Kids comics at SDCC

SDCC is upon us. Since it can be a bit overwhelming, we rounded up some of the kids’ comics highlights:

Jeff Smith will be there, and there will be a screening of "The Cartoonist," a documentary about his work on Bone.

Top Shelf will debut an animated short based on Owly.

Disney will be announcing a Prince of Persia graphic novel that will tie in with the film.

The Archie Comics folks have no booth but are on several panels. First Second will have a booth and panels, and you should definitely stop by as they are friendly and interesting people. Ditto for Papercutz.

Creators who have posted their plans for SDCC:

Alexis Fajardo

Ray Friesen and Jimmy Gownley

Jennifer Holm

Indigo Kelleigh

Kazu Kibuishi

Derek Kirk Kim

Hope Larson

Scott McCloud

Sho Murase

David Petersen

Scott Christian Sava

Chris Schweizer

Jill Thompson

Lewis Trondheim

Landry Walker and Eric Jones

Gene Luen Yang

(Creators: Did I miss you? Post a comment and I’ll add in your links.)

Robin has also gone through the entire Comic-Con schedule and pulled out the panels and events that will be of interest to our readers.

Thursday
If you’re a fan of Disney animation like I am, the Disney 3D Panel (11:00-12:30, Hall H) and the Friday Disney Animation Panel are must-sees!

The way my Simpsons and Futurama comics collections fly off the shelves, I’m sure there are some young readers out there curious about what’s going to being coming next from Bongo Comics (12:00-1:00, Room 10)

Amelia Rules! remains one of the most charming kids graphic novel series, and creator Jimmy Gownley is an invaluable advocate for kids comics: hear his story at the Spotlight on Jimmy Gownley (1:00-2:00, Room 10.)

The Summit Entertainment panel (striking fear in the hearts of fanboys everywhere) will be the place to be (and the lines will be extra-long) for any Twilight fans (1:45-2:45, Hall H), plus Astro Boy has long been an adaptation that’s intrigued fans.

Hear the latest from the Printz-Award-winning creator Gene Yang (who also won a little thing known as the Eisner) in this Spotlight on Gene Yang with fellow creator and collaborator Derek Kirk Kim (2:30-3:30, Room 4).

Featuring our own Eva Volin, this stellar panel of manga professionals and fans take look at the best, worst, and weirdest manga of the last year.  No doubt hilarious commentary will be included! (4:30-5:30, Room 3)

The Manga: Lost in Translation panel (5:30-6:30, Room 3) will provide a fascinating look inside the industry for all manga fans — the challenges and joys of translating manga.  Believe me, if I weren’t speaking at the same time, I’d be there!

Speaking of presenting at the same time, join our panel of comics advocate librarians (including Good Comics for Kids’ Snow Wildsmith and Robin Brenner) to learn all about how to create inviting and engaging programs for your comics fans of all ages (5:30-6:30, Room 30AB)

Friday
Coraline the book and the film are hits with my young readers and teens, and a behind the scenes look with recent Caldecott-winner Neil Gaiman gives you one more chance to hear from this talented author as well as the crew that brought his book to life.(10:30-11:30, Room 6A)

Star Wars never ceases to be popular, and the comics, films and TV series the Clone Wars fly off my library’s shelves.  These Clones Wars panels (11:00-12:00, Room 7AB) should give a welcome glimpse into how Clones Wars is expanding the Star Wars universe.

While the Disney Press panel (11:30-12:30, Room 3) seems to concentrate on the Prince of Persia tie-ins, the line-up of talent is excellent and the upcoming news about Disney Book Group’s titles will be welcome for those interested in kids and teens comics.

The Disney: Animation Panel (12:45-2:15, Hall H) gives everyone a chance to see Hayao Miyazaki in person (and John Lasseter, another man I admire in animation!), plus glimpses of upcoming projects.  The lines are sure to be epic, but it will be worth the wait!

Dwayne McDuffie has been a force in kids entertainment, especially with Static Shock and contributions to Ben Ten, Justice League Unlimited, and Teen Titans.  Here’s your chance to ask him questions and hear what it’s like to work in both comics and TV. (2:00-3:00, Room 2)

Saturday
10:00-11:00 Spotlight on Lewis Trondheim
Lewis Trondheim, creator of Kaput and Zosky and a raft of other great graphic novels, talks to Mark Siegel of First Second Books.
Room 8

While we may have lost Shojo Beat, VIZ is continuing to innovate by offering IKKI, and here’s your chance to meet the Japanese editor of IKKI and see what’s in store via this new online magazine.(12:00-1:00, Room 3)

The Graphic Novels: Sense of History panel (5:00-6:00, Room 8) includes masters of retelling history in comic-form, and shows off the brilliance of the format’s ability to bring the past to life. 

Sunday
Sunday is Kids Day at Comic-Con, so there are a wide variety of programs for kids to attend — here are some highlights that looked intriguing to us here at Good Comics for Kids.

Full disclosure: I will be moderating this Kids’ Graphic Novels panel (10:00-11:00, Room 3), and I’m in awe of the panelist line-up!  We’ll be discussing everything from what’s upcoming to how all of these creators get inspired to write for kids, so please join us.

This is the 9th anniversary of the Secret Origin of Good Readers panel (11:00-12:30, Room 3), and the experience and advice for teachers, librarians, parents and more is invaluable.  This session will be followed immediately by breakout sessions where attendees can get even more interaction on two topics: promoting tolerance and building graphic novel collections in libraries and classrooms.

Get your Mouse Guard fix here!    Spotlight on David Peterson (11:30-12:30, Room 8) will give a glimpse into the past and future of this beloved series.

Having see Stan present at our local Massachusetts conference, I encourage everyone to check out his 25 Years of Usagi Yojimbo: Spotlight on Stan Sakai (12:30-1:30, Room 8).  He’s charming, entertaining, and brilliant.

Comics and Graphic Novels for All Ages (1:30-2:30, Room 3) is another epic kids comics panels, with even more exciting creators weighing in on the wealth of what’s available for kids.

Who doesn’t want these cartoonists to write the story you come up with?    You write the script, these stellar artists do the drawing: Kids Write! (2:00-3:00, Room 30CDE)

Moderated by our own Snow Wildsmith, The Cultural Shift (2:30-3:30, Room 3) promises to be an interesting look at the influence of comics on other media and on pop culture in general. 

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