SDCC: CBLDF Master Sessions & Panels!

Throughout Comic-Con International, July 20-24, you’ll find amazing signed premiums and CBLDF exclusives at Booth 1920. But the action doesn’t stop there — CBLDF has an incredible series of panels throughout the weekend!

From learning at the feet of comics masters, such as Jaime Hernandez, Matt Wagner, David Peterson, and more, to getting the latest information about CBLDF’s Canada Customs Case, to our annual benefit auction, CBLDF offers plenty of opportunities to learn about the Fund and see some of our biggest supporters in action!

Come join the fight for Free Speech in person by joining the CBLDF at the following panels:

Thursday, July 21

12:00-1:00 CBLDF Master Session: David Petersen Mouse Guard is a triumph of world-building that couples a fiercely imaginative story with the illustrative mastery of its creator’s pen.  Come witness David Petersen’s singular approach to image making and learn how he creates his work at this CBLDF Master Session! The pieces created during this event will be available for bidding in Saturday’s CBLDF Benefit Auction! Room 30CDE

1:00-2:00  CBLDF Master Session: Shannon Wheeler From DIY zine making to the pages of The New Yorker and every flavor of independent press in between, Shannon Wheeler has distinguished himself for an ability to craft humor strips that are equal parts sardonic and existential.  Take a close up look at his approach to creating cartoons and gain insight into the nuts and bolts of making cartoons that connect with editors and readers at this CBLDF Master Session!  The pieces created during this event will be available for bidding in Saturday’s CBLDF Benefit Auction!  Room 30CDE

Friday, July 22

12:00-1:00  CBLDF Master Session: Jaime Hernandez No one can touch Jaime Hernandez’s art as the gold standard for visual characterization in contemporary comics.  Through a complex use of body language, facial acting, and the playful mix of exaggerated and realistic visuals, Hernandez’s characters come to life in a way that is instantly recognizable and wholly unique.  Witness his singular approach to visual storytelling at this CBLDF Master Session!  The pieces created during this event will be available for bidding in Saturday’s CBLDF Benefit Auction! Room 30CDE

1:00-2:00  CBLDF Master Session: Matthew Holm As the co-creator of the wildly popular kids graphic novel series Babymouse and Squish, Matthew Holm’s visual storytelling needs to deliver expressive, charming drawings that are read with ease. He expresses this and tops those pages off with a strong sense of humor and flair. At this CBLDF Master Session, Holm shows you all the steps of his process so you can see how his storyboards and thumbnails come to life as the dynamic graphic novel pages loved by readers of all ages!  The pieces created during this event will be available for bidding in Saturday’s CBLDF Benefit Auction! Room 30CDE

5:30-6:30  CBLDF: Can Comics Send You To Jail? What if the comics you took on a plane landed you in jail? That’s the danger facing one American, who could spend a minimum of a year in a foreign prison for doing just that. Turns out that anyone leaving or entering the country can be stopped, searched or detained by customs agents because of comic art in print or on laptops, tablets or cell phones — even without suspicion of criminal activity. Learn how the CBLDF is working to fight this trend, and what you can do to help. Room 26AB

Saturday, July 23

11:00-12:00 Will Eisner: Visionary Will Eisner — artist, storyteller, entrepreneur — played a central role in comics from the Golden Age to the Computer Age. During his career Eisner reinvented sequential art and himself to overcome obstacles and create new media.  A combination of idealist and realist, he led the way and helped to create the comics and graphic novels that we know today.  Learn about Will Eisner from those who personally knew and worked with him.  Join moderator Charles Brownstein (Executive Director of the CBLDF, writer, author of Eisner/Miller), Denis Kitchen (artist, author, publisher, Eisner’s agent and longtime friend), Paul Levitz (writer, former President/Publisher of DC Comics), Scott McCloud (artist, author, theoretician about comics and sequential art), Diana Schutz (Executive Editor, writer) and Jeff Smith (cartoonist, writer, artist), and learn about the “Father of the Graphic Novel.” Room 9

12:00-1:00  CBLDF Master Session: Matt Wagner For more than three decades, Matt Wagner has developed a singular approach to depicting heroism through a unique design ethic that couples muscularity with precision.  Witness how his approach to line, color and form combine to produce heroic results at this CBLDF Master Session!  The pieces created during this event will be available for bidding in Saturday’s CBLDF Benefit Auction! Room 30CDE

1:00 – 2:00 CBLDF Master Session: Camilla d’Errico Working at the nexus of fine art, western comics, manga and illustration, Camilla d’Errico fuses a diversity of influences into a style that speaks to the heart of 21st Century aesthetics.  Get an inside look at d’Errico’s approach to designing characters with an emphasis on eyes, and her original headpiece creations at this CBLDF Master Session.  The pieces created during this event will be available for bidding in Saturday’s CBLDF Benefit Auction!  Room 30CDE

3:00-4:00  CBLDF: 25 Years Of Protecting Creativity When the CBLDF was established in 1986 it was to defend a retailer who faced jail time for selling mature comics to an adult reader, because the common belief was that comics were for kids.  Today, comics are a widely respected literary form, and they got there in part thanks to the Fund’s 25 years of protecting the industry’s creativity in court.  Come learn how the CBLDF has stood up for comics in this informative presentation of their history, and look ahead towards the issues facing readers today. Room 9

5:30-6:30  The UK Invasion The UK Invasion panel will be moderated by Charles Brownstein. The panel will include Alan Davis, Garth Ennis, Dave Gibbons, John Higgins, David Lloyd and Grant Morrison. Room 7AB

7:30-9:30  CBLDF 25th Anniversary Gala Comic-Con Benefit Auction Now held at the Hilton Bayfront, the CBLDF’s Comic-Con auction is open to everyone!  Come celebrate the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund’s 25 years of protecting the First Amendment rights of comics and win incredible original art by the most talented creators in the industry at the CBLDF’s Comic-Con Benefit Auction. Featuring guest appearances by comics greats and astonishing original art, you won’t want to miss this celebration benefiting the CBLDF’s important work. Visit cbldf.org and CBLDF Booth 1920 for a full list of the items on auction.  Sapphire Ballroom at the Hilton Bayfront

Sunday, July 24

12:15-1:45  CBLDF Live Art Battle! Come watch two teams of art titans battle to the bidder end at the CBLDF’s Comic-Con Live Art Battle!  Team captains Chris Burnham (Batman) and Ale Garza (Superman/Batman) will bring their fiercest ink warriors to face off by making art you can bid on to support the First Amendment legal work of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund!  Room 5AB

Don’t miss the CBLDF at Comic-Con International! Find us at Booth 1920 or join us at a panel!