San Diego Comic-Con at Home - Everything you need to know and virtual schedule
Everything you need to know about the virtual event replacing the iconic convention this Summer.
If you're a fan of pop culture, then there's a good chance that San Diego Comic-Con has always been on your bucket list - the yearly extravaganza is one of the entertainment world's biggest events and can regularly call upon some of the planet's biggest stars as guests.
Of course, as is the case for just about every mass gathering this year, the 2020 version of the convention will be rather unfamiliar - with the regular event having been cancelled in light of the coronavirus.
Instead, the organisers have opted to put on a virtual event, promising fans and enthusiasts that they will still be able to experience many of the usual panel discussions, Q&As and sneak peaks of upcoming productions - only this time in the comfort of their own homes and at no charge!
As usual, the event has been able to call upon a raft of impressive talent - with panels from the likes of Disney and Hulu and some big names such as Joss Whedon, John Slattery, Seth MacFarlane and Mila Kunis and Maya Rudolph already confirmed.
Here's everything we know about San Diego Comic-Con at Home so far.
When is San Diego Comic-Con at Home?
Comic-Con at Home will fall at the same time as the original event was intended to take place - so, you should keep 22nd-26th July free if you wish to attend.
Unfortunately, for UK fans it will also require some late nights, as the events have been scheduled to Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), which is eight hours behind British Summer Time (BST).
Full San Diego Comic-Con 2020 schedule
Wednesday 22nd July
11pm - 12 midnight (BST)
GeekED: Re-storied: Re-imagining creative privilege
Teaching and Learning with Comics
The Power of Teamwork in Kids Comics
12 midnight - 1am (BST)
Books for All: It’s Time to Redefine How We Share Books With Kids
GeekEd: “Watchmen” and the Cruelty of Masks
License to Thrill: Graphic Novel Adaptations for Kids
Make Programming Your Superpower!
1am - 2am (BST)
Conspiracy Theories and Propaganda Throughout Pop Culture
GeekEd: College and the Nerd Mind
New Kids Comics from Eisner Award Publishers
Words and Pictures Working Together: Strategies for Analyzing Graphic Texts
2am - 3am (BST)
Comic-Con Celebrates 15 Years of Eisner Librarians
Comics on Campus: Fandom at Academia
Spirit Skies: How to publish an International youth comic in the Age of Covid-19
Teaching Graphic Novels Online
Thursday 23rd July
6pm - 7pm (BST)
Building a Geek Brand: Surviving a Pandemic
Causeplay - In Service to Others
P.S. NPC: Storytelling in Video Games
Star Trek Universe Virtual Panel
Transforming Together Time: Family Gaming and the Future of Play
Virtual Fandom: Superhero Fandom Adapts to the Pandemic
7pm - 8pm (BST)
Alien Superstar with Henry Winkler & Lin Oliver
Cartoon Network Studios: The Art of Storyboarding
Hollyweird Science: Creativity, Correctness, and Collaboration
Mega Construx Unveils New Halo Toy Line
Shannon Messenger Keeper of The Lost Cities Spotlight Panel
The Art of Collaboration: Duos Behind Top TV Shows
Web Comics: Saving the Entertainment Industy, Four Panels at a TIme
8pm - 9pm (BST)
75th Anniversary of Moomin appreciation
All the Starfleet Ladies: Then and Now
Amazon Prime Video: Truth Seekers
Cartoon Network Studios First Look
Comics During Clampdown: Creativity In The Time of COVID
From Script to Screen: Behind-The-Scenes of Your Favorite Film & TV Shows
Legion M: How We're Opening the Gates to Hollywood
Mattel & WWE Elite Squad Fan Panel
Paperfilms' Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner
9pm - 10pm (BST)
A Look Inside "Marvel's 616" on Disney+
Comics Satire and The New Political Cartoon
His Dark Materials Virtual Panel and Q&A Session
How Every Epic Fantasy Can Be . . . Epically Different
Insider Art: A Compendium of Comics, Crafts & Cats for All Ages
Legendary Comics 2.0: Sci-Fi, YA, Romance, and More!
So you want to make an Action Figure, a Conversation with today's Indie Toy Makers
Terry Moore Is Still Drawing Comics
This is Not the Apocalypse You're Looking For: Real Life Disasters, Fictional Recovery
Wonder Women: Superstars of Paranormal
11pm - 12 midnight (BST)
Amazon Prime Video: Upload
Collider: Directors on Directing
Comic-Con Museum, It's a Thing
Horizon Zero Dawn Comes To Comics
IDW: G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes with Rob Liefeld
Shaenon Garrity in Conversation with Andrew Farago
Shaman King: Then, Now & Tomorrow
SYFY:The Roast of Todd McFarlane
The Adventure Zone: Petals to the Metal Graphic Novel
The Brave New World of TwoMorrows
12 midnight - 1am (BST)
Afro-Futurism and Black Religion: Connecting Imaginations
Artist as Brand, Rise of the Artist Entrepreneur
Dubbing American into Latin American - A Chat with Dub Actors
HBO Max and Cartoon Network Studios: Close Enough
Prototype and Game Pitches: Publishing Your Tabletop Game
Soundtracks to Fandom: Z2 Comics and the Graphic Album
The Science of Back to the Future
1am - 2am (BST)
Action Figure Insider - 15 years of Talking About Toys
ASC: Sketch-to-Screen: VR/AR/Gaming & Beyond
Bugs Bunny's 80th Anniversary Extravaganza
Graphic Novel or Illustrated Book: You Make the Call
Inside the Voice Actors Studio - Home Edition
Manga Publishing Industry Roundtable
The Blacklist Draws on Animation to Complete Season 7 Amid CoVid
The Rise and Rise of the Australian Comic and Toy Collectibles Market
2am - 3am BST
Breaking Into Comics and Staying In!
Go Fish!, Ultraduck and Miskatonic: Arcanamation Nation
LGBTQ Characters on Television - What's Next?
The Science of Star Trek: Three Generations of Advice
The State of the Industry: Animation Superstars
The Three Act Story Arc - Writing the Perfect Story
Van Helsing Season 4 - Comic-Con@Home Panel Discussion
3am - 4am (BST)
23rd Annual San Diego Comic Con Superhero Kung Fu Extravaganza
Dispatches from Middle-earth: What's new for Tolkien fans
Heavy Metal: Forging The Future of Genre
How To Thrive as an Indy Comics Creator Now!
Mystery Science Theater 3000: A Panel Panorama
The Impact of Universality of Superhero Stories
The League of Extraordinary Scientists and Engineers: More Science in Your Fiction
The Most Dangerous Women at Comic-Con: Building a Better Heroine
Friday 24th July
6pm-7pm (BST)
"Crazy" Talk: Mental Health, Pop Culture, and the Pandemic
Charlize Theron: Evolution of a Badass - An Action Hero Career Retrospective
Cosplay - the Spice of Life!!!
HBO Max: The Cartoon Network Studios Collection
Howard Cruse: The Godfather of Queer Comics
Lights, Camera, LGBTQI-dentity! Never Alone
Pixel Stories - Reimagining Video Game Narrative
Reclaiming Indigenous History and Culture Through Comics
The Mandalorian and His Many Gadgets
7pm-8pm (BST)
Decoding the Kirby/Lee Dynamic
Entertainment is Female: a Conversation with Hollywood Executives
HBO Max and Cartoon Network Studios: Adventure Time: Distant Lands
Hot Wheels: Designing Fans' Exclusives
Raina and Robin in Conversation
Star Wars Audiobooks: Doctor Aphra
Vikings: Celebrating 6 Seasons of The Series
8pm-9pm (BST)
Collider: Quibi's Don't Look Deeper Panel
Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes with Undiscovered Country
HBO Max and Cartoon Network Studios: Infinity Train
Lucasfilm Publishing: Stories From a Galaxy Far, Far Away
The Undiscovered Art of Jack Kirby: Architect
Zombies and Coronavirus: Planning for the Next Big Outbreak
Thought Bubble & Comic-Con@Home: Tula Lotay in Conversation
9pm-10pm BST
Spotlight on Darcie Little Badger
From Idea to Hired: Books, TV, Film, and Comics
Harryhausen100: Into the Ray Harryhausen Archive
IDW: Draw a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle!
LMGI - Hollywood Location Scouts
Make Mine Marvel: Bringing Back Marvel Classics for Today's Readers
Mattel Creations: Designing Pop Culture
Water, Earth, Fire, Air: Continuing the Avatar Legacy
[adult swim] YOLO: Crystal Fantasy
10pm-11pm BST
AMC's The Walking Dead: World Beyond
Entertainment Weekly: Brave Warriors
I Am Not Okay with This - From the Page to the Screen!
Real Weird Science Alive and At Home!
The Psychology of Star Trek vs. Star Wars
UnMasked: Rhapsody PR's Behind-the-Music panel
Your Secret Weapon: How Friendship Saves the Day
11pm-12midnight BST
Galaxy Grrls, or the Female and Non-Binary Authors who Bridge the new Frontier of Space Fiction
Get It On the Table: Designing Your Tabletop Game
HBO MAX: Adult Animation Panel
Hermes Press and Gothic Comics in America
Latin American Horror Cinema 2: Sometimes They Come Back
Observational Drawing by Controlling Angles
Peacock Original Series: The Capture
Reimagining Mandrake The Magician with Erica Schultz
The Annual Jack Kirby Tribute Panel
The Vortex opens AGAIN- Vortex 2.0 launches Storm King Comics
Zoom into Xadia: The Dragon Prince
12 midnight - 1am BST
Comic-Con: Robert Kirkman at Home
How to Make a Comic From Start to Finish
Legendary Spawn Creator Todd McFarlane Talks Toys, Comics, and More!
Remote Real-Time: The Age of Virtual Production
Sinless, Fearless, Ruthless - A look at science and social science in a YA sci-fi book
The Nacelle Company: Pop-Culture Under Quarantine
Vampirella 50th Anniversary Finale
VIZ: A Haunting Conversation with Junji Ito
1am - 2am BST
IDW: The Mueller Report in 10-minutes
No Strange Bedfellows: The Relationship Between Pro Wrestling and Comics
Read Manga and Learn Classics Literature!
The Living Dead: Celebrating the Legacy of George Romero
Unboxing Pandora: Season Two On The CW This Fall
2am - 3am BST
Building Your Own Themyscira: Connecting With Other Geeky Bosses
Hip-Hop And Comics: Cultures Combining
Klingon Lifestyles the Home Alone Year
SYFY: TZGZ's Adult Animated Originals
The Wonderful, Horrible World of E.C. Comics
Travel Through Time with Comics
TV Guide Magazine Fan Favorites
3am BST
32nd Annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards
Saturday, July 25
6pm-7pm BST
(Nearly) A Decade of Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales
Dynamite's Two Huge Crossovers Revealed!
Inglorious Treksperts: 30 Years of Best of Both Worlds
Last Gasp: 50 Years of Publishing the Underground Part II lowbrow art, 1996-2020
Narrative Design For Computer Games
The Guide: Overstreet's 50th Anniversary
UDON Entertainment 20th Anniversary!
Warner Archive's Secret Origins of Saturday Morning Cartoons
7pm-8pm BST
Back to the Moon and Beyond With Nasa
Eye of Newt and Wool of Bat: the science behind magic potions and spells
From Wakanda to Numbani, Writing the Next Generation of Heroes
Giving a Voice to Independent Creators
Inspired: Personal Stories in Graphic Novels
The Art of Adapting Comics to the Screen: David S. Goyer Q&A
The Official Dune Publishing Panel
8pm-9pm BST
Calling All Book Lovers: A Sneak Peek at New Books from Tor, Tor Teen and Tor.com Publishing
Constantine: 15th Anniversary Reunion
Disney+'s Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe
Diversity and Comics: Why Inclusion and Visibility Matter
Jim Lee's X-Men Artist Edition Spotlight
Magic: The Gathering Panel with Mark Rosewater
Personal, Political, Fictional, and Factual
Spotlight on The Cloven: With Garth Stein and Matthew Southworth
The Amazing Brutus: Unusual Places to Find a Great Animation Story
Women of Color in Comics: Race, Gender & the Comic Book Medium
9pm - 10pm BST
Blast Off with Disney+'s "The Right Stuff"
Creative Renaissance: How to Thrive When It's Hard to Survive
Diamond Select Toys & Gentle Giant Ltd.
Guillermo del Toro and Scott Cooper on Antlers and Filmmaking
Latinx & Native Amerian Storytellers
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Future Is Now
The Official Aspen Comics Panel 2020
Tribute to Dennis O'Neil: Beyond Batman
Picard 2020: A Literary Retrospective
10pm - 11pm BST
Couch Surfing with Simon & Schuster
Doctor Who Time Lord Victorious Panel
Gender, Race, and Comic Book Coloring
Mexico's Magnificent Stop-Motion Seven
Women Rocking Hollywood 2020: Supporting Female-Helmed Film and TV
11pm - 12midnight BST
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Stories and Science of Mutants, Androids, Space Travel and Aliens
Authors on the Best Advice I Ever Got
ComiXology Originals: Creator-Owned Comics and Beyond
Mark Waid and the Future of Humanoids
Peacock Original Series: Brave New World
Surviving the Hunger Games: Are the Odds Ever in Your Favor?
Puppets! Fantasy! Musicals! - Exploring Big Adventure On A Small Scale
12 midnight - 1am BST
20 Years of DeviantArt: An Oral History
Concept Artists of Television and Film: #drawingwhileblack
Creating the memorable characters of Image Comics
How Do Ya Figure: A History of Comic Con Exclusive Action Figures
Learning Through Role-Playing Games
Outta This World with DMC: Darryl Makes Comics and Friends
The Stars and Executive Producers of ABC's Stumptown
1am - 2am BST
Apex Comics Publishing Group 2020-2021 Exclusive Previews
Comic Shops : Perservering Through Crisis
Figure Drawing for Popular Media
Kodansha Comics Got Weird Manga: Summer Edition
Mexican Lucha Libre: History, Tradition, Legacy
Pass Through the Gate with Lionsgate's "G-LOC"
Professional Storytelling: RPGs in 2020
What's New In Small Press Comics
2am - 3am BST
25th Anniversary of Witchblade and Beyond
Afrofuturism - "Black To The Future 3(D): Real A.F."
Fantagraphics and IDW: Classic Comics Reprints
First Squad: How A Western Story Was Adapted Into A Japanese Anime And Manga
How to (Still) Be a Nerd For A Living
Out In Comics 33: Virtually Yours
Scary Good TV: A Conversation with Horror's Top Showrunners
Sunday, July 26
6pm - 7pm BST
Celebrating 80 Years of Will Eisner's The Spirit
Emily the Strange Virtual Panel Experience
First TMNT Film 30th Anniversary
Imagination & Fun for Kids - The IDW Way!
Little Fish: From Physical to Digital, Thriving and Growing
Motherland: Fort Salem: A World of Magic, Action, and Intrigue
Over30Cosplay: Virtual Costuming and Cosplay Advice and Support for the Mature Cosplayer
Turning Fandoms into Movements for Good
YA Fantasy and the Power of Storytelling
7pm - 8pm BST
Adventures in Spanish Voice Acting
Jack Kirby 101: An Introduction
State of the Tabletop Industry
Super Geeked Up: Geeky Improv Comedy
Top Kids Authors Come Together for Gotham Reads
V.E. Schwab Shades of Magic Comics Panel
8pm - 9pm BST
Book Buzz! Team Underlined Shares the Biggest and Best New YA
Cardboard Superheroes: Creating Life-Sized Cardboard Models of Your Favorite Superheroes
Masters of Style: Woodring, Fleener, Muradov and Hernandez
The Craft of Worldbuilding in Comics
9pm - 10pm BST
Aztec Depictions in Pop Culture: 500 Years After the Fall
Comics about Motherhood and Reproductive Choice
HBO Max: Looney Tunes Cartoons
Mega64 Panel In These Trying Times
The Stars and Executive Producer of ABC's "The Goldbergs"
Writing for TV: From First Draft to Getting Staffed
10pm - 11pm BST
A Conversation with Nathan Fillion
Creating and Drawing the Action Comic Character with Monte Moore
Don't Tell Your Story, Show It!
Inspired by Real Life: The True Stories Behind Graphic Novels
Invader Zim Conquers Everything!
LGBTQ Comics and Popular Media for Young People
The Four Quadrants of Publishing
11pm - 12 midnight BST
Inside The Vault of Ripley's Most Exclusive Finds
It's Morphin' Time! Power Rangers Meet Up
Keenspot 20th Annual Comic-Con Panel: Pandemic Edition
Making A Living Being Creative
The Art of Film and TV Posters
The Writer's Journey: Developing a Producer's Mentality
Wakanda, Forever! The Psychology Black Panther
World-Builders: The Evolution of Immersive Entertainment
12 midnight - 1am BST
Christmas in July: The Psychology of Pop Culture and Christmas
Everyone's a Critic: Being a Journalist in an Online Age
Full Time Creative Work On A Part Time Schedule
Indie Filmmaker's Survival Guide
Public Domain Comics: From Sherlock Holmes to Mickey Mouse and Beyond
Ray Bradbury Goes to Hollywood
Supernatural Therapy: Fighting Internal Monsters like a Hunter IRL
The Grind NEVER stops, not even during a quarantine
Villains: We're Misunderstood!
Details on the rest of the online convention will be announced soon.
Which celebs will be part of San Diego Comic Con 2020?
Disney TV Studios, which includes 20th Century Fox and ABC Studios shows, recently announced its panel lineup for Comic-Con@Home, which includes Kristen Wiig, Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Seth MacFarlane, Jake Johnson and a range of celebrities.
A Conversation with Nathan Fillion will see Alexi Hawley (the showrunner of The Rookie and Castle) interview Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Castle, The Rookie) about his career, with Joss Whedon, Alan Tudyk and Gina Torres making a guest appearance.
The cast of American Dad will also be on a panel, where they'll be taught how to draw their favourite characters.
The stars of animated series Bless the Harts – Kristen Wiig (Wonder Woman 1984), Maya Rudolph (Bridesmaids), Ike Barinholtz (The Mindy Project), Jillian Bell (Workaholics) and Fortune Feimster (The Mindy Project) – will be joining a virtual panel to chat about their favourite moments rom the first series.
The casts of Bob's Burgers – H. Jon Benjamin, John Roberts, Kristen Schaal, Eugene Mirman and Dan Mintz – will be hosting a fan Q+A, while Family Guy is holding a virtual table read featuring Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Mila Kunis and Seth Green.
Duncanville, which stars Amy Poehler, Modern Family's Ty Burrell and guest stars Rashida Jones and Wiz Khalifa, will show an exclusive look at season two, while The Simpsons' creators will be appearing to chat how they dealt with social distancing whilst creating season 32.
Various new series will also be holding panels, including Hoops – an adult animated series landing on Netflix this summer about a foul-mouthed high school basketball coach. Voice stars Jack Johnson (New Girl), Rob Riggle (21 Jump Street), Natasha Leggero (The League), Cleo King (Mike & Molly) and Ron Funches (BoJack Horseman) will take part in a virtual Q+A.
New artificial intelligence thriller Next, starring John Slattery and Fernanda Andrade, will host a panel featuring its cast, while Justin Rolland's Hulu series Solar Opposites will be appearing with its cast at Comic-Con to premiere an exclusive clip from its upcoming series.
Streaming site Hulu also announced which panels it will be running during Comic-Con, which include Helstrom – an original series starring Tom Austen and Sydney Lemmon as the offspring of a mysterious serial killer, and Crossing Swords, which follows a peasant who lands a competitive position at the royal castle.
With a host of blockbuster films due for release later this year and in early 2021, we're bound to see some stars appear via satellite link to promote their work.
These include Black Widow, Godzilla v Kong, Jurassic World: Dominion, The Suicide Squad sequel and the long-awaited Avatar 2 so hopefully this year's Comic Con will see virtual panels with the likes of Millie Bobby Brown, Alexander Skarsgârd, Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern, Margot Robbie and other stars.
Fans of DC movies and television shows will probably have to wait a bit longer, as the company is holding their own bespoke event later this summer: DC Fandome.
How much does San Diego Comic Con 2020 cost?
This year's San Diego Comic Con is completely free as attendance can only happen virtually.
Do I need a ticket?
As it's free, you won't need to sit patiently waiting to buy a ticket.
What types of event will there be?
An announcement video alerting fans to the event promised "free parking, comfy chairs, personalised snacks, no lines, pets welcome, badges for all, and a front-row seat to… Comic-Con at Home,” - but more concrete clues as to what kind of events fans might be treated to at home were in short supply.
We'd expect to see some big names from pop culture making appearances via conference call though - most likely participating in a range of panel discussions and Q&A sessions - we'll give you more information as we get it.
How can I watch the virtual Comic-Con from home?
Other than the brief teaser, the organisers haven't provided too much information about how fans can take part - but we expect clearer instructions will be issued closer to the time.
Will there be San Diego Comic-Con 2021?
The plan is to return to normal next year so yes - providing that things have gone back to something resembling normality by next year, the event has been slated to take place from 22nd-25th July 2021.
In announcing the original cancellation for 2020, the organisers said: "Recognising that countless attendees save and plan for its conventions each year, and how many exhibitors and stakeholders rely upon its events for a major portion of their livelihood, they had hoped to delay this decision in anticipation that COVID-19 concerns might lessen by summer.
"Continuous monitoring of health advisories and recent statements by the Governor of California have made it clear that it would not be safe to move forward with plans for this year.”
San Diego Comic-Con will happen in July. If you’re looking for more to watch, why not work your way through the DC movies in order or check out our TV guide.
Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
