When pop
culture is your passion, there’s no better place to be on the first weekend of
October than at New York Comic Con, held this year from October 3–6 at the
Javits Center. Billed as the biggest fan convention on the East Coast, NYCC
offers four days of panels, signings, advance screenings, and more—all
dedicated to the books, comics, movies, shows, games, art, and fan communities
you love.
Obviously,
the Get Lit team is counting down the days ’til we can geek out with our fellow
fans. We’re pumped to see and do ALL THE THINGS, but if we had to narrow it
down, we’d say we’re most excited about the events below. (Yes, there are
multiple Star Trek events on our schedule. No, we can
never get enough!)
Will you be
attending? If so, be sure to drop by the Simon & Schuster booth (#2128) for
author signings and giveaways! (You can find the full Simon & Schuster schedule here.) And whether you’ll be there in person or
in spirit, you can follow along with us on Twitter (@Get_Literary,
@GalleryBooks, @SagaSFF, @SimonSchuster) and Instagram (@get.lit.erary,
@gallerybooks, @sagasff, @simonandschuster). Plus, stay tuned to Get Lit for a
full report on our favorite parts of this year’s con.
Thursday, October 3
11:00
a.m. | Stephen Graham Jones book signing for The Only Good Indians (Javits Center, Booth #2128)
Anne’s Pick: As a self-proclaimed scaredy-cat, this is *by far* my most anticipated
horror book of 2020. You’re going to want to get your hands on this free signed
ARC!
LJ’s Pick: Stephen Graham Jones is the Jordan Peele of horror literature. Period.
12:15 p.m. | Picard 2020: A Literary
Perspective, PanelFeaturingDavid Mack and
Kirsten Beyer (Javits Center, Room 1A18)
Signing to follow: Javits Center, Hall 1A,
AA01
LJ’s Pick: The trailer for Star Trek: Picard debuted at San
Diego Comic-Con this year, and we can’t wait for the show to premiere in 2020.
Panelists are going to analyze Picard’s bookshelf, from Shakespeare plays to
Ulysses. Basically, what is on Picard’s Goodreads account and WHY?!
1:30 p.m. | What Scares the Scarer? Featuring Wesley Chu (Javits Center, Room 1A18)
2:00
p.m. | Felicia Day Book Signing for Embrace
Your Weird (Javits Center, Simon & Schuster
booth, #2128)
Note: This is a ticketed event, and tickets
will be handed out first come, first served starting at 9:00 a.m. at booth
2128.
Anne’s Pick:
I still have my signed copy of You’re Never Weird on the
Internet (Almost), so I’m an
OG Felicia Day stan. Her new book is all about overcoming creative demons and
embracing what’s weird (and great) about you!
Heather’s Pick:
You may know her as an actor (Buffy, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Supernatural…), a YouTuber (The Guild, Geek & Sundry…), an author (You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)), or all the above. But if you’re
attending NYCC, I know that you know that Felicia Day needs no introduction. So
let’s just all agree that her panel and book signing are going to be AMAZING.
2:45
p.m. | Putting It All Out There: SFF and Mental Health, Panel Featuring
Stephen Graham Jones (Javits Center, Room 1A18)
Signing to follow: Autographing Area, Hall 1A,
Table AA01
Anne’s Pick:
The panelists are going to explore how day-to-day realities of mental health,
like taking medication and going to therapy, appear in extraordinary SFF
worlds. Plus! Princess Weekes is one of my favorite SFF critics, so I’m looking
forward to seeing her on the panel.
5:15
p.m. | Evil Exclusive Screening and
Panel Discussion (Javits Center, Room 1A06)
Heather’s Pick: As a die-hard fan of The X-Files, I’m intrigued by this new
CBS show about a forensic psychologist (the skeptic) and priest in training
(the believer) who team up to investigate unexplained phenomena. The chance to watch
early footage from a yet-to-be-aired episode and to see the cast in person
sounds too good to pass up.
Friday, October 4
10:30
a.m. | Wesley Chu Book Signing for Typhoon (Javits Center, Booth #2128)
Anne’s Pick: The Walking Dead always has so many amazing experiences and
panels to see at cons, and Wesley Chu has done something entirely new with The
Walking Dead:Typhoon by setting it in
China, and bringing context of the culture and government along for the ride.
PLUS! This event comes with bookplates signed by show creator Robert Kirkman.
1:30
p.m. | From 1969 to the Future: Stories in Space, Panel Featuring
David Mack(Javits Center, Room
1A18)
Signing to follow: Javits Center, Hall 1A,
AA01
Anne’s Pick:
Would you judge me if I said that space opera is the most underrated genre of
all time? Well, judge away!
3:45
p.m. | HBO Watchmen Screening and
Panel (Javits Center, Main Stage 1D)
Anne’s Pick:
After the travesty that was Watchmen
(2009), I think the whole comics world is ready for a new film/TV adaptation of
the story. And this one ADAPTS! Damon Lindelof takes the bones of the original
1986 comic and applies it to modern characters. I don’t know if it will be any
good…but it’ll definitely be different, and I want to hear about it.
4:00 p.m. | David Mack Book Signing for Star
Trek (Javits Center, Booth #2128)
5:15
p.m. | Saga Presents: Indigenous Voices in SFF/H, Panel Featuring
Stephen Graham Jones, Rebecca Roanhorse, Daniel H. Wilson, Sonya Ballantyne,
Darcie Little Badger (Javits Center, Room 1A18)
Signing to follow: Javits Center, Hall 1A,
AA01
LJ’s Pick:
One of the best things about speculative fiction is that historically silenced
people can create a world that represents their heritage. This panel has some
of my absolute favorite authors on the Saga list talking about which indigenous
authors we should be reading next. Let’s. Talk. About. It.
5:30 p.m.
| Marvel’s Runaways Panel (Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden)
Saturday, October 5
10:30
a.m. | Matt Brady Book Signing for The
Science of Rick and Morty (Javits Center, Booth
#2128)
10:30
a.m. | Angel—The 20th Anniversary
Panel (Hammerstein Ballroom, 311 W. 34th St.)
Heather’s Pick:
I’m dating myself here, but how has it been TWENTY YEARS since Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off Angel took on a (undead) life of its own?
Seeing the cast reunite on stage would be pretty sweet.
10:30
a.m. | The Walking Dead Universe, Panel Featuring AMC’s Flagship Series and Untitled New Third Series Within Walking Dead Franchise (Hulu Theater at
Madison Square Garden)
10:45 p.m. | Amazon Prime Video Takeover,PanelFeaturingTom Clancy’s Jack Ryan (based
on the book series) and The Expanse (adapted from the book series by
James S. A. Corey (Javits Center, Main Stage 1D)
11:00
a.m. | Spotlight on Sarah J. Maas panel (Javits Center, Room 1A10)
1:00
p.m. | Star Trek Universe panel (Hulu Theater at Madison Square
Garden)
3:00
p.m. | Kirsten Beyer Book Signing for Star
Trek: Voyager (Javits Center, Booth #2128)
LJ’s Pick:
Kirsten Beyer is a genius. She is one of the producers on the new CBS Picard series, and that’s putting it
lightly—one of the show’s other producers called the show Beyer’s “brainchild.”
Will be fully geeking out at this signing!
3:30
p.m. | J.J. Abrams and Stephen King’s Castle
Rock Season 2 World Premiere Screening and Panel
(Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden)
4:45
p.m. | Daveed Diggs Poster Signing for The
Deep (Javits Center, Booth #2128)
Note: This is a ticketed event, and a limited number of tickets will be handed out each day of the con—from Thursday through Saturday—on a first come, first served basis starting at 9:00 a.m. at booth 2128.
Heather’s Pick:
Hamilton and Broadway superstar Daveed
Diggs? At Comic Con? To sign posters for the brilliant new novella based on a
song produced by his rap group Clipping? This one is a no-brainer!
5:30
p.m. | Outlander Panel (Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden)
Saimah’s Pick:
I’m obsessedwith Outlander and can’t wait to see the preview of
the new season. I’ve been bingeing the old episodes all summer long, and I’m
eager to find out what will happen to Claire and Jamie next. Will they be
forced to join the fight in the upcoming war? I’ll have to wait ’til Season 5
to find out, but I’m hoping that Jamie will sweep me off my feet at NYCC!
6:00
p.m. | SyFy and IDW Entertainment’s Wynonna
Earp Panel (Hammerstein Ballroom, 311 W. 34th St.)
Nicole’s Pick: Everyone around me is probably sick of me yelling about this show,
but I DON’T CARE!!! After a very long and unexpected filming hiatus (tl;dr—suits
and dollars), Wynonna Earp is BACK for Season 4. I cannot wait to hear from
Emily Andras (showrunner extraordinaire), Kat (Nicole Haught), Dominique
(Waverly Earp), and Melanie (Wynonna herself) on what we can expect in the next
season. How’s Waverly faring in the garden? What’s happening in Purgatory now
that much of the town is missing?? Knowing Emily, we probably won’t get any
legit answers, but I’ve seen these ladies on panels before, so I know it will
be a blast!
7:30
p.m. | AMC Presents a Special Advanced Screening of the Season 10 Premiere of The Walking Dead (Hulu Theater at
Madison Square Garden)
Sunday, October 6
10:30 a.m. | Warner Bros. Television Block, Panel FeaturingRiverdale, Manifest, Roswell, Harley Quinn, and Batwoman (Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden)
Saimah’s Pick:
I’ve always been a huge fan of superhero stories. I remember watching the
cartoon versions of Batman, Superman and other heroes after school when I was a kid. When I heard Warner
Bros. was bringing Batwoman into the mix of shows in their
superhero lineup on the CW, I was ecstatic. Batwoman first made an appearance
in the Arrowverse crossover last year and she kicked ass. AND it gets even
better…they are introducing Harley Quinn
this year too! The character was always one of my favorite villains in the Batman series. I’m so NOT a morning person,
but I’ll definitely be lining up early to try to get into this screening.
12:00
p.m. | Michael Kupperman Book Signing for
All the Answers (Booth #2128)
Anne’s Pick:
NPR called this one of the best books of 2018. So did Publishers Weekly. And the New York Public Library.
And Vulture. Basically, if you haven’t read it yet—it’s about time!!!
Kupperman’s graphic-novel chronicle of his dad’s repressed past as a star of
the Quiz Kid radio show is equal parts
fascinating and heartbreaking! Get a copy, get it signed, and immediately start
reading!
1:30
p.m. | Frank Miller and Thomas Wheeler’s Cursed
Panel (Javits Center, Room 1A10)
2:00
p.m. | Nancy Drew Screening and Panel
Discussion (Javits Center, Room 1A06)
Heather’s Pick:
I’ve been ever so curious about this new adaptation of the beloved book series
since it was first announced, and I’m crossing my fingers and toes I can make
it to this preview of the first episode.
2:45
p.m. | Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall: How Myths and Fairy Tales Are Reflected in
Modern SFF, Panel with Rebecca Roanhorse (Javits Center, Room 1A18)
Signing to follow (Javits Center, Hall 1A,
AA01)
3:30 p.m. | Charmed Exclusive
Screening and Panel Discussion (Javits Center, Room
1A06)
Heather’s Pick: I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at the pilot episode for the Charmed reboot at last year’s con, so here’s hoping I can make the show’s return engagement too. All signs indicate that we’ll be treated to a screening of the Season 2 premiere ahead of the show’s airing on October 11 and the chance to ask questions of the lovely cast! Doesn’t get better than that.
This post was originally published on GetLiterary.com.