Overthinking Comics

My goodness, I miss conventions.

This week would have been San Diego Comic-Con, and once again, there is no in-person event happening this year.

That means no walking the con floor, no digging through long boxes, no checking out all the rare and cool comics, no meeting creators and other fans, no lining up for exclusives, and no beer and tacos when we need a break from the convention floor.

What there is, however, is panels. Panels for days! Comic-Con@Home 2021 mostly takes the shape of a series of online panels available on the SDCC YouTube channel. Usually, there are a tremendous amount of activities competing for my attention during the convention, and I am not able to make it to many panels. With Comic-Con@Home, however, I can attend as many panels as I want.

Also, there are a number of individual artists, exhibitors, fan tables, and small press sites that are linked to from the Comic-Con.org website. Many of them have exclusives available for the show that you can buy online.

My experience of the con is largely going to be of the panels, because that is really where the heart of this experience lies.

So, without further words, lets jump to coverage of Wednesday and Thursday

As with all of this convention coverage, clicking on the title or image for the panel will take you to the panel itself on YouTube in a separate browser window.

Wednesday

The Wednesday schedule was pretty darn easy to follow. There is only one panel, but it is one near and dear to my nerdy interests. The first (and only) panel on the Wednesday schedule is a look at the Snake Eyes movie. I am quite the G.I. Joe fan, and a Snake Eyes movie sounds pretty rad.

Unmasking Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins

Mari Takahashi hosts this Snake Eyes panel. Mostly, this panel is a few short interviews with the various actors from the film, talking about the usual things that people talk about, how fun it was, how cool a movie it is, etc.

They talked a little about filming in Japan, and how the setting plays an integral role in the movie. You know, it does look really cool.

They brought Larry Hama on to talk about the film, and give some appreciation for how this story has evolved from the original. Very few people have more Joe credibility than Larry Hama, so I appreciate how the film makers and film promoters are involving him with this film. Even if he isn’t really playing a creative role, just seeing some credit and respect given where it is due is cool.

Thursday

Thursday was another day without a lot of programming. The programming that was on the schedule focused on academia. Amongst that, I found a panel that hits the cross section of my professional life with my hobbies.

The Science of Art

This panel features four scientists and engineers. They talk about the representation of science and engineering in popular media. The panelists include Erika Hamden (astrophysicist), Samantha Thi Porter (archaelogist), Myria Perez (paleontologist), and Sydney Hamilton (aerospace engineer).

They start off talking about some of their picks for the best representation of their field in recent popular media. This ranges from the black hole in Interstellar to the museum in Black Panther to Jurassic Park.

They discuss accurate depiction of science versus fantastic depiction of science, and the place and role of each. Also, some great discussion of the relationship between science, and its depiction in popular media. Which drives which?

The characters in science fiction also get some discussion, and the panelists describe the scientist figures they see in various media, and which they identify with and enjoy. I appreciated this take, because often panels discuss the science, but not as much the scientists in science-fiction stories.

They also take some time to dig into the some of the science that is depicted in movies that makes not a lot of sense, at least scientifically. We are looking at you, time travel and quantum realm.

In addition to this, the panelists take some time to geek out, and have some fun discussing cosplay, conventions, and advice for their young selves.

Wrap-Up

Well, Wednesday and Thursday are off to to a slow start as far as the panels go. Expect a lot more over the coming days!

Also, a number of companies are having SDCC sales and specials over the weekend, so check them out! One standout to me is IDW, with a sale on Artist Edition books and free shipping over $65!

• Friday Comic-Con@Home Coverage
• Saturday Comic-Con@Home Coverage
• Sunday Comic-Con@Home Coverage (coming soon)

Stay safe, and enjoy Comic-Con@Home!