Asian American Comic-Con heads to LA this weekend
Asian American Comic-Con is coming to Los Angeles this weekend. The event, first held in New York in 2009, are bringing together Asian indie and mainstream comics creators for a historical gathering to celebrate the unique and flourishing graphic storytelling of the Asian American community. The event “Summit on Art, Action, and the Future” will feature diverse creators talking about what to expect next.
The one-day event will feature established and emerging voices such as Phil Yu (Angry Asian Man, They Call Us Bruce); Jeff Yang (CNN, They Call Us Bruce); Tananarive Due (The Between; The Good Home); Steven Barnes (The Legacy of Heorot; The Dream Park series, both with Larry Niven); Sarah Kuhn (Heroine Complex); LaToya Morgan (writer/EP, Into the Badlands); Lewis Tan (Marvel’s Iron Fist); Keith Chow (The Nerds of Color); and, a special keynote conversation with George Takei.
The Summit will also see the world premiere unveiling of New Frontiers, a brand new graphic anthology of original stories by Asian, black, Hispanic, and Native American; lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans creators, telling original stories inspired by George Takei’s life and legacy about incarceration and exclusion, representation and resistance, the digital world and the struggle in the streets.
The event will also include an Artists Alley, where creators will be available for commissions and signings, and workshops
It will be held at the Japanese American National Museum (100 North Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012) from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Tickets are available for purchase now at Eventbrite: http://bit.ly/AACCSUMMITTIX. Be sure to RSVP to the event on Facebook and follow @SIUniverse on Twitter for more updates.
Check out the events below:
12PM—
CAN POP CULTURE SAVE THE WORLD?
Pop culture is literally the people’s culture. At a time when creative and diverse voices are both under attack, what can pop culture do to make social change?
Mod: Jeff Yang (CNN contributor, They Call Us Bruce)
Panelists: Tananarive Due (Sci-Fi pioneer/Afrofuturist); Krista Suh (Pink Pussyhat Project founder); MILCK (Singer/Musician, “Quiet” Women’s March anthem); Ira Madison III (entertainment writer for The Daily Beast)
1PM
ENVISIONING DIVERSE FUTURES
We’ve seen so many different kinds of futures unfurl in pop culture, and many of them have people of color and LGBTQ individuals as a backdrop and “local color.” What would a truly diverse, inclusive and intersectional future really look like?
Mod: Keith Chow (Founder, The Nerds of Color)
Panelists: Steve Barnes (Sci-Fi writer, The Legacy of Heorot and the Dream Park, with Larry Niven); C.B. Lee (author of Not Your Sidekick); Arune Singh (VP of Marketing, BOOM! Studios); LaToya Morgan (writer for AMC’s Into The Badlands)
2PM—
WARRIOR WOMEN: REIMAGINING THE ASIAN FEMALE HERO
In the wake of Wonder Woman, with Mulan on the horizon, what should we expect in a rich, textured, powerful and provocative Asian (or Asian American) heroine? What’s worked, what hasn’t and why has it taken so damned long?
Mod: Rebecca Sun (Sr. Reporter, The Hollywood Reporter)
Panelists: Paula Yoo (Writer/Producer, Supergirl); Sarah Kuhn (author of Heroine Complex); and Samantha Jo (actor/stunts/Amazon, DC’s Wonder Woman)
3PM—
#AAIRONFIST: BRINGING AN ASIAN AMERICAN HERO TO LIFE.
Screening & Discussion. Marvel’s Iron Fist has generally been seen as a major disappointment — and it could’ve been so much more, if only Marvel and Netflix had embraced a not-so-radical rethinking of their martial artist hero as an Asian American. Four Asian American filmmakers actually brought their reimagined concepts for an Asian American Iron Fist to life, and they’ll share their short videos as part of a conversation with the creator of the #AAIRONFIST hashtag.
Mod: Keith Chow (Founder, The Nerds of Color)
Panelists: Lewis Tan (Actor, Marvel’s IRON FIST); Benjamin To (Filmmaker); Susan Cheng (Entertainment Reporter, Buzzfeed); Claire Lanay (Actress/Podcaster)
4PM
AWARD PRESENTATION & LIVE RECORDING OF THEY CALL US BRUCE PODCAST to GEORGE TAKEI
We’ll close the day with a very special session — awarding the first-ever Excelsior Award for Art in the Service of Activism to the legendary George Takei , followed by a LIVE RECORDING of a conversation between Takei, Jeff Yang and Phil Yu (Angry Asian Man) for their podcast#THEYCALLUSBRUCE.
