The non-profit Prism Comics has been championing for LGBTQ+ diversity and representation in comics and media since 2003, and they’re returning to San Diego Comic-Con this year to serve as the epicenter for LGBTQ+ activities and voices.
This year marks their 21st anniversary at the convention, and to celebrate, they’ve got a packed schedule of signings with celebrated creators such as Nicole Maines (Bad Dream; Supergirl), alongside four panels discussing comics diversity. Find Prism Comics at #Booth 2144 in Hall C.
Additionally, Prism Comics will be publishing their annual PRISM COMICS LGBTQ+ GUIDE TO COMIC-CON, a 20-page guide highlighting LGBTQ+ panels, personalities, and events throughout the convention. It is available for free at their booth and online as a digital download from the Prism Comics website, and this year’s version features cover artwork by The Kao.
They will also be hosting a Comic-Con Weekend Kick Off Party at Pecs Bar (2046 University Ave) from 8pm-12am on Thursday. There will be no cover charge, with drink specials and drawings for cool comics swag.
BOOTH SIGNINGS
Wednesday, July 24
- 6pm – 7pm – Greg Lockard (Trick Pony, Liebestrasse), Julian Jetson (host, Q Con the Podcast, Gay Geeks and Where to Find Them)
- 7pm – 8pm – Jeff Krell (Jayson)
- 8pm – 9pm – Tara Madison Avery (We’re Still Here, Stacked Deck Press)
Thursday, July 25
- 9am – 10am – Erica Schultz (Rat City, Daredevil, Moon Knight), Julian Jetson (host, Q Con the Podcast, Gay Geeks and Where to Find Them)
- 10am – 11am – Jeff Krell (Jayson), Amy Chu (Carmilla: The First Vampire Volumes 1 and 2)
- 11am – 12pm – Josh Trujillo (Blue Beetle, George Washington’s Gay General), David Reddish (The Passion Of Sergius And Bacchus, Sex Drugs And Superheroes Trilogy)
- 12pm – 1pm – When I Was Young signing – Michele Abounader, Jack Foster, Kat Calamia, Phil Falco
- 1pm – 2pmpm – Tate Brombal (Christopher Chaos, Barbalien), Tara Madison Avery (We’re Still Here, Stacked Deck Press)
- 2pm – 3pm – Tilly Bridges (Begin Transmission: The trans allegories of The Matrix), Desmond Miller (We Belong, Between Here and the Lint Trap)
- 3pm – 4pm – Greg Lockard (Trick Pony, Liebestrasse), Michael Varrati (There’s a Zombie Outside, The Midnight Mass Podcast), Morla Gorrondona (Empress Lilandra, X-Men ’97)
- 4pm – 5pm – Mallory (The President’s Head Is Missing!, But It’s for Charity!)
- 5pm – 6pm – Liam Coballes (We Belong)
- 6pm – 7pm – Sonya Saturday (J.K. Rowling and the Ungrateful Fans)
Friday, July 26
- 9am – 10am – Jeff Krell (Jayson)
- 10am – 11am – Greg Lockard (Trick Pony, Liebestrasse), Nicole Maines (Bad Dream, Supergirl, Yellowjackets)
- 11am – 12pm – Josh Trujillo (Blue Beetle, George Washington’s Gay General), Julian Jetson (host, Q Con the Podcast, Gay Geeks and Where to Find Them)
- 12pm – 1pm – Jack Foster (Gun, When I Was Young), Mallory (The President’s Head Is Missing!, But It’s for Charity!)
- 1pm – 2pm – The Out Side signing – The Kao, Min Elgaard Christensen, David Daneman, Liam Coballes
- 2pm – 3pm – David Booher (Killer Queens Volumes 1 and 2, Ghostbusters), David Reddish (The Passion Of Sergius And Bacchus, Sex Drugs And Superheroes Trilogy)
- 3pm – 4pm – Soizick Jaffre (A Good Sport), Tara Madison Avery (We’re Still Here, Stacked Deck Press)
- 4pm – 5pm – Desmond Miller (We Belong, Between Here and the Lint Trap), Meggie Ramm (Batcat)
- 5pm – 6pm – Sonya Saturday (J.K. Rowling and the Ungrateful Fans), Michael Varrati (There’s a Zombie Outside, The Midnight Mass Podcast)
Saturday, July 27
- 9am – 10am – Jeff Krell (Jayson)
- 10am – 11am – Greg Lockard (Trick Pony, Liebestrasse)
- 11am – 12pm – Josh Trujillo (Blue Beetle, George Washington’s Gay General), David Reddish (The Passion Of Sergius And Bacchus, Sex Drugs And Superheroes Trilogy)
- 12pm – 1pm – Vincent Roth (Surge of Power)
- 1pm – 2pm – Tilly Bridges (Begin Transmission: The trans allegories of The Matrix), Michael Varrati (There’s a Zombie Outside, The Midnight Mass Podcast)
- 2pm – 3pm – Tara Madison Avery (We’re Still Here, Stacked Deck Press), Sonya Saturday (J.K. Rowling and the Ungrateful Fans)
- 3pm – 4pm – Soizick Jaffre (A Good Sport), Desmond Miller (We Belong, Between Here and the Lint Trap)
- 4pm – 5pm – Ajuan Mance (Gender Studies: True Adventures of an Accidental Outlaw, Living While Black: Portraits of Everyday Resistance)
- 5pm – 6pm – When I Was Young signing – Michele Abounade, Sam Maggs, Rye Hickman
Sunday, July 28
- 10am – 11am – Jeff Krell (Jayson)
- 11am – 12pm – Vincent Roth (Surge of Power)
- 12pm – 1pm – Desmond Miller (We Belong, Between Here and the Lint Trap), Amy Chu (Carmilla: The First Vampire Volumes 1 and 2)
- 1pm – 2pm – David Booher (Killer Queens Volumes 1 and 2, Ghostbusters), Ajuan Mance (Gender Studies: True Adventures of an Accidental Outlaw, Living While Black: Portraits of Everyday Resistance)
- 2pm – 3pm – Tate Brombal (Christopher Chaos, Barbalien), David Reddish (The Passion Of Sergius And Bacchus, Sex Drugs And Superheroes Trilogy)
- 3pm – 4pm – Tara Madison Avery (We’re Still Here, Stacked Deck Press)
You can also find Prism Comics on several panels throughout the week, including:
“Still Transgender, Still Here: Trans and Nonbinary Comics Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow“
Panel Presentation – Thursday, 7/25/24, 4:00PM – 5:00PM, Convention Center Room: 9
In 2014 Tara Madison Avery (Stacked Deck Press, Prism Comics Board Member) moderated the first all-transgender comics panel at Comic-Con. Prism Comics celebrates the 10th anniversary of this groundbreaking annual panel with a talented and insightful group of trans and nonbinary panelists. How far has trans and nonbinary representation in comics come over the past decade? What are some of the obstacles transgender creators have faced? How can creators best represent trans and nonbinary characters in the future? Join Tilly Bridges (Begin Transmission, The Color of Always), Alex Combs (Trans History: From Ancient Times to the Present Day, Trans-Affirming Magical Care), Liam Coballes (The Out Side, dubbing producer Yu Yu Hakusho), Nicole Maines (Bad Dream; Supergirl), Sonya Saturday (The Greatest Thing You’ve Ever Seen In Your Life, J.K. Rowling and the Ungrateful Fans), Gaia WXYZ (Professor UC Berkeley, We Belong), and moderator, Tara Madison Avery (Stacked Deck Press, We’re Still Here) for a lively discussion of these topics and more!
“Queer Horror” Panel Presentation
Friday, 7/26/24, 2:00PM – 3:00PM, Convention Center Room: 4
As a genre, horror has always attempted to bring us to the threshold of our fears and use a dark lens of the fantastic to force us to come face-to-face with issues the mainstream may otherwise dare not address head on. For those in the LGBTQIA+ community, this sense of otherness within the genre is not only terrifying and titillating, it’s quite often also relatable. The queer community has had a long history with the horror genre, from the lesbian vampires of Gothic literature to modern fare like They/Them and The Boulet Brothers Dragula. Does a queer horror genre exist, and if so what makes it different from mainstream horror? Furthermore, how does the current political climate alter the lens through which we celebrate and connect to the macabre? Join Prism Comics and moderator/screenwriter Michael Varrati (There’s a Zombie Outside, The Midnight Mass Podcast) and an array of panelists including Sean Abley (Queer Horror: A Film Guide, Fangoria’s Gay of the Dead), Casey Gilly (Buffy the Last Vampire Slayer, Ravenloft), Angel Melanson (Queer For Fear, Into The Darkness: Part III), Armando Munoz (Silent Night, Deadly Night and Happy Birthday to Me novelizations), Heather O. Petrocelli (Queer for Fear: Horror Film and the Queer Spectator), and William O. Tyler (Theater of Terror: Revenge of the Queers, We Belong).
“Out In Comics: Year 37“
Panel Presentation – Saturday, 7/27/24, 6:00PM – 8:00PM, Convention Center Room: 4
The comic world’s longest-running panel is back for its 37th record breaking year. The Comic Book world has become a celebrated part of the Pop Culture world. LGBTQ comics and graphic novels for all ages are being produced and acclaimed in incredible numbers, and queer characters are finally starting to show up in genre movies and TV shows like Star Trek Discovery and X-Men ’97. And yet, in our politicized and polarized world, LGBTQ comics and graphic novels and LGBTQ characters in popular media are facing more banning and opposition than in previous years. This means that telling stories of queer characters of diverse backgrounds and identities is more important than ever before. Join Prism Comics, moderator Andy Mangels [he/him] (founder of the “Out In Comics” panel; bestselling author of Wonder Woman ‘77 Meets The Bionic Woman, Star Trek and Star Wars books and comics) and special guest panelists as they discuss what being “Out In Comics” means now and in the future. Panelists include Roberta Gregory [she/her] (CCI Special Guest, award-winning creator of Naughty Bits, underground comix pioneer); Soizick Jaffre [she/her] (A Good Sport; Drawing Power); JP Karliak [he/him] (voice-over actor from X-Men ’97, Spidey & His Amazing Friends, and Boss Baby; founder/president of Queer Vox, a non-profit training academy and community for LGBTQIA+ voice talent); Greg Lockard [he/him] (writer,Trick Pony and Libestrasse; ex-Vertigo editor); M.K. Palmer [she/her] (writer & publisher, Meraki); Erica Schultz [she/her] (writer for Daredevil, Blood Hunters, Rat City, Moon Knight); and Gaia WXYZ [she/her] (Professor, UC Berkeley, We Belong).
A short Prism Comics Meet-and-Greet and Auction of comics goodies will follow the panel discussion.
“We Belong: Black and Queer Sci-Fi Fantasy“
Panel Presentation – Sunday, 7/28/24, 10:30AM – 11:30AM, Convention Centere Room: 10
Join Stacked Deck Press and Prism Comics to hear how queer independent creators put together We Belong, the new all-Black, all-Queer sci-fi fantasy comics anthology. The panel will explore finding comics creators, editing and designing the book, organizing crowdfunding and marketing plans, gaining interest and support, and more. Editors William O. Tyler (Tannis Comix, Theater of Terror) and Viktor Kerney (StrangeLore) and queer creators from the anthology will share their personal stories and answer questions in the spirit of supporting creators to make queer comics for marginalized communities. Panelists Jordan Green (We Belong), Ajuan Mance (Gender Studies: True Adventures of an Accidental Outlaw and Living While Black: Portraits of Everyday Resistance); Sean Z. Maker (Myth, We Belong); Desmond Miller (We Belong, Between Here and the Lint Trap); Tulani Kiara (We Belong, WINC Magazine Noir Issue); and Gaia WXYZ (Professor, UC Berkeley, We Belong).
