San Diego Comic-Con gets into full swing Thursday and runs until Sunday, and it’s stuffed with countless events, guests and exhibitions. The San Diego Convention Center will be buzzing with exclusive sneak peeks, a busy trade floor and of course tons of cosplayers.
Navigating the chaos can be a Herculean task, but we’ve managed to put together a short list of must-sees. This is only a sliver of the activities available, of course. Other events include a panel on why diverse books are often challenged, sessions on how to break into the world comics, an assembly of the entire main cast of Archer, and dozens and dozens more.
See below for our recommended events, sectioned by date.
Thursday
Grant Morrison and Graphic India: Myth, Magic and Monsters (10 a.m., Indigo Ballroom)
Comic-book events will be myriad, of course, but few names are as prominent in the industry as Grant Morrison, known for titles like the classic Batman story Arkham Asylum and most recently his trippy DC Comics storyline Multiversity. Here he’ll be talking about a new series he’s releasing in India, and it may be worth it just to hear his ideas on mysticism in general. You won’t know what to expect until you’re there.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (12 p.m., Hall H)
Teasers and posters can only reveal so much. This event promises to show exclusive footage from the highly anticipated movie, with a cast and crew Q&A afterward. No word yet on who will be there.
Blizzard Entertainment Showcase (2:15 p.m., Room 6BCF)
One of the biggest video gaming companies will go all-out with this showcase. The company panel will offer a sneak peak into what’s coming up in 2015 and 2016, and it won’t be limited to just games — toys, books and more will all be in the mix.
Adventure Time with Fionna and Cake: Card Wars Dramatic Reading (6 p.m., Horton Grand Theatre)
The insanely popular Cartoon Network show Adventure Time has hit the sweet spot of appealing to both kids and adults, and has since expanded into the realms of comic books and even movies. There’s lots of synergy at work here: a live reading featuring voice actors Jeremy Shada (Finn), John DiMaggio (Jake) and Olivia Olson (Marceline), about a now-real-life card game that factors into a new comic book series. Got all that straight? Prepare for a “mathematical” experience with a side of bacon pancakes.
Friday
AMC’s The Walking Dead and AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead (12 p.m. & 1 p.m., Hall H)
Few television series have had as big a year as The Walking Dead, and that’s reflected in the massive assembly of cast and crew including Norman Reedus, Lauren Cohan and a whole lot more. The cast will give fans an idea of what to expect for the show’s sixth season. An hour later, the zombies will still be on the discussion block, this time for the prequel companion series Fear the Walking Dead, premiering next month.
Game of Thrones Panel Discussion (2:30 p.m., Hall H)
If you were as devastated by the fifth season of HBO’s smash-hit epic as we were, here’s your chance to see what the cast themselves thinks. A consortium of still-alive characters will be there, including Sophie Turner (Sansa), Maisie Williams (Arya), Liam Cunningham (Davos), Alfie Allen (Theon) and a whole lot more.
Marvel Television Presents (3 p.m., Ballroom 20)
Marvel continues to spread its dominance to all corners of media, with two shows now airing on ABC — Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter. Here audiences will get a taste of what to expect in the shows’ third and second seasons, respectively. Showrunner Jeph Loeb and the cast of both shows will be in attendance.
Stunt People of Your Favorite Movies a.k.a. Getting Beat Up for a Living (4:15 p.m., Grand Ballroom D)
Though the people at this event won’t be as immediately recognizable as Brad Pitt or Jennifer Lawrence, they are the people that make it look like Pitt and Lawrence are jumping from buildings. This gathering of stunt doubles will likely mean some mind-blowing anecdotes and a deep look into what it takes to do stunts for a living.
Saturday
Warner Bros Presentation (10:30 a.m., Hall H)
A diverse three-movie slate is on deck here, starting with a sneak peek at Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice,next year’s star-studded DC action movie that will be the litmus test for the viability of a DC cinematic universe. Naturally, Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Jesse Eisenberg and more will be in attendance. Following this will be a look at the Peter Pan movie simply titled Pan, and finally there will be a look at The Man from U.N.C.L.E., which also happens to star Henry Cavill.
Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight (1:30 p.m., Hall H)
The idiosyncratic auteur has a long history with this violent western — when the script leaked online he refused to make it, then later changed his mind and made it anyway. This will offer a new look into the rather snowy looking movie, followed by a Q&A with the cast.
Warner Bros. Television and DC Entertainment Screening Block (8 p.m., Hall H)
If you’re okay sitting for three hours, you’ll get to see everything you could possibly imagine from the world of DC Comics on television. The CW will be the big focus here, with new seasons of Arrow and Flash on the way, plus the premiere of Legends of Tomorrow and the new digital series Vixen. Not to be forgotten, the block will also reveal new details on Gotham, heading into its second season on FOX.
Sunday
American Horror Story and Scream Queens (12:30 p.m., Hall H)
Ryan Murphy is a busy man these days; when Glee wrapped up, the new comedy-horror series Scream Queens sprung up to take its place. Meanwhile, American Horror Story: Hotel will be the latest installment in the horror anthology series. The main cast of both series will be on hand to discuss what’s coming up, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Lea Michele, Kathy Bates and Angela Bassett.
Heroes Reborn: Exclusive Extended Trailer and Q&A with Tim Kring and Cast (1:45 p.m., Hall H)
The title of the event says it all as it will show new footage of the Heroes reboot that is uniquely both anticipated and dreaded. Perhaps the trailer and discussion will help people finally make up their minds as to whether they’re going to watch the miniseries with high or low expectations.
