Comic-Con 2018: Fantasy and sci-fi grapple with sexism and politics

WHILE COMIC-CON focuses on worlds of fantasy, super-heroes and galaxies far, far away, it increasingly has to bring it back home to the ordinary rock, the third planet from a star in an insignificant solar system located in an outer spiral of the Milky Way -- home.

Comic-Con formally kicks off Thursday (July 19) in Sunday with an expected attendance of 130,000 converging on the San Diego's convention center spilling over into downtown's nearby hotels over four days.

The perception that Comic-Con as the product of white fan-boy culture is not the reality. Asian Americans have always had a strong presence earning a panel addressing Asian American inclusion and influence on the horror, fantasy and science fiction TV shows and movies. 

Once again Racebending is sponsoring the 8th annual panel where fans assess celebrate the state of Super Asian America. It will feature Ryan Potter (Big Hero 6, Titans), Mallory Yu (All Things Considered), Tonya Kong (Daredevil, Arrow), Joy Regullano (Supernatural), and Keith Chow (The Nerds of Color). Moderated by Racebending's Mike Le.

Super Asian America will be held Sunday, July 22, 2:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. in room 5AB.

Marvel Comics and Disney have cut back their participation this year but that opens the door for other studios and franchises to grab the spotlight by presenting its products and introduce its stars. The Walking Dead franchise always draws a big crowd and expectations are high to see the actors who play the heroes from DC Comics such as Wonder Women, Batman and Superman.

The CW's entire superhero roster (Arrow, Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow) will be back with individual panels. Other shows represented with panels include Vikings, Riverdale, Star Trek: Discovery, Preacher, Legion, and so many more returning favorites.

The world of geeks and nerds is as diverse politically and socially as any cross-section of American society. At times the small, but vocal conservative sector has come out of the woodwork recently to express their disappointment and disagreement with comics, films and television efforts to reflect American society in their products.

Recently, through the power of social media, they have expressed their displeasure and unsuccessfully tried to launch boycotts against Star Wars and Star Trek movies and television shows that had women and minorities in prominent roles. White fan-boys were responsible for harassing actress Kelly Marie Tran for starring in Star Wars: The Last Jedi and reportedly drove her off of Instagram.

A review of some of the panels gives an idea how the real world is impacted by and affected in these fictional stories:

Diversity and Comics: Why Inclusion and Visibility Matter: Panel will discuss how comics have become more inclusive of women, people of color, persons with disabilities, and the LGBTQ community to better reflect today's culture and expand to a changing fan base.

Are Superheroes Social Justice Warriors? How to Educate, Illuminate, and Bring Diversity and Social Change Through Comics: Comic books have been pointing out injustice and bringing social issues to light since their outset. Over the years, this has ebbed and flowed, and currently, there is a clash between those who say "too much" and those who say "not enough."

Beyond Wakanda: Intersectional Afrofuturism: This panel digs deep into the cultural archive of Afrofuturism to connect the broad audience of popular films like Black Panther to historical resources related to Afrofuturism, especially the work of Octavia Butler.

"#METOO to #TIMESUP: An Action Summit for Comics." An all-star lineup of female and gender-nonconforming comics pros brainstorms at this idea summit, including Amy Chu, in a lively discussion of how to stamp out under-representation, harassment, and bad labor practices in order to make comics into a consistently safe, diverse, innovative workplace that thrives on inclusion.

Truth, Social Justice, and the Academic Library Way: Comics in Academic Libraries: Bringing a comic culture to underserved populations, and strategies for outreach and engagement using comics and graphic novels.

What Rebellions Are Built On: Popular Culture, Radical Hope, and Politically Engaged Geeks: A conversation with geeks making activism their superpower by hacking popular culture for social justice, civic activism, and participatory politics-including efforts in anti-bullying initiatives, advocacy, and for charity.

Click here for the entire program.
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