San Diego Comic-Con returns to in-person action this week, and attendees are excited to walk through San Diego Convention Center again. As always, San Diego Comic-Con comes with a plethora of panels for all kinds of fans. We look at 10 great panels to check out during the convention. San Diego Comic-Con is sold out, but Comic-Con International is still auctioning off badges here. Money raised from the auction will go towards the development of the Comic-Con Museum. San Diego Comic-Con runs from July 21 through July 24 with a preview night on July 20.

Thursday, July 21

8th Musical Anatomy of a Superhero: Film & TV Composer Panel
Where: Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront
When: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Music composers Natalie Holt (Batgirl, Loki), Nami Melumad (Thor: Love and Thunder), Christophe Beck (Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania), Christopher Lennertz (The Boys), Amie Doherty (She-Hulk: Attorney at Law) and moderator Michael Giacchino (The Batman, Thor: Love and Thunder, Spiderman: No Way Home) will discuss the challenges of creating the perfect score for some of the biggest superhero films and TV shows ever.

Tabletop RPGs and the Shared Story Experience
Where: Room 26AB
When: 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

TTRPGs have seen massive growth over the years with shows such as Stranger Things and Critical Role introducing a new generation to them. Ajit A. George (Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel, Ravenloft), Whitney “Strix” Beltran (Hidden Path Entertainment, Bluebeards Bride), John Nee (Marvel RPG, DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Cryptozoic), Matt Forbeck (Marvel RPG, Marvel Encyclopedia, Deadlands RPG), Matt Fantastic (Forever Stoked Creative, Game Designer), and Jon Ritter-Roderick (Kickstarter) will discuss this newfound fascination towards this form of gaming.

ZRock Comics: Why the Indie Route?
Where: Room 32AB
When: 6 p.m. - 7 p.m.

The folks behind ZRock Comics discuss why they're sticking with the indie route with their latest series The Ferryman, which can be seen on Webtoon right now.

Friday, July 22

Heroes of Color: Diversity in Graphic Novels
Where: Room 9
When: 4 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Gabriela Epstein (illustrator, Invisible), Gale Galligan (author, Freestyle), Shauna J. Grant (Mimi and the Cutie Catastrophe), Pablo Leon (illustrator, Miles Morales: Stranger Tides), and Jamar Nicholas (author, Leon the Extraordinary) join forces to talk about creating extraordinary diverse heroes in graphic novels.

Shudder's Queer for Fear
Where: Room 6A
When: 4:45 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.

Shudder will give attendees a sneak peek at their forthcoming documentary series Queer For Fear. Arriving this fall, the series focuses on queer representation in horror films and TV shows. Executive producers and interviewees from the show will be on hand to discuss the program.

Saturday, July 23

LOVE x LOVE: All-inclusive Romance from TOKYOPOP
Where: Room 29AB
When: 5 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Since launching in 2020, Tokyopop's romance imprint Love x Love has delivered stories such as Breath of Flowers, Would You Like To Be A Family?, and Don't Call Me Dirty. This Tokyopop panel, which will feature digital marketing assistant Kitt Burgess, head of marketing Kae Winters, and editor Lina Atanasova, will discuss how queer romance is often represented in romance manga.

Taking Off with Rocketship Entertainment
Where: Room 23ABC
When: 6 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Formed in 2019, Rocketship Entertainment has produced a slew of exciting titles, including Dune: The Official Movie Graphic Novel, Metaphorical HER, and Girls Have a Blog. Rocketship Entertainment CEO and publisher Tom Akel, Leeanne M. Krecic (aka “Mongie,” creator of the Eisner-nominated Let's Play), New York Times bestselling author Nick Seluk (Lars the Awkward Yeti, Heart & Brain), Ryan Benjamin (creator of the Eisner-nominated Brothers Bond), Eisner Award winner Sanford Greene (1000), Thom Zahler (Cupid's Arrows, Warning Label), and Reilly Brown (Outrage) will be on hand to discuss what’s coming up next from the company.

Sunday, July 24

Actor Omar Epps Shares First Look at Afrofuturist Fantasy Series
Where: Room 6DE
When: 11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

For years, actor Omar Epps has delivered nominated performances in Love & Basketball, House, and Resurrection. Now, the Brooklyn native is venturing into the graphic novel world with Nubia: The Awakening, which was co-written with Clarence A. Haynes. The book, which arrives on November 8 via Delacorte Press, follows three teenagers with special powers and their journey through a ruined NYC.

Adapting Famous Books and TV for Comics
Where: Grand 12 & 13, Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina
When: 12 p.m.  - 1 p.m.

While many people wonder about comic books being adapted into popular TV shows, no one ever thinks about shows getting the comic book treatment. Writers Mark Haynes (Battlestar Galactica, Stargate), David Avallone (Elvira, Doc Savage), and Steven Peros (SHI, Stoker & Wells) will discuss how they managed to adapt popular books and TV shows into comic books.

Couples Who Cosplay Together
Where: Grand 10 & 11, Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina
When: 2 p.m. - 3 p.m.

When it comes to cosplaying, it's always better with others. Three cosplaying couples [Trevor and Wendy Newton (3 years), Shawn Richter and Lisa Lower (5 years), and Miguel and Lucy Capuchino (30+ years)] will discuss the ups and downs of cosplaying as a pair.