For 55 years, the San Diego Comic Con had become the mecca of all things pop culture, attracting over 125,000 to pilgrimage to the San Diego Convention Center in downtown San Diego, California every July. Not bad for when it started out drawing around 300 people to the US Grant Hotel in 1970 as San Diego Golden State Comic Con. It was now the epicenter of geekdom, growing beyond its comic book and science fiction roots and branching out to all other forms of entertainment such as animation, film, television, video games, and more.

While 2024 was seen as an apparent return to form for Comic Con, there was a curious air of anxiety going into 2025. The political chaos and discourse that had turned the United States upside throughout the year worried many that would be visiting from other countries. And in the months leading up to the convention, some of the top entertainment studios announced they would not be having a major presence. Meaning there would be no presentations from some of the big draws like Marvel Studios, Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Lionsgate, and others.

All these, and perhaps some additional factors, led to the convention feeling slightly quieter compared to last year. Nevertheless, from July 23 through July 27, 2025, attendees were still treated to some amazing activities within and outside the confines of the convention center. Many well-known talents from across all entertainment mediums graced fans with their presence to promote upcoming projects, dazzling exclusive experiences were still offered, and a couple surprises that blew everyone away allowed for Comic Con to remain the premiere annual event.

Musical Anatomy of a Superhero and Other Heroes had become a rather unexpected Comic Con staple at the Indigo Ballroom in the Hilton San Diego Bayfront. It was a testament to the enduring fan interest in the music that enhanced and elevated programs showcasing super heroes in dramatic fashion. For eleven years, the panel had become a popular presentation that offered attendees some delightful behind-the-scenes stories of how the emotional melodies were developed as well as providing some brief personal insight the composers themselves.

Serving as moderator was Michael Giacchino (The Fantastic Four: First Steps) and the panelists comprised of his son Mick Giacchino (The Penguin), song composer Alex Seaver (Arcane), Brandon Roberts (Andor), and Simon Franglen (Avatar: Fire and Ash). Ian Chang (Thunderbols*) was to have been on the panel as well, but it appeared he bowed out at the last second. Prior to everyone coming out, a lovely sizzle reel played highlighting the music of the composers, including Chang, against scenes from two of the most recent programs each had worked on.

Michael would ask each musician some fun little questions exploring their interests, influences, and their respective journeys into composing. They would eventually screen a scene from a recent project that highlighted their music and the composers would explain some of the creative processes they utilized and approached. The most notable score heard was the first public playing of the theme for the Wind Traders, or the Tlalim, from Avatar: Fire and Ash. It was accompanied by beautiful concept art to the then-upcoming film Franglen got permission to show.

Other highlights include Michael talking about differentiating the score for The Fantastic Four to not be the same as The Incredibles. He would join Roberts in praising Andor creator Tony Gilroy, noting Gilroy having a musical background himself. A favorite was Franglen talking about programming, which included a fascinating factoid about the score to Titanic. It may not seem like it, but this panel was a joy to sit through as there was genuine interest from the packed room in the music that stirred emotions. A pleasure to be had for any one to attend.

With the premise of “a bunch of nerdy-ass voice actors sit around and play Dungeons & Dragons“, one would think it would be inevitable that Critical Role would adapt their exciting gaming sessions into animation. Thanks to one of the most successful crowdfunding campaigns, the dream was realized with the 2022 release of The Legend of Vox Machina on Prime Video. The series garnered widespread critical and commercial acclaim that Amazon would provide Critical Role the means to develop a second animated series, The Mighty Nein.

Online personality Krystina Arielle would serve as moderator, but ultimately didn’t say too much and let the Critical Role gang loose. Travis Willingham (Fjord), Marisha Ray (Beauregard), Taliesin Jaffe (Mollymauk), Ashley Johnson (Yasha), Sam Riegel (Nott), Liam O’Brien (Caleb), Laura Bailey (Jester), and Matthew Mercer (Dungeon Master) were just as excited to make their announcements as the fans who packed the Indigo Ballroom in the Hilton San Diego Bayfront were to hear it, resulting in an electrifying Comic Con panel.

Much of the attention was on revealing what they were willing to regarding The Mighty Nein. The announcement that each episode would be an hour-long got one of the biggest reactions from exhilarated fans. The two scenes screened were more than enough to satiate appetites, along with the exciting reveal of some of the guest stars voicing that included mainstay Robbie Daymond, Disney Princesses Auli’l Cravalho (Moana), Ming-Na Wen (Mulan) and Anika Noni Rose (The Princess and the Frog), and Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek: The Next Generation).

Fans were just as thrilled over the Vox Machina announcements. They ate up the scene screened from a fourth season episode to be written by May and O’Brien. Plus, all were overjoyed that a fifth season was confirmed, even if it was said to be the last of the series. The Critical Role gang were having an absolute ball in making their announcements and reveling in the elation fans were expressing as they spoke. Throughout the panel from start to finish, everyone celebrated all that was to come in the growing animated world of Critical Role.

In 2019, Vivienne Medrano released the pilot episodes of Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss. Having been funded primarily through Patreon, they revolutionized independent animation with their beautiful designs and charming characters that become pop culture phenomena. Medrano would continue Helluva Boss on her own while Hazbin Hotel would get picked up by Amazon, becoming one of the most watched programs in Prime Video history. With Amazon now picking up Helluva Boss, the Hellaverse would officially come together under one roof.

Comic Con policy was that panelists were to be mindful of things they said given there were likely underage attendees present. So setting this presentation at 12:30pm at the Indigo Ballroom in the Hilton San Diego Bayfront was curious. Moderator Morgana Ignis acknowledged this by joking she was allowed a certain number of F-bombs, which she burned through in short order, as she brought out the panel in Richard Horvitz (Moxxie), Brandon Rogers (Blitzo), Vivienne Medrano (Creator), Erika Henningsen (Charlie), and Amir Talai (Alistor).

It was a very ruckus party as the passionate fanbase filled the room to hear news about the Hellaverse. Medrano notated the plans for Helluva Boss heading to Prime Video, including details on the first original episode on the platform “Mission Zero”. For Hazbin Hotel, there was excitement over the announcement of new cast members in Fall Out Boy front man Patrick Stump, Broadway stars Kevin Del Aguila (Frozen) and Andrew Durand (Dead Outlaw), and animation favorite Liz Callaway (Anastasia). Henningsen was very ecstatic over Callaway’s inclusion.

The playfulness of the panel was infectious throughout. Horvitz, in his added role as SpindleHorse Toons voice director, randomly voiced other characters that everyone was sure there was a tape of an entire episode voiced by him. Ignis, in her role as SpindleHorse Toons brand manager, made delightful announcements regarding the soundtracks and even brought out a couple upcoming figures, leading to hilarious chaos when Talai accidentally broke one. This panel was an absolute joy for fans and signified Medrano’s work growing to greater heights.

It was ten years ago when Geek & Sundry began to broadcast Critical Role, the Dungeons & Dragons gaming sessions of a group of well-known animation voice actors. Since then, it sparked a renaissance in tabletop role-playing games while also becoming a worldwide event that expanded outside of their gaming campaigns with numerous live shows, spin-offs, novels, comic books, animated programs, and even their own game in Daggerheart. Critical Role had reached unprecedented heights at the summit of the pop culture mountain.

Since nearly the beginning, the majority of the Critical Role panel was essentially a near hour-long Q&A session with the audience. With this year being the 10th anniversary, things would be a little different in Ballroom 20 as Travis Willingham, Marisha Ray, Liam O’Brien, Sam Riegel, Ashley Johnson, Taliesin Jaffe, Laura Bailey, and Matthew Mercer, along with moderator Whitney Moore, had a lot of news and announcements to make in honor of the occasion. Though this heavily minimized the time for Q&A, the panel was still an enjoyable one for fans.

They started by giving their thoughts and feelings of the ten year journey, which included a heartwarming saying from Mercer that the San Diego Convention Center would quote in a Twitter post about how much Comic Con meant to them. They then quickly replayed the delightful clips and news on the animated programs from the earlier panel. They would also give some updates on upcoming live shows they would be having through the next year and a half, most notably a big one that would be taking place at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

An announcement that got everyone excited was that a video game based in Critical Role would be developed by AdHoc Studio. Willingham explained that they were blown away by the group of former Telltale Games alumni’s work and went with them as well as sponsoring their upcoming first game Dispatch. When they finally were able to squeeze in audience questions, it was a return to the joyful fun of interaction that have been a hallmark of the Critical Role panels. It remained one of the highlights of Comic Con for fans that showed little sign of ebbing.

When Marvel Rivals launched on December 6, 2024, it superseded expectations in being a massive multiplayer online (MMO) hero shooter video game utilizing the immense roster of beloved Marvel heroes. The game’s success could be attributed to the characters being wonderfully realized. Players found great enjoyment in listening to the various lines of dialogue being said, leading to interest in the voices behind them. As such, the cast of actors themselves would garner their own fans for having portrayed the globally recognized heroes in the game.

In Room 6BCF, the third largest room at the convention center itself after Hall H and Ballroom 20, a panel was put together to celebrate the heroic cast. Serving as moderators would be X-Reads Podcast hosts Chandler Poling and Chris Riley, presumably because of X-Men present in the game, but also as they’re well-known active players. They would first introduce to the panel Alpha Takahashi (Psylocke), Daniel Marin (Namor), Eliah Mountjoy (Winter Soldier), James Mathis III (Black Panther), Jordan Reynolds (Adam Warlock), and Xanthe Huynh (Dagger).

The cast would take a moment to tell of their differing audition processes as well as the growing interest in their work as a result of being in the game. The present roster would then expand, starting with pre-recorded greetings from Steven Fu (Iron Fist) and Judy Alice Lee (Luna Snow) before they were joined by Crystal Lee (Phoenix), Ian James Corlett (Mr. Fantastic), and Jon Bailey (Jeff The Land Shark) to great fanfare. And it seemed inevitable that they would speak their popular sayings from their Ultimate move cries to their favorite quotes.

Michael Scott (Knull), who was in the audience, would be brought up near the end and he got to tell a heartwarming tale of having been a long-time Comic Con attendee to now partaking in a major Marvel project. It turned out to be a very fun and enjoyable presentation that put a spotlight on the voice cast. Everyone had something interesting to say about their unique approach in bringing to life the idolized Marvel heroes and fans delighted in what they heard.

Premiring in Japan on April 7, 1995, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing was the sixth mainline series in the popular Gundam franchise. While it had a successful run, it was seen as modest compared to some of the previous titles. But then it aired in the United States on March 6, 2000. Within a week, it was arguably the most watched program on Cartoon Network and would become a huge international sensation, helping popularize Gundam outside of Japan. So it would be at Comic Con where Gundam Wing would have a big 30th anniversary celebration.

Serving as moderator would be television personality Jacki Jing, cosplaying in the St. Gabriel Academy school uniform from the series. The panel was noted as being one of the rare instances as many members of the main English cast were together with Mark Hildreth (Heero), Scott McNeil (Duo), and Brad Swaile (Quatre) present. Swaile went extra cosplaying a “hip-hop” variant of Quatre. The fans who packed Room 6BCF to capacity understood what a golden moment this was and showered the trio with love, allowing for them to have a great time throughout.

The panel was a nice back and forth between announcements and some fun repertoire with the cast. Whether it was telling stories, doing sample voices, or having a Gunpla building race, they were clearly having a blast. Some of the announcements were made by Gundam franchise executive producer Naohiro Ogata, who joined in later. There were also pre-recorded clips from Japanese voice actors Hikaru Midorikawa (Heero, Gundam Wing), Kensho Ono (Hathaway, Gundam Hathaway), and Kengo Kawanishi (Mikazuki, Iron-Blooded Orphans).

The big thing to come out was the screening of a Gundam Wing 30th anniversary video with new animation. Fans really liked what they saw and then lost their minds at what appeared to be scenes teasing that the sequel novel Frozen Teardrop could be adapted. This was a wonderful panel to attend, particularly for those who had been Gundam Wing fans since its first United States airing. The cast were enjoying the festivities as much as the fans were and many of the announcements were exciting. Perhaps one of the finest panels at Comic Con this year.

Upon release on December 6, 2024, the massive multiplayer online (MMO) hero shooter video game Marvel Rivals would take the world by storm. An absolutely fun game that, as of writing, averaged 80,000 to 100,000 active players on a daily basis as fans couldn’t get enough living out their dreams of playing the adored Marvel super heroes in player versus player team combat. Many appreciated the thought developer NetEase Games had seemingly put into the creation and use of each character, from design to gameplay mechanics, to make them a pleasure to play.

Having previously hosted a panel spotlighting the voice cast of Marvel Rivals, Room 6BCF would provide a special look at how NetEase Games would go about developing a Marvel hero for the game. Marvel Games executive producer Danny Koo acted as moderator and was joined by Marvel Games senior art director Dan LaDuca and creative development manager Dakota Maysonet along with NetEase Games principal environment artist Weitai Luo, principal 3D character artist Zhen Li, lead character concept artist Peilin Zhong, and art director Dino Ma.

The development team took attendees on a fascinating tour through the creative process. They would use the then-recently released season three additions of Phoenix and Blade, going over as many aspects they could in the amount of time they had. Be it to how the design of the characters was an essential part of the storytelling to choosing the gameplay mechanics that worked best based on the established lore, attendees absorbed every detail with appreciation knowing that the developers put a lot of care into how to make a character work in the game.

There was some time near the end for some announcements. This included a look at new skins like The Fantastic Four: First Steps tie-in, some insight in the newly introduced Hero Accessories, the upcoming artbook, and even screened the music video for the summer remix of the game’s “Fate of Both Worlds” song. From start to finish, it certainly felt like fans were given a delightful taste of how Marvel Rivals had and would continue to develop its exciting roster of heroes. They were appreciative of the thought and care put into making the game fun.

For better or worse, the live-action remakes of Disney animated classics were managing to find some success for the studio to continue churning them out on an annual basis. In the case of the beloved 2002 hit Lilo & Stitch, the live-action film would become a critical and commercial success. And it would go on to be the first North American film in 2025 to gross $1 billion worldwide at the box office, cementing its place as a globally cherished film in its own right. So what better place to celebrate this milestone than at Comic Con?

Room 6BCF was filled with excited fans of all ages as moderator Denny Directo of Entertainment Tonight introduced original creator and voice of Stitch in Chris Sanders alongside live-action cast members Maia Kealoha (Lilo), Sydney Elizebeth Agudong (Nani), and Tia Carrere (original Nani, Mrs. Kekoa). There was an infectious excitement in the atmosphere from start to finish. A lot of the energy was attributed to Kealoha being absolutely adorable throughout and having the time of her life having played Lilo and getting to talk about it to an adoring audience.

The love and affection for Lilo & Stitch was on full display from the panelists. Sanders got to tell some nice anecdotes about the creation of the original animated feature. Carrere brought up the differing experiences in working on both the original and the live-action remake. Agudong talked of having grown up on the original and seeking advice from Carrere in developing her interpretation of Nani. And Kealoha would tell wonderful behind-the-scenes stories, sometimes trying to sound like an experienced actor despite being eight years old.

Clips from “Making of” features would play and during those Kealoha would sit on Agudong’s lap, which was a cute visual and displayed the bond they developed since filming. The audience got time to ask questions, with a few older fans trying to get Sanders to reveal anything after it was announced he was writing the sequel. There were some sweet ones from younger fans for the cast, so it was a delightful exchange. The Lilo & Stitch panel was a fun time to be had and further bolstered the endearing appeal to the title be it in animation or live-action.

For 55 years, Comic Con became the place for fans to see their idols. From comic book greats like Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, and Alan Moore to animation legends like Bob Clampett, Chuck Jones, Grim Natwick, Hayao Miyazaki, and Ralph Bakshi to Hollywood titans like Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, James Cameron, Frank Capra, and Robert Downey Jr. It was the ideal platform for a major name to build fan support for a project. So it was that George Lucas would make his debut at Comic Con to promote the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.

An occasion this huge, there was only one room this could be held in: the famed Hall H. It would be in here that a capacity crowd of 6,500 would get their first look at the esteemed filmmaker’s efforts to “inspire and connect people through the exploration of visual stories and their influences in society”. Joining Lucas in the momentous occasion would be filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, who was on the museum’s board, Lucasfilm executive creative director Doug Chiang, whose artwork would be featured, and Queen Latifah, serving as moderator.

After showing off a dazzling teaser reel of the museum, some of the art it would exhibit, and comments from key personnel, fans were able to hear from the man himself and the other panelists to talk more about the museum. Everyone listened with great attentiveness as Lucas would build up the context to what he was saying before hitting with a statement that would resonate with the audience. A great example was when Latifah asked him to explain the narrative depth behind one of his treasured pieces, “Freedom from Want” by Norman Rockwell.

del Toro explained the historic and cultural importance of such a museum. Chiang talked how working under Lucas helped him understand storytelling through an illustration. Even Latifah chimed in with a comment about having an emotional connection with art. Fans were really sad when it was over because they legitimately wanted it to keep going for another several hours. The panel wasn’t a ruckus party that had folks losing their minds. It was a beautiful presentation on what the museum was about and the value of art as a storytelling medium.

During the Disney Renaissance, Andreas Deja emerged as one of the top animators alongside Glen Keane, Mark Henn, James Baxter, and Ken Duncan. Deja would be recognized for his mastery in animating villains through three consecutive films: Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, Jafar in Aladdin, and Scar in The Lion King. During his 30 year career at Disney, he also developed himself into a historian as he looked back on the studio’s legendary work for inspiration. As such, he became a bit of an expert on the craft of animating the famed Disney Villains.

Room 6BCF was filled with an audience of all ages eager to hear from the master animator about Disney animation. And he was more than willing to oblige them, so much so that it came off less a panel and more of a masterclass. On a couple occasions, moderator Gary Miereanu would jump in to allow for the other panelists in director Chris Sanders (Lilo & Stitch), voice actor Jim Cummings (The Lion King), and animator John Ramierz (Aladdin) to say something. Nevertheless, everyone was greatly fascinated and enjoyed what was being said.

Deja would focus on classic villains and their animators in the first half of the presentation and then talked about his iconic trio in the latter half. For the classic villains, Deja dug deep in explaining the differing techniques used to bring to life the likes of Captain Hook, Maleficent, Cruella de Vil, Shere Khan, and Madame Medusa while offering personal anecdotes of his meeting and learning from the legendary Nine Old Men in Eric Larson and Marc Davis. He even had some regarding actress Elanor Audley, the voice of Maleficent and Lady Tremaine.

When they did have something to say, Sanders, Cummings, and Ramierz would provide some context. They included meeting their own idols, voice recording anecdotes, and even the change in atmosphere from working on one film to the next. One surprise came when a video message from Jonathan Freeman, the voice of Jafar, was screened as Deja talked about animating the character. It was a wonderful occasion for animation and Disney fans as the presentation provided some delightful insight into the development of such beloved evil characters.

Admittedly, there wasn’t a lot of time to check out as many panels as I would have liked due to how things were scheduled. Still, my practice in sitting through presentations ahead of ones I was looking to attend in the same room served me well. Before Lilo & Stitch in Room 6BCF was Brawl Stars: Welcome to Starr Park. The massive multiplayer online (MMO) battle arena game had been gaining traction since launching in 2018 and the panel offered a fascinating look at the creative process in developing new characters and the game’s lore.

I did have great enjoyment sitting in on 30 Years of Xena: Warrior Princess: Fan Appreciation Panel ahead of Andreas Deja in Room 6BCF. I technically only made it to the latter half when they got into audience Q&A as I was coming straight from the Lucas Museum presentation. Yet I felt like I got to hear a lot of fun behind-the-scenes stories and factoids on the cult classic television series I was familiar with. Again, there could have been a couple more panels I would have attended if not for a few schedule conflicts.

Chief among my scheduling conflicts was not having a badge for Saturday. Yet I was completely fine with that as it allowed me the opportunity to check out some offsite events. These attractions, taking over facilities throughout downtown San Diego the whole weekend, would provide a piece of the Comic Con experience without needing a badge and would themselves be quite enjoyable. It’s because that they’re open to the general public though that the lines could get massive, resulting in wait times being over an hour depending upon the program’s popularity.

To help ease this, a few events set up ticketing systems in advance so folks would get in at a specific time. This was the case for the Magic: The Gathering | Marvel’s Spider-Man attraction at the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego. The event gave fans a first-hand preview of the then-upcoming decks of the popular tabletop trading card game themed off of Marvel’s flagship character. This included numerous photo op stations against some fun backdrops and an area where one could learn how to play Magic: The Gathering. It was all very entertaining.

Cosplay and conventions went hand in hand like peanut butter and jelly. It would be unimaginable to have one without the other. Cosplay had become a nearly integral tradition to any given convention as more than half of attendees would show up dressed as their favorite characters. A key element to the spectacle would be the costumes themselves, showcasing the immensely impressive craftsmanship as a means of expressing fandom. As such, it was worth it for any fan to step back and admire one’s cosplay as it would to see a beloved idol in person.

As mentioned, I’m not one to dress up myself as I carry things and therefore cosplaying would make moving about too cumbersome for me. I nonetheless enjoy seeing folks dress up and really do appreciate those who did the entire weekend. In particular, I’d like to give props to the fellow dressed up in a giant size Eevee costume while walking the streets of downtown San Diego. They were constantly being stopped by folks wanting to get their picture taken with them and it took them at least four hours just to cross the street. They got my respect.

Speaking of giant costumes, perhaps the most impressive was the guy having as close to a life size Galactus costume as could be possible. He was constantly surrounded by fans when I saw them in the convention center lobby it was magnificent. Folks were even told to keep moving so they wouldn’t block the doorways they were standing around looking at the costume all mesmerized. At one point, he went to go into the Exhibit Hall and everyone watched with wonder if he’d be able to get in, resulting in enthusiastic cheers when he pulled it off.

Other memorable cosplay include a couple of doggy cosplayers I caught outside. A really good one was dressed as Underdog and there was a cute pair as the Transformers “Optimus Prime Rib” and “Bumble Bark”. There was a fantastic John Silver from Treasure Planet in the Exhibit Hall and outside was a lovely pair as Jane and Professor Porter from Tarzan. I managed to catch a large contingent of Arcane cosplayers as they had a wonderful encounter with a motorcycle-riding, Mjolnir-wielding Captain America. Even got to meet an enchanter who was called… Tim?

Next door to the convention center was the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina. The hotel would host a number of Comic Con events, including official panels and offsite events. The fountain garden in front of the hotel made for a good spot to hold cosplay group photoshoots with professional photographers. I was passing by when I happened to remember they were going to have a Hazbin Hotel Group Photoshoot moments before it began. I stuck around to take some photos of my own and couldn’t help but notice the presence of a familiar face.

Just as the photoshoot was starting, Morgana Ignis grabbed the megaphone to announce that she, in her role as SpindleHorse Toons brand manager, was inviting cosplayers to stick around to participate in filming ad spots for the Helluva Boss season one soundtrack vinyl. It turned out to be quite the event with photoshoots in groups taking place on one side while Ignis was filming cosplayers for the ad spot. When all was done, she got everyone together for one last full group photograph and recording with everyone feeling ecstatic to have participated.

On top of autograph hunting, I decided to get some Commissions, in which I would pay artists in advance to draw illustrations for me. While they could come with a hefty price tag depending on the artist and the drawing, there was assurance I would get what I requested and it would be a bit more high-end than the sketches I’ve generally gotten. This year, I commissioned pieces from Fan Yang, an online artist who recently did variant covers of Marvel comic books such as Uncanny X-Men, and Dan Veesenmeyer, a former story artist on X-Men: The Animated Series.

From Yang, I was going to commission an illustration of Mary Jane Watson (Spider-Man) when I stumbled upon her Final Fantasy VII art. I was enamored enough to have her also illustrate Aerith Gainsborough in the iconic red gown. When I picked up the illustrations at her booth near the Exhibitor Tables, Yang expressed joy that someone commissioned an Aerith piece as, like myself, she was her favorite character. Both pieces came out so beautifully that I bought one of her artbooks and a lithograph of her most recent Final Fantasy art out of appreciation.

From Veesenmeyer, I wanted him to draw Jubilee, but I also wanted it to be unique. So I asked him to draw her in the X-Men ’97 style dancing in the sweater dress she wore in the X-Terminators mini-series comic. He asked for some reference images from the comic and kept me updated on his progress. The finished piece was absolutely astonishing and I couldn’t wait to pick it up from his table in Artist Alley. Veesenmeyer mentioned he had fun illustrating the piece and was just as happy with how it came out as I was. One of my favorite moments to date.

For Autographs, there were some familiar faces I wanted to see again as well as meeting some other names I admired. Unknown Comics announced late they would have a booth on the Exhibit Floor and they were bringing back some of the cast of X-Men ’97, including a couple who were not present last year. While slightly smaller in scale than previously, it nevertheless drew plenty of fans. I would make a couple stops at the booth, getting new autographs from Cal Dodd (Wolverine) and Holly Chau (Jubilee) as well as being able to meet Ray Chase (Cyclops).

X-Men Vol. 4 No. 4 was a book I adored a great deal for its showcasing of the surrogate father-daughter relationship between Wolverine and Jubilee. So much so that I wanted to get it signed by Dodd and Chau. While I managed to accomplish this, what I wasn’t prepared for was Dodd taking great interest in the book, particularly a heartwarming page that really touched him. After signing the book, he told me a story that revealed how he had a similar bond with Alyson Court, the original voice of Jubilee. Hearing that absolutely made my day.

It would be later in the convention when I met Chase. In addition to Cyclops, he was also the voice of Noctis from Final Fantasy XV. We had a great conversation about Final Fantasy XV and Cyclops that made him a blast to hang out with. Unknown Comics had a second booth on the Exhibit Floor that featured artists who drew exclusive variant comic book covers. I got to meet Tyler Kirkham, who drew some very lovely Ultimate Spider-Man covers that highlight the marriage of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson. He was pretty chill and nice guy to meet.

The big group signing for this year would involve the cast of Marvel Rivals. A number of signings with them were scheduled throughout the weekend in the Autograph Areas in the Sails Pavilion. The primary cast members signing would be Dan Marin (Namor), Jordan Reynolds (Adam Warlock), James Mathis III (Black Panther), Alpha Takahashi (Psylocke), Eliah Mountjoy (Winter Soldier), and Ian James Corlett (Mr. Fantastic). Xanthe Huynh (Dagger) would take part in only the first day signing ahead of the panel, so I made sure to attend that session for her.

When the signing began, we noticed things were moving at a curious pace. Soon enough, we learned that the majority of fans were primarily looking to meet Takahashi, resulting in a separate line for her that was getting backed up. Mountjoy and Huynh would also get lines, but not as large. Despite this, things actually wasn’t as chaotic as it would seem. Everyone was a pleasure to meet and looked to be enjoying themselves with all of the attention they were getting. And Takahashi was worth the longer wait to meet as she was an absolute delight.

A signing that concerned me a little was for Amir Talai (Hazbin Hotel). This was because he would only have one signing, taking place all morning on Day Two in the Autograph Area under the Sails Pavilion. The concern being how soon folks would start lining up. Fortunately, I made it there at a reasonable time that not too many fans had arrived yet to wait. Talai had a headset microphone at the ready for those who paid extra for him to do a voicemail message as Alistor. It was tempting, but I went with a simple autograph and selfie. A nice man to meet.

I had time to see if I could meet Abby Trott, the English voice of Nezuko in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, at the 7 Bucks A Pop booth on the Exhibit Floor. When I got to her, I suddenly remembered she also voiced Magik in Marvel Rivals. She mentioned she couldn’t get out of the signings in time to join the cast panel. As tempted as I was to get her to sign a Magik sheet, I was a greater Demon Slayer fan and picked her one Nezuko sheet. We ended up gushing over the anime and how excited we were for the Infinity Castle films. A pure joy to meet.

An offsite pop up in downtown San Diego was promoting Ignition Press, a new independent publisher looking to debut with a splash offering unique, mature titles from established creators. One title that caught my eye was Voyeur as it would be made by Leah Williams and David Baldeón. Williams I wanted to meet for having written The Amazing Mary Jane and X-Terminators, but Baldeón’s art was equally worth admiring. They were very excited about Voyeur as they felt it represented their best efforts and I believed them from what I read in the preview book.

The last autograph I got was from comic book legend JM DeMatteis. DeMatteis wrote just about every character in both Marvel and DC over his lengthy career, though he was most synonymous with Spider-Man. He always had a steady line of fans at his table at the Autograph Area in the Sails Pavilion, which showed how much he was respected and admired. When I got to meet him, he said that he enjoyed continuing to write Spider-Man as it was the most fun. He appreciated my liking his exploration of the theme of family and just a gracious man to be around.

Beyond the autographs, there was hardly much I bought this year. But then I didn’t need to as this was a big year in scoring so many great Freebies. For the most part, all one had to do was attend a particular panel or event and chances were they’ll score a neat freebie. During some panels, they handed out to each attendee a ticket to be brought to the Redemption Room at the back of the Manchester Grand Hyatt to collect their freebie. A lot of times, the freebie will be a poster or lithograph. Other times, fans would end up possessing some really sweet swag.

This year, the Gundam Wing 30th Anniversary presentation went hard as everyone walked off with an amazing grab bag. The bag, which itself was a shopper bag themed to Gundam Wing, consisted of a T-shirt celebrating the anniversary, a lithograph of the new official artwork, the first issue of the comic book adaptation, a sample Gunpla model kit, samples of the trading game cards, music cards, and a Gundam introduction booklet! Seriously, this bag alone was one of the best things I walked out of Comic Con with. And that wasn’t the only high-end freebie!

Just for attending the Magic: The Gathering | Marvel’s Spider-Man, I received a pre-release Welcome Deck right before I walked through the door. In fact, one could get more decks by doing some of the activities. I received two more decks just by picking up a playmat designed as The Daily Bulge newspaper. They also handed out a ticket at the door, which when taken to another station would be redeemed for a variant of The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 7 No. 1 comic book themed as one of the cards. Certainly made attending the event even more spectacular.

Attending the Marvel Rivals panels netted fans some freebies, to a degree. At the developers panel, folks were given a poster based off the summer event at the door. Fans were to receive a copy of the mini-artbook after the cast panel, but apparently the paperwork was not filled out correctly. So they encouraged fans to attend the cast autograph session after the developers panel to receive the mini-artbook for free. It meant having to wait in line for a while and a few folks took off as soon as they got the artbook, but it was a freebie still worth getting.

I ended up receiving some tickets to be taken to the Redemption Room, which I made a couple trips to. The ticket I got for attending the Hellaverse panel netted me a nice Helluva Boss lithograph of all the characters to date and a curious trading game card designed as the dossier of a target for the I.M.P. For attending the Lilo & Stitch panel, I had my choice of one of three posters themed around Stitch crashing Comic Con. I went with the one that was a variant of an official movie poster that had the addition of Stitch wearing a Comic Con badge.

There was even a ticket given for attending the Lucas Museum presentation. With this, I received a rather large double sided poster for the museum with a view of the facility on one side and a list of featured works on the other side. Picking up the Lucas Museum was on the second trip to the Redemption Room. On the first trip, they had some bonus freebies there were giving away. Those being a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 T-shirt and a Comic Con pin that would have been for 2020. All in all, I obtained a lot of great stuff this year. And they were free!

It looked like anime was the big showcase for Comic Con this year. The celebration of the Gundam Wing 30th Anniversary was plastered all over the place in the convention center lobby with numerous banners and wall decorations. On the Exhibit Floor, one of the many booths for Bandai Namco Filmworks was dedicated to Gundam Wing in displaying figures, Gunpla models, and even a few animation sheets. Though they were super strict about not allowing anyone to photograph the sheets with a security guard stationed to make sure of this.

Outside the convention center, it was about Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, specifically the Infinity Castle trilogy of films set to be released at the time. The advertising for Demon Slayer was massive, from having trolleys dressed up with series imagery to being chosen for the huge display over the Omni San Diego Hotel across the street from the convention center. It was near impossible not to notice with an advertisement that gigantic in downtown San Diego, cementing what a big deal Demon Slayer had become on this side of the Pacific.

Crunchyroll once again took over the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park behind the convention center. This year, they run a two-day music festival of acts associated with anime and was open to the public. I thought about checking out the evening acts, but was too tired. Still, I was in the next-day line for the Lucas Museum presentation, which was close enough to the Rady Shell that we were able to clearly hear the full set for ALI (Alien Liberty International), a funk hip hop group who had done themes for Jujutsu Kaisen and Beastars. They turned out to be a fun listen.

One of the booths on the Exhibit Floor I always visited was Chris Sanders’ booth. The Lilo & Stitch creator had been at Comic Con every year for quite some time, offering fans some delightful merchandise and illustrations. Surprisingly, it seemed he had nothing really new to offer this year. He did have more copies of his book From Pitch to Stitch that he introduced last year. I did notice that his daughter Nicole was present this time around, manning the booth whenever he was away either on break or in a panel. I rather thought it was a nice sight.

I went over to the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego well ahead of my scheduled time for the Magic: The Gathering | Marvel’s Spider-Man attraction and noticed how crowded the area was. It took a while to realize not all were in line for the attraction. IGN had set up an interview spot on one of the balconies and folks got wind that John Cena and James Gunn were going to show. It wasn’t long before they did and the area became an endless sea of humanity. All for a quick couple minutes to promote the second season of Peacemaker. It was actually fun!

A couple times I caught sight of someone dressed as Deadpool driving around the streets in a custom themed open-top car. I wasn’t able to figure out if this was some elaborate cosplay like the motorcycle-riding, Mjolnir-wielding Captain America or an official character portrayal for publicity. I started thinking it might be the latter the second time I saw him as he had a passenger in the car in actor Malcolm Barrett from the television adaptations of Preacher and The Boys. They looked like they were having a blast and it was amusing to watch.

Every year, the section of Harbor Drive passing before the San Diego Convention Center would be closed during the day throughout Comic Con to keep safe attendees.

We’re sure FemBlitzo and Nun Alistor would save our souls. Surely. (Hellaverse)

A greater, familiar vest-wearing being watching over Vex’ahlia, Percy, and Jester. (Critical Role)

The Matron of Ravens and her champion Vax’ildan gracing San Diego with their presence. (Critical Role)

“Reading the script and seeing all this concept art made me think about movies like The Right Stuff, which I absoutely loved and Bill Conti did an incredible score on that. But it’s also, like, if you could take that feeling and mashed it up with the Disneyland electric light parade… I was, like, that would make me the happiest person on Earth.” (Michael Giacchino, The Fantastic Four: First Steps)

“The Legend of Vox Machina, amazing show, it’s like an action-comedy. This show, I think, is more we treated it like a one-hour drama, like a live-action series. And so the writing is really sophisticated and the character development is really deep. And I think it really reflected in the scripts and that’s why all these [guest stars] want to work on our show.” (Sam Riegel, The Mighty Nein)

“I AM a people person!” (Loona, Helluva Boss)

“Liz Callaway is the voice of many an animated princess that you are probably familiar with. And she was kinda, like, the reason I wanted to sing as a kid. So I did not… This is news to me! I did not know she was in our show!” (Erika Henningsen, Hazbin Hotel)

“You don’t know how hard it is being a woman looking the way I do.” (Jessica Rabbit, Who Framed Roger Rabbit)

During the multiple Marvel Rivals cast signings, fans wanted to meet Alpha Takahashi (Psylocke) in particular that a second line would be put together to ease inevitable bottlenecking.

“This game is incredible. This cast is incredible. And the amount of love that everyone has put in on both the side to make this game and to keep it going and play it, and bring it into this huge echelon of community has been just a marvel (ba dum tss) to see.” (Crystal Lee, Marvel Rivals)

“It’s because of Gundam Wing specifically that I got invited to my first convention, you know, twenty some odd years ago. And that really introduced me to a culture that I didn’t know existed. And being a huge Halloween nerd, and an art guy and a music guy and a builder and a tinkerer and creator of things… I found my people. And I have not let you guys go since.” (Brad Swaile, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing)

“We’re all friends, like, we’ve been buddies, you know, for like twenty-five years now. Going all the way back to Gundam and so many other shows that we did together. So to get together with my friends, and then to be around, like, all of you guys together, it’s just the coolest. It’s awesome!” (Mark Hildreth, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing)

“There’s people here that, I mean, there’s people here now that may not have been born when we did this show. So it’s that crossing generations and generations and people here, and you go, it’s still feeding that same, it’s feeding on… it’s all part of that same micro-plastic reality that is the Gundam experience. And it is mindboggling! It really is!” (Scott McNeil, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing)

“Yessir, I’m Cuban Pete. I’m the craze of my native street. When I start to dance, everything goes chick-chicky-boom, chick-chicky boom.” (The Mask)

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba was all over downtown San Diego, including wrapping many trolleys in advertising the Infinity Castle trilogy of films.

The Bad Guys crashing through the historic Gaslamp Quarter sign in downtown San Diego.

“So you’re a slave of Umbrella now, along with these virus monsters.” (Jill Valentine, Resident Evil)

As would be expected, the line for Amir Talai (Hazbin Hotel)’s autograph session filled up very quickly with eager fans.

Developers of Marvel Rivals took fans through the creative process in developing new characters such as Blade.

“My ōdachi’s sharp. My mind is sharper.” (Psylocke, Marvel Rivals)

“My diet is ruined! I hope you’re happy.” (Fairy Godmother, Shrek 2)

The original ink sheets of the Ultimate Spider-Man variant covers by Tyler Kirkham were hot sellers despite costing a pretty penny that only one remained by Day Two.

“If it’s my keen invention you’d like to destroy, I’ll withstand your best shot. I’ve got the right toy.” (Alice Liddell, American McGee’s Alice)

The convention center lobby was plastered with banners and images celebrating the 30th anniversary of Mobile Suit Gundam Wing all throughout.

Fan Yang had received increase interest in her booth and her work after having recently done variant covers to Marvel comic books.

Doctor Octopus not liking that he had to deal with more than one Spider-Man. (Spider-Man)

On the next Hell’s Kitchen, each team will have their own Remy (Ratatouille) to guide them. Who will impress Gordon Ramsey the best?

“Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” (Dorothy Gale, The Wizard of Oz)

“There are some who call me… Tim?” (Tim The Enchanter, Monty Python and the Holy Grail)

“We’ve always tried to think of all the characters as Starr Park employees. So all the lore, like the reasons why they fight, how we justified their skills, how they look like, the base story, the relationships. Everything’s thinking about, ‘Okay, this guy works at Starr Park.’ so it has to be, like, real for this universe and then we can move them on to make sense with the game.” (Fernanda Oliveira, Brawl Stars)

“This guy said, ‘Oh, I heard there’s a live-action [Lilo & Stitch].’ And, you know, some sort of backhanded, you know, loyalty to the original, he’s like, ‘I didn’t wanna go see it because it was live-action. And then I heard you were in it, so I wanted to go. And I wanted to bring my kids!” And so, you know, this multi-generational, like, legacy of, like, let’s share the aloha spirit. Let’s share with our kids or our grandkids that feeling we had when we first saw that beautiful water-colored piece of art.” (Tia Carrere, Lilo & Stitch)

Sydney Elizabeth Agudong (Nani) letting Maia Kealoha (Lilo) sit on her lap every time a video clip played during the Lilo & Stitch panel was nothing short of adorable.

“Aw, Phil, Schmil. Just follow me, out the window, round the dumbells, you lift up the back wall and we’re gone.” (Meg, Hercules)

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba received the biggest display upon the side of the Omni San Diego Hotel for all of downtown San Diego to see.

“You got tha makin’s of greatness in ya!” (John Silver, Treasure Planet)

Daphne and Velma having a girl’s day out at Comic Con. (Scooby-Doo)

David Baldeón and Leah Williams introducing fans to preview copies of their mature comic series Voyeur at the downtown San Diego pop up installation for the publisher Ignition Press.

Even “Nature Boy” Ric Flair enjoyed the jammin’ tunes from Bowser (Super Mario Bros) in downtown San Diego.

Morgana Ignis directing a fan cosplaying as Loona for an ad spot for the Helluva Boss season one soundtrack vinyl in front of the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina.

It’s double the trouble whenever Lucifer and Adam throw down in front of the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina. (Hazbin Hotel)

PaRappa The Rapper and UmJammer Lammy jammin’ on the streets of downtown San Diego.

One of the photo op displays at the Magic: The Gathering | Marvel’s Spider-Man at the Hard Rock Hotel San Deigo would see fans be photographed inside one of the Spider-Man cards.

Keyleth at the Magic: The Gathering | Marvel’s Spider-Man at the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego could be another step closer to realizing the desired Critical Role x Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows crossover. (End Dan’s commentary)

The Divine Doughworks stand at the Magic: The Gathering | Marvel’s Spider-Man attraction at the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego would be where folks would redeem tickets handed out at the door for a variant of The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 7 No. 1 comic book. The bagels inside were real, but…

One of the photo op displays at the Magic: The Gathering | Marvel’s Spider-Man at the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego would see fans experience being in the offices at The Daily Bugle.

The props for The Daily Bugle photo op display at the Magic: The Gathering | Marvel’s Spider-Man at the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego featured fun little Easter eggs for those who looked closely.

“There’s no need to fear! Underdog is here!” (Underdog)

This was some Street Fighter X Darkstalkers mash-up featuring Ken, Morrigan, Felicia, and Ryu. Not sure what the mash-up was about, but no one complained since the more Street Fighter x Darkstalkers mash-ups the merrier. (End Dan’s commentary)

“Welcome to the Playground.” (Arcane)

Actor Malcolm Barrett (The Boys) riding shotgun as Deadpool cruised through the streets of downtown San Diego around the convention center for the hell of it.

Finally met Yoda and Grogu have. (Star Wars)

Superman and Lois Lane being interview by a reporter apparently representing IMAX.

The Porters enjoying a lovely day in the jungles of downtown San Diego. (Tarzan)

Great Scott! It would appear Doc and Marty arrived ten years further into the future than expected. (Back to the Future)

Fans would line up for hours in the next-day line on the marina to receive the wristband for first seating for the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art presentation.

Attendees were in good hands with this type of security. (Supergirl)

That’s no moon. That’s a giant lightsaber! (Star Wars)

“I think [art] is more about a connection, an emotional connection with the work. Not how much it costs or what celebrity did it, or whatever. It’s more a personal thing. And I don’t think it’s anything that anybody else can tell you. ‘That’s art, that’s not art.’ It doesn’t work that way. If you have an emotional connection, then it’s art. If you don’t, then just move on to the next painting.” (George Lucas, Lucas Museum of Narrative Art)

“I slowly started to evolve [as an artist] because I started to take lessons from George [Lucas], where I learned, ‘You know, those designs need history. They need context and they need to fit within the scenes.’ So I started to present designs within the context of the scenes. I started to invent the scenes to try and see and validate the designs. And it’s one of those things that I learned from George where cinematic narrative design is very specific. It’s story driven.” (Doug Chiang, Lucas Museum of Narrative Art)

“I think the way [Chiang] was talking about art and narrative is the difference between eye candy and eye protein. Eye candy is an ornament, eye protein is nutrition. It’s a story, and that’s the difference. And the difference is personality, knowledge, and emotion. Those are the three things that need to exist and, I’m sorry, they don’t come in a [F-bomb] app.” (Guillermo del Toro, Lucas Museum of Narrative Art)

“I remember growing up and watching Wonder Woman and The Bionic Woman and just, you know, I’ve wanted to see strong females on television. And I remember when Xena came about, there wasn’t anything to really use as a model for fantasy and strong female duo, you know. And so, we just kinda went forward. It was a trail-blazing opportunity.” (Renee O’Connor, Xena: Warrior Princess)

“It’s been a great ride. It’s a ride I can’t get off any more either. I’ve now been time-traveling with this deliciously disgraceful, despicable character called Jafar. And because of Andreas and everybody at Disney that worked on the film, people wanna keep talking about him and hearing about him. Isn’t that great? I feel very lucky. I felt extremely lucky to be in the capable hands of my principle animator, Andreas Deja.” (Jonathan Freeman, Aladdin)

The Mystery Incorporated gang enjoying a fine day out on the marina docks not solving any mysteries. For now… (Scooby-Doo)

“Autobots! Roll out!” (Transformers)

Cards featured in the pre-release Welcome Decks fans received for attending the Magic: The Gathering | Marvel’s Spider-Man at the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego.

Marvel Rivals autographs from Alpha Takahashi (Psylocke), Xanthe Huynh (Dagger), Eliah Mountjoy (Winter Soldier), James Mathis III (Black Panther), Jordan Reynolds (Adam Warlock), Ian James Corlett (Mr. Fantastic), and Dan Marin (Namor).