Getting caught up, what with yesterday being a holiday and all. The Thursday programming list went up a little while ago, and here’s what’s happening at Comic-Con two weeks from today.

Friday
The Factual And The Actual
10:00 — 11:00, Room 32AB
Starting things off early on Friday, with Randall Munroe, John Hendrix (The Faithful Spy), Don Brown (Rocket to the Moon! Big Ideas That Changed The World #1), Dylan Meconis (Queen of the Sea, review coming soon), Jim Ottaviani (Hawking), and Rachel Ignotofsky (Women In Art) talking nonfiction and nonfictionish comics, moderated by Judy Prince-Neeb (Chula Vista Public Library).

Comic Book Law School© 202: Let’s Make A Deal (or Three)
10:30 — 12:00, Room 11
The legal education continues, with this session on income-related topics: licensing, and agreements covering merch, manufacturing, and distribution, and how contracts govern it all.

Bedside Press: What’s Next?
12:00 –1:00, Room 25ABC
Remember yesterday when I thought we’d never see Scott Kurtz inside the San Diego Convention Center again? Well, today it’s Kris Straub that’s returned, talking about projects coming from the Canadian small press, along with fellow creators Amanda Deibert, SM Beiko, Steenz Stewart (editor extraordinaire, hire her after the Lion Forge implosion fiasco), Lilah Sturges, Ashley Robinson, and pubisher Hope Nicholson.

Feminist Comics That Rock
12:00 — 1:00, Shiley Special Events Suite, San Diego Central Library
Meanwhile, we’ve got a just as compelling session in the same timeslot as the Bedside talk, over at the library so it’s pretty much impossible to hop between the rooms and catch half of each. Raina Telgemeier, Peggy Burns, Claudia Aguirre, and Jennifer Holm, moderated by Candice Mack (LA Public Library). Not that I’lll get to either, as I’ve got an interview lined up at 12:15. Grrrrr.

LGBTQ+ YA Graphic Novels
1:00 — 2:00, Shiley Special Events Suite, San Diego Central Library
If you were at the library for the noon slot, stick around for Rosemary Valero-Connell (Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me), Sarah Graley (Kim Reaper), Claudia Aguirre (Morning In America), and Lilah Sturges (Lumberjanes: The Infernal Compass) in discussion with Amanda Melilli (ALA Graphic Novels And Comics Round Table).

Steven Universe
1:00 — 2:00, Ballroom 20
But if you’re a Steven Universe fan, you weren’t in any of those sessions listed above, because you’ve been in line for Ballroom 20. Shelby Rabara (Peridot) moderates, with Estelle (Garnet), Michaela Dietz (Amethyst), Deedee Magno Hall (Pearl), and Rebecca Sugar. Songs! Laughs! Trailer for the movie!

America’s Best Comics Editors And What They Do!
1:30 — 2:30, Room 8
I love the nuts-and-bolts discussions of how thing get made. I can’t think of anything that would keep me from listening to Jann Jones (Legendary), Henry Barajas (Top Cow), David Mariotte (IDW Publishing), Chynna Clugston Flores (Image Comics), Shannon Eric Denton (WildStorm/DC Comics), Sarah Gaydos (Oni), and Elizabeth Brei (IDW) talk about the editorial process!

Spotlight on Ursula Vernon
1:30 — 2:30, Room 24ABC
Godsdammit! Except this. Because as I believe I have established, I loves me some Digger, and everything else that Ursula Vernon creates.

A Conversation With Sonia Manzano (AKA “Maria” from Sesame Street)
2:00 — 3:00, The Theater, Comic-Con Museum
No lie Maria was one of the moral lodestones in my early education. Unfortunately, the Comic-Con Museum is like 5 miles away at Balboa Park, so this ain’t happening. Just as well, I need to get lunch sometime today.

Graphic Novel Or Illustrated Book: You Make the Call
2:00 — 3:00, Grand 12 & 13, Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina
It is one of the rules of this page that you should see Karen Green, Columbia University librarian, speak whenever you get the chance. She’ll be talking with creators William Stout, Armand Baltazar, and Mark Wheatley, along with JC Vaughn (VP Publishing, Gemstone). Unfortunately, I’ll still be at the Vernon retrospective.

Kids And YA Graphic Novel Publishing: Behind The Scenes
2:00 — 3:00, Shiley Special Events Suite, San Diego Central Library
I am becoming convinced that somebody said, Hey, let’s put every single panel Gary would want to see overlapping in one big block on Friday, at the far corners of the city! Why else would I miss out on hearing :01 Books publisher Mark Siegel, with Tracy Hurren (Drawn & Quarterly), Maya Bradford (Abrams ComicArts), Andrew Arnold (HarperCollins) and moderator Carla Riemer (librarian, Claremont Middle School).

Science And History in Comics
3:00 — 4:00, Shiley Special Events Suite, San Diego Central Library
This is getting ridiculous. Maybe if I find food I can eat on my walk from the Vernon retrospective on my way to the library, I could hear Jim Ottaviani, MK Reed, Ben Fisher, Emily S Whitten, and moderator Tracy Edmunds.

Spotlight On Kurt Busiek
3:00 — 4:00pm, Room 28DE
Mentioning because the spotlight will be controlled by Scott McCloud, who besides being a genius has been buddies with Busiek since middle school. Nothing better than watching two old friends catch up and shoot the shit.

Graphix Fix: Great Graphic Novels For All Ages
4:00 — 5:00, Room 32AB
Scholastic Graphix superstars including Jim Benton, Sarah Graley, Jennifer Holm, Varian Johnson, Shannon Wright, Jon J Muth, and Raina Telgemeier. I suspect the room may be too small.

Comics Law: Disney, Malibu, And The Uncensored Mouse
4:30 — 5:30, Room 24ABC
This sounds legit fascinating: a discussion of a court case where Disney stomped on a publisher for printing public domain Mickey Mouse newspaper strips. Tom Mason (editor of the reprints), Dave Olbrich (publisher of the reprints), Nat Gertler (About Comics publisher), and Michael Lovitz (IP attorney).

Best And Worst Manga Of 2019
6:00 — 7:00, Room 4
I’m not making it to the show floor at all on Friday, am I? This one’s always fun, and features Brigid Alverson (my good friend and fellow pixel-stained wretch), Christopher Butcher (who has a birthday today, go wish him a happy one!), Megan Peters, Rob McMonigal, and Deb Aoki. Lots of experience and impeccable taste on this panel, find out what they loved and what they hated.

Creator Origins: A Candid Conversation On LBGTQ Comics Creation
6:00 — 7:00, Room 9
I’ve lost track of how many panels have caught my eye today … twelve? Fifteen? [Editor’s note: this is number seventeen, and we’ve got a still to go.] Megan Townsend (GLAAD) taking to Joe Glass (The Pride), Clive Hawken (Delver), Spike Trotman (Iron Circus Comics), and Ivan Salazar (comiXology).

Comics Of The Internet: The Memes, the Myths, The Legends
7:00 — 8:00, Room 9
It’s about comics that go memetically viral. Sounds a lot like one that happened last year on Sunday, and even also features Hope Nicholson, this time with Jose Sagastume, Ivan Salazar, and Kris Straub.

MAD vs New Yorker Cartoons: Which Are Funnier?
7:30 — 8:30, Room 24ABC
Oof. Too soon?

TGIF Keenspot Panel Party Hosted By Rob Potchak
8:00 — 9:00pm, Room 28DE
I’m not entirely certain that Keenspot shifting from their traditional very last timeslot of the con is actually doing them any favors, considering they’re now up against Friday night food, parties, and the friggin’ Eisner Awards.

The Girl Genius Radio Play
8:30 — 10:00, Room 8
Yepper, somebody is bound and determined to ensure that Phil and Kaya Foglio don’t get to bed at a reasonable hour at all this year.

The World Of Drive
9:00 — 10:00, Room 9
Oh, come on! Look, I stand second to no man in my love of Drive, and the work that Los Angeles resident Dave Kellett and his colorist Beth Reidmiller have put in to make it such a great strip. And I really, really love what happens when LArDK talks with his directing partner, Fred “Not The Beethoven One” Schroeder. But if I’m awake after this day at 9:00pm, I’ma be wherever the impromptu Comics Camp reunion is happening, with booze close to hand.

Spam of the day:

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Is e2 something like twenty-exty-six?

It’s that time when we find out what’s happening in the programming tracks of San Diego Comic Con, and something about this year seems … odd. Did programming always go so late? Sure, some screenings and replays and such would start well after the convention center was mostly empty, but I can’t recall actual panels that started at 9:00pm in previous years. Or maybe it’s just stuff that I noticed because it has some interest for me being thrown into such late slots? We’ll figure it out together, friends. Onward.

Thursday
How to Get News Coverage
10:30 — 11:30, Room 8
Quoting: A lot of publishers have no idea what to submit to the press, how to submit it, and why they are being overlooked for coverage, so please yes go learn from these people and make my inbox a little more civilized. Comics journalist Rik Offenberger moderates Tim Chizmar, Glenn Hauman, Jez Ibelle, Heidi Mac, Alexander Raymond, Rob Salkowitz, Francis Sky, JC Vaughn, and Josh Waldrop, with independent comic creators Ed Catto and Holly Golightly.

That’s … yeah, twelve people is about six too many for any panel.

Comic Book Law School© 101: IP Law Basics, Simple as 1, 2, 3 . . .
10:30 — 12:00, Room 11
The annual seminars on IP law relevant to comics, each worth 1.5 credits of California MCLE. IP attorney Michael Lovitz focuses on the basics of intellectual property rights available to creators and business owners and will provide attendees with the foundation needed for understanding which rights are available to creators of comics, games, films, and other creative works, as well as insights on how best to safeguard ideas, creative works, characters, brands, and names/titles, from genesis through publication and distribution, and beyond.

Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks in Conversation
1:00 — 2:00, Room 28DE
Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks talking about lots of stuff, including presumably their collaboration on Pumpkinheads, out from :01 Books in August.

The Making of a Graphic Novel Publisher: Random House Graphic
2:00 — 3:00, Room 28DE
Gina. Emmer-Effin. Gagliano.

D&D: All Bards
3:00 — 4:00, Horton Grand Theatre
The last time Jim Zub played D&D on stage, he shaved his head to get into character. This time he (and all the other players) will play a bard and no combat allowed! There’s no telling how weird this may get, especially considering Sam Sykes and Chuck Wendig (they live-tweeted a weird story that became an actual movie!) will be there, along with Paul Krueger, Pierce Brown, and EK Johnston.

Webcomics: Truth in Four Panels
3:30 — 4:30, Room 4
Not really sure if I get the premise — four panel comic strips are more credible than news? — but I guess we can listen to JR Gervais (YoungCannibals.net) and Eddie deAngelini (CollectorsComic.com) explain. Moderated by Jeremy Wein (founder, NYC Podfest).

Artist as Brand, Rise of the Artist Entrepreneur
5:00 — 6:00, Grand 12 & 13, Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina
I desperately wish Brad Guigar could be at this panel, just to get his impressions afterwards. Greg Spalenka (artist/educator moderates Daniel and Dawna Davis (founders of Steam Crow, publisher of monster products), Melissa Pagluica (writer, comic book artist, author of Above the Clouds), Ray Chou and Vincenzo Ferriero (founders of Mythopoeia, Skies of Fire), and Ashleigh Izienicki (illustrator).

How to Make a Webcomic You’ll Actually Finish
5:00 — 6:00, Room 9
Maya Kern (Monster Pop!) is talking on many of the same topics as that last session, judging from the description: This panel offers a presentation that examines comic making through the lens of [career, and work/life balance] sustainability, with a Q&A session at the end.

Working in Comics: The Folks Behind-the-Scenes
5:00 — 6:00, Room 23ABC
The 5:00 hour is getting crowded. Sarah Gaydos (E-I-C at Oni Press), Shing Yin Khor (Kickstarter Thought Leader 2019), Cara O’Neil (social media strategist at Dark Horse Comics), Chloe Ramos-Peterson (library market sales representative at Image Comics), Nancy Spears (VP, Sales at DC Publishing), and Michele Wells (VP and executive editor for DC Books for Young Readers) talk about the non-writing, non-drawing work of comics. Also please note? The folks doing the work that get you your funnybooks each Wednesday? Women.

Will Eisner: Defending Comics/Graphic Novels as “Real Reading”
5:00 — 6:00, Shiley Special Events Suite, San Diego Central Library
Really crowded; dang, I think this is the one to see in this hour: Parents and administrators are still fighting the concept of comics as literature, and the educators on this panel have excellent methods for addressing these challenges. Moderated by John Shableski, panelists include Erin Hill, Lisa Harrison, Joe Onks, Nichole Santangelo, and Amy Pitotti.

Passion into Cash: Animate Characters and Make Money
6:00 — 7:00, Room 11
Listing this because it appears that Scott Kurtz, who I thought would never set foot inside the convention center again, is setting foot inside the convention center. Innnnteresting! Also Cory Casoni, Laura Williams-Argilla (director of product management, Bits at Twitch), and Dave Werner (Adobe experience designer, YouTube illustrator and animator).

Comics PR and Marketing 101
6:30 — 7:30, Room 8
Lotta smart people: comiXology head of content Chip Mosher moderates Alex Segura (Archie), Spike Trotman (Iron Circus Comics), Hope Nicholson (Bedside Press), Kel McDonald (The Stone King), and Ivan Salazar (comiXology).

Condensing an Idea: Making the Difficult Palatable
6:30 — 7:30, Room 26AB
Again, lotta smart people on this one, and in direct conflict with the smart people on the last one. Damn, SDCC scheduling, why you gotta be this way? How to delve into complex worlds and come out the other side with stories we readily consume. Panelists include Kurt Busiek, Jon B Cooke (Comic Book Artist), Randall Munroe (xkcd), Dani Colman, Tea Fougner (editorial director for comics, King Features Syndicate), and moderator Barbara Dillon.

From OSHA Violation to Superhero: The Lab Accidents That Will Most Likely Give You Superpowers
7:00 — 8:00, Room 6DE
There’s nobody listed in the description so it could be a complete bust, but I love the title.

Spooky Kids
8:00 — 9:00, Room 23ABC
Mariah McCourt (Stitched), Lilah Sturges (Lumberjanes), Shing Yin Khor (The American Dream? A Journey on Route 66), Louise Simonson (New Mutants), Che Grayson (Noble), and Amanda Meadows (Lionforge senior editor) talk about spooky stories for kids, but this is getting ridiculous. You can’t stay on the floor until the show’s done and do this panel and eat diner before 10:00pm at the earliest. I may have to go by Shing’s booth and slip her some snack bars so her righteous hanger doesn’t cause her to change to her Lumberjack Form and wreak havoc but then again that would be spooky.

Webcomics Advocates: The Webcomics Gathering
8:00 — 9:00, Room 9
We see this one every year, but usually a bit earlier in the evening. Brendan Creecy (Brax the Alien Rocker), Patrick Scullin (Super Siblings), Eddie DeAngelini (Collectors), Ambrose Quintanilla (Gopher-It Comics), Daniel Sansonetti (Daniel’s Way), and moderator Kristen Parraz (Comadres y Comics podcast) talk webcomics. Features the 30 second lighting round o’ advice, but seriously — can you believe they’re starting this late?

The Storyteller’s Guide with Satine Phoenix
8:00 — 9:00, Room 32AB
Can you believe they’re starting this late with a friggin’ McElroy Brother on the dais? Moderator Satine Phoenix and dungeonmasters Travis McElroy (Adventure Zone) and Kailey Bray (Damsels, Dice and Everything Nice) improv a story in real time.

How the West Got Weird Again
9:00 — 10:00, Room 23ABC
And we’ll wrap with what will be the first of a couple of late nights for Phil Foglio, what with his traditional hosting duties at the Masquerade on Saturday. Western stories crossed with zombies, monsters, aliens, etc, moderated by David Boop, with Jonathan Maberry (Joe Ledger series, V-Wars), Foglio (Girl Genius), Eytan Kollin (The Unincorporated Man), and Naomi Brett Rourke (Straight Outta Tombstone).

Spam of the day:

eCards via fubar

Somebody ought to tell you what your company name means.

So this will perforce be on the shorter side.

• Firstly, everybody in the States enjoy your day off, maybe take some time to consider what freedom in this country actually means, and if you’ve got fireworks in your future please be careful¹. If you wanted to watch fireworks with other comics folk, the Cartoon Art Museum in San Fancisco is hosting a viewing party.
• Secondish, we’ll probably see a release of San Diego Comic Con programming tomorrow or Friday; I’ll be sure to bring that to you when it drops. In the meantime, may I remind you that the Will Eisner Spirit Of Comics Retailer Award nominations have been released? And that Pat Race and Aaron Suring, the generous gentlemen behind Alaska Robotics Gallery (and Juneau Mini-Con/Comics Camp, and more involvement in the arts scene of Juneau than can be recounted here) are nominees? Indeed, they’re the first nominees on the page! Okay, alphabetical order and all, but I like to think it’s also because they’re the best.
• Thirdwise, if you ever wondered what I sound like, I was on a podcast with my excellent friend Jon Ferocious J Sung² and my new friend Besha. Come listen to me achieve Peak White Guy! And if you find the discussion that Besha and I had around unfortunate medical experiences, find me in person (preferably with booze to hand) and I’ll share the story that I didn’t tell, of the Most Unfortunate And Embarrassing Patient Packaging Challenge Of All Time. It’s a corker.

Okay, that’s it. Be well, friendos.

Spam of the day:

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I’m not sure if the translator algorithm is flaky, or if the spammers can’t spell/use recognizable grammar in Russian as well as English.

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¹ I’m on EMS holiday duty tomorrow night, and I’d rather not deal with anybody that’s blowed up, thanks very much.

² You may remember him from such internet image searches as This party’s better than it seems and God Hates Jedi. He’s been a significant part of the Dumbrella at SDCC efforts until fairly recently, when he and his wife decided to reproduce themselves. Apparently carrying around a toddler in a BabyBjorn in the pathogen-rich environment of the San Diego Convention Center for four days is too big of an ask. Whatever, J.

But a week in which The Nib finds its existence is in upheaval-slash-transition is anything but rational. That being said, better late than never with the news: Gene Yang’s next book has a release date. We’ve known about the title (Dragon Hoops) and the elevator pitch (the story of the basketball team from the high school where Yang used to teach in Oakland) for years — he shared them when we spoke back in Aught-Sixteen.

But now we get the full launch announcement, in Entertainment Weekly¹ no less, with quotes from Yang and a set of preview pages. Yang’s art has lost no steps in the years that he’s let others do the drawing (Sonny Liew on The Shadow Hero, Mike Holmes on the Secret Coders series, Gurihiru on the Avatar: The Last Airbender series, various artists on Superman and New Super-Man), and the story …

The story’s different. It’s not just the story of the basketball team at the Oakland high school where he used to teach, their history, and their run for a state championship. It’s a story about his relationship to comics and creativity, to teaching, and to sports. It’s treading into Raina Telgemeier territory and that is terrific news. Yang put a lot of himself into the stories in American Born Chinese but this time he’s literally on the page, captions talking to the reader about what’s going through his mind as he acts out his life on the page.

It’s particularly an interesting tack to take, making Dragon Hoops not just about the team, but also his struggles to find a story — then finding a story just across campus in the gym — while simultaneously admitting that he’s never been a sports guy and actively shies away from the culture of captial-S Sports. I think it’s not coincidence that Yang breaking out of his comfort zone would have coincided with his term as the fifth National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, where his efforts were summarized in his Reading Without Walls Challenge:

• Read a book about a character who doesn’t look or live like you.
• Read a book in a format you don’t typically read — graphic novels, poetry, audiobooks, plays.
• Read a book about a new subject you don’t know much about.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see this theme in Dragon Hoops; we’ll all find out together on 17 March 2020, when 448 pages (!) of comics wisdom drops from :01 Books.

Spam of the day:

Thank you for registering at Hotel Tino – Ohrid

Blah, blah, click the link, set up your account, blah. Ordinarily, I’d chalk this up to a clumsy attempt to get me to go to a virus-ridden hellsite, but it appears to be a legit business. Looks like one of the other Garies Tyrrell has forgotten again that my email is not their email. Hope they get their reservation honored.

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¹ Remember when a new graphic novel announcement would trickle out with maybe a small mention in Publishers Weekly or at The Beat? Now it’s the Los Angeles Review Of Books, or EW, or Premiere, or some other mainstream culture publication, if it’s not Washington Post or New York Times. Don’t ever tel me that comics as a medium is dying.

I got the news in an email from Matt Bors on Friday evening:

After three and a half years, First Look Media has decided to no longer fund The Nib at the end of July and me and my team will be let go as part of a broader shift at the company.

Well, shit.

I have mentioned The Nib more than a few times since it launched, because it is unique (and I’m using that word precisely). They publish editorial comics and nonfiction comics and reportage comics, but a wide variety of creators (some of whom, disclaimer, are personal friends), most of which I love and a few of which I actively despise¹.

You know what? Good on The Nib for not catering to me 100%, for making me confront what I consider to be lazy or obvious cartooning in service to crappy or self-indulgent worldviews. Matt Bors and his editorial team have done amazingly good work, and more importantly they pay cartoonists.

And, hell, he’s been through this before, when Medium decided to drop them; at the time, Bors ran a Kickstart and printed a book and found a new home at First Look. Since he got there, he’s ramped up the quality, ramped up the breadth of cartoonists and reporting, and took a few shots at Glenn Greenwald, Michael Tracey, and other faux-left provocateurs. They launched a magazine which is very, very good, and a subscription program in concert. They were bringing in eyeballs and doing damn good work. But First Look Media is pivoting to video (a thoroughly discredited idea) and jettisoning The Nib in the process.

But this time is different. Bors isn’t looking for the next billionaire-whim media startup to settle in at and get cut from:

This will be a major setback but I will be devoting all my time to continuing this publication with contributions from all the editors and cartoonists who have made this publication what it is.

To assure you about where the print magazine is at: the fourth issue of the magazine is at the printers now and will be shipped in early July. The fifth issue, the Animals issue, is in the works and I will be printing it independently.

To be honest, this was a shock. When I got the letter, I thought it was going to be the notice that with the fourth issue of The Nib magazine going to print, it was time to pony up and subscribe to see the fifth and subsequent issues. Seems like I’m not the only one that was determined to help The Nib survive; in a post today at Medium (irony!), Bors tells us:

I founded this publication almost six years ago to highlight political and non-fiction comics in a media environment that doesn’t support them. So I’m not ready for the funeral yet and I’m sorry if it sounded like one. I just needed a minute.

As news of all this broke we had our single biggest day of membership signups. Hundreds of new supporters pledged — on a Friday night no less. I feel emboldened by that.

I refuse to walk away from this project or let it die after the successes of our last year. There are are too many of you who have expressed support and written to say how important it is to you. There is too much going on in the world that demands biting political cartoons and non-fiction comics. [emphasis mine]

The surge in memberships is continuing, and it looks like Bors just might be able to carry off his own pivot — The Nib wasn’t established enough to go to a full-bore subscription site when Medium dropped them, but the word is out now. Hell, non-comics-specific publications like The AV Club are covering the story, and not as part of comics coverage … it’s a general news story.

As for the cartoonists of The Nib, even with the upheaval that’s going to be dropping in the near future, they’re still cranking out relevant, informative, timely cartoons — here are just two from today. You’ll see work of this length every once in a while from The New Yorker or maybe Vanity Fair, but you’ll see multiple instances each week at The Nib.

I’m a subscriber by virtue of the Kickstart, and I’ll be continuing that sufficient to keep getting the magazine in print. I mean, hell, I pay US$15/month to the service that backups up my opinion-like screeds, I may as well do at least as much to support the dozens of cartoonists from around the world that do such good work. If you value the same, join me.

Spam of the day:

This message is from a trusted sender.
Note: Our Ladies are seriously attractive ????

Okay, A) You can’t just type in the phrase This message is from a trusted sender in the body of your email and expect me to take it seriously, and 2) If you’re trying to get me interested in your porn-based phishing attempt, maybe don’t take stylistic cues from T-Rex???

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¹ And it’s not like he ever commissioned Ramirez or Garrison.