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Panels and Programs

The programming provided by Comic Con is undoubtedly what has made it the success it is. Comic Con offers a very large and diverse group of panels hosted by some of the top writers, artists, directors, producers, actors and visionaries in the World. This year, Comic Con offered more than 300 daytime programs, panels, seminars, workshops and events. Here are but a few.

Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury

An entire panel was dedicated to Ray Bradbury, Science Fiction's living legend. The panel was very well attended and two deep lines were formed by those wanting to ask questions. Even though Mr. Bradbury is coming up on his 85th birthday, he is still still sharp as a sword although his health and hearing are deteriorated. Mark Evanier was on hand to help repeat questions and to keep the panel moving.

Notable advice given by Mr. Bradbury included, "Don't write science fiction; write about myths and legends. The problem with writing science fiction is it quickly becomes dated. The only science fiction book I wrote was Fahrenheit 451." Also, he said a writer always writes because it is all they want to do. Perseverance is the key. He backed this up by telling the audience that his wife worked for 3 years while he wrote The Martian Chronicles.

Guy Montag was a fireman whose job it was to start fires...

The system was simple. Everyone understood it. Books were for burning ... along with the houses in which they were hidden.

Guy Montag enjoyed his job. He had been a fireman for ten years, and he had never questioned the pleasure of the midnight runs nor the joy of watching pages consumed by flames... never questioned anything until he met a seventeen-year-old girl who told him of a past when people were not afraid.

Then he met a professor who told him of a future in which people could think... and Guy Montag suddenly realized what he had to do!

Firefly - Serenity

Firefly

Firefly is set four hundred years from today in the Union of Planets, a government established after a bitter civil war. Under the leadership of Malcolm Reynolds, a renegade who fought against the new government, the crew of the Firefly-class vessel "Serenity" must struggle to survive any way they can. They fly to the border planets to keep away from the Alliance and below it's radar. This series has been described as a "science fiction western" but will be different from other space based shows as it will feature no aliens. The Firefly TV show is currently being filmed as a motion picture called Serenity that is scheduled for release in early 2005.

Joss Whedon, creator of the Firefly TV show and director of the forthcoming Serenity movie

Joss Whedon came out and was literally blown away by the sheer size of the crowd - there must have been over 5,000 people in that ballroom as it was filled to capacity. He opened by saying he had a couple surprises. The first was a special preview he prepared specifically for Comic Con - and yes it was VERY, VERY, COOL! While Joss would not give anything away concerning the plot, he did say up front that there will indeed be Reavers in the movie. Yikes!

The entire cast of Firefly and Serenity

His second surprise were the 9 people he brought along with him - the ENTIRE cast of Firefly/Serenity!

Actors Ron Glass (Shepherd Book) and Sean Maher (Dr. Simon Tam) and actresses Summer Glau (River Tam), Morena Baccarin (Inara Serra) and Jewel Staite (Kaylee Frye)

Joss asked each of them what they best liked about their characters. The thing Summer likes best about playing River is that she can go barefoot so often. She also likes that River can do anything. Summer mentioned early in the series how she wanted River to have a gun, then by episode 10 she has one. She mentioned that she wants to be captain. Sean said what he really liked about Simon was how devoted he was to his sister. He then turned to Summer and said, "I love you Summer!" in a melodramatic tone. He also says that he and Summer have thought about joining a travelling circus as 'The Flying Tams' - this is obviously a joke.

Morena said it was cool how smart Inara was, how she could do anything, and how every day she learned more things Inara could do that she (Morena) couldn't. The cast informed the audience that her nickname was "stupid". She took it in good humor. Jewel said she likes her characters warmth. She has no beef with anybody on the ship. She also loves her relationship with the Captain, especially because she is the only character that can give him crap without him blowing up at her.

Actresses Summer Glau (River Tam), Morena Baccarin (Inara Serra) and Jewel Staite (Kaylee Frye), actors Nathan Fillion (Capt. Malcolm Reynolds), Adam Baldwin (Jayne Cobb), Alan Tudyk (Jerry Lee "Wash" Warren) and actress Gina Torres (Zoe Warren)

Gina said she likes her gun the best about her character, "It's a very sexy gun." She also really likes her pants because they're spandex and they let her move. Alan said, "I like the fact that Wash - well, and the Shepherd, too - is the voice against violence. He's the one that'll say "Hey, do we really have to shoot people here?". At this point, Gina put her arm around him and said, "That's because you have me to protect you, dear." Adam draws inspiration from the line spoken by another character in the episode Objects in space, "What is life without work?" Adam sees his character as a bottom-line kind of guy that cuts the bull. Nathan said, "Even in the thick of battle you knew you could always turn to the Captain and know that he has the legs of a dancer." The audience loved that.

At one point, Joss said, "I didn't tell Adam this from the beginning but Jayne is Firefly's Cordelia". First Adam said, "Yeah I can see that now", then he said "Who is Cordelia?" Nathan then leaned into Adam and drew an hourglass-figure shape in the air, spun his finger over his ear denoting a crazy person and then mimed the opening of a playboy centerfold - uproarious laughter ensued.

Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars

Farscape

Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars will continue the adventures of astronaut John Crichton and his intergalactic comrades. Newly engaged and expectant parents John Crichton (Ben Browder) and Aeryn Sun (Claudia Black) have been chased around the galaxy and have fallen in love, and now all they want is for their baby to be born and live in peace. However, they will first have to survive an all-out galactic war between the Scarrans and the Peacekeepers as well as the myriad outlandish and unexpected surprises that have become the hallmark of this award-winning series.

Writers David Kemper, Rockne O'Bannon, creator Brian Henson, actress Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun), actor Ben Browder (John Crichton) and vice president of SCI FI Thomas P. Vitale

Thanks to the overwhelming support and tireless efforts of the fans, Farscape returns to the SCI FI channel this fall as a four-hour miniseries. This event picks up where the cliffhanger series finale left off, reuniting the Moya crew.

Actress Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun)

Actor Ben Browder (John Crichton)

Actress Virginia Hey (Zhaan) autographs under the big tent upstairs

Rob Zombie: The Devil's Rejects

The Devil's Rejects

The plot outline for The Devil's Rejects is straightforward; the state police raid the family house, but they have all ready escaped. Otis, Baby, Captain Spaulding and Mother Firefly go on a killing spree across the country. Rob Zombie said this is not a sequel to his first movie House of 1000 Corpses. Rather, it contains many of the same characters although with different and radically tweaked motivations.

The cast and crew of the movie The Devil's Rejects including Wayne Toth (special FX make-up), Sid Haig (Captain Spaulding), Leslie Easterbrook (Mother Firefly), Sheri Moon Zombie (Baby Firefly), director Rob Zombie, Ken Foree (Charlie Altamont and actor from the original Dawn of the Dead), Jossara Jinaro (Maria) and comedian Brian Posehn

Rob Zombie

Rob Zombie said the characters of Captain Spalding, Baby Firefly and Otis Driftwood are so evil, they have to do good to get into Hell. Should be interesting.