Comic-Con 2020: Dates, schedule and all you need to know about geekdom's biggest virtual event
San Diego Comic-Con, the highly anticipated annual event in all of geekdom, is all set to return in a new Covid-19-era avatar. Prepare for Comic-Con@Home 2020, the virtual event which will be taking the place of SDCC this year due to restrictions placed by the coronavirus lockdown.
From the educational to the entertaining, Comic-Con @Home 2020 brings together some amazing content, spread over 350+ panels that you can watch from the comfort of your own homes.
Here's everything you need to know about the event:
Dates
Comic-Con @Home 2020 will kick off on Wednesday, July 22. The event will then run for five days before ending on July 26, 2020.
How and where to watch
Here's how you can follow along: Subscribe now to Comic-Con's official YouTube channel, where the panels will be made available, and sign up for notifications. So by doing this, you'll be updated with the latest news, once panels are posted online. Furthermore, you can also check Comic-Con's official Toucan blog for the latest. The SDCC Unofficial blog is also another useful treasure trove of information.
Schedule
The Comic-Con @Home 2020 schedule features over 300 panels that cover a range of subjects across the fields of comics, film, television and more. Here you can find a list of some of the most important panels to watch out for. The full list of scheduled panels can be found here.
Wednesday, July 22
3 pm: 'Comics in the Classroom Ask Me Anything: Pick the Brains of Teachers, Administrators, Creators, and Publishers'
Panelists: Ronell Whitaker (English department chair, Community High School District 218), Lucy Knisley (comic creator Stepping Stones, Relish, French Milk), Jason Walz (teacher/comic creator Last Pick, Homesick), and Lisa Wu (consultant and former teacher).
Questions submitted by: Eric Kallenborn (fine arts department chair, Oak Lawn Community High School) and teacher Michael Gianfrancesco (North Providence High School).
3 pm: 'GeekED: Re-storied: Re-imagining creative privilege'
Panelists: Pip Brignall (co-director Reality Check Productions), Sarah Ellis (director of digital development at Royal Shakespeare Company), Juliette Levy (University of California, Riverside, Dept of History), Linda Sellheim (education program manager at Epic Games), and Tess Tanenbaum (University of California, Irvine, Transformative Play Lab).
Moderator: Asha Eaton (KTN manager, ImmerseUK)
Introduction by: Brian MacDonald (UCLA, GeekED)
3 pm: 'Teaching and Learning with Comics'
Panelists: Peter Carlson (Green Dot Public Schools), Susan Kirtley (Portland State University), Antero Garcia (Stanford University), Nick Sousanis ('Unflattening'), Ebony Flowers ('Hot Comb'), David F. Walker ('Naomi'), and Brian Michael Bendis ('Naomi').
3 pm: 'The Power of Teamwork in Kids Comics'
Panelists: Gene Luen Yang ('Dragon Hoops'), Chad Sell ('Cardboard Kingdom') and Jim Ottaviani & Maris Wicks ('Astronaut').
Moderator: Betsy Gomez
4 pm: 'Books for All: It's Time to Redefine How We Share Books With Kids'
Panelists: Jill Gerber (teacher, Rowland Hall School), Tony Weaver (CEO, Weird Enough Productions), Adan Alvarado (teacher, Bloom Township High School), Yehudi Mercado (comic creator 'Sci-Fu', 'Fun Fun Fun High School'), and Christina "Steenz" Stewart (comic creator, 'Archival Quality', 'Heart of the City').
Moderator: Adam Ebert (teacher, Bloom Township High School).
4 pm: 'Comics as a Conduit'
Panelists: Henry Barajas (author of 'La Voz de M.A.Y.O.: Tata Rambo'), Rodney Barnes (author of 'Killadelphia'), Darcy Van Poelgeest (author of 'Little Bird: The Fight for Elder's Hope'), and David F. Walker (author of 'Bitter Root').
4 pm: 'GeekEd: Watchmen and the Cruelty of Masks'
Panelists: Dr. Kalenda Eaton (University of Oklahoma), Dr. David Surratt (University of Oklahoma), Hailey Lopez (UC Berkeley), Robert Hypes (Phoenix Creative Collective), and Alfred Day (UC Berkeley).
4 pm: 'License to Thrill: Graphic Novel Adaptations for Kids'
Panelists: Sabaa Tahir ('A Thief Among the Trees: An Ember in the Ashes Graphic Novel'), James Otis Smith ('Black Heroes of the Wild West'), R. Sikoryak ('Constitution Illustrated'), and David Bowles ('Rise of the Halfling King').
Moderator: Adam Kullberg (Pop Culture Classroom).
4 pm: 'Make Programming Your Superpower!'
Panelists: Vanessa Gempis (manager at Pauline Foster Teen Center, San Diego Public Library), Bijan Nowroozian (youth services librarian, San Diego Public Library), and Melissa Giffen (youth services librarian, San Diego Public Library).
5 pm: 'Conspiracy Theories and Propaganda Throughout Pop Culture'
Panelists: J. D. Lombardi (host/producer, YouTube's Lombardi Labs and middle-school science teacher, Glendale Unified), Justin Montgomery (MentalXhaustion.com), Guadalupe De La O (STEM teacher/science instructional coach, Alliance Schools), and G. L. Lambert (screenwriter, G.L. Lambert Explains It All podcast).
5 pm: 'GeekEd: College and the Nerd Mind'
Panelists: Drea Letamendi (UCLA), Jeremy Parker (UCSC), Aaron Jones (UCSC), and Alfred Day (UC Berkeley).
5 pm: 'New Kids Comics from Eisner Award Publishers'
Panelists: Jerry Craft ('Class Act', 'New Kid'), Faith Erin Hicks ('One Year at Ellsmere'), Robin Ha ('Almost American Girl'), Derick Brooks ('Bright Family'), and Jonathan Hill ('Odessa').
Moderator: Candice Mack (YALSA)
5 pm: 'Words and Pictures Working Together: Strategies for Analyzing Graphic Texts'
Panelists: Trevor Bryan ('The Art of Comprehension'), Derek Heid (high school English Language Arts, TVUSD), Shveta Miller (Hacking Graphic Novels), Talia Hurwich ('Worth a Thousand Words').
Moderator Tracy Edmunds ('Graphic Novels Are Elementary!')
6 pm: 'Comic-Con Celebrates 15 Years of Eisner Librarians'
Panelists: Eisner Librarian jurors Kat Kan (2005), Karen Green (2011), Jason Poole (2016), Dawn Rutherford (2017), and Traci Glass (2019).
Moderator: John Shableski (2009 Jury).
6 pm: 'Comics on Campus: Fandom at Academia'
Panelists: Paul Levitz (Columbia University, Pace University), Frank Cammuso (Syracuse University), Rob Salkowitz (University of Washington), Karen Green (Columbia University), and Darlynne Overbaugh (Ithaca College).
Moderator: Ed Catto (Ithaca College).
6 pm: 'Spirit Skies: How to publish an International youth comic in the Age of Covid-19'
Panelists: Timothy Stiven (coordinator, educator), Justin Wang (student host, editor), Artists: Grace Chen, Riley Sullivan, Michaela Chang, Writers: Giovanna Agrazal (Panama), Sarah Goltz, Editors: Frances Chai, Hannah Wentworth, Natalie Feldman, John Aste, Josh Charat-Collins, Izzy Ster, Alex Reinsch-Goldstein.
Thursday, July 23:
10 am: 'Star Trek' panel
Opening remarks by Alex Kurtzman and Heather Kadin followed by a table read of the Season 2 finale of 'Star Trek: Discovery' followed by a Q&A with the cast and also featuring the stars of 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds'; creator Mike McMahan and the voice cast of the upcoming animated 'Star Trek: Lower Decks'; and 'Star Trek: Picard' featuring Patrick Stewart and cast. Moderator: Dominic Patten.
11 am: 'Solar Opposites' panel
Panelists: Justin Roiland, Thomas Middleditch, Sean Giambrone, Mary Mack and executive producers Mike McMahan and Josh Bycel.
12 pm: Cartoon Network Studios first look
Panelists: 'Craig of the Creek' cast Philip Solomon and Lucia CunninghamThe panel will feature special announcements and exclusive clips from 'Apple & Onion', 'Ben 10 vs. The Universe: The Movie', 'Craig of the Creek', 'Mao Mao', 'Heroes of Pure Heart', 'Victor and Valentino', and 'We Bare Bears The Movie'.
12 pm: 'Duncanville'
Panelists: Amy Poehler, Ty Burrell, Riki Lindhome, Joy Osmanski, Yassir Lester, Betsy Sodaro, Rashida Jones, and Wiz Khalifa, with Mike and Julie Scully.
12 pm: Prime Video’s 'Truth Seekers' panel
Panelists: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, James Serafinowicz, and Nat Saunders.
1 pm: Prime Video’s 'Utopia' panel
Panelists: John Cusack, Gillian Flynn, Rainn Wilson, Sasha Lane, Ashleigh LaThrop, Dan Byrd, Desmin Borges, Javon Walton, and Jessica Rothe.
1 pm: 'His Dark Materials'
Panelists: Jane Tranter and Jack Thorne with cast members Dafne Keen, Ruth Wilson, Ariyon Bakare, Amir Wilson, Andrew Scott, and Lin-Manuel Miranda.Moderator: Stacey Wilson Hunt.
1 pm: A Look Inside 'Marvel’s 616' (Disney+)
Panelists: Directors Gillian Jacobs and Paul Scheer with executive producers Sarah Amos and Jason Sterman.Moderator: Angélique Roché.
2 pm: Prime Video’s 'Upload' panel
Panelists: Greg Daniels, Robbie Amell, Andy Allo, Kevin Bigley, Allegra Edwards, and Zainab Johnson.
3 pm: Prime Video’s 'The Boys' panel
Panelists: Eric Kripke, Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capon, Karen Fukuhara, and Aya Cash.
3 pm: 'Superstore' (NBC)
Panelists: Ben Feldman, Mark McKinney, Lauren Ash, Colton Dunn, Nico Santos, Nichole Sakura, and Kaliko Kauahi with showrunners Gabe Miller and Jonathan Green.
3 pm: 'Close Enough' (Cartoon Network Studios/HBO Max)
Panelists: Creator JG Quintel, cast members Jason Mantzoukas, Gabrielle Walsh, Kimiko Glenn. and Jessica DiCicco along with supervising producer Calvin Wong.Moderator: William Salyers.
4 pm: 'The Blacklist' Draws on Animation to Complete Season 7 Amid COVID (NBC)
Panelists: Series creator/executive producer Jon Bokenkamp, executive producer John Eisendrath and cast members Diego Klattenhoff and Harry Lennix (Harold Cooper) with Proof, Inc’s visualization supervisors Adam Coglan and Matt Perrin.Moderator: Philiana Ng.
5 pm: Syfy's 'Van Helsing'
Panelists: Series stars Kelly Overton, Jonathan Scarfe, Tricia Helfer, Aleks Paunovic, Keeya King, and Nicole Munoz with showrunner Jonathan Lloyd Walker and executive producers Mike Frislev and Chad Oakes.Moderator: Morris Chapdelaine.
Friday, July 24
10 am: HBO Max Kids & Family Featuring 'Summer Camp Island', 'The Fungies' and 'Tig N’ Seek'Panelists: Creators Myke Chilian ('Tig N’ Seek'), Stephen P. Neary ('The Fungies'), and Julia Pott ('Summer Camp Island') along with cast members.
10 am: Charlize Theron: Evolution of a Badass – An Action Hero Career Retrospective
Panelists: Charlize Theron, Moderator: Terri Schwartz
11 am: 'Adventure Time: Distant Lands – BMO' (Cartoon Network Studios/HBO Max)
Panelists: Executive producer Adam Muto and voice cast Glory Curda, Olivia Olson, and Niki Yang.
11 am: 'Vikings': A Look Back With The Lothbroks (MGM Television, History)
Panelists: Showrunner, writer and executive producer Michael Hirst and stars Travis Fimmel, Katheryn Winnick, Alex Ludwig, Clive Standen and Jordan Patrick Smith.Moderator: Kate Hahn, Senior Writer, TV Guide Magazine.
12 pm: Collider: 'Don’t Look Deeper' Panel (Quibi)
Panelists: Don Cheadle, Emily Mortimer, Helena Howard, director Catherine Hardwicke, and co-creator Jeffrey Lieber. Moderator: Perri Nemiroff.
12 pm: AMC's 'Fear The Walking Dead'
Panelists: Lennie James, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Colman Domingo, Danay Garcia, Karen David, Jenna Elfman, Rubén Blades, Scott M. Gimple, Andrew Chambliss, and Ian Goldberg. Moderator: Chris Hardwick.
12 pm: 'Infinity Train' (Cartoon Network Studios/HBO Max)
Panelists: Creator Owen Dennis, supervising director Madeline Queripel and writers Alex Horab, Lindsay Katai, and Justin Michael.
1 pm: Adult Swim: 'YOLO: Crystal Fantasy'
Panelists: Creator Michael Cusack, writer-actor Tod Manojlovic, and co-star Sarah Bishop. Moderator: Zach White.
1 pm: AMC's 'The Walking Dead'
Panelists: Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Lauren Cohan, Josh McDermitt, Ross Marquand and Paola Lazaro along with TWDU chief content officer Scott M. Gimple, showrunner/executive producer Angela Kang and executive producer Greg Nicotero. Moderator: Chris Hardwick
2 pm: Adult Swim: '12oz Mouse'
Panelists: Creator Matt Maiellaro, voice actors Mary Spender, Ned Hastings and Paul Painter, editor John Brestan and producer-animator Nicholas Ingkatanuwat. Moderator: Max Simonet.
2 pm: AMC's 'The Walking Dead: World Beyond'
Panelists: Aliyah Royale, Alexa Mansour, Hal Cumpston, Nicholas Cantu, Nico Tortorella, Julia Ormond and Joe Holt along with Scott M. Gimple and showrunner/executive producer Matt Negrete discuss new series. Moderator: Chris Hardwick
3 pm: HBO Max Adult Animation Featuring 'Robot Chicken', 'Final Space' and 'Primal/Samurai Jack'Panelists: Seth Green, Matthew Senreich, Genndy Tartakovsky, Carl Jones, Henry Bonsu, and Olan Rogers.
3 pm: Peacock Original Series: 'The Capture'
Panelists: Executive producers Ben Chanan and Rosie Alison and stars Holliday Grainger, Callum Turner, Ron Perlman, Laura Haddock and Famke Janssen.
3 pm: 'Helstrom'
Panelists: Paul Zbyszewski, Tom Austen, Sydney Lemmon, Elizabeth Marvel, Robert Wisdom, Ariana Guerra, June Carryl, and Alain Uy.
Moderator: Laura Prudom (Executive TV Editor, IGN).
4 pm: 'Bob’s Burgers'
Panelists: Loren Bouchard, H. Jon Benjamin, John Roberts, Kristen Schaal, Eugene Mirman, Dan Mintz, and Larry Murphy.
4 pm: 'Crossing Swords'
Panelists: John Harvatine IV, Tom Root, Adam Ray, Tara Strong, Seth Green, Alanna Ubach, Adam Pally, and Yvette Nicole Brown.
Moderator: Film Critic Scott Mantz.
5 pm: FX Networks' 'Archer'
Panelists: Aisha Tyler, Chris Parnell, Judy Greer, Amber Nash, Lucky Yates, and executive producer Casey Willis.
5 pm: A Zoom With Joss Whedon
Panelist: Joss Whedon.
5 pm: Unboxing Pandora: Season Two On The CW This Fall
Panelists: Cast members Priscilla Quintana, Oliver Dench, and Ben Radcliffe along with executive producers Mark A. Altman, Steve Kriozere and Thomas P. Vitale. Moderator: Scott Mantz
6 pm: TZGZ’s Adult Animated Originals (Syfy)
Panelists: Creators and voices of 'Wild Life', 'Hell Den', 'Magical Girl Friendship Squad', and 'Devil May Care' give exclusive sneak peeks at the new originals on the network’s late-night adult animation block. Moderator: Baron Vaughn
Saturday, July 25:
10 am: Cosmos: Possible Worlds (National Geographic/Fox)
Panelists: Creator/executive producer/director/writer Ann Druyan, host Neil deGrasse Tyson, executive producer/director/writer Brannon Braga, executive producer Jason Clark, and visual effects supervisor Jeffrey A. Okun. Introduction by: Seth MacFarlane.
Includes exclusive new footage.
11 am: 'The Simpsons' (20th Century Fox Television/Fox)
Panelists: Al Jean, Matt Selman, David Silverman, Carolyn Omine, and Mike B. Anderson.Moderator: Yeardley Smith
12 pm: 'Bless The Harts'
Panelists: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Ike Barinholtz, Jillian Bell, and Fortune Feimster along with executive producers Phil Lord, Chris Miller, and Andy Bobrow.
12 pm: Disney+'s 'Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe'
Panelists: Dan Povenmire, Jeff “Swampy” Marsh, director Bob Bowen and castmembers Ashley Tisdale, Vincent Martella, Maulik Pancholy and Dee Bradley Baker.
1 pm: 'American Dad!'
Panelists: Brent Woods, Rachael MacFarlane, Wendy Schaal, Scott Grimes, Dee Bradley Baker, Nic Wegener, and Joe Chandler.
1 pm: Disney+'s 'The Right Stuff'
Panelists: Mark Lafferty, Jennifer Davisson, Patrick J. Adams, Jake McDorman, Colin O’Donoghue, Michael Trotter, Aaron Staton, Micah Stock, James Lafferty, Nora Zehetner, Shannon Lucio, Eloise Mumford, Eric Ladin, and Patrick Fischler.
Moderator: Dr. Mae Jemison.
1 pm: Searchlight Pictures' 'Antlers'
Panelists: Guillermo del Toro and Scott Cooper
2 pm: 'Family Guy'
Panelists: Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Mila Kunis, Seth Green, Rich Appel, Alec Sulkin, and Kara Vallow.
3 pm: 'Bill & Ted Face The Music'
Panelists: Alex Winter, Keanu Reeves, Samara Weaving, Brigette Lundy-Paine and William Sadler, director Dean Parisot and writers Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson.
Moderator: Kevin Smith
4 pm: HBO's 'Lovecraft Country'
Panelists: Cast members Jurnee Smollett, Jonathan Majors, Michael Kenneth Williams, Aunjanue Ellis, Wunmi Mosaku, Abbey Lee and Courtney B. Vance.Moderator: Sarah Rodman.
4 pm: 'Stumptown'
Panelists: Cobie Smulders, Jake Johnson. and Michael Ealy joined by executive producers Jason Richman, David Bernad, Ruben Fleischer and graphic novel author Greg Rucka.
5 pm: FX Networks' 'What We Do In The Shadows'
Panelists: Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Kayvan Novak, Mark Proksch, and Harvey Guillén.
Moderator: Haley Joel Osment.
Sunday, July 26
10 am: 'Hoops'
Panelists: Jake Johnson, Rob Riggle, Ron Funches, Natasha Leggero, Cleo King and A.D. Miles and creator/executive producer Ben Hoffman.Moderator: Max Greenfield.
11 am: 'NeXt'
Panelists: Manny Coto, John Slattery, Fernanda Andrade, Michael Mosley, Jason Butler Harner, and Eve Harlow.Moderator: Esther Zuckerman.
1 pm: 'Looney Tunes Cartoons' (Warner Bros Animation/HBO Max)
Panelists: Executive producer Pete Browngardt, supervising producer Alex Kirwan and art director Aaron Spurgeon with voice cast members Eric Bauza, Bob Bergen, Jeff Bergman, and Candi Milo.
1 pm: ABC’s The Goldbergs
Panelists: Wendi McLendon-Covey, George Segal, Sean Giambrone, Hayley Orrantia, Troy Gentile, Sam Lerner, and Doug Robinson.
Moderator: Gerrad Hall (Entertainment Weekly)
2 pm: A Conversation With Nathan Fillion
Showrunner Alexi Hawley talks with Fillion about his career in film and television. Special appearances: Joss Whedon, Alan Tudyk, Gina Torres, Mekia Cox, Molly Quinn, Seamus Dever, and Jon Huertas.