11:30-1:00 CBLDF Live Art Jam!— Witness Matt Wagner, Terry Moore, Erik Larsen, J. H. Williams III and special guests create art before your very eyes at the first ever CBLDF Live Art Jam at WonderCon! This is your chance to call the shots while these top pros make stunning drawings of your favorite comics characters that you can bid on to support the First Amendment legal work of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund! Don't miss this unforgettable event and your chance to walk away with some stunning art! Room 200

11:30-12:30 Comics Podcasting— Podcasting has become a significant force in the world of comic books. Come join podcasters Lene Taylor and Logan Hall of the I Read Comics podcast, along with Conor Kilpatrick and Ron Richards from iFanboy.com, and discuss the fine art of talking about comics on the web. Whether you've got questions about doing your own podcast, or just want to see some of the faces behind the voices, this is the place to be. Moderated by James Sime of Isotope, the Comic Book Lounge! Room 220

11:30-12:30 Comic Retailer Roundtable— Join moderator Dan Shahin (Hijinx Comics) and fellow comic retailers Joe Ferrara (Atlantis Fantasyworld), Joe Field (Flying Colors), Brian Hibbs (Comix Experience) and Ryan Higgins (Comics Conspiracy), for an up to the minute look into the realities of modern comic book retailing. Special focus will be placed on recent industry changes and how retailers are adapting and planning for the future. Room 228

11:30-12:30 Spotlight on Pia Guerra— The award-winning co-creator of Y: The Last Man talks about her work penciling the story of the last man on Earth and his pet monkey. Pia Guerra is a WonderCon 2007 special guest. Room 236

12:30-1:30 The Making of Yesterday Was A Lie— An interactive panel with the filmmakers behind the upcoming sci-fi/sci-fact film Yesterday Was a Lie. The movie takes the current discussion of quantum mechanics and the nature of reality and cloaks it in film noir. Panelists include award-winning writer/director James Kerwin, producer/actress Chase Masterson (Deep Space Nine, Robotech), actors Kipleigh Brown (Enterprise), John Newton (Alive, The Untouchables, Melrose Place), Peter Mayhew (Star Wars) and Megan Henning (7th Heaven), and composer Kristopher Carter (Batman Beyond). The presentation will feature never-before-seen excerpts from the stylistic film, slated for release later this year, offering audience members a rare glimpse behind the scenes of cutting-edge digital cinema. The discussion will include audience Q&A. Autographs with Chase Masterson and John Newton will follow the session in the Autograph Area at booth M9.
Room 220

12:30-1:30 The Secret Origin of Good Readers— Making its third 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, Archie artist), and Frank Beddor (Writer/Creator of The Looking Glass Wars).  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 60+ page resource book The Secret Origin of Good Readers is available for free download at www.night-flight.com/secretorigin/index.html courtesy of Aros.net. Room 228

12:30-1:30 Kick Ass! Female Protagonists in Print and Beyond— It's not just Buffy anymore! From the big screen to the small screen, from novels to comics and Anime, female heroes are everywhere, fighting evil, solving crimes, and more. Join noted comic book artist/creator Linda Medley (Castle Waiting) and science fiction/fantasy novelists Vicki Petterson (The Scent of Shadows) and Ellen Klages (The Green Glass Sea) to discuss female heroines. How do you create convincing female heroines? Is sarcasm (or at least witty banter) a necessary accessory? Are they becoming a cliché, or do we need more strong female characters in all media? Who were the inspiration for their characters and what is the attraction to writing female characters? Moderated by Diana Gill, Senior Editor, Eos Books, a division of HarperCollins. Room 236

1:00-2:00 WildStorm/CMX: The Best Is Yet to Come— Join Bob Wayne, VP—Sales, and Ben Abernathy, Editor—WildStorm, to get the inside scoop on what’s upcoming from DC’s wildest imprints. Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina), Tony Harris (Ex Machina), Darick Robertson (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and others share secrets you won’t hear anywhere else! Also, the ever-popular CMX line of manga books, including Gon, Megatokyo, and more is spotlighted here for your pleasure. Room 200

1:30-2:30 Telltale Games: Bringing Sam & Max to Life— This year marks the 20th anniversary of Sam & Max, the canine and rabbity-thing stars of independent comics, a point-and-click adventure game, an animated cartoon, and now an all-new episodic game series developed by Telltale Games. Telltale designers Dave Grossman and Brendan Ferguson, art director David Bogan, and Sam & Max creator Steve Purcell will talk about Sam & Max: Season 1 and their process of bringing the Freelance Police to life in this innovative series. Room 220

1:30-2:30 Gender and Genre— Today more than ever genre shows and comics are creating dynamic, interesting and fully developed female characters. In this panel Amanda Sullivan from Equality Now moderates a discussion with writer/producer Jane Espenson (Battlestar Galactica, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Angel) and artist Pia Guerra (Y: The Last Man) about the portrayal of gender in sci-fi, fantasy and comics. Hosted by the California Browncoats in partnership with Equality Now. Room 236

2:00-3:00 Cover Story: The Art of the Cover— The old adage is true, even in comic books: You can’t judge a book by its cover, but here are six artists who may argue that point. Moderator Mark Evanier talks to WonderCon special guests Nick Cardy (the dean of DC Comics’ cover artists in the 70s), Gene Colan (Daredevil, Tomb of Dracula), Al Feldstein (editor of the E. C. line of comics and Mad Magazine), Tony Harris (Starman, Ex Machina), Phil Jimenez (Wonder Woman, Infinite Crisis) and Michael Turner (Fathom, Soulfire, and covers for Civil War and Identity Crisis) about what makes a great cover. Room 200

2:00-3:00 Art of the Sketchbook— Marshall Vandruff will discuss how keeping a sketchbook can help develop an artist's skills and career. He will show how personal and professional work can improve by "loosening up" with pages of preliminary drawings, solving problems for finished pieces or even becoming finished pieces on their own. He'll show original pages from his published sketchbook Forsaking The Bakery, available from Stuart Ng Books. Room 228

2:30-4:00 Starship Smackdown 6: Alien Armageddon— You've savored the Starship Smackdown and trembled at the Robot Rumble, now get ready for the most hellacious conflagration of all-time! For the first time ever, witness the Alien Armageddon, in which your favorite aliens go toe-to-toe in deadly combat. Can the Borg assimilate the Klingons or will the Minbari be schooled by the Krill? All will be revealed by our expert panel of alienologists from everyone's favorite magazine, Geek Monthly. Featuring all new quips from Robert Meyer Burnett (DVD producer, Requiem For Krypton, X-2, Usual Suspects), Daren Doctherman (Visual Effects producer, Star Trek: The Motion Picture), Steve Melching (writer, Animated X-Men, The Batman) and Jeff Bond (editor, Geek Monthly). Room 220

2:30-3:30 Japanese Superheroes Now: 2007!— Join August Ragone, author of Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters (Chronicle Books), for the 14th year of clips from the latest in live-action heroes from Nippon, including Gekiranger and Kamen Rider Denoh. Plus, a 2006 retrospective, featuring Ultraman Moebius; and a sneak preview of the upcoming Kikaida 01 DVD boxed set, along with the usual surprises. Room 236

3:00-4:00 Make A Video Game to Promote Your Comic— Ever wanted to find a new way to promote your comic book or creative project? With the many low cost tools available today, it's easier than ever to make your own video game. Whether it is a small flash game for the web, or a full blown Xbox game created with Microsoft's XNA Game Studio Express, the possibility is within everyone's reach. Come join veteran programmer Martin Robaszewski (America's Army PC/Xbox, Magic The Gathering: Battlegrounds PC/Xbox, next-gen Golden Axe), as he unveils Bioroid Studios' new comic book/video game project and talks about the different avenues to creating your own video game. Room 228

3:30-4:30 Tournament of Roses "Star Wars Spectacular" Parade Experience— Combine 200 Star Wars Stormtroopers, one Army drill instructor, a world class marching band, four days of training, two award winning floats, and you get a parade that the Star Wars community will not soon forget. Hear the tales of the journey of the 501st Legion members, including Dean DeAnda, Ed Karl, Mark Chu-Lin and Ian Hiebert, as they prepared, practiced and marched in this once-in-a-lifetime event. Room 236

4:00-4:30 WonderCon Talkback, Session III— Here’s your chance: tell us what we’re doing right, wrong or not at all. Representatives from the WonderCon staff will be present to answer your questions and hear your comments. Room 228