Comic-Con 2010: Day 3 (7/24) announced

The Comic-Con 2010 Day 3 scheduled has just been released today. Here are some sessions that look to be relevant to the craft of writing and storytelling:

10:00–11:00 Spotlight on Carla Speed McNeil — Comic-Con special guest Carla Speed McNeil is best known for her creator-owned title Finder. A few years back, Carla took new stories of Finder to the Internet, and the result was an Eisner Award for best Webcomic of 2008 and a new series of reprints from Dark Horse. Carla talks about her work and what’s next in this Spotlight panel. Room 3 

10:00–11:00 Writing Animated Feature Films — The Writers Guild of America’s Animation Writers Caucus once again sponsors a panel on writing for animation. Some of the most successful films of the last decade have been animated. But how different are they to write from live-action features? From television scripts? And what about direct-to-DVD animated features? The writers of some of the top animated features will talk about the process of creating those films, their interactions with the artists and the studios, and how they came to be involved with their project. Panelists tentatively scheduled include Alan Burnett (Green Lantern: First Flight), Darren Lemke (Shrek Forever After), John Musker (The Princess and the Frog), Dean DeBlois (How to Train Your Dragon), Wallace Wolodarsky (Monsters vs. Aliens), and moderator Craig Miller (Elfquest). Room 6BCF 

10:00–11:00 Marvel Comics Writers Unite! — The third in Comic-Con’s series of “Year of the Writer/Comics Writers Unite!” panels focuses on Marvel Comics and includes Comic-Con special guests Brian Michael Bendis (Avengers, New Avengers, Ultimate Spider-Man), Matt Fraction (Invincible Iron Man, Thor), and Chris Claremont (X-Men Forever, X-Women) in a discussion with writer Mark Waid (Amazing Spider-Man, Irredeemable). Room 6DE 

10:00–10:45 Chuck Screening and Q&A — Chuck executive producers and co-creators Josh Schwartz (Gossip Girl) and Chris Fedak appear along with series stars Zachary Levi (Alvin and the Chipmunks), Yvonne Strahovski (upcoming The Killer Elite), Joshua Gomez (Without a Trace), Ryan McPartlin, Mark Christopher Lawrence (The Pursuit of Happyness), Vik Sahay (Good Will Hunting), Scott Krinsky (The O.C.), Sarah Lancaster (upcoming The Good Doctor) and Adam Baldwin (Serenity) for their usual hijinks — a Q&A to discuss the upcoming season four (made possible by the devoted fanbase) and a special video presentation. Produced by Fake Empire, Wonderland Sound and Vision in association with Warner Bros. Television, Chuck airs Mondays at 8pm ET/PT on NBC, and Chuck: The Complete Third Season will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on September 7. Ballroom 20 

10:00–11:00 Twilight Fanfiction Author Fangroup — A Q&A/dialogue with Snowqueens Icedragon (Master of the Universe), m81170 (An Introduction to Swirl & Daisy), MsKathy (The Trip Home), HMonster4 (Deconstructing Dracula), Giselle-lx (Ithaca is Gorges), ElleCC (A Murmur of Fire in the Vein), and Amethyst Jackson (Bonne Foi). Santa Rosa Room, Marriott Hotel and Marina 

11:00–12:00 Reading with Brains: The Rise and Unrelenting Stamina of Zombie Fiction — Authors and survivors include Amelia Beamer (The Loving Dead), Max Brooks (The Zombie Survival Guide), Seth Grahame-Smith (Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Slayer), Mira Grant (The Newsflesh trilogy). Walter Greatshell (Xombies: Apocalypticon), Jonathan Maberry (Rot & Ruin), Ryan Mecum (Zombie Haiku), John Skipp (Zombies: Encounters with the Hungry Dead), and Joan Frances Turner (Dust). Moderated by Maryelizabeth Hart, Mysterious Galaxy. Room 7AB 

11:00–11:45 Family Guy — A freakin’ sweet discussion on all things Family Guy with Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Seth Green, and others. And don’t miss never-before-seen clips of the third Star Wars parody. Ballroom 20 

11:15–12:15 The Event: World-Premiere Pilot Screening and Q&A with Cast and Producers — Debuting on NBC this fall, the highly anticipated conspiracy thriller The Event follows an unlikely hero who gets entangled in one of the government’s biggest cover-up operations that could ultimately change the fate of mankind. Be the first to watch the pilot episode. Moderated by E! News’ Kristin Dos Santos, participate in a Q&A session with the cast: Jason Ritter (The Class), Blair Underwood (In Treatment), Laura Innes (ER), Sarah Roemer (Disturbia), Zeljko Ivanek (Damages), Ian Anthony Dale (Daybreak), and the producers: Evan Katz (24), Steve Stark (Medium), Jeffrey Reiner (Friday Night Lights), Nick Wauters (The 4400), and Jim Wong (The X-Files). Room 6A 

11:15–12:15 Spotlight on Gerard Way — Comic-Con special guest Gerard Way, writer/creator of The Umbrella Academy, is joined by guests in a 60-minute deconstruction of the comic book industry, featuring helicopter rides and Jonesy the Human Ferret. Room 6DE 

11:30–12:30 Will Eisner, The Dreamer — Will Eisner played a central role in the first seven decades of comics history. Many times during his career, he reinvented sequential art and himself to overcome new challenges. He was a true dreamer, and these panelists hope to show you that side of him: Denis Kitchen (artist, author, publisher, and Will Eisner’s agent and longtime friend), Scott McCloud (artist, author, and theoretician about comics and sequential art), Dennis O’Neil (comic book writer and editor for Marvel Comics and DC Comics), Paul Levitz (writer, former president/publisher, DC Comics), and Michael Schumacher (bestselling author and Biographer with a new biography of Will Eisner due out this fall). This is your chance to learn more about the “Father of the Graphic Novel.” Room 4 

11:30–1:00 Comics Arts Conference Session #10: Superhero Comics as Meta-Fiction — Matt Yockey (UC Irvine) uses “The True Story of Batman and Robin” and David Mazzucchelli’s self-reflexive afterword in Batman: Year One to look at the paradoxical relationship of fans and publishers. Whitney Donaldson (California State University, Long Beach) details the self-referential, metafictional, and narrative complexity of Watchmen. Karen Healey (University of Melbourne) argues that contemporary superhero comics are essentially corporate-owned fan fiction and proposes a theoretical approach that emphasizes the fluidity of texts composed in knowing reference to other works. Andrew J. Friedenthal (University of Texas at Austin) uses Crisis on Infinite Earths as a lens to examine how metatextual continuity creates a “narrative” of superhero universes out of the “chronicle” of comic book history. Room 26AB 

12:00–1:00 Fang Girls and Fang Boys: The Popularity of Vampire Lit — Authors of vampire fiction for young adults and adults discuss the appeal of their worlds and characters. Authors include Charlaine Harris (the Sookie Stackhouse Series), Heather Brewer (the Chronicles of Vladimir Tod), Rachel Caine (the Morganville Vampires series), Christopher Farnsworth (Blood Oath: The President’s Vampire), Chris Marie Green (the Vampire Babylon series), Richelle Mead (the Vampire Academy series), and Jeanne C. Stein (the Anna Strong series). Moderated by Brian Truitt, associate editor, USA Weekend Magazine/USA Today. Room 7AB 

12:30–1:30 Spotlight on Brian Michael Bendis — The controversial Marvel writer and Comic-Con special guest Brian Michael Bendis turns his spotlight panel into a live taping of the popular Word Balloon Bendis tapes. Word Balloon podcast host John Suitress will moderate the panel and take questions from the audience, with nothing off limits. Bendis will also be giving away limited-edition variant covers of his new creator-owned series Scarlet. Room 6DE 

12:30–1:30 Stan Lee @ BOOM! — Stan Lee and Mark Waid reveal the details behind Stan Lee’s new series at BOOM!, including two special mystery guests that will blow your mind. This is it, people. You wanted to know who is writing the other two books alongside Waid? Now you’ll know! Room 9 

1:00–2:00 Spotlight on Gabrielle Bell — Join Comic-Con special guest Gabrielle Bell (Cecil and Jordan in New York, Lucky). Gabrielle Bell has been featured in McSweeneys, Vice and the Believer. The title story of her most recent book, Cecil and Jordan in New York has been adapted for the screen by Michel Gondry in the triptych Tokyo! She is currently serializing her Ignatz award-winning autobiographcal comics Lucky online. Gabrielle Bell will present a slideshow and discuss her work with Tom Spurgeon (www.thecomicsreporter) Room 3 

1:00–2:00 The Write Stuff: Creating Genre Television — An incredible insider look at the making of genre television from the scribes behind some of today’s hottest shows who share their candid thoughts on how to make the series we love (and sometimes loathe)…and beyond. Featuring Javier Grillo-Marxuach (The Middleman, Lost), Gabrielle Stanton (The Vampire Diaries, Moonlight), Jesse Alexander (Heroes, Lost, Alias), Jose Molina (Castle, Firefly), Robert Hewitt Wolfe (The Gates, Deep Space Nine), Charles Murray (V, Criminal Minds), Sarah Watson (Middleman, Parenthood), Ashley E. Miller (Fringe, Terminator), Steve Kriozere (NCIS, V.I.P.), Steve Melching (Clone Wars, Transformers, The Batman), and Mark A. Altman (Castle, Elvis Van Helsing). Moderated by Creative Screenwriting’s Jeff Goldsmith. Room 8 

1:30–2:15 The Simpsons — Now entering its record-annihilating 22nd season on Fox, The Simpsons has won 25 Emmy awards, has been the subject of a smash feature film in 2007, and has inspired an awesome ride at Universal Studios — and Homer Simpson was just named the greatest television character of the last 20 years by Entertainment Weekly. Get insights into the daily doings of this series from creator Matt Groening, showrunner Al Jean, executive producer Matt Selman, and supervising director Mike Anderson. Ballroom 20 

1:30–2:30 Overture: Let Me In — The cast and filmmakers of Let Me In, a haunting and provocative thriller written and directed by filmmaker Matt Reeves (Cloverfield), give the Hall H audience a sneak peek at this highly anticipated film. Let Me In is an astonishing coming-of-age story involving a young girl (Kick Ass’s Chloe Moretz) and an alienated boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee from The Road) unlike any you have seen. Based on the bestselling Swedish novel Lat den Ratte Komma (Let The Right One In) by John Ajvide Lindqvist and the highly acclaimed film of the same name, Let Me In takes audiences straight to the troubled heart of adolescent longing and loneliness. Academy Award–nominee Richard Jenkins (The Visitor) also stars in this exhilarating reboot of the beloved original. Hall H 

2:00–3:00 Writing Seminar with Marv Wolfman — Marv Wolfman (God of War, Teen Titans, Crisis on Infinite Earths), in this annual writing seminar, returns to basics as he discusses the building blocks of putting together a story, creating tension, and what the “three act structure” really means. There will also be time for a Q&A session. 

2:00–3:00 The Guild — Now in its fourth season, The Guild is a multi-award-winning independent web series that started on YouTube and has grown into a worldwide phenomenon with over 50 million views, a groundbreaking distribution deal with Microsoft, a chart-topping song and music video, and a comic book from Dark Horse Comics. Writer/producer and Comic-Con special guest Felicia Day, producer Kim Evey, director Sean Becker, and the cast of The Guild including Wil Wheaton are on hand for a discussion and Q&A, along with the debut of never-before-seen content and other surprises. Indigo Ballroom, San Diego Hilton Bayfront 

2:30–3:30 From Words to Pictures — An increasing array of prose writers are bringing their works to comics or writing comics in addition to novels. Hear from some of the best about why they love working in the comics medium, including Alex Irvine, Joe Landsdale, Max Brooks, Mario Acevedo, and others. Room 5AB 

3:00–4:00 Spotlight on Ray Bradbury — He was at the very first Comic-Con and we kind of think he’ll be at the very last one, too, far off in the future. Science fiction author Ray Bradbury is literally a national treasure. Ray talks with biographer Sam Weller and moderator writer/producer Arnold Kunert in his yearly visit with his fans at Comic-Con. Room 6DE 

3:00–4:00 NBC’s Community Cast and Creative Team — The cast and producers — Joel McHale (The Soup), Chevy Chase (Hot Tub Time Machine), Donald Glover (30 Rock), Yvette Nicole Brown (Rules of Engagement), Danny Pudi (Greek), Gillian Jacobs (Choke), Alison Brie (Mad Men) and executive producers Dan Harmon (The Sarah Silverman Program), Joe Russo (Arrested Development), Anthony Russo (Arrested Development), Neil Goldman (Scrubs), Garrett Donovan (Scrubs) and Russ Krasnoff (The Soloist) — are on hand for an animated discussion and Q&A session about what’s in store for viewers this fall. Indigo Ballroom, San Diego Hilton Bayfront 

3:15–4:15 Fringe Screening and Q&A — Fringe returns to Comic-Con as Lance Reddick and Blair Brown make their first appearance at the convention, joining fellow series stars Anna Torv , Joshua Jackson, John Noble, and Jasika Nicole plus executive producers Jeff Pinkner and J. H. Wyman for a Q&A with fans and an exclusive video presentation. Join the discussion of this critically acclaimed thriller, which explores the ever-blurring line between science fiction and reality, where hybrid monsters tear through sewers, thieves walk through walls and portals open to worlds unknown. From Bad Robot Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, Fringe airs Thursdays at 9pm ET/PT on FOX, and Fringe: The Complete Second Season will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on September 14. Ballroom 20 

3:30–5:00 Warehouse 13 and Eureka — Don’t miss two of Syfy’s biggest hit series in one exclusive event. Catch back-to-back Warehouse 13 and Eureka panels, featuring Warehouse 13’s Eddie McClintock (Pete Lattimer), Joanne Kelly (Myka Bering), Saul Rubinek (Artie Nielsen), Allison Scagliotti (Claudia Donovan), and Jack Kenny (showrunner/executive producer) and Eureka’s Colin Ferguson (Jack Carter), Salli Richardson-Whitfield (Allison Blake), Neil Grayston (Douglas Fargo), James Callis (Grant), Jaime Paglia (co-creator/executive producer/writer), and Bruce Miller (executive producer/writer). Room 6BCF 

4:00–5:00 Writing for Comics — Top comics writers Brian Michael Bendis (New Avengers, Powers, Secret Invasion), Marc Guggenheim (Wolverine, Resurrection), and Peter David (Incredible Hulk, X-Factor) offer a discussion and instructive tips on the art of writing for comics. Writers and editors speak about the process of writing and how the game is played. Want to know how stories come about and learn how to do it yourself. This is the place to start! Moderated by Comics Experience’s Andy Schmidt (X-Men, Annihilation). Room 30CDE 

4:30–5:30 Welcome to The Future: Are You Sure You Want to Stay? — Speculative fiction authors discuss visions of the future, dystopian and otherwise. Authors include Samuel R. Delany (Dhalgren), Alan Dean Foster (Flinx Transcendent), Cody Goodfellow (Perfect Union), Kirsten Imani Kasai (Ice Song), Dani Kollin and Eytan Kollin (The Unincorporated War), Nnedi Okorafor (Who Fears Death), David Weber (Honor Harrington novels), David J. Williams (The Machinery Of Light), and Charles Yu (How To Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe). Moderated by Maryelizabeth Hart of Mysterious Galaxy. Room 4 

4:30–5:30 Spotlight on J. Michael Straczynski — J. Michael Straczynski speaks (despite requests to the contrary) about his work on (and on and on) such comics as Superman (well, we guess it had to happen eventually) and Wonder Woman (at least they have the same fashion sense), his movies, including Shattered Union (shattered hopes that he wouldn’t show up), Forbidden Planet (is that still going on?), and more he will be announcing here for the first time. Get the inside skinny on the writer’s life from one of Hollywood’s most prolific and hardworking writers (because you always have to work twice as hard when you don’t know what you’re doing). (Bob, very funny, just remember to edit this back to normal before uploading it to the Comic-Con schedule.) Room 6A 

4:30–5:30 Spotlight on Terry Moore — Terry Moore (Echo) has been a fan favorite since beginning his classic series Strangers in Paradise in 1993. His hit series Echo has won fan and critical acclaim and will wrap up in early 2011. Find out what’s next for Moore as he heads toward the Echo movie and the 20th anniversary of Strangers in Paradise. The Q & A is not to be missed! Room 26AB 

5:30–6:30 Bill Everett: From Sub-Mariner to Daredevil — Bill Everett created the Sub-Mariner for Marvel Comics #1 back in 1939 and co-created Daredevil in 1964. Author Blake Bell and Bill’s daughter Wendy Everett celebrate the life of her late father, discussing the release of Bell’s latest book, Fire And Water: Bill Everett, The Sub-Mariner, and the Birth of Marvel Comics Room 9 

5:30–6:30 Avatar Press and Max Brooks — Max Brooks (World War Z) leads off the Avatar panel with one of his legendary Zombie Survival talks and a Q&A session. Then editor-in-chief William Christensen fills you in on all the upcoming Avatar projects with Mike Wolfer (Gravel, Wolfskin, Lady Death) and Jacen Burrows (Crossed, Neonomicon). Room 26AB 

6:15–7:00 Human Target Screening and Q&A — Based on the DC Comics title, Human Target is an action-packed thrill ride about a mysterious private contractor who will stop at nothing to keep his clients alive — even if it means literally becoming a “human target.” The series moves to a new night this fall — Fridays at 8pm ET/PT on FOX — and executive producer Matthew Miller (Chuck) joins series stars Mark Valley (Fringe), Chi McBride (Pushing Daisies), and Jackie Earle Haley (A Nightmare on Elm Street) for a Q&A with fans and to screen a special video presentation. Human Target is from Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Wonderland Sound and Vision, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Television. Human Target: The Complete First Season will be released on Blu-ray and DVD September 21. Room 6BCF 

6:30–7:30 Kickstart Your Comic! — Producing an independent comic requires not only a huge time commitment but also a sizable financial investment to cover the printing, promotion, and distribution costs incurred before your book even hits the shelves. Recently, some creators have discovered a new and effective way to raise start-up capital for their comics online. Since it’s founding in 2009, Kickstarter.com has been helping artists in all media find financial backing for their projects through user donations. Kickstarter advisor Andy Baio and comic creators Kody Chamberlain (Sweets), Steve Earnhart and Pat Loika (The Villain), and Steve Bryant (Athena Voltaire) discuss their highly successful Kickstarter campaigns and offer advice to help you fund your own comic through Kickstarter.com. Room 7AB 

6:30–7:30 Her Universe: Shining The Spotlight on Female Fans — Ashley Eckstein (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) brings together some of today’s leading women who are movers and shakers in the various fields of sci-fi and fantasy. Looking at science fiction through female eyes, the panel will discuss what kinds of entertainment female sci-fi fans want to see more of, what strides have been made, what has been missing up to now, what kinds of merchandise female fans want to see, and what female fans can do to encourage more of all of this. Panelists include Jane Espenson (producer/writer, Battlestar Galactica, Caprica, Buffy The Vampire Slayer), Melinda Snodgrass (author, The Edge series; story editor Star Trek: The Next Generation), Erika Kennair (director of development and current programming, Syfy Channel), Cat Staggs (artist, Star Wars sketch cards, Marvel card sets), Bonnie Burton (content developer, Lucas Online, official SW Blog), Katie Cook (artist, Star Wars, comics, webcomic Gronk), and Mary Franklin (senior events lead, Lucasfilm Ltd.). Q&A with audience members, too! Room 24ABC 

6:30–7:30 What’s Hot @ Harper: A Special Sneak Preview of Upcoming SF, Fantasy, Urban Noir, Horror & More — Want to hear about The Fall by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan? Get a sneak preview of the next Kim Harrison? Meet some of the Eos and Avon authors and hear about their upcoming books? Plus get free stuff (including a chance to win a new e-Reader, so you can enjoy all of Harper’s ‘e’ offerings)? Then don’t miss this panel on HarperCollins’s upcoming sci-fi/fantasy/horror titles and more! Moderated by Diana Gill, executive editor, HarperCollins Publishers, with authors Brom, Richard Kadrey, Marjorie M. Liu, and others. Room 26AB 

7:15–8:45 Kevin Smith — He’s back! Spend a quiet, refined evening with the one-and-only Kevin Smith, who will no doubt solve all the bad things in the world for you or, at the very least, make you laugh a few hundred times. Hall H 

7:30–8:30 World Premiere of Legend of Neil, Season 3 — Atom.com is back with Sandeep Parikh (The Guild) for another groundbreaking season of Legend of Neil. See the world premiere of new episodes from Season 3 and stay for a discussion with Sandeep, series stars Tony Janning, Mike Rose, Scott Chernoff, Eric Acosta and everyone’s favorite fairy Felicia Day (The Guild)! Moderated by Alex Albrecht, of Diggnation. Room 7AB 

10:00–12:00 Kevin Smith presents Cop Out in “Maximum Comedy Mode” — Director Kevin Smith (Clerks, Chasing Amy) is on hand for the world premiere presentation of Cop Out in “Maximum Comedy Mode,” the latest innovation in home entertainment viewing that showcases the comical stunts, improves, and hi-jinks that went into creating this side-splitting buddy cop film. Bruce Willis (Die Hard) and Tracy Morgan (30 Rock) star as bickering Brooklyn cops on the hunt for a stolen 1952 mint-condition baseball card, plunging them into a gun-slinging war with a deadly drug ring. “Maximum Comedy Mode” features Kevin Smith and Seann William Scott making onscreen appearances to guide Blu-ray viewers through the behind-the-scenes hilarity. Stop by for a bundle of laughs and a bucket of popcorn, courtesy of Warner Bros. Indigo Ballroom, San Diego Hilton Bayfront

For more of the Day 3 schedule, go here

My Day 1 writer-oriented highlights here.

My Day 2 writer-oriented highlights here.

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