San Diego Comic-Con will be a virtual experience for the first time ever. The spread of COVID-19 means the splashy pop culture event can’t happen in person. So, the convention organizers adapted and came up with Comic-Con@Home. They moved hours and hours of programming that would normally happen in places like Hall H and Ballroom 20 to YouTube. You won’t have to stand in line for hours to see these panels. Actually, attendees don’t even need a badge or to register in any way. All you have to do is decide which panels you want to see and click the corresponding YouTube link. The panels will air on YouTube at the designated time.
Though it’s not the same as hauling yourself, your tired legs, and all the purchases you swore you wouldn’t make across the San Diego Convention Center, running into friends along the way, it’s certainly the easiest Comic-Con experience I can imagine.
Comic-Con@Home takes place Wednesday, July 22 through Sunday, July 26 and has over 350 panels on the schedule. While I recommend taking some time to peruse that schedule to make your own list, I also have 19 panels to highlight for you. If Comic-Con at Home shared the YouTube URL for the panel already, the panel name is linked. You can bookmark it and open when it’s panel time. If there’s no URL just yet, visit the Comic-Con@Home schedule to find it.
Thursday, July 23
CBS All Access
Star Trek Universe Virtual Panel – 10am PT
CBS All Access has three Star Trek series now with Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek: Lower Decks. This panel will look ahead in the franchise with a ton of cast members stopping by for each series.
Truth Seekers – 12pm PT
If you didn’t know, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are starring in a new series called Truth Seekers for Amazon Prime. They play part-time paranormal investigators. And yes, that is a terrific premise for this duo.
HBO
His Dark Materials Virtual Panel and Q&A – 1pm PT
HBO’s His Dark Materials wrapped its first season in December. In this panel, they assemble the cast of the series adapting Philip Pullman’s work for a discussion about the story so far. It includes Dafne Keen, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ruth Wilson, and many more.
Legendary Comics 2.0: Sci-Fi, YA, Romance, and More – 1pm PT
The Legendary comics team will discuss what they’re working on now and what’s coming up.
The Boys Season 2 – 3pm PT
The Boys returns in September, but you can get a peek of what’s next for the Amazon series with this panel featuring the cast and creators.
Friday, July 24
Netflix
Charlize Theron: Evolution of a Badass – 10am PT
An in-depth interview with Charlize Theron about her action hero career? Yes, please.
Lucasfilm Publishing: Stories From a Galaxy Far, Far Away – 12pm PT
Get your Star Wars fix by catching up with authors telling stories in that galaxy. They’ll discuss their current projects, plus Lucasfilm may announce new books and comics.
Harryhausen100: Into the Ray Harryhausen Archive – 1pm PT
Ray Harryhausen had an incredible collection, and during this panel, attendees will get a closer look at it and some of his iconic creations.
Saturday, July 25
BOOM! Studios
Finance For Creatives – 11am PT
I know you might be giving me a funny look right now. But hey, finances are hard—especially if you’re a creator. If professionals are offering free advice, I’ll take it.
The Official Dune Publishing Panel – 11am PT
Authors Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson will talk about new Dune comics, novels, and more coming out soon. Just in case you want to bathe yourself in Dune before the new movie arrives.
Constantine: 15th Anniversary Reunion – 12pm PT
How has it been 15 years since Constantine? Put aside your denial about the passage of time to hang out with Keanu Reeves, Francis Lawrence, and Akiva Goldsman for this panel.
Diversity and Comics: Why Inclusion and Visibility Matter – 12pm PT
Stories matter. The people who tell stories matter, as do the people who appear in them. That’s why we need more voices. This panel will discuss current issues and propel the conversation forward as it pertains to comics.
Fox Searchlight
Guillermo del Toro and Scott Cooper on Antlers and Filmmaking – 1pm PT
It’s Guillermo del Toro talking about filmmaking. Done and done.
Picard 2020: A Literary Retrospective – 1pm PT
Jean-Luc Picard is bookish. This panel has a narrow focus that I love: the panelists will talk about Picard’s favorite books and what they say about him as a person and a leader.
Bill & Ted Face the Music – 3pm PT
Whatever else is happening in the world, we’re getting another Bill & Ted movie. And we get to see the cast talk about it. That’s a blessing I’ll take.
HBO’s Lovecraft Country – 4pm PT
This new series from HBO arrives in August. It follows a group of three Black characters across 1950s Jim Crow America as they overcome the racist terrors and terrifying monsters ripped from an H.P. Lovecraft novel. Yeah, we’re sold as well. Here, the cast will discuss the upcoming show.
FX
What We Do in the Shadows – 5pm PT
If you’re obsessed with the FX series following vampires just trying to live in this world, you don’t want to miss the cast looking back on season two and maybe teasing season three.
Scary Good TV: A Conversation with Horror’s Top Showrunners – 6pm PT
Dig into some horror television with this panel presented by Shudder featuring Nick Antosca (Channel Zero), Meredith Averill (Locke & Key), Don Mancini (Chucky), Greg Nicotero (Creepshow), and Jami O’Brien (NOS4A2).
Sunday, July 26
YA Fantasy and the Power of Storytelling – 10am PT
For another book focused session, why not take a breather to discuss fantasy novels with authors L.L. McKinney, Hafsah Faizal, Katy Rose Pool, and Alex London?
Which panels are on your list? Let us know in the comments.
Featured Image:
Amy Ratcliffe is the Managing Editor for Nerdist and the author of The Jedi Mind, available for pre-order now. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Editor’s Note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks.
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