New York Comic Con 2020: The 8 Panels We’re Most Excited to Watch

New York Comic Con may be going virtual this year, but the panels are still full of the same passion for pop culture and fandom! From October 8th through October 11th, NYCC will feature everything from upcoming film adaptation sneak peeks to author interviews to world-building strategies and beyond! We’ve scavenged the super long lineup of fantastic virtual events to find our most anticipated. Below are just a few of the NYCC festivities that we can’t wait to watch. Be sure to pencil these into your (digital) schedule!

Oh, and by the way: In celebration of Comic Con, we’ve also rounded up some of the most epic book sweepstakes. Check out our schedule of all the bookish goodies up for grabs and enter for your chance to win!

And for the latest Comic Con news, stay tuned to Simon & Schuster’s New York Comic Con page for more details.

Our Most Anticipated Events

SUNDAY, October 11

(10 am EDT) | The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2020

The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy series is the premier annual showcase of the country’s finest writers in the genre. This year’s anthology features a truly fantastic lineup selected by guest editor Diana Gabaldon, author of the mega-best-selling Outlander series, and series editor John Joseph Adams; from Charlie Jane Anders to Rebecca Roanhorse. Tune in to hear these genre titans discuss the ever-expanding and changing world of science fiction and fantasy.

(3 pm EDT) | All the Starfleet Ladies

From Uhura to Janeway to Burnham, Star Trek has a rich history of portraying complex, powerful female-identifying characters. How do Star Trek authors perceive their role in continuing this legacy in their Star Trek novels? Join Una McCormack (author of Picard: The Last Best Hope), Swapna Krishna (space, tech, and pop culture journalist), author Cassandra Rose Clarke, LJ Jackson (publicity manager at Saga Press), and moderator Kendra James (editor at StarTrek.com), as they examine the ladies of Star Trek from its inception to the present.

PANELISTS: Una McCormack (Picard: The Last Best Hope), Swapna Krishna (science journalist), Cassandra Rose Clarke (Star Trek: Shadows Have Offended), Lauren Jackson (marketing/publicity, Saga Press), Kendra James (editor, StarTrek.com)

(4:10 pm EDT) | Go Farther, Explore Deeper! | How Media Tie-Ins Enhance Storytelling

Media Tie-Ins enhance our appreciation of intellectual properties by telling new stories, or telling familiar tales in a different way. Explore the worlds of Avatar, Star Trek, Star Wars, Valiant Comics’ Faith, podcast protagonists Finn Caspian and Mars Patel, and Dungeons & Dragons with F.C. Yee (Avatar: The Shadow of Kyoshi), Una McCormack (Star Trek: Picard: The Last Best Hope), Julie Murphy (Faith: Taking Flight), Jonathan Messinger (The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspianseries), Sheela Chari (The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel), Preeti Chhibber (Star Wars Clone Wars Anthology, A Jedi, You Will Be), and Matt Forbeck (Dungeons & Dragons: The Mad Mage’s Academy: An Endless Quest Book)!

(4:45 pm EDT) | SFF IRL: Can Mermaids Get Drunk? And Other Important Questions

Moderated by S.B. Divya (Machinehood), panelists Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone (This Is How You Lose the Time War), Kat Leyh (Lumberjanes), Ken Liu (The Grace of Kings, Wall of Storms, Hidden Girl and Other Stories), and Rebecca Roanhorse (Trail of Lightning, Star Wars: Resistance Reborn) delve into the possibilities and impossibilities of how their worldbuilding works. What elements of “real life” inspired the fantastical elements of their worlds? Find out here.