Panelists examine art and propaganda that was seen during WWII and the Holocaust. Nazi and Allied propaganda art was used in many ways with devastating results. Holocaust victims drew what they saw, and this was the universal language that told the stories of the Holocaust as it happened. Panelists include Sandra Scheller (award-winning author of Try to Remember: Never Forget, a book describing her mother's holocaust experiences; recent TEDX 2019 speaker), Esther Finder (president and founder of Generations of the Shoah-Nevada, an organization based in Las Vegas, for Holocaust survivors and descendants), and Matt Dunford (chairman of San Diego Comic Fest, comic and WWII media expert). There will be a video presentation of Ruth Goldschmiedova Sax (who survived three concentration camps including Auschwitz; mother of Sandra). Ruth passed last year, but her original video from Comic-Con 2018 will be presented. Moderated by Stephen D. Smith, executive director of the USC Shoah Foundation Institute, the archive of Holocaust survivor testimonies initiated by Steven Spielberg in 1994.
UPDATED: Thu, Jul 18, 03:56PM There are many truths to every story and many tales that paint a picture of a certain event or time. Evoking a sense of that time, place, and feeling is not an easy task. Just as a scent on a breeze can transport us back in time, so can the perfect graphic novel. Learn from Comic-Con special guests how they use history, memory, and emotion to tell moving and personal stories. Panelists include Ebony Flowers (Hot Comb), Ulli Lust (How I Tried to Be a Good Person), Paco Roca (The House), Seth (It's A Good Life), Mary Fleener, along with Jason Lutes and moderator Charles Brownstein.
Thursday July 18, 2019 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT
Room 25ABC
Panelists will explore comic art of the Philippines and Spain prior to the 1970s and then cover how major American comics publishers recruited these artists to work in the U.S. The presentation will cover the work of Tony DeZuniga, Nestor Redondo, Alfredo Alcala, Alex Niño, José “Pepe” González, Sanjulián, Enrich, Esteban Maroto, and Auraleón, among others. Topics will include how "poaching" foreign talent impacted indigenous industries, its influence on American comic art and specific genres, and the negative impact on the artists' rights movement of that same period in this country. Panelists include Jim Thompson and Alex Grand of Comic Book Historians with N. Scott Robinson of Globo Comico.
Thursday July 18, 2019 3:30pm - 4:30pm PDT
Room 26AB
Tom King (Batman,Mister Miracle) and Marc Andreyko (Batman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77,Supergirl) lead a discussion and Q&A with Marc Tyler Nobleman (Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman) on his nine-year campaign to add Bill Finger to the Batman credit line and the unprecedented documentary Batman & Bill, which has been compared to (no joke) everything from This Is Us and Serial to Rocky and Citizen Kane.
Thursday July 18, 2019 4:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Room 23ABC
UPDATED: Mon, Jul 08, 11:16PM This year is the 500th anniversary of Spain's conquest of Mexico and the 250th anniversary of San Diego's founding. Since those events, and others related and similar, were near-apocalyptic for the indigenous peoples of North America, it's an appropriate time to reflect on their histories and how they experienced these events. Unfortunately, indigenous history in North America has often been distorted, ignored, or even lost. Can comics be a tool to help recover this history? Moderator Johnny Bear Contreras (Kumeyaay artist/sculptor and fellow panelists Paul Guinan (Aztec Empire graphic novel), Elijah Benson (Mandan Hidatsa Arikara Nation Education Department, NAGPRA comics), Stan Rodriguez (Kumeyaay cultural leader), Jen Shannon (cultural anthropology professor, NAGPRA comics), Kate Spilde (cultural anthropology professor), John Swogger (archaeologist and Illustrator, NAGPRA comics) will answer this question and discuss their current comic projects to recover indigenous history.
“'Member Looney Tunes?” “Oh, I 'member.” “'Member Charlie Brown?” “Mmmm . . . I 'member.” “'Member all the classic Nickelodeon cartoons: Hey Arnold!, Doug, and Rugrats. Oh—Reptar was on Rugrats, 'member him?” “'Member the time that South Park created the Member Berries to capitalize on the interest in reboots and nostalgia?” The cartoons of our youths, across a variety of genres and sources and generations, often hold a special place in our hearts. They can influence everything from the products we wanted in our lunchboxes, to the figurines on the mantles of our first homes or apartments, to the shirts we buy for our own children and grandchildren. There are classic characters that have endured for decades, such as the Flintstones and Scooby-Doo. There are movies and shows, like My Little Pony, Transformers, and Care Bears, that are known as much for their merchandise as their sequels and reboots. April Fugett, ph.D. (professor, Marshall University), Keith Beard, psy.D. (professor, Marshall University), Britani Black, psy.D. (instructor, marshall University School of Medicine), Carrie Dean, m.A., and Casey Collins, M.A. (Marshall University) will discuss their research and findings from a study of participants examining personality measure results with selection of preferred “nostalgic” characters and shows demonstrating how personality informs our choices of the characters we identify with and follow, often for our entire lives. Specific traits that are associated with over 500 nostalgia-inducing characters and their associated rankings will be reviewed. Additional results and other psychological/personality factors will be discussed.
Thursday July 18, 2019 7:00pm - 8:00pm PDT
Room 25ABC
They may not have been Jack Kirby's greatest creation, but they were sure important to some of the folks who started this convention. Come hear how the King of the Comics turned six kids involved in the Con's early days—Scott Shaw!, Barry Alfonso, Roger Freedman, Mike Towry, John Pound, and William R. Lund—into comic book stars for some brief, shining moments. Moderator Mark Evanier is the one who gets the band back together!
In his brand-new graphic memoir They Called Us Enemy, the beloved actor, author, and activist George Takei revisits his haunting childhood in American internment camps, as one of 120,000 Japanese Americans imprisoned by the U.S. government during World War II. Experience the forces that shaped an American icon-and America itself-in this gripping tale of courage, country, loyalty, and love. You'll hear firsthand from George, as well as his co-authors Justin Eisinger and Steven Scott and artist Harmony Becker, about this dark chapter of our nation's history, its impact on Takei's astonishing life, and its urgent relevance for today's world.
Saturday July 20, 2019 1:00pm - 2:00pm PDT
Room 25ABC
Sid and Marty Krofft and H. R. Pufnstuf are celebrating their 50th anniversary, and they are coming to Comic-Con. Sid and Marty Krofft became a household name in the '70s with a series of remarkable programs that featured elaborate sets and fanciful characters. They created and produced some of the most iconic names in family entertainment for over 50 years and are still in action today. Come celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sid and Marty Krofft and H.R. Pufnstuf. The panel will cover upcoming projects and reveal exciting works in progress, including never-before-seen titles. Moderated by David Arquette and Greg Garcia (My Name Is Ear, Raising Hope).
Saturday July 20, 2019 2:00pm - 3:00pm PDT
Room 23ABC
In the 1950s, cartoon booklets about nuns and other Roman Catholic figures became a fad, with creators from Platinum and Golden Age comic book artists to an actual monk and a future nun. Comic book historian Jessica Tseang interviews About Comics publisher Nat Gertler about these forgotten books and efforts to reprint them.
Sunday July 21, 2019 2:00pm - 3:00pm PDT
Room 24ABC