Stories have always been one of society's most powerful tools for challenging assumptions, questioning authority, and exposing uncomfortable truths. But in an era shaped by misinformation, algorithmic outrage, performative activism, and competing realities, what role does storytelling play in helping audiences navigate the noise? Can satire, speculative fiction, and graphic novels still provoke meaningful conversation in a culture increasingly divided by competing narratives? Artist, filmmaker, entrepreneur, and The A.R.C. creator Tim Disney, writer of The A.R.C. and creative director JC Lacek, publisher Matthew Medney (GUNGNIR), Lalo Alcaraz (Pulitzer-nominated artist, RFK Journalism Prize winner), Deric A. Hughes (The Flash, Arrow, Quantum Leap, The Last Starfighter), and Ben Raab (Green Lantern, Warehouse 13, Quantum Leap, The Last Starfighter) discuss subversive storytelling, political satire, and the responsibility of creators in a rapidly changing media landscape. Drawing from projects that challenge convention and blur the lines between entertainment, commentary, and cultural critique, the panel will explore how creators use fiction to interrogate truth, confront power, and imagine alternative futures. Whether through comics, film, prose, or emerging media, these creators examine how stories can entertain, unsettle, inspire, and ultimately help audiences make sense of an increasingly complicated world. Moderated by writer and host Chris Killen (ComicBook.com).
