NYCC 2021: When, where, and how to watch the big panels

New York Comic Con has returned to its physical form after going virtual in the wake of last year’s pandemic. There are many meetups and panels for attendees. The heavy hitters may be sticking to their own cons — remember, DC Fandome is next weekend! — but there are some stars and discussions you’re sure to like over NYCC’s four-day span.

From Thursday, October 7th through Sunday, October 10, these are the top and most exciting panels that will take place at New York Comic Con. Keep an eye on our coverage at Polygon’s NYCC 2021 hub.

Animation

Animaniacs

Hulu introduced Animaniacs In 2020 and even though there were some issues, the second season was planned. With the new set of episodes premiering on Nov. 5, it’s time to see what chaos the Warner Brothers — and sister! — will wreak. Voice actors Rob Paulsen (Yakko), Jess Harnell (Wakko), Tress MacNeille (Dot), and Maurice Lamarche (the Brain) are coming to their panel with a look at season two’s musical bits and parodies, plus some “important” safety tips.

Why should you go? Though the first season wasn’t without its issues, Animaniacs It is always funny. After their first season, shows usually improve and so the writer team has had a year to get to know the Warners better in modern times. Having the actors in a cast together is sure to bring out some laughter.

Panel at 2:05 p.m. on Sunday October 10, 2010. ET (also available online)

Legend of Vox Machina: Critical Role

Image from Critical Roll

You may have heard of a webseries called Critical Role, where a bunch of voice actors — including Last of Us Ashley Johnson stars and Laura Bailey stars Overwatch’s Matthew Mercer, and requisite Thor voice actor Travis Willingham — play Dungeons & Dragons. In 2019, the group launched a Kickstarter to adapt its first campaign, “The Legend of Vox Machina,” into an animated series, and it unsurprisingly got funded pretty quickly. Now it’s an upcoming series on Amazon Prime, and the virtual panel will feature the cast and an extended preview of the animated madness to come. For those who can’t make the in-person panel, it’ll also be streaming.

Watch! D&D has blown up big over the last few years, and actual play series like Critical Role are part of the reason why. With merchandise sales and expanded universe comics, Critical Role is a huge success. This is its second campaign. The Mighty Nein It was ended, and the matter was then followed-up with Exandria UnlimitedMiniseries invite even more people to join the fray. For fans of Vox The animated series is already popular with campaign, so new viewers may be able to get a fix of fantasy.

Panel at 11 AM on Friday Oct. 8. ET (also streamed virtually)

The Voices of Star Wars Animation feat. Dee Bradley Baker & Matthew Wood

Dee Bradley Baker is a man whose voice you’ve heard your whole life, even if you haven’t noticed it. He’s been animals. He’s been aliens. He’s been clones. The man’s been working hard at the voice acting gig for decades, and now he’s got a panel to talk about his career and some of his favorite roles.

Why should you go? Baker, who is the voice of General Grievous in various voices, will hopefully have a conversation with Wood. Sure, there’ll be some valuable insight into the various roles he’s had over the years, but watching him talk to himself as a Clone Trooper, then Numbuh 4 from Children Next Door The visit would be worthwhile.

Panel at 12 noon on Friday Oct. 8. ET

Dragon Ball Super Hero

Image: Toei Animation/Funimation

Revealed at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, Super Hero The next film in the Dragon Ball Series is this movie. Get joined by Dragon Super The behind-the scenes discussion will feature Norihiro Hayashida and Akio Itoku, voice actors for Whis and Monica Rial (Bulma). Super Hero.

Why should you go? Dragon Ball The fans are hungry for any information. Super Hero It has been going on for many months. The title was announced at SDCC, along with a new CG styling that’s a significant departure from the usual animation of the franchise. It will also be the third movie in the franchise’s history. This means that almost all new details are likely to be revealed. It’s worth noting that there’s no news on when the panel will go online, if ever — this one may be strictly for those in person.

Panel at 12:30 pm on Thursday Oct. 7. ET

My Hero Academia

Funimation’s superhero anime is getting another film to give Deku and his classmates a chance to shine. Panel for World Heroes’ Mission The film will include the cast and crew of the dub, as well as a glimpse at the production before it releases on October 29th.

Why should you go? It was an unforgettable experience, and the second My Hero film ended up being amongst the top superhero movies of 2020. You can always count on anime to provide heroic spectacles and genuine heart. Heroes’ Mission looks to continue the franchise’s trend.

Panel at Wednesday, Oct. 8, 3:00 PM ET

Comics

Brian K. Vaughan

Vertigo Comics

Brian K. Vaughan wrote Paper Girls, Saga, And Y: The Last ManCreated, and. RunawaysMarvel. (He’s also writing that Gundam Netflix movie! The award-winning writer is holding a panel to talk about his past and present work, and hopefully talk about what’s to come.

Why should you go? Vaughan’s a pretty great writer of comics and TV, and creators looking back at their past work always have the potential to deliver interesting info. Many of Vaughan’s comics are currently being developed for television. Paper Girls And Y, The Last Man he’s got some insight to give. And maybe we’ll even get an update on Saga, This site has been temporarily unavailable since 2018.

Panel Saturday, October 9th at 2 PM ET

Department of Truth

Writer James Tynion IV and artist Martin Simmonds’ creator-owned comic The Department of Truth It is about conspiracies, and how they could threaten reality if they are believed. Tynion, now focused solely on his own work rather than DC’s, will hold a panel with a historian and professor in critical thinking to talk about the importance and powers conspiracy theories bring to the world.

There’s no reason to stay! Department of Truth has been one of Tynion’s strongest books since it arrived a year ago, and Simmonds’ art gives everything an eerie vibe and a feeling of uncertainty. It’ll be interesting to watch him walk through his choices in conspiracies with professors who specialize in these fields. This may provide insight. Blue Book Substack Comic with Michael Oeming & Aditya Birikar about UFO encounters

Panel Saturday, October 9th at 2 PM ET

John Paul Leon tribute

John Paul Leon is a comic book artist whose works spans many decades. BatmanStatic Shock and Jupiter’s LegacyAfter a fourteen-year fight with cancer, he passed away in January. To celebrate his life, a trio of his peers are holding a panel to explore some of his work from the start of his career to the present, including his final work in the pages of Mark Millar and Tommy Lee Edwards’ Jupiter’s Legacy: Requiem.

Why should you go? Leon’s death was a big deal among the comics community. Marvel’s Joe Quesada and DC’s Jim Lee each wrote separate eulogies and ran tributes in their first run of comics in June, and a GoFundMe campaign was set up to fund his daughter’s college education. It is anticipated that the panel will celebrate one of America’s most respected illustrators.

Panel at 5 PM on Thursday Oct. 7. ET

Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo

Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo teamed up during DC’s New 52 era that saw the duo’s Batman The commercial success of Run led to the subsequent release, which was followed later by Dark Nights – Metal Miniseries are just a few examples. They are now moving to ComiXology where they will be able to start their creator-owned series. Demons We Have

Why should you go? Capullo and Snyder have been a formidable pairing. Snyder has made moves to create more innovative work for ComiXology. Demons is the first of many comics he’s doing with the platform, and as his American Vampire And Batman As his books show, Capullo loves to write monsters. Capullo can create some truly freaky things on the pages, which points to yet another hit.

Panel Saturday, Oct. 9, at 5 p.m. ET

Webtoon

Image by StarBite/Webtoon/DC Comics

Indie comics and books platforms have become more prominent over time. Webtoon, Wattpad are just two examples. You can find original works on platforms such as Lore Olympus And After They have been made into mainstream successes and adapted for television and film. Authors Míriam Bonastre Tur (Webtoon’s Hooky) and Ariana Godoy (Wattpad’s A Través De Mi Ventana() Will discuss their fans and how to publish and adapt their content.

Why should you go? Webtoon’s presence in the comics space is so big that DC let the platform host a Batman comic, which pretty much says it all. If you’re trying to get an original work of your own off the ground, learning how it can be done from creatives in the indie space is sure to yield some important information.

Panel at 3:30 PM on Friday Oct. 8. ET (also available online)

Movies/TV

The Boys

With two seasons under its belt and a third underway, Amazon’s The Boys This show has been acclaimed as being a very good and funny (and somewhat gory) series about corporate assholes, as well as the ordinary people trying to get them down. The first season’s best moments will be remembered by cast members Jack Quaid and Karen Fukuhara (Kimiko), Chace Warren (The Deep), Erin Moriarty, Starlight (Chace Crawford), and Homelander Anthony Starr.

Why should you go? Other than seeing if they’ll bring something for the third season with them, you can look for what moments from the series stick out to them. Starr is a double example of Starr’s messed-up behavior in both seasons. Fukuhara and Moriarty might bring up their time collaborating with a Nazi.

Panel at 4:45 PM on Thursday Oct. 7. ET

Chucky

The Child’s Play franchise has had a relatively steady stream of films since 1988, but the new Chucky Its first TV venture is series. The first episode of the series will be shown at the Syfy panel. Don Mancini, the creator of the show and Jennifer Tilly, the series star, will then launch into an exclusive one-on-one discussion about the franchise.

Why should you go? Television shows that are based on film franchises have been created all over, but Chucky enjoys the benefits of the original creator as the head chef. As a sequel to 2017’s Chucky’s Cult It is both a gateway to future franchise films, with potential. Mancini could drop some hint about how it might go.

Panel Friday, October 8th at 1:05 p.m. ET

The evil

Paramount Plus

Perhaps you’ve seen it. It is evil A CBS show about David the Priest (Mike Colter), Kristen, the forensic psychologist (Katja Harbers), Ben (Aasif Mandvi), and Techie Ben (Aasif Mandvi), investigating supernatural events. Now in the middle of a second season on Paramount+, the lead actors and co-creators Robert and Michelle King — who also handle the equally compelling The Good Fight for the same streamer — are doing a panel to talk about creating the horror series and what’s to come.

Watch! If Evil’s Paramount+’s second season premiered. It was often humorous and modern. The Exorcist It is our absolute support. It’s a show that is constantly off its own shit and always yields interesting results, such as an episode that takes place almost entirely without dialogue.

Live streaming Friday, October 8th at 5:15 PM. ET (also streamed virtually)

The Expanse

The Expanse is a series adapting James SA Corey’s — the shared pen name for writers Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck — sci-fi novel series of the same name. Originally debuting on Syfy for three seasons and then being moved to Amazon, it is ending its sixth season. The cast and creators will hold a celebration panel.

Watch! You can read it as both a book or a series. The Expanse The series has enjoyed a loyal following that helped save it from being cancelled and led to three more seasons on Amazon. In addition to the look at season six, it’ll be nice to watch the cast and crew kick back and reminisce about the series. And who knows — since Franck and Abraham consider season six more like a “pause” than a complete end, maybe there’s a surprise up their sleeves.

Live streaming Friday, October 8th at 12:45 pm. ET (also streamed virtually)

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Six years later, and some delays caused by pandemics, we are now at the fourth Ghostbusters. The movie will finally be released theatrically on November 19. To discuss this film, Jason Reitman (director) and Ivan Reitman (producer) will be joined at the table by the actors. Afterlife to present new clips and information about the franchise.

Why should you go? If you’re a fan of the series, you’ll certainly want to go. For the best social media coverage, panelists of big movies will always keep big announcements and clips for their big movie panels. Afterlife’s This is no exception.

Panel Friday, October 8th at 6:30 pm ET

Star Trek

Image: CBS Eye Animation Productions

Star Trek: The Fourth Season of Star Trek will be a big hit this autumn. Discovery November 18th, the premier of the CG series Prodigy October 28, 2008. There’ll be separate panels for the shows, each featuring the respective cast and crew as team members talk up where their shows are about to boldly go on Paramount Plus.

Why should you go? Star Trek After a long cinematic period with the reboot, he has found great success returning to TV. Discovery’s Continued success is not something new. Prodigy The 55-year old franchise marks a pivotal moment as it produces its first animated series for younger audiences. The upcoming season 2 of Picard The debut of Strange New Worlds next year, and there’s a whole lotta Star Trek on the horizon.

Discovery panel at 12:45 on Saturday Oct. 9. ET; Sunday’s Prodigy panel will be at 12:45 pm. ET

Blumhouse: Welcome!

Blumhouse released last year an anthology movie series via Amazon Prime. The production company, which has its roots in mid-tier horror movies and earned a reputation for producing them, Blumhouse. Now there’s a new quartet of horror films coming from Blumhouse this month — Gigi Saul Guerrero’s Bingo Hell, Maritte Lee Go’s As Black as Night Ryan Zaragoza’sMadres and Axelle Carolyn’s The Manor — and all four directors will talk about their experiences directing their respective films.

Watch! What was the initial iteration You are most welcome While the common theme of family love was the uniting theme, this new film set is focused more on personal and societal fears. Blumhouse is a big fan of socially conscious horror, whether it’s for good or bad. Candyman revival didn’t already make that clear. Plus, it’s October, so why not watch something scary at no real cost?

Live streaming Thursday Oct. 7, at 3:45 PM. ET

The Shadows: What Do We Do?

New York’s about to get invaded by vampires. With a preview of an upcoming episode and some special guests by their side, the cast and crew of FX’s The Shadows: What Do We Do? are holding a panel for the show’s in-progress third season.

What are you waiting for? The first two seasons were called Shadows one of the best shows in its respective years (2019 and 2020), and season three hasn’t broken that trend. If seeing a scene from an upcoming episode that’ll surely be hilarious isn’t good enough incentive to attend, maybe watching the cast riff with each other and whoever else they rope in onstage will be.

Panel at 2:45 PM on Sunday Oct. 10, 2010. ET

Wheel of Time

Photo: Amazon Prime Video

Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time Amazon approved the adaptation of the Series in an attempt to repeat the success. Game of Thrones. Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) is searching for the “Dragon Reborn,” a person who may be fated to stop the incoming apocalypse. Pike, along with much of the cast and showrunner Rafe Judkins, will talk about the act of bringing the books to life and bring some new information ahead of the show’s Nov. 19 premiere.

Then why not? Jordan’s novels have a Lot they are well-known for their elaborate world and unique magic system. Judkins has previously talked about the delicate line between adapting the books wholesale and making the show its own thing, and he’s got big plans for the show if it goes further than its initial two-season deal.

Panel at 2:30 pm on Friday Oct. 8. ET (also streamed virtually)

Y: The Last Man

Pia Guerra and Brian K. Vaughn’s post-apocalyptic comic from 2005, about the last living cisgender man on the planet (and his pet monkey!The comic was recently made into an FX series on Hulu by Eliza Clark. This panel, featuring showrunner Eliza Clark and the cast, will have an advance screening of the seventh episode followed by a moderated Q&A to talk about updating the comic and bringing it to life.

Why should you go? Despite failed attempts in the past to bring this series to life, FX’s current take on Y This has been an unexpectedly timely focus on power and how it is used during times of disaster. It’s been a promising first half of the season and who knows, maybe they’ll surprise with a season two announcement during the panel.

Saturday, October 9th at 6:15 p.m. Panel ET