Comic-Con 2026: Full Schedule

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10:00am PDT

Intro to TV Writing: From First Draft to Getting Staffed

Friday July 24, 2026 10:00am - 11:00am PDT

Moderator Spiro Skentzos (Arrow) and and writers/producers Helen Shang (Avatar: The Last Airbender), Deric Hughes and Benjamin Raab (Quantum Leap, The Last Starfighter comic book), along with producer Averie Huffine (Humble Sandwich Productions), and manager Diego Rey (Underground) discuss navigating the TV spec landscape, including common beginner mistakes, what they look for in a writer, and what it takes to write a standout spec. A substantial Q&A segment is included.

Friday July 24, 2026 10:00am - 11:00am PDT
Room 28DE

1: Programs, Animation, BIPOC, Comics, Education, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Television, Writers & Writing

11:00am PDT

Dreams Come True: Making the Creator-Owned Comic

Friday July 24, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm PDT

Room 28DE

How do you turn your dreams into reality and get them in front of readers? David Avallone (Drawing Blood) and Rylent Grant (Evel Knievel), co-hosts of the award-winning Writers Block podcast, are joined by Charlie Stickney (White Ash), Richard Fairgray (Ex-Wives of Frankenstein), Madeleine Holly-Rosing (Morgana Pendragon), and Arthur Ebuen (©alifornia, Inc.), who have all taken diverse paths toward that common goal. From zines to Kickstarter, from self-publishing to "the Image deal," this panel will cover the ins and outs and the highs and lows of making your own comic.

Friday July 24, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm PDT
Room 28DE

1: Programs, Art and Illustration, Comics, Writers & Writing

12:00pm PDT

UDON Entertainment Industry Panel 2026

Friday July 24, 2026 12:00pm - 1:00pm PDT

Room 28DE

Celebrating another groundbreaking year of publishing the best video game and anime art books and manga from Japan and around the world, UDON chief Erik Ko and director of publishing Matt Moylan share all the new and exciting projects that UDON will offer in the coming months.

Friday July 24, 2026 12:00pm - 1:00pm PDT
Room 28DE

1: Programs, Anime & Manga, Books, International

1:00pm PDT

Pham-tastic Cartoonists

Friday July 24, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm PDT

Room 28DE

They're all award-winning cartoonists, and they're all named Pham. Animator John Pham (J & K), children's book illustrator LeUyen Pham (Princess in Black), and graphic novelist Thien Pham (Family Style) discuss the art of visual storytelling, what keeps them motivated, and what it takes to make it in their respective fields. Moderated by Gene Luen Yang (Lunar New Year Love Story).

Special Guests

LeUyen Pham

Comic-Con Special Guest

LeUyen Pham is the artist of over 120 books for adults and children. Her graphic novels include the multi-Eisner Award–winning Lunar New Year Love Story with Gene Yang, the Eisner Award–nominated Templar, and the bestselling Friends series with Shannon Hale. She is the recipient of several awards, including the Caldecott Honor, The Society of Illustrator’s Bronze Medal, and the Fay B. Kaigler Southern Miss Medallion. She is the creator of the Vampirina book series, which has been... Read More →

Friday July 24, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm PDT
Room 28DE

1: Programs, Cartooning and Comic Strips, Comic-Con Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances, Kids, Writers & Writing

2:00pm PDT

Creating and Maintaining Your Comics Community

Friday July 24, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm PDT

Room 28DE

Besties Raina Telgemeier (Smile), Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese), Julia Wertz (Bury Me Already, It's Nice Down Here), Thien Pham (Family Style), and Briana Loewinsohn (Raised by Ghosts) discuss lives of friendship and comics.

Special Guests

Briana Loewinsohn

Artist Alley HH-16, Comic-Con Special Guest

Briana Loewinsohn is the author of the graphic memoir Ephemera (Fantagraphics, 2023), which was listed as one of the ALA’s top graphic novels of 2023 and was awarded the 2023 Foreword Indies Editors Prize for nonfiction. Her latest book, Raised by Ghosts (Fantagraphics, 2025), won... Read More →

Friday July 24, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm PDT
Room 28DE

1: Programs, BIPOC, Books, Cartooning and Comic Strips, Comic-Con Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances, Comics, Education, Humor & Satire, Writers & Writing

3:00pm PDT

Seeing the World Through Comics Memoir

Friday July 24, 2026 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT

Room 28DE

Some of the most popular graphic novels of the past decade are memoirs, and their authors excel at the genre. Lisa Hanawalt (I Can't Stop Thinking About Horses and Sex), Shay Mirk (Making Nonfiction Comics), Mimi Pond (Do Admit: The Mitford Sisters and Me), and Sophie Yanow (The Contradictions) talk with Rob Salkowitz about their books. Whether it's a story about a queer college student hitchhiking Europe, coming to terms with your desire in middle age, or reinventing yourself as you work at a greasy spoon, the chance to see the world through new eyes is endlessly fascinating.

Special Guests

Mimi Pond

Comic-Con Special Guest

Mimi Pond is an American cartoonist, humorist, and writer. In 1982, her book The Valley Girls Guide to Life (Dell) became a bestseller and launched her career. Her works include humor books such as Secrets of the Powder Room (1983) and Splitting Hairs (1998) as well as acclaimed... Read More →

Friday July 24, 2026 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT
Room 28DE

1: Programs, Cartooning and Comic Strips, Comics

4:00pm PDT

That's, Like, Seriously Funny!

Friday July 24, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm PDT

Room 28DE

Can the serious be turned into the seriously funny? Moderator Sina Grace jokes with Comic-Con special guests Huda Fahmy, Howard Mackie, Stephan Pastis, and Mimi Pond, along with Tom Toro, about the highs and lows of creating funny books.

Special Guests

Stephan Pastis

Comic-Con Special Guest

Stephan Pastis is the creator of the syndicated comic strip Pearls Before Swine, which appears in over 900 newspapers. There have been more than 40 Pearls book collections published by Andrews McMeel Publishing. In 2003, 2006, and 2014, the National Cartoonists Society named Pea... Read More →

Mimi Pond

Comic-Con Special Guest

Huda Fahmy

Comic-Con Special Guest

Huda Fahmy was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. She is the author and illustrator of the webcomic series Yes, I’m Hot in This, the graphic memoir That Can Be Arranged, and the widely popular Huda F graphic novel series. Her book Huda F Cares? was a 2023 finalist for the National... Read More →

Howard Mackie

Artist Alley HH-09, Comic-Con Special Guest

Howard Mackie was dragged—kicking and screaming—into writing his first comic book (Iron Man #211) by legendary writer/editor Mark Gruenwald in 1986, and he went on to chronicle the adventures of Danny Ketch: Ghost Rider, Spider-Man, Hawkeye, The X-Men, X-Factor, Mutant-X, Gambit, Wolverine, Batman, and countless others for Marvel, DC, and other publishers. Howard’s most... Read More →

Friday July 24, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Room 28DE

U: Updated, Comic-Con Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances, Comics, Humor & Satire, Writers & Writing | 1: Programs, Comic-Con Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances, Comics, Humor & Satire, Writers & Writing

5:00pm PDT

Expect More with AHOY Comics!

Friday July 24, 2026 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT

Room 28DE

AHOY Comics has made a name for itself with acclaimed creators, witty satire, and a commitment to bold, risk-taking storytelling, including The Toxic Avenger, Babs, Second Coming, Justice Warriors, Billionaire Island, Ancestral Recall, and more. Matt Bors (The Toxic Avenger, Justice Warriors) and Mark Russell (Second Coming, Billionaire Island) discuss the upcoming The Forgotten Divine graphic novella, more Toxic Avenger comics, and the future of the publisher that asks its readers to expect more. Moderated by Barbra Dillon (Fanbase Press).

Friday July 24, 2026 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT
Room 28DE

1: Programs, Books, Comics, Writers & Writing

6:00pm PDT

Fiction in the Time of Fascism

Friday July 24, 2026 6:00pm - 7:00pm PDT

Room 28DE

Barbra Dillon (editor-in-chief, Fanbase Press) leads comics creators and educators, including Phillip Kennedy Johnson (writer, Superman, Action Comics), Desiree Proctor (writer, Nuclear Power), Corinna Bechko (writer, Invisible Republic), Henry Barajas (writer, La Voz de M.A.Y.O. Tata Rambo), and Arthur N. Ebuen (writer, ©alifornia, Inc.), in a discussion of why dystopian comics offer accessible ways to process a challenging world and what can be learned from stories in which characters and societies face profound injustice.

Friday July 24, 2026 6:00pm - 7:00pm PDT
Room 28DE

1: Programs, Action/Adventure, Comics, Education, Historical, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Superheroes

7:00pm PDT

Black Heroes Matter: Icons and Identity

Friday July 24, 2026 7:00pm - 8:00pm PDT

Room 28DE

Carl Varnado (Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Relooted) moderates a discussion with Kadeem Hardison (A Different World, Static Shock), J. August Richards (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Angel), producer Denee Busby (The Cookout; Hyperlens Studios), Ryan Benjamin (Batman Beyond, Star Wars), Sanford Greene (Wolverine, Bitter Root), Jessica Murrey (World Reborn), and Oscar-nominated screenwriter Rob Edwards (The Princess and the Frog) on the evolution of Black representation across diverse media. Panelists explore the behind-the-scenes craft, capital strategy, and narrative ownership involved in modernizing and expanding legacy characters for film, network television, independent media, comics, and interactive gaming ecosystems.

Friday July 24, 2026 7:00pm - 8:00pm PDT
Room 28DE

1: Programs, Action/Adventure, Movies, Superheroes

8:00pm PDT

Bridging The Expanse: United by War/Divided by Peace!

Friday July 24, 2026 8:00pm - 9:00pm PDT

Room 28DE

Carl von Clausewitz famously wrote, "War is a mere continuation of policy by other means." This principle echoes into the distant future of The Expanse. Across the solar system, the three major powers—Earth, Mars, and the Belt—wield their militaries not just as instruments of defense, but as tools of political leverage, coercion, and survival. Moderator Michael Pea (senior writer, Friends of Comic Con), Krys Blackwood (principal designer, NASA JPL), Lt. Col. Matthew Frebert (Department of War), Julius Francisco (Southern CA School of Writing 2.0), Dr. Benjamin Taitz (clinical and forensic psychologist), and Jordan Ticktin (aerospace systems engineer) examine this conflict. Who will win? What is the cost?

Friday July 24, 2026 8:00pm - 9:00pm PDT
Room 28DE

1: Programs, Books, Fandom, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Television, After Dark

9:00pm PDT

Recurring Themes and Patterns in Sci-Fi and Fantasy

Friday July 24, 2026 9:00pm - 10:00pm PDT

Room 28DE

Mensans Leif Gantvoort (actor, producer), Ray Brown (lawyer, comics super nerd), Nevin Millan (actor, producer), Dr. Jenny G. Rankin (professor, writer), and LaRae Bakerink (former chair of American Mensa) spot subtle sci-fi/fantasy nods and discuss why enduring archetypes, from the hero's journey to deeper echoes, keep returning and elevate stories to iconic status. Moderated by LaRae Bakerink.

Friday July 24, 2026 9:00pm - 10:00pm PDT
Room 28DE

1: Programs, Movies, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Writers & Writing, After Dark

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