Comic-Con 2025: It Was Fine
I approached Saturday at the con the same as I have for Comic-Cons in the past few years: Get up. Drive down to San Diego. (Get my badge.) Attend panels. Leave and meet Steve for dinner. Then drive back home. It’s a setup that has yielded good times in years past and I was expecting more or less the same this time out as well. Did that happen here? Well, read on friends…
Image Comics: Brian K. Vaughan
I went to a panel featuring the writer of “Saga,” “Y: The Last Man,” “Ex Machina,” “Ultimate X-Men” and more years ago and loved it. So I figured it was time to go again and hear what he had to say about past, present, and future projects. The panel started off with a bit of business, noting that “Paper Girls” was now going to be reissued in 6×9 editions with new covers from artist Cliff Chiang. “Saga” will also be getting its third hardcover collection next year, and his new graphic novel with Nico Henrichon, “Spectators” is still set for this September. He did have copies on hand to give away to audience members who asked good questions.
Vaughan was also joined on the stage at one point by artist Marcos Martin, who he’s worked with on “Doctor Strange: The Oath” and “The Private Eye,” as well as partnered with on digital comics distribution platform The Panel Syndicate. What’s the secret to creating a good platform like that? “Don’t care about the money,” Martin joked. They also mentioned that “The Private Eye” has been optioned as a TV series, and that their other project for the platform, “Barrier” will finally (FINALLY!) be given a collected edition next year. Which was fantastic news for people like me who have been waiting a very long time to read it in that kind of edition.
Audience Q&A was up next and that was a lot of fun. Vaughn was a great host to everyone who asked questions ranging from the frivolous (What’s Hazel’s favorite band? Whatever you think it is.), to working with other creators again (Still talks to “Y: The Last Man” artist Pia Guerra about doing something, but that series is done.), to major events in his comics (Sorry True Believers, but Marko was always going to die.) He also talked about how he uses writing to work through the events that affect him in his life, and how “Watchmen” changed his life and got him to start following comics writers. We also got some amusing anecdotes about working with “Saga” artist Fiona Staples, where she overrode him at one point about killing Lying Cat early, and how she asked if as sketch she did about a sea lion in overalls could be included in the series, who then became Ghus.
One guest also asked Vaughn if he was working on anything new, and he got a surprising answer. It turns out that the writer is working on a new ongoing series with an artist he’s worked with before, in a genre that was described as “TBA” and that’s due to be announced next year. Which will be something to look forward to for any fan of the writer, who described himself as a comics lifer who will only stop making them once he’s dead. Vaughan also thanked everyone at the end for not asking about when the next issue of “Saga” would be coming – they’re working on it!
Spotlight on Matt Kindt: Flux House & Beyond
I then walked across the convention for this panel featuring a creator who’s done some stuff I’ve enjoyed over the years, as well as some real junk too. The panel also featured his mom Margie, who he co-wrote “Gilt Frame” with and artist Brian Hurtt, who he shares a studio with and collaborated on “Poppy and the Lost Lagoon.” It also started way back at the beginning with a picture of Kind in the garage with his brother, in Aquaman underoos, with “Star Wars” and “Lone Ranger” toys, prompting some talk from the panel about this being a Rosetta Stone moment for the creator. Another formative moment for Kindt was when he was reading a Chris Ware comic on the toilet and picked up on something in the art that he hadn’t noticed before. That led him to develop his formalist tendencies about detailing information on every part of the page, as best seen in his signature series “Mind MGMT.”
While he got his big break at Vertigo working on a three-issue arc of “Sweet Tooth” and the graphic novel “Revolver,” that publisher passed on “Mind MGMT” when he pitched it to him. Fortunately Mike Richardson, Dark Horse co-founder and Publisher wanted to be in the Matt Kindt business and readily agreed to do it. That has led to a long and fruitful relationship with the publisher even as the creator went on to do work-for-hire stints at DC and Valiant on titles like “Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E.” and “Divinity.”
We also got to hear about how he got the job of writing “BRZRKR” with Keanu Reeves. As it turned out, Kindt turned down the project when he was first pitched about it, saying that it sounded pretty generic and uninteresting. Then, the publisher offered to fly him out to have Keanu pitch him on the project himself. That went a lot better, with the actor making the series sound weirder and more in tune with the writer’s sensibilities, and got him onboard with it.
Kindt is currently focused on delivering all kinds of projects through his Flux House imprint at Dark Horse. That has allowed him to not only deliver a series of projects in as many genres as he wants, but in multiple formats as well. His upcoming series with his “Ether” collaborator, artist David Rubin, “Space Scouts,” is currently set to be delivered in an organized magazine format. The creator also described himself as being very involved in creating the “Mind MGMT” board game, with plans for “Dept. H” and “BRZRKR” games in the works as well.
The Legacy of Baki
After that, I went back across the convention again to the same room where I saw Vaughan’s panel earlier. While the panel’s title indicated a focus on one series, this was actually an unofficial panel for publisher Kodama Tales, the France-based outfit who will be bringing “Baki the Grappler” in an ambitious two-volumes-per month effort. The panel was hosted by Kodama Co-President Pierre Dubost, Editorial Consultant Sullivan Rouad, and “Baki” translator David Evelyn. All three were clearly huge fans of the series with Dubost spotlighting a special “Baki”-centric shirt. While he mentioned they were trying to get merch to have on offer for the New York Comic-Con, nothing was certain yet.
Though “Baki” has been a long-running series with huge success in Japan, a banner on the first volume touts “Over 100 Million Copies Sold,” and a popular Netflix anime adaptation, it hasn’t had the best luck in finding success out here. Previous efforts from Gutsoon and digitally from Media Do didn’t find any traction, but Kodama is clearly putting their best foot forward here. We’re getting the 24-volume Perfect Edition, similar to how Viz is releasing “Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure,” only in nice-looking softcovers for $20 each.
The real star of the panel was Evelyn who regularly joked about how his work translating so much “Baki” so quickly has caused him to forgo sleeping. He did express his love for the series and hoped that people would buy enough copies so we could see all the crazy places it’ll go. One of which involved him researching a serial killer with multiple personality disorder. Evelyn also described the effort done by the letterer in his approach to the series, which had him writing a letter by holding a pen in his mouth, the same way a character does it at one point in the series.
Towards the end of the panel, it was announced that Kodama would be publishing another manga alongside “Baki” in English. This would be the horror series “Smile!” about a reporter whose daughter has died and wife has gone missing. While he sinks into depression, he’s visited one day by a couple of smiling cultists and he sees his wife on a flyer they’re carrying. The art shown for the series was pretty creepy, and I wouldn’t mind giving it and “Baki” a shot at some point, assuming I can find the room on my shelf for them. Best of luck to Kodama and their efforts to make “Baki” a success and become a major manga publisher in America.
Spotlight on Frank Miller
I then decided to wander the show floor to see the sights and find out what comics I could pick up from my shopping lists at some kind of discount. My plan was then to wander over and line up for Miller’s spotlight panel around twenty minutes or so before it started. It was in a big room, and while the creator is a living legend, I didn’t think that there’d be a huge crowd turning out for one whose recent work has been divisive at best. Still, when I was greeted with a sizable line stretching out from the door when I arrived I didn’t think anything of it. People would empty out of the previous panel soon enough and I’d get in with no problem.
Except… that didn’t happen. As the 3:00 start time for the panel crept closer, nobody really left the panel room. What’s more, the line behind me continued to get bigger and bigger. “Is everyone really here just for Miller?” I kept thinking to myself. I kept wondering what was going on as I waited for the room to empty out, and then I got my answer as I overheard some other people in line complaining about how people were having to sit through a Frank Miller panel in order to see the Studio Ghibli 40th Anniversary one in a room that wasn’t nearly big enough for it.
That made much more sense. It also meant that I wasn’t going to get into the panel at all. I did see Miller enter the panel from the door I was close to, but that was it. So I felt I could either stick around and continue to commit myself to this line that was now for a panel I hadn’t planned on seeing, or find some other way to kill an hour before my next one. I opted for the latter and camped out in a DSTLRY panel about creating covers that I missed the beginning for and decided to spend the rest of it reading through my newly-acquired copies of “Grommets” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles vol. 1: Return to New York.”
Transformers & G.I. Joe: All-Out War in the Energon Universe
It was probably a good thing that I did camp out in that panel because this one wound up being quite packed. That’s either a testament to the ongoing popularity of the Energon Universe, or the appeal of the free comics that have always been passed out in years past at these things. Whatever the case was, we got an entertaining look into the future of this shared universe from its key creative figures.
They included outgoing “Transformers” writer Daniel Warren Johnson, Editor Sean Mackiewicz, “G.I. Joe” writer Joshua Williamson, and “Void Rivals” and incoming “Transformers” writer Robert Kirkman. There was lots of playful ribbing towards Johnson’s upcoming exit, as while the writer really enjoyed his time working on the series, he had other projects he wanted to give his attention to. I’ve enjoyed his work on this series too, but there’s no point in forcing someone like him who’s shown his clear interest in creating original projects to stick around on a work-for-hire project longer than he wants too. Plus, Kirkman is a solid choice as a replacement given his own love for the “Transformers” – which is also good news for fans of Bulkhead and the Dinobots, from what I hear.
While plans for that series were limited to general hints, we were told to look forward to upcoming wars in both “G.I. Joe” and “Void Rivals.” “Dreadnoks War” will be an upcoming storyline in the former title as it sees Cobra Commander marked for death by Destro, with the aforementioned group tapped to do the job. The problem is that Duke gets wind of this and sees it as the best time to bring CC in, which turns the whole thing into a riff on “Midnight Run” by way of “Mad Max: Fury Road.” “Quintesson War” in “Void Rivals” didn’t get as detailed a breakdown, but longtime readers shouldn’t find it hard to guess what it’ll be about given the involvement of those Transformers in the series to this point. It will have a different artist illustrating it as Andrei Bressan takes over for this storyline.
The panel was then opened to Q&A in its last few minutes with a lot of rapid-fire questions and answers coming from the audience and the panelists. Will there be a definitive timeline issued for the Energon Universe? Kirkman said “No” because that’s limiting in the long run, with it being better to make sure that all the writers keep communicating to make sure everything stays consistent. Will there be Pirate Transformers? Kirkman: “Sure, why not.” How did Optimus Prime wind up with Megatron’s arm? Johnson initially sketched it, but didn’t think Hasbro would go for it. Then, when they needed something like that for the story, they pitched it and the toy manufacturer was cool with it. Energon Universe animated series? Never say never, but the focus is on the comics for now. “Transformers ‘86” the comics series? Would feel redundant with the characters they’re using right now. One audience member shouted out “More Shredhead!” at the end of the panel, and I can only hope that’s true after Johnson leaves.