11:30-12:30 The Secret History of Comics— Author Christopher Knowles (Comic Book Artist magazine) delves further into the influence of myth, magic and mysticism on superheroes discussed in his book, Our Gods Wear Spandex: The Secret History of Comic Book Heroes. The work of Jack Kirby, Grant Morrison and Alex Ross will be explored in depth. Room 220
Categories:  Comic Books

11:30-12:30 BitTorrent, Back Issues and Buggywhips: Modern Comics Retailing— Join moderator Dan Shahin (Hijinx Comics) and an all-star panel of progressive comics retailers including Joe Field (Flying Colors Comics), Joe Ferrara (Atlantis Fantasyworld), Dave Pifer and Dave Ritchie (SecretHeadquarters Comics) as they discuss the past, present and future of comics retailing. All comics retailers (and those who may want to be) are encouraged to come and lend their thoughts during the no-holds barred Q&A session following the panel. Room 232/234
Categories:  Comic Books | Retailer Programming

11:30-1:00 Japanese Superheroes Now: 2008!— Join author August Ragone (Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters) for an all-new presentation of news and exciting clips from the latest series, including Go-Onger, Kamen Rider Kiva, and Ultra Galaxy: Giant Monster Battle. Hear the details on upcoming DVD releases, and see a special spotlight on the "Father of Japanese Special Effects," Eiji Tsuburaya -- the man who made Godzilla and Ultraman. Plus other surprises! Room 236/238
Categories:  Anime & Manga | Fandom | Television

11:30-1:00 Comic Arts Conference Session 7: Feral Women in Li'l Abner— Cartoonist and historian Trina Robbins (From Girls to Grrrlz; Go Girl!) presents a slideshow talk on the feral girls -- Pig Girl, Hawk Girl, and Wolf Gal -- of Li'l Abner's Dogpatch, a bloodthirsty lot with no compunction about turning Dogpatchers into dinner. Wolf Gal, the starring wild girl of Dogpatch, is strong, beautiful, independent, and -- don't laugh -- a feminist. Robbins connects these cartoon wild women with mythical feral children and more contemporary figures like Misha Defonseca, a Jewish orphan during World War II, who hid from the Nazis in the forests of occupied Europe for four years and eventually teamed up with a family of wolves. Recounting her experiences years later, she wrote, "the only time I ever slept deeply was when I was with wolves...Those were the most beautiful days I had ever experienced." Room 228/230
Categories:  Cartooning and Comic Strips | Comic Arts Conference | Comic Books

12:00-1:00 Spotlight on Tim Sale— The artist behind such great comic stories as Batman: The Long Halloween, Dark Victory, and Superman For All Seasons is a special guest at WonderCon. Tim Sale leapt further into the mainstream consciousness last year with his amazing paintings for the hit NBC TV series Heroes. Richard Starkings (Comicraft) interviews Tim in this spotlight panel. Room 204/206
Categories:  Comic Books | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances | Television

12:15-1:00 Trailer Park Returns!— It's the triumphant return of a WonderCon tradition! Trailer Park brings together some of the very best in trailers for upcoming movies -- some new, some old, all enjoyable. Come sit in the dark for 45 minutes and see what the movies coming soon to a theater near you! Hall A
Categories:  Movies

12:30-1:30 Emily the Strange— Get ready to enter the world of the Strange! Meet the behind-the-scenes talent on the Dark Horse comic, hear about what the future holds for Emily, and come prepared with your deepest questions about life's biggest mysteries. It also never hurts to have a great a capella arrangement of your favorite Black Sabbath song ready to show off, or a killer stupid dance move. Prizes will be awarded for no good reason at all! Room 220
Categories:  Comic Books | Kids

12:30-2:00 The Secret Origin of Good Readers— Making its fourth annual appearance at WonderCon, this year's Secret Origin of Good Readers panel features Dr. Robyn A. Hill (National University, San Diego), Mimi Cruz (Night Flight Comics, Salt Lake City), Bill Galvan (co-creator/artist of The Scrapyard Detectives, artist for Archie), and Bill Morrison (creative director of Bongo Comics). The panelists will discuss how teachers, librarians, retailers, and publishers can work together to bring comic books into the classroom for use as an innovative and motivating cross-curricular teaching tool and a vehicle for promoting reading and literacy. Through a multimedia presentation, personal remarks, and a question-and-answer session, the speakers will present an overview of the medium and highlight specific ways that comic books and graphic novels have been used to engage a variety of learners. The 70-page The Secret Origin of Good Readers companion resource book and other exciting materials are available for free download at www.night-flight.com/secretorigin, courtesy of XMission.com. Room 232/234
Categories:  Comic Books | Retailer Programming

1:00-2:00 WildStorm: Revelations Revealed!— Get the inside scoop on what's upcoming from DC's wildest imprints from Scott Peterson, editor -- WildStorm, Kurt Busiek (Astro City), and superstar artist Jim Lee, editorial director -- WildStorm. The Armageddon has come and gone, but in its wake are untold REVELATIONS that will affect your favorite WildStorm teams. Room 104
Categories:  Comic Books | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances

1:00-2:00 Creatures at Large: Watch Horror Films -- Keep America Strong!— Featuring San Francisco Bay Area favorites John Stanley of Creature Features, Channel 2's long time film critic and entertainment reporter Bob Shaw, TV horror movie host expert Doktor Goulfinger, current TV horror host Mr. Lobo (seen on KTEH Channel 54's Cinema Insomnia), and Ernie Fosselius of Hardware Wars fame. This all-star panel of ghouls will let all the skeletons out of the closet and talk about Creature Features' behind the scenes moments, show rare clips of the show, share details on new projects, and conduct a Q&A session with the audience. Clips from the brand new Creature Features documentary, Watch Horror Films, Keep America Strong, will be highlighted. A must for monsterkids, and the kids of monsterkids. Room 204/206
Categories:  Fandom | Horror and Suspense | Movies | Television

1:00-2:00 From Fan to Creator: Goal-Setting for Creative Types— Which side of the convention table do you want to be on, artist or fan? And what's keeping you from getting there? If you have an idea in your head that you've had trouble bringing into reality, you might benefit from this practical goal-setting workshop. Teacher and leadership trainer Douglas Neff will show you techniques for setting and achieving your most important goals. Whether you want to write your own screenplay, draw your first comic, or shoot your independent film, you're sure to get something useful from this informative workshop. Room 236/238
Categories:  Animation | Anime & Manga | Cartooning and Comic Strips | Comic Books | Fandom | Gaming | Movies | Television

1:00-2:30 Comic Arts Conference Session 8: Forebearers and Survivors— Doug Highsmith (California Sate University, East Bay) focuses on the changes and revamps made to post-World War II comic books in an effort to reverse flagging sales. Jennifer Stuller (Ink-Stained Amazons and Cinematic Warriors) provides a critical history of spy-fi princess Modesty Blaise, and finds evidence of her inspiration in modern heroines. Room 228/230
Categories:  Comic Arts Conference | Comic Books

1:30-2:30 TOKYOPOP Creator Panel— Join a diverse and talented panel of artists and authors, featuring Becky Cloonan (creator, East Coast Rising, artist, American Virgin), Jake Forbes (author, Return to Labyrinth), Sho Murase (creator, ME2), Lincy Chan (artist, Rhysmyth), Morgan Luthi (creator, Snow), as they discuss the creation of their original and innovative TOKYOPOP manga titles. Room 220
Categories:  Anime & Manga | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances

2:00-3:30 Cover Story: The Art of the Cover— It's become one the most popular panels at both WonderCon and Comic-Con! Mark Evanier talks to fellow WonderCon special guests Darwyn Cooke (DC: The New Frontier), Terry Dodson (Wonder Woman), Jim Lee (All Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder), and Tim Sale (Batman: Dark Victory), about the art of the comic book cover. Room 104
Categories:  Comic Books | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances

2:00-3:00 Fables Forum— WonderCon special guests, writer/artist Bill Willingham and inker Steve Leialoha, talk about the fan-favorite VERTIGO books, Fables and Jack of Fables, in this Q&A forum. Room 204/206
Categories:  Comic Books | Special Guest Spotlights & Appearances

2:00-3:00 Slave Labor Graphics— SLG President Dan Vado presents current and upcoming projects coming this year. Undoubtedly he will also make some off-hand comment, which will be blown out of proportion on the Internet. Room 232/234
Categories:  Comic Books

2:00-3:00 Turning Comics into Games You Want to Play— In the comics, Sam & Max simply dive into a puddle of spilled beer and arrive in Ancient Egypt. In games, it's not so simple. Join Sam & Max creator Steve Purcell, Sam & Max Hit the Road designer Mike Stemmle, and Sam & Max Season Two designers Dave Grossman, Brendan Ferguson, and Chuck Jordan for a lively discussion about the ups and downs of bringing an unpredictable comic duo into games that are fun to play. Room 236/238
Categories:  Comic Books | Gaming

2:30-3:30 100 Manga Magazines in 50 Minutes— In Japan, manga is published in massive weekly, biweekly, and monthly manga magazines that fit every imaginable category: shojo to shonen, science fiction to horror, moe to yaoi, children's to adult. Jason Thompson (Otaku USA, Manga: The Complete Guide) provides a visual journey through the manga world from 1945 to 2008. Room 220
Categories:  Anime & Manga

2:30-3:30 Comic Arts Conference Session 9: Comics & Law— Alexander Harwin (Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP) analyzes how copyright law has affected the development of the American super-hero. James Cooper (California Western School of Law) examines how legal scholarship has shaped the orthodoxy of comics format. Room 228/230
Categories:  Comic Arts Conference | Comic Books

3:00-4:00 Sunday Conversation: For the Love of Comics— Dan DiDio and friends invite you to join an intimate Sunday afternoon chat to talk about your favorite comic book memories and about why we love this medium. All are welcome; no RSVP required! Room 204/206
Categories:  Comic Books | Fandom

3:00-4:00 Costuming at Conventions— Ever wonder how to make those cool costumes that you see the fans wearing at conventions? Here's your chance to learn how, with tips and advice from those very same fans. You'll hear how to create costumes from simple to extravagant, from novice to professional, and with every budget in mind. See examples and procedures on sewing, vacuum forming, mold making, fiberglass, metalwork, working with off-the-shelf items and more. Room 232/234
Categories:  Costuming | Fandom

3:00-4:00 National Cartoonists Society and Cartoon Art Museum: Golden Age Great Creig Flessel— Creig Flessel began his cartooning career with DC Comics in 1935, and was a prolific cover artist in the earliest days of the medium, including work on the seminal titles Detective Comics and More Fun Comics. After his tenure at DC, he spent many years illustrating ads for the Johnstone and Cushing Advertising Company. In the following decades, Flessel's work appeared in such diverse publications as Boys' Life, Clues Detective Stories, and Playboy, as well as the syndicated comic strip feature David Crane. Join this Golden Age Great in conversation with Cartoon Art Museum's Andrew Farago, curator of the current C.A.M. retrospective exhibition featuring the art of Creig Flessel. Room 236/238
Categories:  Cartooning and Comic Strips

3:30-4:30 Prism Comics: A Conversation Lee Marrs— As a cartoonist, Lee Marrs (Pudge, Girl Blimp) was at the forefront of the San Francisco underground comix and the nascent queer comix movement.  With her own reminiscences and an illustrative presentation, Lee takes us from the groove of those early days to her current stint in academia. Interviewed by Patty Jeres, Prism board member, talent and industry chair. Room 220
Categories:  Cartooning and Comic Strips | Comic Books

4:00-4:30 WonderCon Talkback— So...how did we do? Come and let us know! WonderCon representatives will be available to hear your problems, complaints, and compliments, too! Room 232/234
Categories:  Talkback