Hey everyone! After my one year hiatus (first since 2002) I’m happily headed back to the San Diego Comic Con July 21st-25th! I love me some comic-cons, and I really love the biggest comic-con the most–it’s just completely insane. I’m planning on writing about and from the show whenever possible, and hitting up all the parties and visiting all the booths and all of it. Keep reading the blog for updates, and if you’re a PR person/rep and wanna invite me to something, feel free to drop me a line at chris [at] beguiling [dot] com.
On that note, I’ll also be working The Beguiling’s original art sales area periodically, located in the Drawn & Quarterly booth (same area as last year I believe). Official PR about that one a little later, once we have the booth number and such.
I’m also quite honoured to be moderating or participating in a number of awesome panels and programs. I’d be delighted if you’d come out and visit, I think they’re all going to be pretty awesome (though all very different):
Thursday, July 22
The Best and Worst of Manga 2010
4:30-5:30pm, Room 3
It’s been a wild year for manga, with new publishers springing up while old ones fade away, and sometimes it seems like the one constant in life is that One Piece will go on forever. Join our five panelists—Deb Aoki (manga.about.com), Jason Thompson (Manga: The Complete Guide), Christopher Butcher (comics.212.net), Tom Spurgeon (comicsreporter.com) and Kai-Ming Cha (Publishers Weekly)—as they talk about the best and worst manga of the last year, the manga they want to see translated, and the most anticipated upcoming releases!
Friday, July 23
Comics Design
3:30 – 4:30pm, Room 26AB
How do pages of art become a book? Six designers – Mark Chiarello (DC Comics), Adam Grano (Fantagraphics), Chip Kidd (Random House), Fawn Lau (Viz), Mark Siegel (First Second Books), and Keith Wood (Oni Press) – discuss what’s involved in the process of comics design, and the importance of design to a book’s critical and consumer reception. Moderated by Chris Butcher (The Beguiling).
Saturday, July 24
Comics in the Classroom
3:30 – 4:30, Room 26AB
Comics are becoming increasingly common in the elementary and Secondary classrooms. But how can teachers incorporate comics into their course curriculums? This panel provides practical strategies for teachers to do just that. Presented by Anastasia Betts (UCLA), Christina Blanch (Ball State University), Deborah Ford (San Diego Unified School District), and Tracy White (NYU). Moderated by Chris Butcher (The Beguiling).
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See you there!
– Christopher Butcher
I’ll certainly be there for the Best and Worst Manga panel. (I’ll see if my schedule allows me to make the others.)
And please stay in the room directly afterwards for my annual Lost in Translation panel where manga/anime freelancers answer questions and trade industry stories.
Bill Flanagan
If sober, I will attend these panels
If drunk, I will add myself to these panels.