With things still not quite back to normal, San Diego Comic-Con has decided to offer another version of their virtual event as well as an in-person supplemental event they’re calling Comic-Con Special Edition, taking place in November. The second Comic-Con@Home event is scheduled to run from Wednesday, July 21 to Sunday, July 25 with all of the panels from this virtual event presumably being uploaded to YouTube, which was the case for 2020 as well.
Once again the organizers have put together an impressive line-up of free virtual panels for us to safely enjoy from the comfort of our homes, not to mention there’ll be a ton of exclusive merchandise giveaways from many of the vendors participating. If there’s a panel you’re interested in, you can simply add it to your Google Calendar which will include a link to a video stream that will premiere at the time listed.
Most cons are a publishing fan’s dream with all the big houses present and accounted for, eager to show off their latest and future titles. You could fill most of your con schedule with just publishing/author panels, signings, workshops, and shopping alone. And while it will be a different experience again this year, last year showed us that virtual panels can be just as fun and even more accessible for those that can’t normally attend.
So here is a list of traditional publishing panels to look out for this weekend at San Diego Comic-Con@Home. For the full schedule, click HERE.
(clicking the title will take you to the panel)
Friday, July 23rd
Couch Surfing with Simon & Schuster
Time: 10:00 am – 11:00 am (GMT-07:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
Cassandra Fernandez (marketing), Lauren Carr (publicity), Lisa Quach (marketing), Nadia Almadi (marketing), Emily Ritter (marketing), and Devin MacDonald (marketing) offer a sneak-peek at the hottest books and properties coming from Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing in 2021, including books by fan-favorite authors. Plus, enter to win advance reader copies!
Time: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm(GMT-07:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
The works of best-selling authors Octavia Butler, Samuel Delaney, Nnedi Okorafor, Nalo Hopkinson, and Tananarive Due (to name a few) are part of a written corpus that has laid the ground for the blossoming of the movement of Afrofuturism that was brought to light by the music of George Clinton, Sun Ra, Bootsy Collins, and others. The works of the late Charles H. Long, James Noel, Tracey Hucks, and Rachel Harding bring to light how black religion and the imagination of matter speak to how Black people in the Atlantic World syncretize their experience to create community and fashion a future. This dynamic panel builds on the very successful Comic-Con@Home2020 panel and will explore the connections between Afrofuturism, Funk, and the Black imagination and how comics, graphic novels, and animation are capturing the rich dynamic that spawns new ways in which popular culture is being impacted by these forces.
Panelists:
John Jennings, MFA: professor of media and cultural studies, UC Riverside; Megascope Abrams Comic Arts and 2-time Eisner Award winner (2016, 2018), 2021 nominee
Ytasha Womack: author, Afrofuturism: The World Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture
Tim Fielder: author, Infinitum: An Afrofuturist Tale (Harper Collins)
Loreen Williamson: co-founder, The Museum of Uncut Funk
Pamela Thomas: co-founder, The Museum of Uncut Funk
Aaron Grizzell, MA (moderator): executive director, Northern California Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Foundation
Time: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm (GMT-07:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (GMT-07:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
If you’re looking for news worlds to obsess over, and new cosplay ideas, you will love this panel. From a West African-inspired epic to a teenage necromancer using her abilities to feed her family, these stories of powerful black women are a must for every YA bookshelf. Produced by @GetUnderlined, join Dhonielle Clayton (A Universe of Wishes, Tiny Pretty Things), Namina Forna (The Gilded Ones), Natasha Bowen (Skin of the Sea), in conversation with Jessica Lewis (Bad Witch Burning).
Orbit’s New Voices in SF&F
Time: 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm (GMT-07:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
Star Wars: The High Republic – We Are All The Republic!
Time: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm (GMT-07:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
Saturday, July 24th
DUNE Publishing Highlights 2021
Time: 10:00 am – 11:00 am (GMT-07:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
Everything you need to know about what’s coming up in the DUNE publishing universe, novels, stories, graphic novels, and comics. Join bestselling authors Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, along with Frank Herbert’s collaborator Bill Ransom, along with Christopher Morgan from Tor Books, Charlotte Greenbaum from Abrams ComicArts, Jonathan Manning from BOOM! Studios, and audiobook narrator Scott Brick. Several exclusive new announcements. Moderated by Brendan Prout.
Must-Know YA from AAPI Voices
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (GMT-07:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
Looking for fantasy to add to your TBR? Excited to elevate AAPI authors and stories? Then this panel is a must! Produced by @GetUnderlined, come find your new book-bestie from some of the must-know AAPI voices in YA! Join Elizabeth Lim (Spin the Dawn, Six Crimson Cranes), Amelie Wen Zhoa (Red Tigress), and Trung Le Nguyen (The Magic Fish) in conversation with Sr. marketing manager Caitlin Whalen!
Fierce Reads: Taking the (Gen)eral out of Genre
Time: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm (GMT-07:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
It’s no secret that YA literature is the most groundbreaking when it comes to exploring identity, growing pains, and growing up, but that doesn’t mean it can’t also be a rip-roaring adventure. Join YA authors, Zoe Hana Mikuta (Gearbreakers), K. Ancrum (Darling), ZR Ellor (May the Best Man Win), and Joan He (The Ones We’re Meant to Find) as they discuss how they balance high stakes with relatable narratives. This panel is moderated by Tricia Levenseller (Blade of Secrets).
Once Upon a Baker’s Dozen
Time: 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm (GMT-7:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
Tor: Calling All Book Lovers
Time: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm (GMT-7:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
Tor publishes some of the greatest sci-fi, fantasy, and horror stories around. This will be a panel to shine a spotlight on some of the exciting books that Tor, Tor Teen, Tordotcom Publishing, Forge, and Nightfire have to offer. Join the book lovers from the Tor teams – Laura Etzkorn (senior publicist), Saraciea J. Fennell (publicity manager), Andrew King (marketing coordinator), and Rachel Taylor (marketing manager) as they share a sneak peek at new and upcoming SFF.
Hooray for Gay YA!
Time: 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm (GMT-07:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
Whether it’s romance, thrillers, slice-of-life stories, or more, we LOVE queer stories! So we’re celebrating some of the best LGBTQ books that you can add to your bookshelf today! Join authors David Levithan (Dash & Lily), Victoria Lee (Lesson in Vengeance), A.R. Capetta (Rebel Robin), Trung Le Nguyen (The Magic Fish), in conversation with Buzzfeed Book’s writer and teen librarian Rachel Strolle and say hooray for more awesome gay YA! Produced by @GetUnderlined.
Tor: Fantasy Evolutions and Revolutions
Time: 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm (GMT-07:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
Tattoos that come alive; a woman who speaks with the dead, cannibalistic nuns, an empire that needs saving, and a hero who steals her brother’s destiny–there’s more to Fantasy than dragons and wizards (although those are cool too). Join authors Christopher Buhelman (The Blacktongue Thief), Shelley Parker Chan (She Who Became the Sun), TL Huchu (The Library of the Dead), Brian Staveley (The Empire’s Ruin), and Nghi Vo (The Chosen and the Beautiful) as they discuss the evolution of fantasy, your favorite tropes, and what their favorite magical disciplines are. Moderated by bestselling author James Rollins (The Starless Crown).
Young Adult Dark Fantasy, Sci-Fi & Horror
Time: 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm (GMT-07:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
Underlined Buzz Panel
Time: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm (GMT-07:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
Are you on the hunt for an enchanting historical fantasy? An action-packed space opera? A nail-biting thriller? Join Team Underlined for a look at the best YA coming this year, and leave with a fresh TBR list full of all your next favorite reads.
Panelists: Josh Redlich, Caitlin Whalen, Emma Benshoff, and Natali Cavanagh.
Re-imagining the Past, Present, and Future of Science Fiction and Fantasy
Time: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm (GMT-07:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
Authors Simon Jimenez (The Vanished Birds), Micaiah Johnson (The Space Between Worlds), and Heather Walter (Malice) discuss influential stories of the past and how they are re-imagining stories for the future. Moderated by Sarah Peed (senior editor at Del Rey).
Time: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm (GMT-07:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
From alien invasions to fairytale retellings, set in the cutthroat worlds of academia or online gaming, YA authors of color have remade, reclaimed, and reimagined genres to center their communities. Join Kalynn Bayron (This Poison Heart), Alexis Nedd (Don’t Hate the Player), Lilliam Rivera (We Light Up the Sky), and Katie Zhao (How We Fall Apart) as they discuss creating stories and spaces for everyone to enjoy.
Tor: The Pitfalls of Perfect Worlds
Time: 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm (GMT-07:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
If it looks too good to be true, then it probably is–or so the old saying goes. From alternate history to utopian hopepunk, science fiction and fantasy authors create nearly perfect worlds in the pages of their books. But while these writers may tell stories about seemingly idyllic places and societies, they also explore the problems that are interlocked with that. Join P. Djeli Clark (A Master of Djinn), Kerstin Hall (Star Eater), Catherynne M. Valente (Comfort Me With Apples), and Becky Chambers (A Psalm for the Wild-Built) as they discuss the dark side of perfection. Moderated by Tor.com publishing editor Ruoxi Chen.
Penguin Teen – Carving Out Space: Six YA Female Authors Discuss Their Craft
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm (GMT-07:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
