Panels To Watch At New York Comic Con 2012

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San Diego Comic Con may be the mother of all comic book and pop culture conventions, but New York Comic Con has continued to hold its own year after year.  And this year’s show (taking place at the Javits Center I from Oct. 11 to 14 ) will be no different, with a massive lineup that promises one of the best events for comic book fans of all ages.

Comic Book Panels

The core of Comic Con, fortunately, is still about comic books.  And this year’s event is teeming with panels for a whole host of them.  This is our must-see list:

  1. Superman Panel:  Grant Morrison, Scott Lobdell, Rags Morales and a host of others hold court about future plans for the Man of Steel.   This happens Thursday, 6:30 to 7:30 PM.
  2. Valiant: The Future of Valiant. Duane Swierczynski, Fred Van Lente and more chat about their upcoming releases, letting fans know what’s coming from the rising publisher. This takes place Friday, 2:45 to 3:45.
  3. Image Comics Experience. Eric Stephenson hosts a panel with big expectations.  Remember Image Comics’ San Diego announcements?  We don’t know if they’ll top themselves, but this is one to look forward to.  Be there Saturday, 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
  4. DC Comics – The New 52.  This is a huge panel with tons of players on the DC roster, hinting this will be where all the big news drops.  It happens Saturday, 1:30 to 2:30 PM.
  5. Marvel Now! The Avengers.  The Marvel Now! initiative kicks off today with the release of the Uncanny Avengers #1.  Expect a lot of the conversation to focus around the comic book, as well as where Marvel Now! will be headed in the future. The crew holds court on Saturday, 2:45 to 3:45 PM.
  6. Vertigo Fables: 10th Anniversary.  The whole crew behind Vertigo’s most enduring title come together to look at the decade of fairy tales they’ve produced.  Enjoy the wonder this Saturday, from 4:00 to 5:00 PM.
  7. Hellboy in Hell Official Panel.  Creator Mike Mignola is expected to spill the beans on the upcoming Hellboy storyline that fans have been speculating about.  Keeps your Saturday busy from 5:15 to 6:15 PM.
  8. Marvel Now! Cup Of Joe.  While some Marvel Now! news will likely be tackled in the other panel (#5 above), this is where all the big Marvel announcements are expected.  Given that Marvel usually reserves their big announcements for NYCC, expect big things to drop here.  It’s on Saturday, 5:30 to 6:30 PM.
  9. DC Comics: Batman – Death Comes To Gotham.  Probably the only can’t-miss panel on Sunday, the crew discuss what’s left of the “Death of the Family” story arc and the conclusion of Grant Morrison’s amazing six-year run writing for Batman.  This happens Sunday, 12:15 to 1:15 PM.

Movie & TV Show Panels

New movies and TV shows have become a staple for comic cons and NYCC 2012 will be no exception.  The more interesting of this year’s roster of movie panels include:

  1. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2.  First public showing of footage from the epic conclusion to this animated film.  A panel made up of Bruce Timm (executive producer) and Andrea Romano (casting director), with a special surprise guest, will answer questions.  Also: a look at the upcoming roster of DC Universe animated films slated for 2013.
  2. Silent Hill: Revelation 3D.  Yep, a new Silent Hill movie!  They’ll be showing some footage from the film, along with a panel made up of Adelaide Clemens, Kit Harington, Michael J. Bassett and Samuel Hadida.  This takes place Friday, from 4 to 5 PM.
  3. The Bay.  From Barry Levinson, this new movie explores a parasitic outbreak that occurred in a small town, which authorities have successfully covered up.  The twist: a reporter, three years later, manage to discover footage from the disaster, with the unfolding events told through smartphone footage, 911 calls, web cams and whatever else managed to document the disaster.  You can catch the panel on Saturday, 2:15 to 2:45 PM.
  4. Beautiful Creatures.  With the Twilight series about to conclude, the world needs a new supernatural love story and Beautiful Creatures looks primed to fill the new vacancy.  Based on the first book of the bestselling series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, this will happen Saturday, 3:00 to 3:30 PM.
  5. Carrie.  Yes, they’re remaking the classic Stephen King story, this time with comic book crowd favorite Chloë Grace Moretz on the title billing.  This will probably be packed come Saturday, 3:45 to 4:15 PM.
  6. Evil Dead. Yes, the 1981 cult horror flick is getting a remake.  Original Ash and current producer Bruce Campbell will be on hand, along with director Fede Alvarez and star Jane Levy.  This takes place Saturday, 4:15 to 4:45 PM.
  7. The Walking Dead.  With a new season on hand, the entire cast of the AMC hit show will be on hand to discuss the highly-anticipated premiere.   This takes place Saturday, 5:00 to 6:00 PM.

Other Panels

  1. Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Celebration.  Yep, the classic fighting game is now a quarter of a century old.  And you’re getting old along with it.  Damn, time really does fly, doesn’t it?  Meet the producers, win prizes and celebrate with the Street Fighter team this Thursday from 5:15 to 6:15 PM.
  2. The Law of Superheroes.  We’re not actually sure if this talk from the guys behind “Law and the Multiverse” will be good.  All we know is, they’re going to hit the stage extolling on the real world ramifications of super powers — kind of like what tons of TV shows from Heroes to 4400 to Alphas have been exploring.  Given the relative popularity of those shows, we figure this might be fun.  This happens Friday, from 5:00 to 5:45 PM.