by Matt Sernaker, Managing Editor

After two long years, San Diego Comic-Con returns for 2022! 

Your ComicsOnline team will be back onsite to cover the event, with several special interviews and experiences planned for our readers. While we are gearing up for the event, we wanted to put a spotlight on a few panels and engagement opportunities. 

Thursday, Friday & Saturday

The IMDboat Returns! 

IMDb, the world’s most popular and authoritative source for information on movies, TV shows and celebrities, is excited to announce that it will host three days (Thursday, July 21 – Saturday, July 23) of exclusive portrait studios, a Meta studio creating Instagram and Facebook Reels, and original celebrity interviews with casts from the biggest TV shows and movies, including The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Walking Dead, Shazam! Fury of the Gods and more, onboard the IMDboat during San Diego Comic-Con 2022.

The IMDboat will serve as a floating content-creation studio and a must-stop destination for talent, industry VIPs, and fans. The boat will be docked at Fifth Avenue Landing, directly behind the San Diego Convention Center, and opens to invited guests and lucky fans beginning on Thursday, July 21. 

Plus, IMDb will also host an invitation-only cast party for A24’s Bodies Bodies Bodies and other evening events.

Please find portrait galleries, cast interviews, Comic-Con trending news, and more content throughout the event HERE.

Thursday

Building Worlds with LEGO

Thursday, July 21, 10:15-11:15 AM

Room: 6DE

Explore the art of Worldbuilding the LEGO Way with writers, artists, creators and builders as we co-create new content, including unique characters, settings, and storylines in an original story world, all from scratch using the LEGO World Builder platform – powered by Tongal! Featuring Celina Frenn (writer, My Little Pony), Kevin Burke and Doc Wyatt (writers, LEGO Ninjago), Paul Lee (concept artist), Peter Donner (LEGO designer), and Asa Tait (Head of Production, LEGO Entertainment).

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Charge to 100 and Beyond!

Thursday, 2:00PM-3:00PM

Room 25ABC

A MORPHINOMINAL Celebration of 100 issues over five years of ongoing Mighty Morphin Power Rangers comic books from BOOM! Studios. Join writers Ryan Parrott (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), Mat Groom (Mighty Morphin), and Melissa Flores (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), along with series editors Dafna Pleban (Senior Editor, BOOM! Studios) and Allyson Gronowitz (Editor, BOOM! Studios), for a discussion on the history of the series, and an exciting look at what’s next! Moderated by Alyson Kiperman Sullivan (Power Rangers Wild Force).

From Fan Art to Franchise: The Future of UGC 

Thursday, 7:00PM – 8:00PM

Room: 25ABC

User-generated content (UGC) is driving a creative renaissance, making it easier than ever for new voices to find an audience and make a living doing their art. Tech platforms are helping with algorithms and business models designed to scale fan-created work into big hits. Are you America’s next top creative talent? Join YouTube sensation Steven He (“Emotional Damage!”), WEBTOON VP of Content David Lee, reality show producer Ken Mok (America’s Next Top Model) and digital comic creator Kaitlyn Narvaza (aka “instantmiso”), moderated by Rob Salkowitz (Forbes).

Friday

Making A Mash-Up: MultiVersus

Friday, 10:15AM -11:15AM

Room: 6BCF

Get a behind-the-scenes look at MultiVersus, the all-new free-to-play, platform fighter videogame featuring an ever-expanding cast of beloved heroes and personalities from Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn (DC) to Shaggy (Scooby-Doo), Bugs Bunny (Looney Tunes), Arya Stark (Game of Thrones) and many others. MultiVersus introduces a team-based 2 vs. 2 format with fun filled multiplayer bouts set against the backdrop of various reimagined environments from the characters’ legendary worlds, including Batman’s Batcave (DC), Jake and Finn’s Tree Fort (Adventure Time), Scooby’s Haunted Mansion (Scooby-Doo) and much more. See and hear new details about the game from panelists Tony Huynh, Co-Founder, Player First Games and Game Director for MultiVersus and Sheloman Byrd, Executive Producer, Warner Bros. Games, along with MultiVersus actors Matthew Lillard (Scooby-Doo franchise), voice of Shaggy, and Tara Strong (My Little Pony, Teen Titans Go!), voice of Harley Quinn and some potential surprise guests. The MultiVersus Open Beta will be available July 2022 on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 consoles, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One consoles and PC with full cross-play support. 

Keanu Reeves’ BRZRKR: The Immortal Saga Continues

Friday, 3:00PM – 4:00PM

Room: Hall H

Since its record-breaking debut in 2021, BRZRKR has been thrilling readers with its story of the half-mortal, half-god warrior as he battles through the ages, seeking answers to the mystery of his endless blood-soaked existence, and how to end it… Join the iconic Keanu Reeves alongside series co-writer Matt Kindt, artist Ron Garney, screenwriter on the BRZRKR film Mattson Tomlin, Matt Gagnon (Editor-in Chief, BOOM! Studios), Eric Harburn (Executive Editor, BOOM! Studios), and Stephen Christy (President, Development, BOOM! Studios) for an exclusive look at the final issues of the series… and never-before-seen details on where the saga will go next! Moderated by Coy Jandreau (Reel Rejects, Collider, Nerdist).

WORLD PREMIERE – GREEN LANTERN: BEWARE MY POWER

Friday, 6:30PM-8:30PM

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment continues its annual Comic-Con tradition of hosting debuts of DC Universe Movies with the World Premiere of Green Lantern: Beware My Power, an all-new intergalactic thriller featuring John Stewart’s first adventure as a member of the Green Lantern corps. In the film, the initially reluctant Stewart – aided by Green Arrow, Adam Strange and Hawkgirl – must contend with a horde of interplanetary killers bent on eliminating every Green Lantern in the universe, while also journeying into the heart of a raging Rann/Thanagar war to somehow succeed where all other Green Lanterns have failed. Come for the screening, then stay for a lively panel discussion amongst the film’s stars – Aldis Hodge (Black Adam, One Night in Miami, City on a Hill) as Green Lantern John Stewart, Jimmi Simpson (Westworld, The Man Who Fell To Earth, Pachinko) as Green Arrow, Jamie Gray Hyder (Law & Order: SVU, True Blood) as Hawkgirl and Brian Bloom (The A-Team, Mass Effect) as Adam Strange – alongside supervising producer Butch Lukic (Batman: The Long Halloween), director Jeff Wamester (Justice Society: World War II), and screenwriters John Semper (Static Shock, Fraggle Rock) &; Ernie Altbacker (Justice League Dark: Apokolips War). Publicist Gary Miereanu will moderate the festivities, which will undoubtedly include exclusive DC-centric prizes for the best audience questions during Q&A. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, DC and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Green Lantern: Beware My Power arrives on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray and Digital on July 26, 2022.

Saturday

Welcome to the Massive-Verse

Saturday, 10:00-11:00 AM

Room: 28DE

Radiant Black launched the beginning of a bold, new and interconnected superhero world—the Massive-Verse—from Image Comics. Join Kyle Higgins (Radiant Black), Ryan Parrott (Rogue Sun), Melissa Flores (The Dead Lucky), Cherish Chen (Radiant Red), Mat Groom (Inferno Girl Red), and Michael Busuttil (Massive-Verse editor) for a truly massive panel packed with secrets, spoilers, and announcements. Moderated by Meghan Camarena.

Manga, Webcomics, and Anime: The New Formats and Fandoms Dominating Entertainment

Saturday, 1:00PM-2:00PM

Room: 9

Manga, webcomics, and anime were once a small slice of the North American entertainment market. But these categories have exploded in popularity in recent years, reaching new levels of mainstream success and Hollywood investment. Today, these categories are dominating screens and bookshelves everywhere, with massive growing fandoms and popularity for titles like Attack on Titan, All of Us are Dead, and Demonslayer. Hear from this panel of industry insiders including Taylor Grant (Head of Global Animation, Wattpad WEBTOON Studios), Gita Rebbapragada (CMO, Crunchyroll), and Michael Gombos (Senior Director of Licensed Publishing, Dark Horse) about why manga, webcomics, and anime are bringing readers and viewers some of the most exciting entertainment on the planet, driving major viewership, box office success, and investment from the biggest names in entertainment.

I Hear Voices with Will Friedle & Christy Carlson Romano 

Sunday, 10:15AM-11:15AM

Room: 6BCF

Join Christy Carlson Romano (Even Stevens) and Will Friedle (Boy Meets World, Batman Beyond), the original voices of Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable, respectfully, as they celebrate the 20th anniversary of their hit Disney animated series Kim Possible as part of a recording of their popular, top-rated podcast I Hear Voices with Will Friedle & Christy Carlson Romano and you’ll be part of the fun! Christy & Will will be joined by surprise guests as they delve into more fun aspects of the animation industry.

Celebrate YA Comics!

Sunday, 12:00PM-1:00PM

Room: 25ABC

From the publisher that brought you Lumberjanes, Fence, and Giant Days comes a panel filled to the MAX with a celebration of teen drama, young love, and queer joy. Meet some of your favorite YA comics creators Shannon Watters (Lumberjanes, Hollow), Michael Dialynas (Wynd, The Woods), Nicole Andelfinger (An Ember in the Ashes, Power Rangers), and editors Dafna Pleban (Senior Editor, BOOM! Box) and Elizabeth Brei (Editor, BOOM! Studios) as they discuss what they love about making comics and what’s next for these all-stars. Moderated by Tina Lerno (ALA GNCRT)

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Stay tuned to ComicsOnline for exclusive SDCC 2022 coverage, interviews, giveaways, and everything geek pop culture!