No sooner am I back from one convention then I'm packing for another. March 29, 30 and 31, I'll be down at the Anaheim Convention Center for this year's WonderCon Anaheim…and so, if you have a lick of sense, will you. This is always an excellent gathering with plenty to see, plenty to do, plenty to buy and plenty of panels hosted by Yours Truly.
The whole schedule can be inspected at this link. Following is the list of what I'm doing…and you'll notice that there's one panel that I'm on but not moderating and that it's scheduled opposite another panel which I'm moderating in another room. I can't wait to see how I'm going to manage that either. Also, the listing below adds in the names of a few panelists who were confirmed too late to get into the online schedule. What's here is right.
Friday, 3/29/19 at 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM in Room 208
The Mark, Sergio and Probably Tom Show
The folks who bring you Groo the Wanderer explain why they haven't brought you Groo the Wanderer lately and they discuss when and where you will see the Mindless Mendicant again in your local comic shop. Join the award-winning team of WonderCon Special Guests Mark Evanier and Sergio Aragonés as they speak and answer questions about their work, together and apart in comics, plus the hardest-working man in comics — Tom Luth, who colors Groo — will be along to reveal what it's like to spend every waking minute of the day coloring crowd scenes.Friday, 3/29/19 at 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM in Room 213AB
Bob Clampett's Beany & Cecil: A 70th Anniversary Celebration
On February 28, 1949, the great director of Warner Brothers cartoons, Bob Clampett, segued into television with the debut of Time for Beany, the first great kids show to also attract an adult audience. Originally a puppet show featuring the voices of the legendary Daws Butler and Stan Freberg, it won one of the first Emmy Awards and later became one of the most popular animated programs of all time. Bob's own kids, Ruth Clampett and Robert Clampett, Jr., present memories and rare video from this TV classic along with moderator Mark Evanier.Friday, 3/29/19 at 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM in Room 208
What's the Point?
Why can't a banana just be a banana? Why can't stories simply be about what happens to characters, instead of needing to express some deeper meaning? To help hash this out, come see moderator Lee Nordling (two-time Eisner Award nominee), industry legend Marv Wolfman (after Stan Lee, the creator of more characters produced for film and TV than any other comics creator), writer-editor Barbara Randall Kesel (Star Wars, Hellboy, Alien: Genocide), and writer Mark Evanier (Garfield & Friends, Groo the Wanderer).Friday, 3/29/19 at 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM in Room 300B
Writing for Animation
Have you ever wanted to write cartoons for a living? If so, you'll want to listen to a panel of folks who have actually done it and done a lot of it. Come and hear from Moderator Mark Evanier (The Garfield Show, Thundarr The Barbarian), John Semper (Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Static Shock), Julien Magnat (The Garfield Show, Ben 10) and Shaene M. Siders (Niko and the Sword of Life, Woody Woodpecker).Saturday, 3/30/19 at 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM, in Room North 200B
Quick Draw!
By now, you've probably heard of this fast 'n' funny competition where some of the speediest cartoonists on the globe cross Sharpies in a test of who can draw the funniest idea in the least amount of time. Your Quick Draw Quizmaster Mark Evanier throws the challenges at Sergio Aragonés (MAD Magazine, Groo the Wanderer), Scott Shaw! (The Flintstones, The Simpsons) and Tom Richmond (MAD's Star Caricaturist). See which one emerges victorious. (Spoiler Alert: Usually, the big winner at these competitions is the audience.)Saturday, 3/30/19 at 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM in Room North 200B
Cartoon Voices
Once again, your moderator Mark Evanier brings together a team of experts in the art of speaking for animated characters, interviews them and has them demonstrate what they do. The panel this time includes Jon Bailey (Transformers: Combiner Wars, Bumblebee), Phil LaMarr (Futurama, Samurai Jack), Alicyn Packard (Tom & Jerry, Poppy Cat), Rachel Butera (The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Jim Meskimen (Avengers Assemble!, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and maybe a surprise or two.Sunday, 3/31/19 at 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM in Room 300B
Cover Story
Some say the most important part of any comic book is the cover. If that's so, we need to talk more about cover designs…and talk we will with these acclaimed cover creators: Greg Capullo (Batman, Spawn), Tim Sale (Batman: The Long Halloween, Superman For All Seasons) and Jen Bartel (Blackbird, Black Panther). Your moderator as usual is Mark Evanier.Sunday, 3/31/19 at 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM in Room 211
Jack Kirby Tribute
Every year at every con, Mark Evanier moderates a panel about the man many call the most important creative talent ever in comics. Discussing the late, great Jack Kirby this year will be former Kirby assistant Steve Sherman, Tom King (Mister Miracle, Batman), Tom Kraft from the The Jack Kirby Museum and Research Center, John Morrow (publisher of The Jack Kirby Collector) and Paul S. Levine, attorney for the Rosalind Kirby Trust.
Badges and hotel rooms for WonderCon are still available, though I wouldn't count on both of those things being true for very long. If you wanna be a part of it, all the info you need is on the con website along with lots more useful information about the event. I should be around all three days but as is my custom, I refuse to let them give me a table or to sit behind one for very long. See you there if you're there!