WonderCon

Glad to see that io9 has put together a pick's page for WonderCon, but bummed that it's so relentlessly straight.

Apparently to make me feel better, Justin Hall of All Thumbs Press has put together a nice listing of his WonderCon events, while Zan Christensen has put together his annual Gay Agenda for WonderCon. Phew.

Besides WonderCon, here are some things I'm excited about:

• Justin Hall winning the 2008 Queer Press Grant from Prism. He's going to use it to make a bookstore-sellable edition of Glamazonia The Uncanny Super Tranny, which is hawt.
  
  
• Robert Kirby is coming out with The Book of Boy Trouble 2. I love volume 1: The Book of Boy Trouble
  
  
• I'm enjoying Gail Simone's run on Wonder Woman.
  
  
• At Whatever, the comic store in the Castro, I picked up a great black Wonder Woman hoodie that I want to wear everyday. I hear the theme song when I walk down the street. All our hopes depend upon you....

Crappy Latin

FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN #24 was released this week. It's Part 2 of the 4-part "One More Day" series currently threatening to change "everything that you know" about Spider-Man, brought to you by writer (and BABYLON 5 creator) J. Michael Straczynski and artist (and Marvel Comics Editor-In-Chief) Joe Quesada. Aunt May's life is in the balance, Peter Parker feels guilty about it, you know the drill.

In this issue, Peter/Spidey goes to visit the Marvel Universe's Sorcerer Supreme, Dr. Strange, to ask him to help save Aunt May. Strange is reluctant to help, but eventually decides to give it a shot, if only to help console Peter.

Strange invokes the "Hands of the Dead" using a spell in Latin. Oh boy! I've been reading Latin since 1987 (!). Let's take a look.

Here's the text, along with the footnoted translation:

AUDITE MIHI, ANCIENT PHASMATIS, QUOD SUCCURRO IS TURBATUS ANIMUS.

WHAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO MEAN: "Hear me, ancient spirits, and help this troubled soul."

WHAT IT ACTUALLY MEANS: "Hear to me, asdfjkl for the phantoms, because I, this troubled soul, am helping." Or, as David Sedaris would say, "me talk pretty someday".

Let's break it down:

AUDITE MIHI -- "Hear me". AUDITE is fine -- this is the correct form when you are commanding people. MIHI, however, should be ME -- whoever translated this is making a common mistake -- the verb AUDIRE (to hear, listen) takes a regular old direct object (which should be ME), but many folks substitute the indirect object (MIHI, something like "Listen to me").

ANCIENT PHASMATIS -- "ancient spirits". Where to begin? ANCIENT is English, not Latin. A beginning Latin student would use a form of ANTIQUUS, while I'd prefer a form of VETUS (root of the English "veteran"). I suppose PHASMATIS could be "spirits"; it would imply formless images or visions. PHASMATIS is the wrong case, though; Strange is directly addressing the spirits, so it needs to be in the vocative: VETERA PHASMATA. I don't like PHASMATA, though. I'd go with MANES (or VETERES MANES); the MANES are the spirits of the dead, and nearly every Roman tombstone offers up the deceased to the protection of the DIS MANIBUS "Divine Spirits of the Dead".

QUOD -- QUOD means "because" or "which", neither of which make any sense here. To be simple, I'll suggest ET "and".

SUCCURRO -- this literally means "I am offering aid", which isn't the correct form. To make it parallel to AUDITE, the form should be SUCCURRITE. But again, it just seems like the wrong word to me. I'd choose ADIUVATE, which is what the Latin Vicipaedia uses for site help. Plus, AUDITE ET ADIUVATE has a nice ring to it.

IS TURBATUS ANIMUS -- This threw me for a bit, but I think I've figured it out. Our mystery translator has used IS where I, and I think most people, would use HIC. (IS is a very weak demonstrative, and is usually used as just a pronoun "him, her".) But all three forms are nominative, which means they must be the subject of the verb SUCCURO. But, of course, Dr. Strange as asking the ancient spirits to help the troubled soul. Let's go with the accusative, direct object, case. HUNC TURBATUM ANIMUM.

Put it together:

AUDITE ME, MANES VETERES, ET ADIUVATE HUNC ANIMUM TURBATUM.

Obviously, this clumsy sentence would never be mistaken for Vergil, or even Statius. But at least it's free of grammatical errors.

Unless the point was that Dr. Strange and Peter (note page 11) are really pretty stupid?

Lazy Post

Nice pic from Lazybear over at World of Wonder. More pics here soon. It looks as if they raised $200,000 at Lazybear, which is phenomenal. Now why doesn't IBR raise that kind of money?

I do like the name Amadeus Arkham, though

I finally got around to reading Arkham Asylum last night. I'd read it before, of course, but never really understood what was going on. I'd always sort of blamed myself for not getting it, or maybe Grant Morrison for being obscure. Last night, I read Morrison's script alongside the graphic novel.

Now I blame Dave McKean.

There's no doubt that McKean's artwork is showy, and I'm sure it launched a thousand wannabe art careers (teenagers also turned on by the graphic design on the 4AD record label). But overall, it's just too frigging obscure. Batman is a cypher, not a character. I don't think he's ever shown in anything other than silhouette (which, again, may have been a selling point for the untold masses that bought this "adult" graphic novel after Burton's film premiered). The entire Killer Croc sequence, for instance, is shadowy and indistinct.

And I can't tell you how much of a problem I had just *reading* the art. It turns out that several sequences I had misread because I thought that McKean had created a two-page layout, causing me to read the top tier on the left page followed by the top tier on the right page before moving on to the bottom tier on the left, when in fact he had intended you to read the entire left page before moving onto the right. No wonder I felt like I wasn't understanding.

So: overwrought symbolism (check). Obscure but sometimes brilliant art that looks nothing like something that John Byrne or even Dave Gibbons would produce (check). One megaselling graphic novel that I really don't think I'll ever want to read again (check).

Books I'm Reading But Not Writing About

52: The art yo-yoed a bit in the first month, but recently it's improved. My favorite storyline is the Renee/Question/Batwoman arc, but this week's frightfest with Sue Dibny was pretty gruesome (and fun). I should take a moment and re-read this from the beginning.

Supergirl and the Legion: I've liked Mark Waid's revamp since it launched, but the current run with Supergirl (and the attendant mystery of her presence) is pure candy.

All-Star Superman: Insanely great.

Batman, Detective, Superman, Action: the revamp of the Bat and Super franchises has been solid. Morrison's Batman is my current favorite of these.

Daredevil: I think this, and the now-on-hiatus Young Avengers is the only Marvel series that I pick up regularly.

Local: Love the stories, love the art.

Age of Bronze: Every issue Eric Shanower manages to surprise me, someone who's been reading and studying Greek (and Roman) myths since childhood. I don't think there's a better artist in the field who's publishing on a regular, albeit bimonthly, schedule, and he manages to make all those dark-haired characters somehow distinct in a b&w book. Amazing.

Wonder Woman: OK, I have written about this one, but I loved the first issue so much that I can't not mention it. Or something.

Yikes

Going back to the ComicCon on Sunday cheered me up immensely, even though I miss my camera and I know I had a handful of great shots on it.

Sunday is the lightest day, which meant that I was able to wander the hall and interact with artists. I was able to get the latest issue of 52 (number 11, the debut of Batwoman in her costume) signed by Geoff Johns, Mark Waid, Greg Rucka and J.G. Jones, thus hopefully making my friend Pam a very happy lady.

I also met and got a sketch from Scott Shaw!, who was the writer and artist of Captain Carrot, the first comic that I ever collected every single issue of.

I purchased copies of the Yoshihiro Tatsumi's two gorgeous hardcovers, and got them signed by the artist. Mr. Tatsumi is in his 70s, but he very kindly did full-page sketches in each of the books for me. He was about the sweetest man I've ever seen at a comic convention. While I was waiting, Adrian Tomine did a small but intricate sketch in my sketchbook.

But the highlight of the day was finding Jaime Hernandez sitting at the Fantagraphics booth with no line. I was able to commission a GORGEOUS pencil sketch of Hopey for Tino, who is a longtime fan. Yay!

San Diego

Been having a great con. I LOVE seeing folks in costumes, and I've been taking pictures like crazy. Unfortunately, I lost my camera on Saturday night, along with all of the photos that I took on Saturday. I feel sick to my stomach just thinking about it. I have another camera, and I can always just replace this one, and luckily it was only the photos from Saturday, but still.

Anyway, I'd been having a great convention up until then. The highlight was probably the Snakes on a Plane panel. Kenan Thompson was the emcee, and they put on a *show*. 10 minutes of world premiere footage, a few giant snakes on stage, and Samuel L. Jackson being hilarious. A nice change of pace from the Snoop Dogg panel, in which Mr. Dogg was a no-show. My friend who stayed till the end (he was tired) reported that Snoop eventually phoned in because he was "stuck in traffic". Jaime Pressly (Joy on "My Name Is Earl") was also a no-show, but at least her panel for the movie DOA was completely cancelled.

My friend Lito and I happened to be present at the McFarlane/Kirkman dust-up. We had slipped in to grab a seat before the next panel had begun. It wasn't rude, but it was funny. (Basically: a polite but insistent & eloquent fan asked Todd McFarlane when he was going to focus on making comics again, and wouldn't let Todd's evasions stand. Eventually, someone else on the panel recognized that the fan was actually comic writer Robert Kirkman, who writes a couple of really good books published by Todd's company Image. Todd got a bit embarrassed, but held his own, and said he'd draw a book to Kirkman's script if Kirkman could convince his editor and the editor could convince Todd. Fat chance, but it made for good drama for the last five minutes of the panel.)

Anyway, I hope Sunday is quieter than the last two days. I haven't walked the floor as much as I would like, so today will have to be the day.

Blogging Sondheim 2

[Previously in my attempts to blog the forthcoming Stephen Sondheim 4-CD box set: West Side Story and Gypsy.]

STEPHEN SONDHEIM: THE STORY SO FAR
Disc One

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (1962)
music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

5. Comedy Tonight (5:00)
Zero Mostel & Company
orchestra conducted by Hal Hastings
rec. 5/00/62

[track 5, courtesy Capitol Records/EMI]

6. Everybody Ought To Have A Maid (3:06)
Stephen Collins, Christopher Durang, Michael Rupert
musical direction: Scott Frankel
rec. 4/28/93

[track #6, from the RCA Victor album, Putting It Together (09026-61720-2)]

7. There's Something About A War (4:12)
Stephen Sondheim

[track #7, from Stephen Sondheim's sound archives]

Three songs from Forum, each from different sources. Our first illustration of the difficulties of licensing. This box set is being released by BMG Sony, through its relationship with Playbill Online. Reportedly, Capitol/EMI was chary with its recordings, wanting prohibitively high licensing fees for songs from the original cast recording of Follies. So, no original Follies tracks. Likewise, we get only one track from the original Forum, but it's the best: "Comedy Tonight".

Given the high costs, it's little wonder that the producers went elsewhere for other Forum tracks. "Maid" is not my favorite song from Forum, and the performance from "Putting It Together", a Sondheim revue from the early 1990s, is OK. It's a shame that the Nathan Lane revival of Forum was also recorded by EMI (through Broadway Angel), since that'd be a natural source for two superior songs: "Free" and "Pretty Little Picture".

"There's Something About A War" is the first unreleased track. It's a cut song; it was replaced by "Bring Me My Bride". "War" has been previously recorded, as part of the 1983 "A Stephen Sondheim Evening" concert. That version was sung by Cris Groenendaal. Since the version on the box set is credited to Stephen Sondheim, it's likely one of his many contemporary demo recordings (there are two discs of these released by PS Classics, covering the years from 1946-1960 and 1962-1972).

[more later]

Seven Impossible Things Before Lunch

Continuing on my look at the San Diego Comic Con schedule, here's a look at the Saturday events that catch my eye.

10:30-11:30 Warner Bros. Presents 300— Appearing in person: Creator Frank Miller, director Zack Snyder (Dawn of the Dead), and actors David Wenham (Faramir in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Return of the King) and Gerard Butler (Phantom of the Opera; Lara Croft: Cradle of Life). Based on the epic graphic novel by Miller, 300 is a ferocious retelling of the ancient Battle of Thermopylae in which King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and 300 Spartans fought to the death against Xerxes and his massive Persian army. Facing insurmountable odds, the Spartans' valor and sacrifice inspire all of Greece to unite against their Persian enemy, drawing a line in the sand for democracy. The film brings Miller's (Sin City) acclaimed Dark Horse graphic novel to life by combining live action with virtual backgrounds that capture his distinct vision of this ancient historic tale. Hall H

300 is a favorite of mine.

11:45-12:45 Grind House— Rose McGowan (Charmed), Marley Shelton (Sin City), Freddy Rodriguez (Six Feet Under), Michael Biehn (Aliens), and Jeff Fahey (Dark Hunters) star in Grind House, the new double feature from Dimension Films, directed by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, hitting theatres in April 2007. Join filmmaker Robert Rodriguez and members of the cast for a quick trip to Rodriguez's "Planet Terror," and be the first to hear exclusive news about what to expect once Tarantino's "Deathproof" cameras start rolling. Hall H

Grind House looks exciting, and I'm a big fan of QT.

12:00-1:00 The Simpsons— Heading into their unprecedented 18th season this fall, and with their historic 400th episode airing next spring, The Simpsons continues to entertain and delight. Members of the team responsible for the longest-running comedy on television will be on hand to answer the questions everyone wants to know, including: how do you continue to keep it so good? Panelists include Matt Groening, creator and executive producer; James L. Brooks, executive producer; Matt Selman, executive producer; David Mirkin, executive producer; Al Jean, executive producer and head writer; Don Payne, co-executive producer; Bill Odenkirk, co-executive producer; Matt Warburton, supervising producer; Mike Scully, producer; and David Silverman, director. Moderated by Bill Morrison. Room 20

Basically, every single person from every Simpsons audio commentary ever.

1:00-2:30 DCU: One Year Greater— With the world in post-Crisis shock, there's a lot of picking up to do. Look into the future of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman—not to mention Green Lantern, Green Arrow, the Flash, and all your other DCU favorites—in this slide-show presentation moderated by Dan DiDio, senior VP/executive editor, DCU, and Bob Wayne, VP, sales. Joining them will be editor Steve Wacker and creators Terry Dodson (Wonder Woman), Geoff Johns (Teen Titans, 52), Kurt Busiek (Action Comics, Aquaman, Superman), Ivan Reis (Green Lantern), Gail Simone (Birds of Prey, Secret Six, All-New Atom), Grant Morrison (52, Batman, WildCATS), Judd Winick (Green Arrow, The Outsiders), Greg Rucka (52, Checkmate), Jimmy Palmiotti (Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for Bludhaven, Jonah Hex, Secret Six), Paul Dini (Detective Comics), and Brad Meltzer (Identity Crisis, the upcoming Justice League of America). Room 6B

I'm a geek, but there's a ton of creators that I follow, all on one panel.

2:30-4:00 Spotlight on Shag— If every picture tells a story, Josh Agle (better known as Shag, a contraction of the last two letters of his first name and the first two of his last) has hundreds of stories to tell. His work, punctuated by a playful, vividly colored style, has entered the pop culture pantheon by storm. Comic-Con special guest Shag talks about his work and answers your questions in this special event. Room 6A

My question would be: why is everything you produce so expensive?

3:30-4:30 Spotlight on Brad Meltzer— The New York Times best-selling author of such books as The Tenth Justice, The Millionaires, and the upcoming The Book of Fate is also the writer behind DC Comics' Identity Crisis and the new ongoing Justice League book. Brad Meltzer talks about his career and his life-long love of comics and where he plans to take the World's Greatest Superheroes. Room 5AB

I'm geekily interested in the new Justice League of America book.

5:00-6:30 Sony Presents— Sony Pictures proudly presents a pair of Marvels: The classic Marvel comic Ghost Rider comes to the big screen with Academy Award–winning Nicolas Cage playing Johnny Blaze. Appearing in person to answer your questions and show some previews will be the film's stars Nicolas Cage and Eva Mendes and director Mark Steven Johnson. Oh, and did we mention Spidey 3? Come find out why we don't have to say anything else . . . besides Sam Raimi! Hall H

I probably won't attend this, but still: Nicolas Cage!

5:30-7:00 Gays in Comics, Year 19: Infinitely Out and Civil Pride— From Young Avengers to Batwoman, Freedom Ring to Tough Love, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered (GLBT) characters are popping up more in mainstream comics, and GLBT creators are writing, drawing, or self-publishing more than ever. At its near-two-decade mark, the annual Gays in Comics panel takes the pulse of queer comicdom, showcasing some groundbreaking creators and their insights. Joining moderator Andy Mangels (writer of Star Trek novels, director of He-Man and She-Ra DVD documentaries) are Patty Jeres (past DC director of marketing communications, current PRISM board member), Abby Denson (creator of Tough Love: High School Confidential graphic novel), Greg Rucka (writer of Gotham Central, 52, Checkmate), Gail Simone (writer of Secret Six, Birds of Prey), Marc Andreyko (writer of Manhunter), and Phil Jimenez (artist/writer of Infinite Crisis, Otherworld). Afterward, stick around for an hour-long gay comic fan mixer/social, sponsored by PRISM Comics! Room 6A

Dunno how long I can stay at this, since at 8pm we're heading out to see Kathy Griffin.

I just wish Allan Heinberg (who's writing Wonder Woman and Young Avengers) could be there.

Blogging the Sondheim Box Set

October will see the release of the long-awaited 4-CD Stephen Sondheim box set, culling the best from 50 years of Broadway cast recordings as well as 35 previously unreleased tracks. It will be exclusively available from Playbill.com for the first six months.

I'm tremendously excited about this set, but of course I have quibbles as well. What should be included, what couldn't be, what's cut due to space concerns. The biggest controversy has to be the failure to get tracks from the original cast album of Follies (Capitol Records requested an impossible amount of money to license them out).

Thanks to iTunes, however, I can program my own Best Of Sondheim playlist. Here's my annotated look at the tracks of the box set, and what I would do differently.

STEPHEN SONDHEIM: THE STORY SO FAR
Disc One

West Side Story (1957)
music by Leonard Bernstein
lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

1. America (4:33)
Marilyn Cooper, Chita Rivera, Shark Girls
orchestra conducted by Max Goberman
rec. 9/29/57

2. Tonight (3:54)
Larry Kert, Carol Lawrence
orchestra conducted by Max Goberman
rec. 9/29/57

3. Gee, Officer Krupke (4:02)
Eddie Roll, Grover Dale, Hank Brunjes, Tony Mordante, David Winters & The Jets
orchestra conducted by Max Goberman
rec. 9/29/57

[tracks #1-3, from the Columbia album, West Side Story (SK 60724)]

Sondheim's first Broadway show became a smash, so it makes sense to start here. The two songs that best show off Sondheim's talents are "America" and "Gee, Officer Krupke", so no fault there.

If it were me, though, I would have opened with "Something's Coming", which not only expresses the optimism of lead character Tony, but also speaks to the promise of then 27-year-old Sondheim's future career. "I don't know what it is, but it is gonna be great." Exactly.

Gypsy (1959)
music by Jule Styne
lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

4. Everything's Coming Up Roses (3:06)
Ethel Merman
orchestra conducted by Milton Rosenstock
rec. 5/24/59

[track #4, from the Columbia album, Gypsy (SK 60848)]

Gypsy was another smash, this time with a big old fashioned musical theater star (the biggest?). With "Everything's Coming Up Roses", Sondheim wrote a lyric that became part of the English vernacular. How many people can say that?

It's a shame that there's only room for one song from Gypsy, because there are so many highlights. The Overture is arguably the best of any classic Broadway cast recording, while "Some People" features Sondheim uttering the line "You'll never get 88 cents from me".

Still, if I could only choose one more song, it'd be Ethel Merman's version of "Rose's Turn", in which musical fragments from the entire score are smashed into the ultimate 11-oclock number. You listen, and wonder how Merman could have possibly lost the Best Actress Tony Award to Mary Martin that year (Martin won for The Sound of Music. I guess Merman said it best right afterward: You can't buck a nun.)

[More later.]

Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Walking through the Friday schedule of this year's Comic-Con. (I know some folks are sick of this stuff, but this is only my second trip to San Diego's big show, and my first since 1998. I'm getting excited, yo.)

11:00-12:30 Warner Bros. Pictures Presents— In person, stars Hilary Swank and Anna Sophia Robb, director Stephen Hopkins, and producer Joel Silver of The Reaping, a supernatural thriller in which Hilary plays a world-renowned expert in disproving religious phenomena. But when she investigates a small Louisiana town that is suffering from what appear to be the Biblical plagues, she realizes that science cannot explain what is happening. Plus: Bryan Singer Returns! Please welcome long-time friend of Comic-Con, director Bryan Singer, to answer your questions about Superman Returns and give you an idea of what's next. Plus: more news and special promo items will be given to all who attend. Hall H

Not really my thing, but the bff is more interested in the Hollywood/media panels than anything else, so we'll put this down as a maybe.

Here are two conflicts:

12:00-1:00 Scott McCloud's Making Comics— Scott McCloud (Zot!, Understanding Comics) unveils his new book, Making Comics, in this fast-paced visual presentation. Scott and his whole family will be on hand to discuss one of the most ambitious promotional tours in comics history, the year-long Making Comics 50 State Tour beginning in September! Room 8

I'd be more interested if Scott's new book were already published, but that's just because I'm dying to get my hands on it.

12:00-1:00 Snoop Dogg’s Hood of Horror— It's ghouls gone wild as EC Comics gets the urban treatment in this hip hop horror anthology hosted by the Hound of Hell, Snoop Dogg. Join Snoop for an exclusive sneak peek and Q&A along with co-writer/producer Tim Sullivan (2001 Maniacs, Driftwood), producer Martin Shore, and cast members Billy Dee Williams (Star Wars), Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters), Danny Trejo (Devil's Rejects), Daniella Alonso (One Tree Hill, Wrong Turn 2) and Brande Roderick (Baywatch, Starsky & Hutch). Room 20

Looks like a trainwreck of a film, but could make for a good panel if they start telling stories.

12:30-2:00 Spotlight on George R. R. Martin— With a career that covers fantasy writing (his popular "A Song of Fire and Ice" series of books), television (Twilight Zone and the beloved Beauty and the Beast), and comics, George R. R. Martin has pleased fans for many years. He and his works are featured in this special spotlight presentation. Room 6B

I've read all of the books in "A Song of Fire and Ice" a number of times, and even ordered the latest one from Amazon UK because it was published a month before the US version. But I'm slightly more interested in...

12:30-1:30 Hey, Kids! Blogs About Comics!— It seems like everybody has a blog these days, but here's a group of dedicated bloggers devoted to writing about comics and news about the comics industry. Moderator Heidi MacDonald (pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/) talks to Tom Spurgeon (comicsreporter.com), Ron Hogan (mediabistro.com/galleycat), Graeme McMillan (blog.newsarama.com), Chris Butcher (comics.212.net/) and Tom McLean (weblogs.variety.com/bags_and_boards/) about the daily business of blogging, breaking news, and the comics world. Room 24A

I read all of these guys every day, and obviously I keep a blog of my own. Can't wait.

2:00-3:00 DC: JLA/JSA: Justice for All— Join an important panel featuring the two teams that define heroism in the DC universe. Writer Brad Meltzer (Identity Crisis, upcoming Justice League of America), writer Geoff Johns (52, Teen Titans, upcoming Justice Society of America), and artist Mike Turner (Supergirl, Identity Crisis) will be joined by senior VP/executive editor DCU Dan DiDio, senior editor Peter Tomasi, and group editor Eddie Berganza to bring you the details of two amazing teams’ past, present, and future. Room 6A

I confess: I love the DC promo panels. I don't know that I'll go to all of them though.

2:30-3:30 Paramount Pictures— Paramount Pictures is proud to present an early look at footage from the upcoming fantasy adventure film Stardust from director Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake) and producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura (Constantine, Four Brothers and the upcoming Transformers). After captivating audiences in both novel and graphic novel formats, Neil Gaiman's Stardust makes its big-screen adaptation debut next March starring Claire Danes, Robert DeNiro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sienna Miller, Ricky Gervais, Peter O'Toole, Rupert Everett, and Charlie Cox. Neil Gaiman (The Eternals and co-writer with Roger Avery of the screenplay for the upcoming Beowulf), illustrator Charles Vess, co-screenwriter (with director Vaughn) Jane Goldman, and producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura will discuss the film, which is currently in production. (Credits not contractual.) Hall H

I'm a big Gaiman fanboy from way back, but I have very little interest in Stardust, unfortunately.

3:00-4:00 The Black Panel— Featuring Reggie Hudlin (president, BET), RZA (Wu Tang Clan), Jeffery Wright (CEO, Urban Ministries), Denys Cowan (senior VP, BET Animation), Mike Davis and Mark Davis (Blokhedz), and Axel Alonso (editor, Marvel Comics). This is the definitive panel for what’s up in black content, and black content is hip content. Moderated by Michael Davis. Room 6A

"The Black Panel" -- note the definite article -- has perhaps the goofiest title of SDCC. Still: OMG, the RZA will be there! I'm a fan of Denys Cowan's artwork, and I think I still have every issue of his "Hardware" comic (currently rumored to be announced as an upcoming BET Animation project). Definitely something to consider. After all, black content is hip content!

3:00-4:00 Fox: Bones— David Boreanaz is one of television's biggest stars. Boreanaz and Bones creator/executive producer Hart Hanson will dish up all the fun behind-the-scenes stories on the show and answer your questions! Lisa Chambers, TV Guide, will moderate the panel Room 20

He's a hottie, but I don't care about the show.

3:30-4:30 WildStorm: Crossroads— The West Coast is about to unleash a Worldstorm! Find out what’s on the horizon from WildStorm Productions in this slide-show presentation. Panelists will include Scott Dunbier, executive editor, WildStorm; Bob Wayne, VP, sales, DC Comics; Ben Abernathy, editor, WildStorm; Jim Lee, editorial director, WildStorm and in-demand artist (WildCats, All Star Batman and Robin); writer Grant Morrison (52, Batman, All Star Superman); writer Gail Simone, (Gen13, Secret Six); artist Talent Caldwell (Gen13); and artist Darick Robertson (The Boys). Also joining the panel will be Danny Bilson (The Flash: Fastest Man Alive) and Paul DeMeo (The Flash: Fastest Man Alive), and special guest star, The OC’s Adam Brody! Room 5AB

The upcoming Wildstorm push, with talent like Morrison, Jim Lee, Simone, Gene Ha and others is intriguing, but the comics themselves are so borrring. Still, my students would KILL ME if I let drop that I saw Adam Brody. Wonder if I could get a photo with him?

3:30-4:00 Universal: Children of Men— Academy Award–nominated writer/director Alfonso Cuarón (Y tu mamá también, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) will present scenes from his upcoming futuristic thriller Children of Men, starring Clive Owen, Julianne Moore and Michael Caine. The new trailer from Children of Men and never-before-seen clips from the film will be shown, along with a discussion of the filmmakers's work. Hall H

Very intrigued.

4:00-5:00 D.O.A.: Dead or Alive— Jaime Pressly (My Name Is Earl), Holly Valance (Prison Break and international music sensation), Sarah Carter (new CBS show, Shark), and Natassia Malthe (Elektra) star in this new movie from Dimension Films, based on the hit video game series, D.O.A. Join the stars and some special guests for the premiere of exclusive footage from the new movie and a Q&A with the sizzling hot cast. Room 6CDEF

I love Jaime Pressly on My Name is Earl, and I'd love a photo with her, but I don't really care about her upcoming videogame movie.

4:00-5:30 Bruce Timm Retrospective/Legion of Super Heroes— Warner Bros. Animation president Sander Schwartz introduces a retrospective on the creativity of animation legend Bruce Timm (Batman Beyond, Superman: The Animated Series). Bruce will talk about his 20-year career, screen selected scenes from his body of work, and take part in a Q&A. Immediately following the Timm retrospective, Warner Bros. Animation presents a sneak peek at Legion of Super Heroes, a new Superman-themed half-hour adventure series inspired by the DC Comics series and set to air Saturdays this fall at 11:00 AM ET/PT in the Kids' WB! programming block on the new CW. Producers Linda M. Steiner (Teen Titans) and James Tucker (Justice League Unlimited), story editor Rob Hoegee (Teen Titans), and others from the show's creative team will join several of the Legion cast members, including Yuri Lowenthal (voice of Superman), Andy Milder (Lightning Lad), Shawn Harrison (Timber Wolf), and Michael Cornaccia (Bouncing Boy) for a Q&A session and debut of scenes from the upcoming show. Room 20

Now THIS is what San Diego is all about. I've read Legion since I was a tater tot, and I've dreamed about a WB! Legion series forever.

5:45-7:00 New Line Cinema Presents Snakes on a Plane— Sit back. Relax. Enjoy the fright. New Line Cinema will show exclusive footage from Snakes on a Plane. Samuel L. Jackson makes his first San Diego Comic-Con appearance, along with director David R. Ellis, to discuss his new film! And, watch out—snake wrangler Jules Sylvester will also be on hand with live snakes from the movie. Also included in the presentation will be a special preview of New Line Cinema's upcoming The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, while Final Destination 3 director James Wong and star Ryan Merriman demonstrate the unique "Change-Their-Fate" interactive feature on the upcoming DVD, available from New Line Home Entertainment on July 25. Hall H

The one thing that the BFF and I want to see. Unfortunately, it's also the one thing that every single other geek in San Diego wants to see. And I know it's stupid, but I HATE that they're going to make us sit through the Texas Chainsaw and Final Destination crap first. I'm expecting an hour of New Line Promo before the Snakes on a Panel finally kicks in. Grrr.

Meanwhile, in alternative programming...

6:00-7:00 DC: 52: A Year in the Life of the DCU— The DC Universe skipped a year and left everyone wondering what happened in those missing 52 weeks. This can’t-miss panel looks at the ramifications of the Crisis, the absence of the world’s greatest heroes, and those left to pick up the pieces in an event that is unprecedented in comics history! Hosted by senior VP/executive editor DCU Dan DiDio and editor Steve Wacker, with Geoff Johns (52, Teen Titans), Greg Rucka (52, Checkmate), Mark Waid (52, Supergirl and the Legion of Super-heroes), Grant Morrison (52, Batman), J. G. Jones (52), and more. Room 6B

6:00-7:00 The Jim Henson Company: Power of the Dark Crystal and Sneak Peeks— Lisa Henson (Power of the Dark Crystal), and Michael Polis (MirrorMask) from The Jim Henson Company will discuss current and upcoming productions. Panelists include Brian Froud (Labyrinth), Genndy Tartakofsky (Star Wars: The Clone Wars), and Scott Stewart (Superman Returns) will be on hand to talk about the much-anticipated sequel feature Power of the Dark Crystal. Other topics include the new puppet television shows for grown-ups as well as new DVD releases, manga books, and exciting new products from Jim Henson Designs. Room 6CDEF

Two great line-ups on two completely different panels. How to choose?

Finally, we're discussing attending the Big Gay Cocktail Hour Immediately Preceding The Big Gay Dinner (which Christopher Butcher blogged):

6:30-11:00 Attack of The Big Gay Dinner (Year 4!) Offsite It's the biggest, gayest dinner around. Join gay comic creators and their friends for an evening of cocktails, dining and discourse at San Diego ComiCon's most fabulous get-together. Cocktail hour starts at 6:30, dinner starts at 8:30. Please, RSVP if you're going to attend...

If you're counting, that's 16 events. No way to do it all, but it helps me if I narrow it down to a manageable list.

Dabs of Honey

• For the love of Florrie, a FANTASTIC examination of Florrie Fisher, the star of the 1970s-era documentary short/scare tactic The Trip Back, and clearly the inspiration for Jerri Blank in Strangers with Candy. Fabulous. Tell 'em Large Marge sent ya.
  
  
• Christopher Butcher's Guide to What's Gay About Comic-Con 2006 and Tom Spurgeon's exhaustive Welcome to Nerd Vegas: A Guide to Visiting and Enjoying Comic-Con International in San Diego, 2006!.
  
  
• I know it's late, but I'm excited that the final issue of the miniseries Hawaiian Dick: The Last Resort is due out today. I reread the first three issues last night. I'm sure the delay (I think it's been two years since issue #1) turned off tons of readers, but I'm just glad it's completed.
  
  
• Slate's Jack Shafer on Nick Denton.
  
  
• Next Saturday, we're seeing Kathy Griffin and I can't wait.
  
  
• OMG! Project Runway tonight.

Batwoman

A friend of ours, well-known in the SF queer arts scene, is incredibly jealous that we're going down to the San Diego Comic Convention. (Me, I'm not used to people knowing what the hell I'm talking about.)

She'll do anything if we can get some item featuring Batwoman autographed by one of the creators.
I'm pretty sure that 52 #11 comes out next week, and is the big Batwoman issue. I hope I can find someone to sign it.