It’s all go at New York Comic Con on the Saturday and Sunday of the show, with panels dedicated to comic books of all flavors and publishers, as well as movies, TV shows and — somewhat touchingly — being a nerd in and of itself. The full schedule of events for the show can be found here, but for those who’d rather have a guided view, perhaps the following 10 panels would offer a well-rounded experience.
SATURDAY
Marvel: Spider-Man — The Clone Conspiracy
Dead doesn’t mean dead anymore for anyone that knows Peter Parker, thanks to a mad scientist who plans to clone all of Spider-Man’s dead friends and enemies back to life, and then use them against the wall-crawling hero. Spider-Man writer Dan Slott and some mystery guests talk about the upcoming big comic book storyline and redeeming the clone idea after a much-derided 1990s storyline. Room 1A24, 11:00 a.m.-12 p.m.
The Great Wall
Matt Damon will be on hand to preview his epic film, as will director Zhang Yimou and co-stars Jing Tian, Pedro Pascal and Wang Junkai. The Theater at Madison Square Garden, 12:30 p.m.-1 p.m.
Image Comics: Storytelling
Some of Image’s finest storytellers — which is to say, some of the best storytellers in mainstream comics today — discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the medium. For anyone interested in how comics work, watching Marjorie Liu, Declan Shalvey and Gabriel Hardman alone might explain it all. Room 1A21, 12:15 p.m.-1:15 p.m.
Lionsgate: Power Rangers and John Wick: Chapter 2
The first footage from the Power Rangers reboot will be hitting, as well as the first trailer for the Keanu Reeves sequel. What more could you want? The Theater at Madison Square Garden, 2 p.m.-3 p.m.
Valiant x Bat in the Sun: Top-Secret Project
While it’s hardly the most top-secret project, given that so much has already been revealed, details about Valiant’s first live-action project will finally be fully revealed on Saturday, letting fans see their favorite heroes in the flesh for the first time. Room 1A21, 2:45 p.m.-3:45 p.m.
Archie Comics Forever: 75 Years of Storytelling
Ahead of the premiere of The CW’s Riverdale, Archie Comics gets to celebrate its current success with this panel promoting two new series with music at their heart: Archie Meets The Ramones (Yes, it’s everything you think it will be from that title, and more) and the brand-new Josie and the Pussycats. All this, and Archie, Jughead, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and more. Room 1A05, 3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
Scott Snyder Spotlight
Snyder is kind of a big deal in comics — not just because his recent run on Batman achieved a stable levels of sales unseen in decades, nor because of his indie work like Wytches or After Dark; he’s also helping shepherd a new generation of comic talent with DC’s training program, and taking the Dark Knight to all-new locations as part of the new All-Star Batman series. Find out what else he can do in this evening spotlight session. Room 1A10, 6:45 p.m.-7:45 p.m.
SUNDAY
Celebrate First Second’s 10th Anniversary
The publisher behind award-winning books like American Born Chinese and This One Summer celebrates a decade of championing the medium and new creators, with editorial director Mark Siegel appearing alongside cartoonists Box Brown and Penelope Bagieu and others. Room 1B03, 12:15 p.m.-1:15 p.m.
My First Comic in Family HQ
Cartoonists including Sara Varon and Raina Telgemeier talk about what brought them into comics, not only as creators, but as readers, in this family-centric panel aimed at helping kids who want to do exactly the same thing. More importantly: it’s Raina “Five books on the NYT best-seller list at the same time” Telgemeier on a panel, so, obviously, go and pay attention. Family HQ-1E16, 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.
Writing for Star Trek
Three Trek media veterans with experience in writing Trek TV, comics and novels — David Mack, Peter David and Michael Jan Friedman — talk about their experiences working in the 23rd and 24th centuries, good and bad. NYCC Live Stage, 2:30 p.m.-3:00 p.m.
We Need Diverse Books: #WhitewashedOut In Books and Media
Both Marvel’s Doctor Strange and Paramount’s Ghost in the Shell have demonstrated Hollywood’s tendency to turn Asian characters white, leading to this panel created by the people behind the #WhitewashedOut tag, which asks why, and what can be done to stop it happening in future. Room 1A02, 2:45 p.m.-3:45 p.m.
Secret Loves of Geek Girls LIVE
Hope Nicholson, editor and creator of the Secret Loves of Geek Girls anthology — which mixes comics, prose and illustrated stories, each one telling a nonfiction tale of women and their personal nerditry — takes to the stage to introduce creators from the book and discuss the video games, comics and movies that caused all the nerding out in the first place. Room 1A24, 3:45 p.m.-4:45 p.m.
New York Comic Con runs Oct. 6-9 at the Javits Center, and other locations across New York City.
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