Comic-Con Special Edition: A Peek at Some of the Panels

Ever since the pandemic hit, Comic-Cons have been virtual. But Comic-Con Special Edition is a chance for fans to finally “gather in person as a community.” (For the first time since 2019!)

Because of the current COVID-19 restrictions in California, it won’t be, as organizers out it, “the large gathering reflective of the summer event.” However, it will still embody the spirit and have everything “reminiscent of [their] convention from years past.” That includes exhibits, programs, cosplay, gaming, autographs, and more.

In order to attend, masks and either proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test are required for entry.

Comic-Con Special Edition runs from November 26-28 at the San Diego Convention Center. Let’s check out some of the panels of interest, particularly to those of us of the paranormal persuasion.

Comic-Con Special Edition Panels

All descriptions are copy-and-pasted from the Comic-Con listings.

Friday, November 26

UFOs –Fact and Fiction panel

Michael C. Grumley (bestselling author of the Breakthrough science fiction series), William Clausen (who has been researching UFOs, UAPs, and USOs for more than 30 years), and Clydene Nee look at UFOs through the lens of history, popular culture, and personal experience.

Pet Finders, Elevators, Unicorns, Aliens, and More!

Comic-Con Special Edition special guests Dustin Nguyen (Finders Creepers) and Minh Lê (Lift, Green Lantern: Legacy), along with Greg van Eekhout (Weird Kid), Jennifer L Holm (The Lion of Mars), Rob Justus (Death & Sparkles), and Benson Shum (Alex’s Good Fortune) discuss entertaining themselves and their readers with tales of family and friends and self-discovery. Moderated by Maryelizabeth Yturralde.

Ghostbusters: Law for the Afterlife

Who are you gonna call? That’s right, lawyers! Is it false imprisonment to capture a ghost? What environmental protection laws are violated by operating the Containment Unit within a city? Do you have to register a proton pack with the Department of Energy? Featuring U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie Beckerman (U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon), Christine Peek (McManis Faulkner), Bethany Bengfort (Durie Tangri), and Kathy Steinman (Deputy City Attorney for the City of San Diego). Moderated by Joshua Gilliland(Greenan, Peffer, Sallander, & Lally LLP). Brought to you by The Legal Geeks.

Saturday, November 27

Behind the Veil: Winchester Mystery House Online Mystery Puzzle Game

Award-winning escape room designers and Society of Curiosities co-founders Yacine Merzouk(technical director) and Michelle Rundbaken (creative director) are joined by Walter Magnuson, general manager of Winchester Mystery House to discuss the behind-the-scenes creation of the upcoming Society of Curiosities’ Winchester Mystery House ultra-real online puzzle games. Moderated by Jill Collins (Licensing Works!), this panel explores the key criteria for successful online game design and the challenges of creating an authentic, immersive digital mystery experience based on one of the most intriguing architectural marvels in the world and the incredible life of its unique owner, Sarah Winchester.

Destination Fear: To Hell and Back

The thrill-seeking friends from Destination Fear (Travel Channel/discovery+)—Dakota Laden, his sister Chelsea Laden, Tanner Wiseman, and Alex Schroeder—are back from the latest leg of their tour de terror and will be on hand to share the terrifying tales from their fright-fueled road trip to America’s most haunted locations. Join the paranormal explorers as they reveal the horror and hauntings they encountered during the new season of the hit series, which returns with new episodes this November. As the team ups the ante on their frightening social experiment about fear, spending the night alone inside abandoned haunted buildings, asylums, and prisons, their pursuit of paranormal evidence and a deeper understanding of fear takes them on their most challenging and extreme journey yet. Fans will hear about their nightmarish experiences, including the most shocking moments, the places they would never return to, and what it takes to endure sleepovers night after night inside these sinister destinations. Fans will get exclusive intel and a special first look, plus an exciting giveaway.

Why Monsters Never Die

Demetra Brodsky (Last Girls), New York Times bestselling author Kim Liggitt (The Grace Year), Gretchen McNeil(#No Escape), Marlene Perez (The Afterlife of the Party), andJoshua Pruett (Netflix’s The Last Kids on Earth) share their insights about monsters, both human and inhuman, why people continue to be fascinated by the fictional monsters in literature and TV/film, and why certain types of monsters continue to endure. Moderated by Stacia Deutsch (Werewolf Weekend: Tales from the Scaremaster Book 2).

Inside the Horror Film Bundy Manor

When a family moves to a small town they discover an extreme haunted house run by a charming retired surgeon. Things start getting out of hand when they realize he is going too far. The cast and creators preview the official trailer for Bundy Manor and talk about the making of the film. Moderated by producer Tim Drake (Funny or Die, Robot Butt), the panel will also feature Lucasfilm writer and director Alex Watson (Star Wars: Journey of a Fan Film, Take Me Out), and main cast members Julie Cordell-Seamons(Echo Boomers), Paul Anthony Sonnier Jr.(Extinct), Walter Mecham(Yellowstone), Clare Pace, Ilara Phoenix Williams, Emily Perry, Pamela Beheshti (The Devil in Me), and Siddiq Maginn.

Sunday, November 28

Lowbrow, Surreal, Monster, and Tiki Art in America

Jeff Granito (digital tiki, monster artist), Laura “Rarabird” Harper (tiki fantasy artist), Devon “Creepy Tiki” Devereaux (tiki, horror, monster painter), Robert Maya (lowbrow, monster art sculptor), Jim “Monster” Moore (monster art sculptor, mug maker), and Cesar “Outl1n3 Island” Anzora (tiki art sculptor, artist) discuss modern American surreal, lowbrow, tiki, and monster art. Moderated by art fan “Tiki” James Wasser.

Conspiracy Theories and Propaganda Throughout Pop Culture

D. Lombardi (host/producer, YouTube’s Lombardi Labs; middle-school science teacher, Glendale Unified) along with Kimber Shan (host, The Kimber Shan Show, Unfit for Society podcast), King Steph (social media influencer, podcaster), Christy Shaw (high school vice principal, Archdiocese of Los Angeles), and G. L. Lambert (screenwriter, G. L. Lambert Explains It All podcast) trace conspiracy and propaganda throughout comics, films, and various pop culture media and demonstrate how they correlates to the current climate of conspiracy theories that have arisen since the onset of the pandemic. Teaching science literacy in and out of the classroom is more crucial now than ever, and the panelists invite educators and fans of the arts alike to join in on a Q&A session targeted at science literacy and debunking pseudoscience.

Buffy Musical: Once More with Feeling – An Interactive Whedon Musical

Let’s end this show with a bang! The Powers That Be behind Whedonopolis, The Hellmouth Convention, and Fandom Charities present an interactive screening of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer musical episode “Once More with Feeling!” Many say this is the finest, funniest, most ingenious episode ever to come out of the Buffyverse. But remember, the best part of the show is up to you! This episode was made for talkin’—back, that is—and singing and shouting and dancing in the aisles, with or without your dry cleaning! Audience participation: It isn’t just for Rocky Horror and mob riots anymore!

For More Info

Visit comic-con.org/ccse.

Check-In

From the choices above, which Comic-Con Special Edition panels would you attend?

They all sound good but “Ghostbusters: Law for the Afterlife” captured my imagination the most of all of them. Maybe because it’s sort of along the lines of Haunting American True Crimes?

And as a Buffy fan, I would have to also check out the musical.