The 50th anniversary of San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) starts today, and I’m headed down the coast to give you a front-line reporting of the queerest things from Comic-Con. This is the first time I’ve been at Comic-Con since the late ’80s/early ’90s, and I’m a mix of super excited and super nervous about how much things since my dad and I used to skip down and enjoy the comics.
Over the last 50 years, SDCC has gone from a bunch of geeks having a comic party to a full blown, five day, media convention. Back when I used to go, it was mostly comics with a dash of SciFi and fantasy TV thrown in. It was pre-Internet, so it was also the only place you could get some of the harder to find toys and comics from outside the US.
Now, of course, we’ve made friends and communities internationally. Technology has brought us closer. I can read translated manga on my iPad and buy comics while I’m on the train. Being able to bring my entire comic collection with me means I can read some of the more esoteric works wherever I am.
But there’s more to comics than just reading them. Nerds and geeks may be “in” now, yet there’s a joy to be had when spending a week with thousands of people who love the same weird stuff that you do. And with that in mind, I bring to you the queerest stuff on the Comic-Con schedule.
Wednesday June 17th
Preview Night is the unofficial start of SDCC. Tonight, there aren’t as many things going on that are super queer except for the biggest thing for me about all of SDCC, except this.
| Time | Location | |
| 6:00pm – 10:00pm | Ballroom 20 | World Premiere Screenings of Batwoman and Pilot Screening of New Series Pennyworth Plus Special Sneak Peek Screening of The 100 and Rooster Teeth |
Thursday June 18th
The first full day of programming delivers with a variety of topics. You’ll notice I’ve listed a few things that aren’t overtly queer. I listed Nancy Drew because everything on The CW has some queer, and the source material for Sumptown has the lead as bisexual. Fingers crossed.
| Time | Location | |
| 11:00 AM | Room 7AB | SuperheroIRL: Avengers of Bullying and Injustice |
| 12:00 PM | Room 28DE | Entertainment Is LGBTQ |
| 1:00 PM | Room 11 | Comics Censorship in 2019 |
| 2:00 PM | Ballroom 20 | Nancy Drew Exclusive Screening and Panel |
| Room 26AB | Comics Arts Conference Session #4: What Women Want: Agency, Desire, and Community in Comics | |
| 4:15 PM | Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront | Sumptown Panel |
| 5:00 PM | Room 28DE | Prism Awards: Diversity and Recognition in Comics |
| 6:00 PM | Room 28DE | Crush: First Love, New Comics Talent |
| 8:00 PM | Room 25ABC | Psychology of Cult TV Shows |
Friday June 19th
There start to be some tough choices to be made on Friday. If you value media (TV) over comics, then you’ll be at Veronica Mars. If you like comics more, go to Mutant Metaphors. Also if you don’t know Terry Moore, he and Greg Rucka are two of the only straight men I trust when it comes to writing queer female characters.
| Time | Location | |
| 10:15 AM | Room 6BCF | DreamWorks She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, a Netflix Original Series |
| 11:30 AM | Ballroom 20 | World Premiere: Hulu’s Veronica Mars Revival |
| 11:30 AM | Room 26AB | Comics Arts Conference Session #6: Mutant Metaphors |
| 12:00 PM | Room 11 | CBLDF: Take PRIDE in Comics |
| 1:00 PM | Shiley Special Events Suite, San Diego Central Library | LGBTQ+ YA Graphic Novels |
| 2:30 PM | Room 26AB | Comics Arts Conference Session #8: Queer Latin American Identity and Comics: A Conversation with LGBTQ Comic Creators from Latin America |
| 3:30 PM | Room 26AB | Checking in with Terry Moore |
| 5:30 PM | Room 8 | A Life Illustrated: Memoirs in Comics |
| 6:00 PM | Room 9 | Creator Origins: A Candid Conversation on LBGTQ Comics Creation |
| 6:00 PM | Grand 12 & 13, Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina | Gay Geeks and Where to Find Them |
| 7:00 PM | Room 28DE | Queer Fear |
| 7:15 PM | Room 6A | Unboxing Pandora: The New Sci-Fi TV Series on The CW |
| 8:00 PM | Room 32AB | 10 Points to Slytherin: Why Good Fans Love Evil Creatures |
Saturday June 20th
I would like to have some words with whomever made this schedule. Because someone put Wynonna Earp up against Black Lightning, and this is a devil’s choice for me! The Women Rocking Hollywood 2019 panel will have Gloria Calderón Kellet.
| Time | Location | |
| 10:30 AM | Ballroom 20 | Batwoman Pilot Screening and Q&A |
| 11:00 AM | Room 9 | Expanding the Black Comics Canon |
| 1:15 PM | Hall H | Westworld III |
| 2:00 PM | Room 7AB | Women Rocking Hollywood 2019: Women-Powered Projects and the Push Towards Parity |
| 4:00 PM | Hall H | Entertainment Weekly: Women Who Kick Ass |
| 4:15 PM | Ballroom 20 | Supergirl Special Video Presentation and Q&A |
| 5:00 PM | Ballroom 20 | Black Lightning Special Presentation and Q&A |
| 5:00 PM | Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront | SYFY and IDW Entertainment: Wynonna Earp |
| 6:00 PM | Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront | SYFY’s The Magicians |
| 6:00 PM | Room 29AB | Black and Queer in Popular Media |
| 7:00 PM | Room 29AB | Out in Comics Year 32: Tearing Down a Stonewall |
| 7:45 PM | Room 6BCF | Brooklyn Nine-Nine |
Sunday June 21st
The last day of the con is a partial day. We’ll all be exhausted and drained, but there’s still more to do!
| Time | Location | |
| 11:00 AM | Grand 10 & 11, Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina | How to Be a Nerd for a Living: Discovering Careers in Pop-Culture |
| 11:45 AM | Hall H | Riverdale Special Video Presentation and Q&A |
| 12:30 PM | Room 2 | LGBTQ, Mental Health, and Comics |
| 2:00 PM | Room 4 | Diversity and Comics: Why Inclusion Matters |
| 3:00 PM | Room 4 | Super-Abled: Disability Representation in Comics, Movies, Games, and More |
What Will You Look For?
Besides the Funko Pop of Wynonna Earp, what are you looking for from SDCC? Maybe I’ll get the breaking news for you.
I can’t attend, but I am really interested in the Super Abled panel on the Sunday. Will you be attending that one? It looks interesting!
I plan to 🤞🏾