Comic-Con@Home: 7 must-see online panels

Long before it began cramming 135,000 visitors into San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter each summer — with many of them choosing to sleep outside for two days just for the chance to gawk at their favorite movie stars — Comic-Con was a celebration of comic books.

Actual physical, paper-and-ink comic books, as well as the writers and artists behind them.

After years of complaints that it had grown far too big, the convention is moving closer to its roots, and all it took was a crippling global pandemic.

Like most everything else in this blazing cesspool of a summer, Comic-Con, scheduled for July 22-26, has gone virtual. And while the socially-distant installment, rebranded Comic-Con@Home, will present plenty of online panels, it will be missing many of the marquee names — especially Marvel Studios and Warner Bros.’ DC titles — that could be counted on to pack Hall H.

Movie and TV panels haven’t gone away. Hollywood will have a limited presence this year, though, namely because so many projects have been delayed for safety reasons. No one knows when movie theaters will reopen, so there’s little use in promoting movies yet. Many of the hotly anticipated new fall TV shows that traditionally populate Comic-Con haven’t even been filmed.

As a result, Comic-Con@Home will give fans a chance to check out some of the quirkier panels — “Zombies and Coronavirus: Planning for the Next Big Outbreak,” “Virtual Costuming and Cosplay Advice and Support for the Mature Cosplayer” — or comic-centric sessions — “How To Write And Create Manga,” “Robert Kirkman at Home” — that can get overlooked in person.

Comic-Con@Home panels are free to watch, and anyone can see them without having to wrangle one of those hard-to-come-by badges. (For the complete schedule and viewing links, see comic-con.org.)

With that in mind, here’s a look at seven of the must-see panels:

‘Star Trek’ Universe

10 a.m. Thursday, July 23

Patrick Stewart and his “Star Trek: Picard” co-stars discuss the first season. The cast of “Star Trek: Discovery” delivers a virtual table read of the Season 2 finale. “Star Trek: Lower Decks” reveals an extended first look at the animated comedy series.

‘Lovecraft Country’

4 p.m. Saturday, July 25

The buzzy HBO drama series, set in 1950s Jim Crow America, gathers the cast, including Jurnee Smollett, Jonathan Majors, Michael Kenneth Williams and Courtney B. Vance.

‘Charlize Theron: An Action Hero Career Retrospective’

10 a.m. Friday, July 24

The Oscar-winning actress looks back at some of her more physical roles and discusses the evolution of the modern female action hero.

‘The Boys’

3 p.m. Thursday, July 23

Executive producer Eric Kripke and the cast offer a behind-the-scenes look at the next season of Amazon Prime’s absurdly violent superhero drama.

‘The Walking Dead: World Beyond’

2 p.m. Friday, July 24

Chris Hardwick moderates this panel featuring the cast and creative talent of the upcoming AMC spinoff.

‘Helstrom’

3 p.m. Friday, July 24

Get an early look at Marvel’s next TV series, coming to Hulu this fall, that focuses on the demon-fighting children of a serial killer.

‘Archer’

5 p.m. Friday, July 24

The voice cast of the delightfully silly animated spy series talks about what the upcoming 11th season has in store for Sterling Archer and his crew of misfits.

Contact Christopher Lawrence at clawrence@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4567. Follow @life_onthecouch on Twitter.