Wed. July 23, 2014
By Danny Bernardo
Comic Con International descends upon downtown San Diego once again, with over 130,000 fanboys and girls expected to attend. What's especially impressive is how much LGBT-centric programming has been added to this year's lineup. Here's the list of all of the panels queer fans cannot miss:
Thursday, July 24:
The Most Dangerous Women at Comic-Con: Positive Portrayals of Women in Pop Culture (3:00pm - 4:00pm | Room 7AB)
With so many damsels in distress, "fridged" girlfriends, and invisible women in popular culture, how's a fangirl (or fanboy) supposed to find a lady to look up to? By banding together and making their own, that's how! To discuss the best (and most disappointing) examples of powerful women in pop culture, Action Flick Chick Katrina Hill (Action Movie Freak) has assembled a team of women and men dangerous in their own right: Lesley Aletter (professional stuntwoman), Jenna Busch (Legion of Leia founder), Adrienne Curry (host/model/Tolkien enthusiast), Jane Espenson (Husbands), Alan Sizzler Kistler (TheMarySue.com), Bryan Q. Miller (Batgirl), and Jennifer K. Stuller (Ink-Stained Amazon).
Teen Wolf (3:30pm - 4:30pm | Ballroom 20)
MTV's hit drama Teen Wolf returns to Comic-Con for the fifth consecutive year. The pack of Tyler Posey, Dylan O'Brien, Tyler Hoechlin, Holland Roden, and new cast members Shelley Hennig and Dylan Sprayberry, along with executive producer Jeff Davis, share secrets, debut a new mid-season trailer, and answer fan questions. Moderated by Buzzfeed senior editor Jarett Wieselman.
LGBT Geek Year in Review (6:00pm - 7:00pm | Room 28DE)
In the past few years, the geek world has been filled with many noteworthy moments of importance to the queer fan. Some were fabulous, some were unfortunate, some were misguided, and some were "blink and you missed it." LGBT activist and columnist P. Kristen Enos (Active Voice, Creatures of Grace) leads a discussion with Diane Anderson-Minshall (The Advocate), Trish Bendix (AfterEllen.com), Matt Kane (GLAAD), and Sean Z. Maker (Bent-Con) on the events of LGBT interest in the past year, why they think they were so important, and what they might mean for the future for LGBT fans.
We Are Husbands and You Can Too! (5:00pm - 6:00pm | Room 23ABC)
The creators and creative staff of Husbands (Brad Bell, Jane Espenson, Sean Hemeon and director Eli Gonda) talk about the huge year in the history of this progressive comedy, moving to a network home on CWSeed, and earning CW's first Writers' Guild Award nomination ever. They'll also discuss the future of the show and the democratization of TV making and walk you through how you can create a TV empire and change the world. This panel will be moderated by Jenna Busch.
Saturday July 26
Anything Goes with John Barrowman (4:00pm - 5:00pm | Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront)
Out fan favorite John Barrowman (Doctor Who, Torchwood, Arrow, Sing Your Face Off) discusses his past, present and future projects, from Captain Jack Harkness to Malcolm Merlyn.
Gays in Comics XXVII: It's a Queer, Queer World! (5:30pm - 7:00pm | Room 6A)
The world spins on and gets ever queerer. And while society has miles to go, every day we see changes -from marriage being a reality in state after state to the Great NFL Draft Kiss-that show that in our society at large, as well as in the world of comics, LGBT people and their relationships are more and more mainstream. What are the responsibilities of creators to their and their audience's queerness as the radical becomes central? Prism Comics and co-moderators Roger Klorese (Prism Comics board member) and Shannon Watters (BOOM Studios) examine this and other questions with panelists Elisha Lim (100 Butches), Noelle Stevenson (Lumberjanes), Graham Kolbeins (Massive), James Tynion IV (Batman Eternal, The Woods), and others.
Sunday July 27
Superheroines! Power, Responsibility, and Representation (1:30pm - 2:30pm | Room 23ABC)
Moderated by Racebending.com, an intersectional, all-women (social) Justice League of television creators, graphic novelists, artists, and cultural commentators will explore the topic of women in the superhero world. Featured panelists include Marjorie Liu (Astonishing X-Men), Marguerite Bennett (Batman), and Faith Erin Hicks (The Adventures of Superhero Girl), Dr. Andrea Letamendi (UnderTheMaskOnline.com), Joanna Estep (Bold Riley), and Jules Rivera (Valkyrie Squadron).
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This is just a small sampling of what Comic Con has to offer. For more coverage from the show floor, follow me on Twitter and Instagram.
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