I’m going to keep that exclamation point in the title! Though nothing beats joining as a community in person, I’m looking forward to seeing folks virtually next week at WonderCon@Home.
For the second year in a row, WonderCon will be hosting WonderCon@Home, a two-day event next Friday and Saturday, March 26 and 27. The free event will include screenings, panels, and a virtual masquerade costume competition.
Last week, WonderCon@Home released their full schedule. Below are some of the panels that caught our eye.
Everyone’s a Critic: Being a Journalist in an Online Age
Bill Watters (Nerdbot), Dana Han-Klein (The DHK), Thomas Parham (professor of cinematic arts at PBA), Alan Ng (Film Threat), and Bob Chipman (Movie Bob) talk about the state of journalism and criticism as we continue to confront life during a pandemic. Touching on the roles new media plays between their readers and the industries and communities they serve. The changes in content with the big studios closed down and tentpoles delayed, how it’s given an opportunity for independent films to reach a wider audience than ever before, and what changes might stick as we go into the future.
March 26, 2021 10:00 a.m. PDT
Comics Arts Conference Session #1: The Power and Responsibility of Comics Pedagogy
The field of Comics Studies is an ever-growing scholarly space involving a wide range of participants. Susan Kirtley (Portland State University), Antero Garcia (Stanford University), and Peter Carlson (Green Dot Public Schools) examine this space while reflecting on their recently published work, With Great Power Comes Great Pedagogy: Teaching, Learning, and Comics. As the panelists discuss their approach to gathering comic creators, scholars, and educators from various fields and settings to set out the stakes, definitions, and exemplars of contemporary comics pedagogy into one edited volume, they analyze how sources of personal identity, nostalgia, and history affect our evolving relationships to comics. As they share the discoveries uncovered in their editing process, the panelists will reveal the purposes for cultivating the three key areas of this volume: Foundations of Comics Pedagogy, Comics Pedagogy in Practice, and New Directions for Comics Pedagogy.
March 26, 2021 11:00 a.m. PDT
Taking it Personally: Comics and Politics in the Age of COVID
Is all art political? And should it be? Cartoon Art Museum Curator Andrew Farago discusses comics, politics, and productivity with an all-star panel of creators whose work combines the personal and the political. Featured guests are Derf Backderf (Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio), Darrin Bell (Candorville), Thi Bui (The Best We Could Do), and Nate Powell (The March Trilogy).
March 26, 2021 12:00 p.m. PDT
Rise of the Latina Superheroes
Kayden Phoenix (writer/creator, Jalisco: Latina Superhero,Santa: SJW Latina Superhero), Barbra Dillon (Quince, founder of Fanbase Press),Amanda Julina Gonzalez (illustrator, Jalisco: Latina Superhero,Ruca: Latina Superhero), Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez (writer/creator, La Boriqueña), and Ralph Henriquez (writer/creator, Fuerza) discuss the expanding universe of Latina superheroes in film and media. These creatives will partake in a Q&A session moderated by Nelly Castillo (co-founder/exec producer, Vendetta Entertainment).
March 26, 2021 1:00 p.m. PDT
Comics and Popular Culture Items for the Visually Impaired
Joshua Loya (visually impaired surfing champion, unashamed geek, and host of Adventure Mind) and Roy Samuelson (voice-over talent, audio description narrator, and founder of the ADNA), share some of the options which exist for nonvisual entertainment, with particular concentration on audio description. For more information about Joshua and his podcast, visit www.adventuremind.net . For information about the Audio Description Alliance, please visit www.theadna.org.
March 26, 2021 2:00 p.m. PDT
Wonder Women: Female-Owned and Operated Comic Publishers
One day a female comic publisher will be standard. Until then, we have Wonder Women! All panelists are female-owned and operated comic publishers. From small press to powerhouses, these women lead by example. This panel is a candid look at their stories. Panelists include Sandy King Carpenter (Storm King Comics), Wendy Chin-Tanner (A Wave Blue World), Debbie Daughetee (Kymera Press), Tina Fine (OffGirl), Enrica Jang (Red Stylo Media), and C. Spike Trotman (Iron Circus Comics).
March 26, 2021 2:00 p.m. PDT
Creators, Assemble!: Projects, Projections and Pivots in Unprecedented Times
Creators Henry Barajas (La Voz De M.A.Y.O. Tata Rambo, Helm Greycastle), Emma Kubert (Inkblot, The Kubert School), comics publishing liaison Morgan Perry (retail sales lead, BOOM! Studios), along with retailer Mathias Lewis (owner-operator, Knowhere Games & Comics) give updates on creative life in challenging times. They will discuss current projects, how those projects have evolved, and where they see the comics industry and fandom going as it pivots into unprecedented times. Moderated by Joe Barrette (co-founder, Creators, Assemble! Inc.).
March 26, 2021 3:00 p.m. PDT
Gay Geeks and Where To Find Them
Dylan Carter (host, House of X Podcast), Jeff Brutlag (Twitch partner/streamer), Dr. Darcie Little Badger (writer, Elatsoe), Amanda Deibert (writer, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe), and SuperXLuigi (premiere cosplayer) gather to discuss how to turn your favorite geeky fandom’s into flourishing careers, the challenges and rewards of growing up LGBTQIA+, seeking diversity and representation, and how being a member of the community influenced their work. Moderated by Julian Jetson (stylist and host).
March 26, 2021 5:00 p.m. PDT
Diversity Isn’t the Story: Inclusion and Storytelling in Comics and Graphic Novels
Rodney Barnes (Quincredible, Killadelphia, @TheRodneyBarnes), Stan Stanley (The Hazards of Love Vol. 1: Bright World, @snakewife), and Nadia Shammas (Squire, HarperCollins 2022, @Nadia_Shammas_) come together and chat about how their identity and the identities of their characters aren’t separate from the stories they create, and how in doing so they offer a richer work for the readers and the industry as a whole. Moderated by Amanda Meadows, senior editor at Oni Press (@amandonium).
March 27, 2021 10:00 a.m. PDT
LGBTQ+ Comics and Social Activism
Are comics mightier than the sword? Can comics change hearts and minds and entertain at the same time? Now more than ever, LQBTQ+ comic artists and writers are claiming their diverse identities, writing their own stories, and using the art form to build empathy and inclusion. Prism Comics moderator Justin Hall (No Straight Lines; professor, California College of the Arts) along with a diverse panel of queer comics creators explore comics as a source of social power and community. Panelists include Tara Madison Avery (We’re Still Here,Alphabet; publisher, Stacked Deck Press), Trinidad Escobar (Of Sea and Venom, Tryst), Jennifer Camper (Juicy Mother; founder, Queers & Comics conference), Lawrence Lindell (From Truth with Truth, Still, Couldn’t Afford Therapy, So I Made This Again; co-founder, TheBAYlies), and Anand Vedawala (100 Years From Now Our Bones Will Be Different; executive director, San Francisco Zine Fest).
March 27, 2021 11:00 a.m. PDT
You can find links for the events and a complete schedule for WonderCon@Home here.
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