossart.com 2419
Billsienkiewiczart.com 2449
Bongo Comics Group 2519
Dark Horse Comics, Inc. 2615
Devil's Due Publishing 2229
First Second Books 1323
Hi-Fructose 4939
IDW Publishing 1705
Image Comics 2729
Jill Thompson/ Brian Wood/ Cliff Chiang 1322
Penguin Young Readers Group 2913R
Spashpage Art 4400
Tara McPherson 4922
Top Shelf Productions, Inc1721
Write Brothers Software 1429
Artist's Alley Autographs:
Clive BarkerAuthor: Books of BloodLine ticket drawing to be held Saturday 9:15 am in Autograph Area SaturdayAA411:00 am�1:00 pm