Comic Strippin’ at The Comic Con

The San Diego Comic Con (aka: Comic Con International) returns for its 2023 engagement next week.

It began as a comic book festival and evolved into a Hollywood hullabaloo, though that seems to have subsided a bit this year. Anyway, there is a long-time relationship between comic books and comic strips.

So here is some comic strip related events happening next weekend.

Special guests include Heart of the City cartoonist Steenz; Without Reservations cartoonist Richard Caté; Amazing Spider-Man comic strip letterer Janice Chiang; Pogo, the Complete Syndicated Comic Strips editor Mark Evanier; Zippy creator and Ernie Bushmiller biographer Bill Griffith; The K Chronicles, (th)ink, The Knight LIfe cartoonist and Michael Jackson impersonator Dr. Keith Knight; Thorn comic strip and Bone comic book cartoonist Jeff Smith; WEBTOON superstar and Lore Olympus creator Rachel Smythe; dinosaur and Tarzan comic strip artist William Stout; comics historian and Pogo expert Maggie Thompson; comics historian and curator and Walker Factory team member Brian Walker;

Exclusives are a regular part of the Comic Con and this year there will be an early edition of Bill Griffith’s Ernie Bushmiller graphic biography – “Limited to 100 Signed and Numbered Copies.” Bill will also be signing copies of his Diane Noomin tribute The Buildings are Barking.

The schedule is too full to list here but the Comic Con has a list. Thursday schedule includes panels on WEBTOON and DC; Funny Books No More?; Humor in Comic Strips; Bob the Angry Flower spotlight; and special guest panels.

The National Cartoonists Society will be at booth 1307. As will Peanuts at booth 1635, with special merchandise. Nat Gertler with more Peanuts/SDCC news.

For so much more follow The San Diego Comic-Con Unofficial Blog and The Beat.

And: The 35th annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards ceremony will be held Friday night, July 21 in the Indigo Ballroom at the Hilton Bayfront, just a short walk south from the Convention Center.

Oh, I am reliably informed that any list that doesn’t mention Andrew or Shaenon is a waste of time. So…

Publishers Weekly: Pans vs. Fans–What’s the Point of Comics Criticism?

Out of Their Heads: Graphic Novelists Bring Their Stories to Life

The Best and Worst of Making Comics

For those not mentioned, and I’m sure there are plenty, forgive me and let us know in the comments.