San Diego Comic Con
Who Wants To See Some Comic Con Pics?
I went to the San Diego Comic Con a couple of weeks ago. How was it? Pretty great. Here’s some stuff that happened:
Okay, so this first thing requires a bit of set-up. Recently I wrote a children’s book titled The Fantastic Four Little Golden Book, which came out on July 1st from Penguin Random House. And at the Marvel booth this year, there were all of these props and costumes (and replicas thereof) from the movie Fantastic Four: First Steps. So on Wednesday July 23rd, Marvel staffers Jim Velasco and Neil Middleton were kind enough to let me do a photo shoot where I held up a copy of The Fantastic Four LGB with FF: FS movie props and costumes (and replicas thereof) in the background. It wasn’t really planned out beforehand, but it sure seems like it was, because I happened to be wearing all blue, just like the Fantastic Four themselves. Even the frames of my glasses are blue! Check out the pics:
Thanks to Neil Middleton and Lawrence Brenner for taking these FF/Marvel booth photos!
And on Thursday July 24th, I attended a mixer for animation writers which was held at Ghirardelli Ice Cream & Chocolate Shop, just a few blocks away from the convention center. Everyone who came to the mixer got this super-cool button. It shows a typewriter (something associated with writers) and a mixer (the kitchen appliance). Get it?
Here’s a photo of me and my friend and fellow animation writer Charlotte Fullerton. This pic was taken by Charlotte at the mixer:
On Friday July 25th, I went to another mixer. This one was for animation folk in general, and it was sponsored by The Animation Guild (or TAG, as it’s sometimes known). I had a great time at the TAG mixer. It was SO much fun! But do I have any pics from it? No, I do not. (If there’s anything I realized after SDCC ended this year, it’s that I should take more pictures during SDCC!)
On Saturday July 26th, I appeared on a SDCC panel called “Writing Nonfiction About Fiction: Coffee Table Book Writers Roundtable.” The panel was moderated by Andrew Farago, and the panelists were yours truly and Jerry Beck. I don’t have any photos from that panel, which is just because I forgot to ask someone to take pictures beforehand. Oh, well. I mean, I have the sign-thingie that they put in front of my microphone before the panel started, and I took a picture of that. Does the photo of the sign-thingie count? (No. No it doesn’t.)
But on the good side, the panel was great fun, and I had a fantastic time. (From what I could tell, the crowd did, too!) I think it helped that Andrew, Jerry, and I were all really big fans of each others’ work. Lots of mutual respect there. During the panel, I talked about some of the nonfiction books I’ve written, like From Krakow to Krypton: Jews and Comic Books and The Encyclopedia of Curious Rituals and Superstitions. I also talked about some of the children’s books I’ve written – like The Bad Guys Joke Book – and some of the work I’ve done as a screenwriter for television and video games.
You can find out more about the panel HERE.
That night, I went to the Ignition Press party. Did I take photos while I was at the party? No. Because that’s something a cool person would do, and as anyone can tell you, I am not cool. But here’s an exterior shot of the Ignition Press San Diego Comic Con off-site popup!
And here’s one of the Ignition Press pins they gave you when you entered the party for the first time. If having lots of pins and buttons makes you cool, then I am indeed very cool. (But as anyone would tell you, I am NOT cool. Come on, we’ve been over this already!)
The very next day, on Sunday, July 27th, I attended the ceremony for the Dwayne McDuffie Awards for Diversity in Comics. It was hosted by actor and comedian Phil LaMarr, and the keynote speech for the event was given by Brandon Easton. Here are some pictures from the event:
There were a few other things I did at SDCC 2025, but I’ve got to go work on a deadline right now. So maybe I’ll do a second SDCC post at a later date, where I talk about those vague-sounding “other things” I just referenced.
And before I go, I’ll leave you with this photo of regular Deadpool and “Where’s Waldo” Deadpool. Because…well, just because. That’s why. I mean, do you even NEED a reason for “Where’s Waldo” Deadpool?
PS – if you want to read a similar “SDCC wrap-up” blog post I wrote last year, you can check it out HERE.
Here’s My 2024 San Diego Comic Con Schedule!
Are you going to the San Diego Comic Con next week? If so, you can see me on two different panels, one of which I’m moderating, and one of which I’m not. Here’s the pertinent info for both:
On Friday, July 26th at 7:00pm, in Room 29AB, I’ll be moderating the “Epic Myths and Legends” panel. You see, I wrote an upcoming nonfiction book called The Encyclopedia of Epic Myths and Legends, and like the book, this panel will be all about the influence that ancient mythology had on modern-day pop culture. Here’s the official description of the event from the SDCC site:
The Encyclopedia of Epic Myths and Legends is a forthcoming nonfiction book by Arie Kaplan that details the influence of classic stories on contemporary pop culture. Without these myths, many of the most beloved fictional universes— everything from the Marvel and DC superheroes to Star Wars and Lord of the Rings—wouldn’t exist. Moderator Arie Kaplan (Frankie and the Dragon, LEGO Star Wars: The Official Stormtrooper Training Manual) and panelists Jonita Davis (The Black Cape, We Gon’ Be Black Today: Exploration of Black Nerd Culture), Mark Hoffmeier (Legend Quest: Masters of Myth, Avengers Assemble), and Jesse J. Holland (Black Panther: Who Is the Black Panther?, Star Wars: The Force Awakens—Finn’s Story) will discuss the influence these ancient myths have had on Hollywood blockbusters and comic book worldbuilding.
More info on the “Epic Myths” panel HERE.
And the second panel – the one I’m not moderating – is called “Neurotic Superheroes Across the Multiverses,” and it’s happening on Sunday July 28th at 2:30pm in Room 29CD. It’s moderated by Travis Langley and Danny Fingeroth. Here’s the official description of the event:
Dr. Travis Langley (Batman and Psychology; Spider-Man Psychology) and Danny Fingeroth (author, Superman on the Couch; editor, Spider-Man) lead this lively discussion of superhuman angst, guilt, suffering, and pain: Is Spidey the most neurotic superhero? Did Wolverine, Deadpool, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, or another take the title? Or has Batman topped the list all along?
For a comparison of how superhero neuroses have manifested over the years, across multiverses, and between different media depictions, join Gerry Conway (Amazing Spider-Man; Detective Comics), Deric A. Hughes (Arrow; The Flash), Natasha Lee (Insomniac Games), Arie Kaplan (From Krakow to Krypton), Justine Mastin (Blue Box Counseling; Starship Therapise), and maybe a surprise multiverse wrecker. Could the most neurotic superhero be the most human of them all?
More info on the “Neurotic Superheroes” panel HERE.
Who will end up being the most neurotic superhero? Will it be…ME? I mean, I can hope, right? Speaking of which: I hope to see you at both of these pulse-pounding panels! (See what I did there?)
This Year, I’m Going To Comic Con…Without Going To Comic Con
Much like other big public events that are involve thousands of people huddled together in a confined space, the San Diego Comic Con is not happening this year. Not the live, in-person, analog version of Comic Con, anyway. However…
This year, SDCC is having a series of virtual panel discussions and other online events. They’ve christened the event “Comic-Con@Home.” It started yesterday, and the online programming goes until Sunday July 26th, 2020.
I’ll be appearing on a “Comic-Con@Home” panel discussion celebrating the history and legacy of E.C. Comics. The panel will be happening tomorrow, Friday July 24th, 2020, at 6pm PST/9pm EST. The other panelists will be Grant Geissman (Foul Play! The Art and Artists of the Notorious 1950s E.C. Comics!) and Dr. Travis Langley (The Joker Psychology: Evil Clowns and the Women Who Love Them), and the moderator will be Danny Fingeroth (A Marvelous Life: The Amazing Story of Stan Lee), who is the Walter White to my Jesse Pinkman, the Eddie Murphy to my Arsenio Hall. Together, we’ll look back on the lasting impact E.C. has had on comics and on popular culture in general. For more info (and to view the panel on YouTube), click HERE.
E.C. holds a very special place in my heart, especially since I’ve served as a writer for two E.C. titles, MAD Magazine and Tales from the Crypt. Over the years, I’ve written approximately 30 humor pieces for MAD Magazine. I was also one of the writers who worked on the 2008 relaunch of Tales from the Crypt, published by Papercutz.