N. Scott Robinson (San Diego Mesa College) explores fluid transnational representations of American superheroes in comics published in Egypt, India, Indonesia, Japan, Lebanon, Norway, and the United Arab Emirates. James Thompson (Duke University, Comic Book Historians group) looks at how Dracula comics, as imported transnational texts, allow for/demand a reading that can be traced back to Dorfman and Mattelart's How to Read Donald Duck: Imperialist Ideology in the Disney Comic and its examination of dominance and passivity in cultural exchange. Sydney Heifler (The University of Oxford) explains how the 1950s romance comics in the UK shed new light on changing perceptions of female and male identity in British post-war society.
Saturday March 30, 2019 10:30am - 12:00pm PDT
Room 210
Haniyeh Barahouie (University of Virginia) examines how Posy Simmonds' 1999 graphic novel Gemma Bovery destabilizes/redefines the identity of Flaubert's heroine by situating Emma Bovary as still present in modern life. Katelyn McGirr (Carleton University) uses a graphic adaptation of the nineteenth-century diary of British woman Fanny Duberly as a case study to explore historical representation of Victorian gender and class relations. Stephen Connor (Nipissing University) reveal the ways in which Punisher comics reinforce and challenge evolving perceptions about the war in Vietnam and its aftermath.
Saturday March 30, 2019 12:00pm - 1:30pm PDT
Room 210
Creators David Baron (Stained) and Brian Stelfreeze (Matador) are joined by comics librarian Dan Wood (youth librarian, Escondido Public Library), comics retailer Rachel Parker (SoCal Games & Comics), and Morgan Perry (BOOM! Studios) to share their unique perspectives on how comics transform lives. Moderator Moni Barrette (adult librarian, Escondido Public Library) will lead a Q&A session between panelists and comic enthusiasts.
Saturday March 30, 2019 1:30pm - 2:30pm PDT
Room 208
Travis Langley (Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight; The Joker Psychology: Evil Clowns and the Women Who Love Them) conducts a forensic investigation fitting together the three overlapping yet different accounts Jerry Robinson, Bill Finger, and Bob Kane gave regarding how they created the Clown Prince of Crime. Amy DeSuza-Riehm (California State University, Long Beach) takes a look at Jessica Jones, Harley Quinn, Wonder Woman, the role of trauma in superhero origins, and the psychology of Heroes in Crisis. Kyle A. Hammonds (University of Oklahoma) and Garrett Hammonds (American Choral Directors Association) use "The Anatomy Lesson" to show how Alan Moore's seminal run on Saga of the Swamp Thing reflects broad cultural issues which Moore uniquely addressed in the context of horror.
Saturday March 30, 2019 1:30pm - 3:00pm PDT
Room 210
From the medium's earliest days, women have taken to the comics form to communicate their messages to the world. Betsy Gomez (CBLDF Presents: She Changed Comics) will take attendees on an image-filled march through more than a century of comics activism, revealing how women used comics to address gender inequality, women's rights, and more!
Saturday March 30, 2019 3:30pm - 4:30pm PDT
Room 208
The Internet is the planetary-scale nervous system for our species, and these days it consists of four giant sites filled with screenshots from the other three. The lesson of this moment in late-stage capitalism isn't that Facebook has figured out how to build a mind-control ray: Rather, it's that they've figured out how to scale up the paltry sums they extract from your personal life into piles so big, they add up to billions. WonderCon special guest Cory Doctorow shows us that fixing technology isn't a matter of paying for things instead of seeing ads: It's all about seizing the means of information and controlling your tech, rather than being controlled by it.
Saturday March 30, 2019 4:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Room 211
Back by popular demand, this team of actors, TV writers, and psychologists discuss the psychology of beloved TV shows, such as Supernatural, The Punisher, Doctor Who, Arrow, Cloak and Dagger, and many others. Psychologists Dr. Janina Scarlet (Harry Potter Therapy; Dark Agents) and Dr. Billy San Juan (Doctor Who Psychology), builder and actor Tamara Robertson (MythBusters), TV writers Christine Boylan (The Punisher; Cloak and Dagger) and Deric Hughes (Arrow; Flash), and NYT bestselling authors Jonathan Maberry (V-Wars) and Alan Kistler (Doctor Who: A History) will be discussing these TV shows and more. Dustin McGinnis (Superhero Therapy podcast; Brothers McGinnis Music) moderates.
Saturday March 30, 2019 6:30pm - 7:30pm PDT
Room 300D
Ever wondered which Star Wars tech could one day be a reality? Curious whether NASA would rather take C-3P0 or R2-D2 into space? Maybe you're still baffled by the Falcon making the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs (even if they did round down)? Expert panelists Farah Alibay (systems engineer, NASA-JPL), Kieran Dickson (editor, CometTV.com, MGM Studios), Emily Manor Chapman (mission planner, NASA-JPL), Fon Davis (Star Wars production designer), Travis Langley (editor, Star Wars Psychology), Eliot Sirota (VFX expert), and host Jenna Busch (creator, Legion of Leia) act as your Bor Gullet into the mind of Star Wars creators and break down the science behind a galaxy far, far away. Q&As and giveaways will follow.
Saturday March 30, 2019 7:00pm - 8:00pm PDT
Room 300B
Are you a die-hard Harry Potter fan? If so, join mental health professionals Dr. Janina Scarlet (Harry Potter Therapy; Dark Agents) and Travis Adams (Supernatural Psychology), as well as director Justin Zagri (Snape and the Marauders), Mick Ignis (Snape and the Marauders; Stan Against Evil), and SYFY Harry Potter correspondent Katie Aiani for an interactive discussion of the psychology of Harry Potter and the Fantastic Beasts films. Dustin McGinnis (Superhero Therapy Podcast; Brothers McGinnis Music) moderates. Room 300D
Saturday March 30, 2019 7:30pm - 8:30pm PDT
Room 300D
