The second day of Long Beach Comic Con offered some interesting panels, some nice dealer hall deals and much shorter lines for registration. There were still plenty of people at the convention on Sunday, but even with the crowd it was still easy to get around the convention center. It was great to see so many people show up on a Sunday to keep the energy high.

The Writer’s Journey: Breaking into Comic Book and Hollywood Scriptwriting
The second day of the convention also had a good share of creative themed panels. One of the panels that really stood out was The Writer’s Journey. This panel featured Brandon Easton (Thundercats), Geoffrey Thorne (Ben 10) and, Jonathan Callan (Ben 10) as they talked about their transition from unknown to working in comics and TV. Not only was the panel made up of anecdotes, but also advice on breaking into a very difficult industry. It was great to hear about methods to get recognized and how to better present yourself to a publisher. When the panel was over the panelists were open to even more discussion and questions outside the panel room. It goes to show how nice some guests can be and how smaller events allows for more one on one time with guests.

Dealer Hall and Artist Alley
As mentioned in day one, the dealer hall was far more than just booths selling comics. This year had a stage that would be used for short form informal panels. In addition, there were some cleared areas for games and the occasional demonstration. It is strange not hearing the crashing and cheering that came with the wrestling show that appeared in previous years. There was a good amount of booths featuring products from single issues, TPB deals, clothing, toys, and movies. It was also nice to see all the different Star Wars fan groups gathered in the back of the hall.

The artist alley was right in the middle of the hall and featured both professionals and independent artists. You could gather autographs or buy prints and it was all located in the center of the dealer hall. It could get a little crowded around the popular artists, but it did not make it too difficult to navigate the area. In addition, it was easy to find everyone because all tables were well labeled and since they were all located in one central place you knew where to go for all your autograph and indie art needs.

Let’s Scare the Kids: Bringing Horror Back to Young Adult Literature
One of the panels that really set Long Beach Comic Con apart from other conventions is the young adult horror book panel. This panel featured authors Gretchen McNeil (Possess, Ten), Jennifer Bosworth (Struck), and Daniel Marks (Velveteen) talked about their books and their inspirations. The audience asked questions and it was interesting learning about getting published in young adult literature. Young adult fiction is not explored often enough at nerd conventions and it is nice to see it come up as a topic. The presenters were very funny and everyone had a great time asking questions and discussing literary horror.

The Future of Robotech
For those who grew up in the 80s the series Robotech brings back many nostalgic memories. This year the team from Harmony Gold actually made some new announcements. The biggest one was actual footage of Cam Clarke doing voice over for the new Mospeada based saga that will become Robotech: Love, Live, Alive. In addition, they discussed the release schedule for the high quality remastered soundtracks and showed off some of the previously unreleased tracks. They also revealed that one of the writers of Empire Strikes Back is working on a script for the Robotech live action movie. It really looks like there are some exciting things coming up for Robotech fans.

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