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If you’d like to go to San Diego without actually going to San Diego, WonderCon is your best bet. Held up the coast a bit in San Francisco, you’ll get a scaled down version of the big show with tons of great panels, cartoonists, and even movie stars but with plenty of passes, hotel rooms, and lot of room to just jump up and click your heels! The programming has just been released, and there’s too much good stuff to possibly see it all, but we’ve pulled some of our favorites in the jump. To avoid stress, you can go here and make your own schedule. There’s also an app for that.

As previously mentioned, we’ll be at the show, but in a more observational capacity. Come up and say hi!

Comic-Con International (Comic-Con), the parent company of WonderCon, today released the much anticipated program schedule for the event, which will be held Friday through Sunday, April 1–3, at Moscone Center in San Francisco.

The popular convention features every major comic book publisher, as well as major Hollywood movie studios and stars of comics, movies, and television.
“This year’s lineup is pretty spectacular,” commented David Glanzer, WonderCon’s Director of Marketing and Public Relations. “Programming is always at the heart of our shows, and I think this year’s slate will prove to be among the most exciting yet.”

Originally considered a regional show for Northern California, in recent years WonderCon has followed her sister event, the San Diego Comic-Con, in becoming a full-fledged national show attracting attendees and media from all over the country.

WonderCon 2011 features some of the premier stars of the comics world including Jason Aaron, Sergio Aragones, Berkeley Breathed, Tony Daniel, Mark Evanier, Adam Hughes, Robert Kirkman, Hope Larson, Bob Layton, Paul Levitz, Jeremy Love, Francis Manapul, Carla Speed McNeil, Terry Moore, Ryan Ottley, Joe Quesada, Frank Quitely, Amy Reeder, James Robinson, Seth, Bill Sienkiewicz, Len Wein, F. Paul Wison, Judd Winick, and Marv Wolfman.

Hollywood has a major presence at WonderCon this year as well, joining the action with an exclusive peek at Green Lantern with stars Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively and Peter Sarsgaard; a Cowboys & Aliens discussion with director Jon Favreau; a special presentation on the movie Immortals featuring Henry Cavill (the new Superman) and Kellan Lutz; and appearances by V’s Elizabeth Mitchell, Priest’s Paul Bettany, Super’s Rainn Wilson,  Human Target’s Mark Valley, and Breaking In’s Christian Slater.

The complete WonderCon programming schedule can be found at http://www.comic-con.org/wc/wc_prog.php. WonderCon ticketing details and additional information about the Comic-Con family of conventions can be found at www.comic-con.org.


1:00-2:00 East Meets West— Mike Royer (Jack Kirby and Russ Manning inker), Steve Oliff (Marvel, DC, Image colorist), Steve Leialoha (Eisner Award-winning cartoonist), and Paul Power (actor/publisher/storyboard artist) will discuss the new comic book series East Meets West from Paul Power Publications and talk about Alex Toth in this fun filled hour with a Q&A session. Room 220
Categories:  Comic Books

1:00-2:00 Spotlight on Terry Moore— Don’t miss this opportunity to catch up with one of the comic industry’s favorite indie creators! Charles Brownstein (CBLDF) will talk with Terry Moore about the finale of his latest series, ECHO, as well as exciting new projects slated for the coming year. This panel is always a fan favorite! Don’t miss it! Room 236
Categories:  Comic Books | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances

2:00-3:30 That ’70s Panel— The 1970s marked the coming of the first generation of comics fans becoming comics pros. Mark Evanier, who started his comics career with the great Jack Kirby, talks to fellow WonderCon special guests Mike Friedrich (Justice League of America, Robin), Paul Levitz (Legion of Super-Heroes, The Huntress), Len Wein (Swamp Thing, Fantastic Four), and Marv Wolfman (Tomb of Dracula, Amazing Spider-Man) about how they went from letter writers to comics writers and their other experiences in that magical decade. Room 220
Categories:  Comic Books | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances

2:00-3:00 Spotlight on Jeremy Love— Sam Humphries moderates an hour-long conversation with WonderCon special guest Jeremy Love, award Winning creator of DC/Zuda’s seminal web comics hit Bayou. Be there as Jeremy discusses the influences, inspiration and creative process behind the acclaimed series and previews upcoming projects! Room 236
Categories:  Art & Illustration | Comic Books | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances

2:30-3:30 Max Brooks— Max Brooks, screenwriter and author of the best selling books The Zombie Survival Guide, World War Z, and The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks, is the world’s leading authority on the defense against a ghoulish uprising! Renowned for his campus and convention lectures nationwide, Brooks comes to WonderCon to share his insight into the rotting minds of the undead, reveal how the Zombie Survival Guide came into existence, and field questions from zombie-phobic fans! You dare not miss this lecture — your very life may depend on it! Room 104
Categories:  Horror and Suspense | Movies

3:00-4:00 Iron Man Legend: Bob Layton— Celebrating his 35th year in the comic industry, WonderCon special guest Bob Layton discusses his long association with Marvel’s Iron Man franchise and making the transition to working in Hollywood. Bob will preview upcoming projects, including his latest Iron Man mini series, Iron Man Forever and several new film projects. Join moderator/TV writer/producer Steve Kriozere (NCIS) for this one-on-one interview with the co-creator of some of Marvel’s most memorable Iron Man stories and join in on the Q&A session! Room 236
Categories:  Animation | Comic Books | Movies | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances

3:30-5:00 Comics Arts Conference 3: Focus on Seth— WonderCon special guest Seth joins the CAC for a focus panel with Kathleen Dunley (Rio Salado College) to discuss Seth’s work and how comics can be used as an act of preservation — both literally, as with the cartoonist’s Doug Wright collections, and metaphorically, as with Seth’s Dominion project in Palookaville or the “preservation” of fictional Canadian TV personality George Sprott. Room 204/206
Categories:  Art & Illustration | Cartooning and Comic Strips | Comic Books | Comics Arts Conference | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances

3:30-4:30 San Francisco Underground Indie Comic Spotlight— From the political to the artistic, this fabulous panel will spotlight the rich past, the thriving present, and the exciting future of the San Francisco underground indie comic book scene. Join Trina Robbins (Wimmen’s Comix, The Brinkley Girls), Lee Marrs (Pudge, Girl Blimp), Shaenon Garrity (Narbonic, Skin Horse), Ted Naifeh (Courtney Crumrin, Good Neighbors), Jon Macy (Fearful Hunter, Teleny and Camille), Rich Boutell (InterSections), and moderator Brian Andersen (So Super Duper, Friend of Dorothy) in what’s sure to be a lively discussion. Room 254/256
Categories:  Comic Books

4:00-5:00 Spotlight on Adam Hughes— WonderCon special guest Adam Hughes is the mega-popular artist of so many memorable covers on series such as Wonder Woman and Catwoman, and a fan-favorite for commission work in Artists’ Alleys at conventions all over this great land of ours. He talks about his art and career with moderator Sara Lima (editor, ComicVine.com). Room 103
Categories:  Comic Books | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances

4:30-5:30 Indie Comics Marketing 101— Need tips on how to market your comic? This is the panel for you! Some of the best and brightest in comics today present a roundtable discussion, revealing all the secrets of success in marketing your comics. BOOM! Studios marketing director Chip Mosher is joined by Too Much Coffee Man creator Shannon Wheeler, JK Parkin (managing editor, Robot 6 at ComicBookResources.com), Laura Hudson (editor-in-chief, ComicsAlliance.com), and Sam Humphries (writer, Our Love Is Real, CBGB, Fraggle Rock), who will all discuss how to take your comic marketing to the next level! Room 220
Categories:  Cartooning and Comic Strips | Comic Books

4:30-5:30 The Evolution of Comics in the Transmedia Space— Double Barrel Motion Labs CEO Jeff Krelitz (Starz’s Spartacus: Upon the Sands of Vengeance, Tron Legacy, The Muppet Show) and producer Diana Williams (The Crazies, Conan the Barbarian: The Motion Comic) discuss the evolution of comics into other media with panelists writer Marc Andreyko (Manhunter, Ferryman), artist Dennis Calero (X-Men Noir, Cowboys & Aliens), editor Jeff Newelt (Harvey Pekar’s Cleveland), Darren Romanelli (Doctor Romanelli), director Kyle Newman (Fanboys), producer Adrian Askarieh (Hitman, Kane & Lynch), producer FJ Desanto (The Spirit, Shazam), and Paradox Entertainment (Conan The Barbarian). Double Barrel will be premiering footage from their original Fall Out Boy Motion Comic, Fall Out Toy Works, voiced by Anna Faris, along with exclusive clips of original Disney motion comics from their upcoming series. Room 254/256
Categories:  Animation | Comic Books | Movies

5:00-6:00 Spotlight on Robert Kirkman— WonderCon special guest Robert Kirkman, one of the most successful writers in comics today, best known for his work on The Walking Dead, Invincible, Haunt, Image United, Astounding Wolf-Man, Marvel Zombies, and the recent Super Dinosaur, will offer fans some insight into the genius behind their favorite hit comics. After becoming an Image Comics partner in 2009, introducing the internationally renowned hit TV show based on the comic he created with artists Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard, The Walking Dead on AMC, and recently announcing an upcoming video game adaptation of the same series from TellTale Games, he has proven to be an unstoppable creative force. Room 103
Categories:  Comic Books | Horror and Suspense | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances | Television

5:30-6:30 Spotlight on Jason Aaron— Writer Jason Aaron was recently named by Marvel Comics as one of their five Architects. Hear him discuss his projects past, present and future, along with Axel Alonso (Marvel Comics editor-in-chief). Room 254/256
Categories:  Comic Books | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances

6:00-7:00 Graphic Novels: The Long and Short of It— From the comic shop to the bookstore to the classroom, graphic novels have changed the comics landscape forever. Moderator Andrew Farago (The Cartoon Art Museum) and WonderCon special guests Hope Larson (Mercury) and Seth (George Sprott), plus Miriam Libicki (Jobnik!), Andy Ristaino (Escape from Dullsville), and Eric Shanower (Age of Bronze) discuss the pleasures and perils of the long-form comic. Room 236
Categories:  Art & Illustration | Cartooning and Comic Strips | Comic Books | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances

7:00-8:00 Digital Comics Smackdown— Digital comics are heating up. Competition is getting fierce. A panel of the best and brightest in the new wave of digital comics engage in a wide-ranging discussion of everything from comics on the iPad, iPhone, and PC to how digital comics fit into the brick and mortar marketplace. This is your one-stop panel for all the latest digital comics news! Panelists include David Steinberger (CEO of comiXology), Micah (CEO of Graphic.ly), Michael Murphey (CEO of iVerse). Moderated by Chip Mosher (marketing director, BOOM! Studios). Room 220
Categories:  Cartooning and Comic Strips | Comic Books


SATURDAY

10:30-11:30 Spotlight on Francis Manapul— WonderCon special guest Francis Manapul helped bring back Superboy and now draws The Flash. Join him and his friends in a discussion about his art as well as his adventures on the TV show Beast Legends in a Q&A style fashion panel. Moderated by other industry stars such as artist Joel Gomez (The Authority), writer Sterling Gates (Supergirl), and Comic Vine’s Tony Guerrero and Sara Lima. Room 254/256
Categories:  Art & Illustration | Comic Books | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances

11:00-12:00 Spotlight on Bill Sienkiewicz— WonderCon special guest Bill Sienkiewicz is best known for his work on Elektra: Assassin and his creator-owned title Stray Toasters. The artist talks about his work across all media, including comics, painting, television, and movies, in this spotlight panel. Room 236
Categories:  Art & Illustration | Comic Books | Movies | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances | Television

11:30-1:00 WonderCon’s 25th Anniversary!— 25 shows ago, in 1987, a band of Bay Area retailers and comics fans gathered together and created “The Wonderful World of Comics Convention.” That event changed into WonderCon the following year and has grown to be one of the largest and most popular comics conventions in the country. Mark Evanier talks to longtime show managers Joe Field, Mike Friedrich, and Bryan Uhlenbrock, plus Comic-Con International’s David Glanzer, about the long, great history of the West Coast’s second largest comics convention. Room 220
Categories:  Comic Books | Fandom | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances

12:00-1:00 Spotlight on Berkeley Breathed: Tales of an Accidental Cartoonist— WonderCon special guest Berkeley Breathed takes a look back in this 30-year career auto retrospective, reviewing his happy car wreck of a comics stripping career with a look at some highs and lows and some seriously ridiculous detours. Room 104
Categories:  Art & Illustration | Cartooning and Comic Strips | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances

1:00-2:00 The Sergio & Mark Show— The “Sergio” is Sergio Aragonés, the world’s most honored cartoonist and one of the “usual gang of idiots” in MAD magazine for over 45 years. The “Mark” is Mark Evanier, writer of comic books and TV shows, blogger, convention panel host, and Sergio’s collaborator on Groo the Wanderer for more years than either will admit or can believe. They will tell you all about their partnership, about the forthcoming mini series in which Groo battles Conan the Barbarian…and anything else you want to know about. Room 220
Categories:  Comic Books | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances

1:00-2:00 Spotlight on Marv Wolfman— Writer/director James Robinson will be interviewing WonderCon special guest Marv Wolfman about his 4+ decade career as well as dozens of his creations from Blade to Black Cat to New Teen Titans, Crisis On Infinite Earths and much, much more. Room 236
Categories:  Comic Books | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances

1:30-2:30 Spotlight on Frank Quitely— WonderCon special guest Frank Quitely is one of the most popular artists working in comics today. The artist — who provided the cover art for this year’s WonderCon Program Book — talks about his career in this special spotlight event. Room 103
Categories:  Comic Books | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances

2:00-3:00 Spotlight on F. Paul Wilson— WonderCon special guest F. Paul Wilson (The Keep, Repairman Jack) has written bestselling novels, screenplays, comic books, and videogames in multiple genres since the 1970s. Wilson will talk about the secrets of his longevity in the writing game, with a Q&A to follow. Room 220
Categories:  Comic Books | Games | Movies | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances

3:00-4:00 Spotlight on Hope Larson— A retrospective on the career of WonderCon special guest Hope Larson, from art school minicomics to original graphic novels (Mercury, Chiggers, Gray Horses) and her upcoming adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time. Oni Press’s George Rohac moderates. Room 220
Categories:  Comic Books | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances

3:00-4:00 Creator Rights— Let’s face it: it’s a dog-eat-dog world out there, especially when it comes to your rights as a creator. Here’s your chance to share the knowledge of a formidable panel of creators, including Mike Friedrich, who set up the first agency for comics creators, Star*Reach; Marv Wolfman, whose career includes comics, animation, and the literary world; retailer and former WonderCon manager Joe Field, the creator of Free Comic Book Day and a co-founder of ComicsPro; and noted attorney Michael Lovitz, who literally wrote the book (The Trademark and Copyright Book comic book) on comics creator rights. Moderated by Mark Evanier, whose experience includes the business of comics, television, movies, and animation. Room 236
Categories:  Animation | Cartooning and Comic Strips | Comic Books | Games | Movies | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances | Television

4:00-5:00 Comics for Social Justice: The Making of Oil and Water— Oil and Water is a book-length comic (Fantagraphics, Fall 2010) that is a partly fictionalized account of a 10-day trip 22 Oregonians (activists, teachers, business owners, scientists and artists) took last summer to “bear witness” to the BP oil spill. Steve Duin (Comics: Between the Panels and Oregonian columnist) will briefly present the historic impact of comics on issues of contemporary social relevance. Mike Rosen (Portland to Gulf Coast Project Leader) will give a quick overview of why this project was conceived and what it hopes to accomplish. Shannon Wheeler (Too Much Coffee Man and cartoonist for The New Yorker magazine) will present his sketches from the Gulf Coast and show how he and Duin transformed them into a compelling portrait of what hope and challenges remain along a ravaged coastline, and one awash in both seafood and oil, that will be changed as irrevocably as those Oregonians that chose to bear witness to the tragedy. Q&A session to follow. Room 220
Categories:  Comic Books

4:00-5:00 Spotlight on Amy Reeder— WonderCon special guest Amy Reeder talks about her career as an artist on DC’s Madame Xanadu and Batwoman titles and what’s coming up next. Room 236
Categories:  Comic Books | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances

5:00-6:00 Alt Weekly Political Cartooning— The revolution will be cartooned! Meet groundbreaking newspaper cartoonists Ted Rall (To Afghanistan and Back, The Year of Loving Dangerously), Keith Knight ((Th)ink, The K Chronicles), Tim Eagan (Deep Cover), Don Asmussen (Bad Reporter), and Shannon Wheeler (Too Much Coffee Man) for a panel discussion about political and social commentary in comix. There will be Q&A. Room 220
Categories:  Cartooning and Comic Strips | Comic Books

5:00-6:00 Spotlight on Len Wein— The legendary comics writer and editor — and Eisner Hall of Famer — Len Wein talks about his career. Wein co-created some of comics’ greatest characters who have crossed over into other media, such as Wolverine and Swamp Thing. Room 236
Categories:  Comic Books | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances

6:00-7:00 Scalped: One-on-One with Jason Aaron— The mind behind Vertigo’s critically acclaimed series comes to WonderCon! Jason Aaron is joined by DC’s VP-marketing, John Cunningham, for an in-depth look back at the first 50 issues of Scalped, as well as a glimpse at what’s to come! Room 104
Categories:  Comic Books | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances

7:00-8:00 Tribute to Dwayne McDuffie— Comics and animation writer Dwayne McDuffie passed away on February 21. He left an indelible mark on both the comics and animation industries. In comics, he co-founded Milestone Media and created one of its signature characters, Static, which he later adapted into a popular Kids’ WB animated series, Static Shock. He also wrote Justice League of America and Fantastic Four, along with numerous other titles. In animation, in addition to Static Shock, he wrote for Justice League and Ben-10, and scripted two of WB Animation’s DC Universe DVD movies, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths and All-Star Superman, which was released the day after his death. Friends and co-workers Eddie Berganza (executive editor, DC Comics), Bruce Timm (WB Animation producer), Alan Burnett (animation writer), moderator Gary Miereanu (WB Animation PR), and others pay tribute to Dwayne in this panel. Room 254/256
Categories:  Animation | Comic Books | Nighttime Programming | Television

SUNDAY

11:30-12:30 Spotlight on Tony Daniel— Join Batman artist and writer — and WonderCon special guest — Tony Daniel, as he takes you through the creative process of both writing and drawing a comic book, including a Q&A session. Highlights include audience participation in the laying out of a comic book page! Room 104
Categories:  Comic Books | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances

11:30-12:30 Spotlight on Carla Speed McNeil— WonderCon special guest Carla Speed McNeil talks about her work in both print comics and webcomics and the recent release of her Eisner Award-winning book Finder, in a new graphic novel format from Dark Horse. Room 220
Categories:  Comic Books | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances

11:30-1:00 Secret Origin of Good Readers— Dr. Robyn A. Hill (National University) and Mimi Cruz (Night Flight Comics) help educators and librarians navigate the wonderful world of comic books with an overview of the medium, highlighting specific ways comic books and graphic novels can be used to engage a variety of learners while promoting reading and literacy. Paul Levitz (Legion of Superheroes), Gene Yang (American Born Chinese), Thien Pham (Level Up, Bishop O’Dowd HS art department chair), and Chip Mosher, (BOOM! Studios) discuss how teachers, librarians, retailers, and publishers can work together to bring comic books into the classroom for use as an innovative teaching tool. The free 70-page The Secret Origin of Good Readers companion resource book, featuring other exciting materials, is available online at www.night-flight.com/secretorigin, courtesy of XMission.com. Room 236
Categories:  Comic Books | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances

12:30-2:00 Cover Story: The Art of the Cover— In front of every great comic book is a cover, hopefully with an image so awe-inspiring it’ll make you want to buy the book! Here’s the story behind some of the covers created by WonderCon special guests: Adam Hughes (Catwoman, Wonder Woman), Francis Manapul (The Flash, Adventure Comics), Frank Quitely (All Star Superman, Batman and Robin), Amy Reeder (Supergirl, Madame Xanadu), and Bill Sienkiewicz (Elektra: Assassin, Stray Toasters). Fellow guest and comics historian Mark Evanier picks the covers and talks to the artists behind them.  Room 104
Categories:  Comic Books | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances

2:00-3:00 The Kids Are All Right!— Some of the most successful comics today are being created specifically for the younger set. Discussing the current state of the kids comics industry are panelists Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead, Super Dinosaur), Jennifer Holm (Babymouse, Squish), Gene Yang (American Born Chinese, Eternal Smile), Lark Pien (Long Tail Kitty, Mr. Elephanter), Scott Peterson (Batman Brave & The Bold, Scooby-Doo), and Lisa Brown (Picture the Dead, Tribune Media Services syndicated cartoonist). Moderated by Eva Volin (Good Comics for Kids, SLJ; Alameda Free Library) with a Q&A to follow. Room 104
Categories:  Cartooning and Comic Strips | Comic Books | Kids | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances

3:00-4:00 Spotlight on Paul Levitz— Mark Evanier moderates a conversation with longtime comics fan (The Comic Reader), editor (Batman), writer (Legion of Super-Heroes), publisher (DC Comics) and historian (75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking) Paul Levitz. Join the old friends’ discussion of comics’ past, present, and future yourself in the Q&A segment. Room 236
Categories:  Comic Books | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances