Thursday, July 20:
10:30am- 24ABC – Crash Bandicoot Then and Now
My family has been enjoying the new Crash Bandicoot collection on the PS4 and any insider information I can get I will happily take. Panelists include employees from Vicarious Visions, Naughty Dog, and Dark Horse. Should be a fun way to kick-off my trip.
11:15am- 6A – Unikitty! New Episode Premiere and Q&A
When I heard that Unikitty was getting her own television show on Cartoon Network I was very excited as was my family. It is interesting as I approach 40 my trips to conventions focus on what I can provide for my family. In this case it is LEGOs!!!
1pm – 7AB – Mondo Mania
As an Austin resident, I would be remiss if I didn't catch what I think is Mondo's first SDCC panel. I will admit that I am most excited to hear from artist Tom Whalen, as some of his prints are hanging in my house. Mondo gets bigger and bigger every year and I am excited to learn about what is in store for the future.
2:30pm – Ballroom 20 – SYFY: Battlestar Galactica
This is going to be one of the harder panels to make it into, but it features a good collection of the show's creators and actors. If I make it to this panel I promise not to ask about the ending of the series and will instead focus on how amazing this series was up to that point.
3:15pm – Hall H – Netflix Films: Bright and Death Note
I will admit that I am not familiar with Bright, but am instead primarily interested in seeing what is in store for the new Death Note movie. I really enjoyed the manga, but have yet to find an adaptation of the series that does it justice. Not that the anime or live action movies were that bad, but it is hard to capture the nuance of the graphic novel. That and L and Ryuk don't transfer well to the screen.
12:00pm – 7AB – Lucasflim Publishing: New Star Wars Stories from a Galaxy Far, Far Away...
There have been some truly amazing novel adaptations set in the Star Wars Universe, and learning that I can get some insight on Cullen Bunn's Darth Maul tale is more than enough to get me to park my rear end in Room 7AB with some fellow nerds.
1:00pm – 23ABC – Drawing the Sword: Gabriel Rodriguez
This is my first must see panel of SDCC. While I really want to check out many of the others I have listed, the opportunity to hear from Gabriel Rodriguez is an experience I can't recommend enough. I had the good fortune to hear him and Joe Hill talk Locke and Key in the past, and hope to learn about Gabe's new endeavor.
Offsite:
3pm - Conan
My offsite adventures begin with a taping of Conan (assuming all works well with tickets, etc.) and I am very excited to attend what will be my third Conan show. While I am truly in it for Andy Richter, Conan's SDCC shows are tailor made for the type of people who would brave crowds to watch trailers early and hear comic book creators speak.
6:45pm - Funko Fundays
The night is going to get pretty crazy as I attend my fourth consecutive Fundays. It is a night of food, drink, toys, and entertainment in the name of small plastic bobbleheads. I absolutely love this event and look forward to it every year.
Saturday, July 22:
The bulk of Saturday's programming will depend on my ability to secure a wristband to Hall H. I have many back-ups (and will mention one!) for what is the day that will likely change the most.
11:30am – Hall H – Warner Bros. Pictures Presentation:
While this panel will feature clips from Justice League, Aquaman, and Bladerunner 2049, I am most intrigued at the prospect of seeing Steven Spielberg and a sneak peak of Ready Player One. I loved the book and am very hopeful for its big screen translation.
3:00pm – Hall H – Netlix's Stranger Things:
I just finished watching this series again with my wife and am even more excited about the possibility of gaining any sort of insight on the upcoming season.
4:30pm – Horton – From Acclaimed Graphic Novel to Daring New Film: My Friend Dahmer:
I am extremely pumped about one of my favorite graphic novels getting adapted to the big screen. I would not have ever imagined that this story about Jeffrey Dahmer would have ever seen the light beyond the comic book page, but Derf Backder's account of growing up with Dahmer is one of my all-time favorite books. So happy to hear this story could gain a wider audience.
5:30pm – Hall H - Marvel Studios:
This is pretty self explanatory. With the Infinity Wars and what not.
Offsite:
7:00pm - The Loyal Subjects Second Annual Fan Jam:
One of my favorite manufactured of vinyl nostalgia, TLS is celebrating with its fans in a friendly dinner filled with delicious food, cold drinks, and action vinyls!!! Was my surprise highlight of 2016.
10:30am – 6BCF – World Premiere of LEGO Scooby-Doo! Blowout Beach Bash:
This is the start of a very obvious theme involving interlocking bricks that you may notice. My family and I might have a small bit of an obsession. I am oddly enough excited that Matthew Lillard will be in attendance and lending his vocal talents to Shaggy. I always thought he was one of the bright spots in the live action movies.
12:15pm – 6BCF – World Premiere of LEGO DC Super Hero Girls: Brain Drain;
Not sure I can handle back-to-back world premieres, but I will give it a whirl in order to impress my kids. So happy to see that the DC Super Hero Girls are getting the LEGO treatment as I have quite enjoyed their adventures to this point.
2:00pm – Room 4 – Introducing Nickelodeon Splat Attack from IDW Games:
You had me at Nickelodeon and board games.
There is nothing better than closing out a successful SDCC than hearing people voice their concerns about the event. The moderators of this panel deserve awards for how gracious they are dealing with the feedback they are provided.
POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.
