My list of NYCC 2022 attending panels is the exact opposite of what it usually is.
In years past, my most frequent stop is Artist’s Alley to discover new-to-me artists and creators, sometimes to buy prints or even a commission. I have kept my panel attendance to one per day, generally about classic comics. I was thrilled to be at a panel where the late, great Denny O’Neil made his last con appearance. Last year, I attended one about the life and works of Mark Gruenwald.
But in 2022, my schedule is full of those big, crowded panels for major television shows. These include Ghosts, Good Omens, Wheel of Time/Rings of Power (combined), Star Trek, and Let’s Get Weird, about the new Weird Al movie with Daniel Radcliffe. I’d never gone to those panels because the lines are insane and I had better things to do with my time than wait and hope. But this year, ReedPop opened pre-registration for the Main and Empire stage panels. I managed to get online in time, despite the system later crashing, and was able to sign up for all my dream panels.
This will be a new way for me to experience a con. I’ve attended ones where I’ve been in press rooms and that is cool. But it’s rare for me to be in a room with a big fandom event. The last time, it was a panel for Wynonna Earp in 2016 at Comic-Con in San Diego. The room was packed, as it was in a smaller venue, and I was there when they announced the show had been renewed for a second season. The crowd erupted and it remains one of my favorite con memories.
What will happen at these panels? Something new, something fun, I hope! Here’s the day-by-day schedule. I’ll try to post reports the day after the panels but we’ll see how much my brain is overwhelmed and shell-shocked from all this, so no promises. There are other panels I’ve marked but these are the ones I’m certain to attend.
Thursday, NYCC Day 1 Panels
Ghosts Exclusive Screening and Panel:
Welcome to Woodstone! TV’s #1 new series and fan favorite phenomenon Ghosts, follows Samantha and Jay a couple who learn that their new dream house is inhabited by ghosts that only Samantha can see and hear. Please join select cast members and executive producers for an exclusive sneak peek of an episode from Season Two followed by a lively and “spirited” moderated panel discussion.
#Broadway to Hollywood: 2nd Annual Look at the New Age of Musicals
Get a special inside look at the making of A Strange Loop, Annie Live!, Come From Away,
Moulin Rouge, KPOP, DCappella, TikTok’s “For You, Paige,” and more! Join us for a special
conversation with creatives behind these projects on how musicals get made and how some get
adapted for television, film, social media, and beyond!
Featuring orchestrator Charlie Rosen (A Strange Loop; Moulin Rouge; Be More Chill), hair and
wig designer Mia Neal (Annie Live!; KPOP; West Side Story 2020 Revival), executive music
producer Ian Eisendrath (Come From Away), composer and music supervisor Daniel Mertzlufft
(Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical; TikTok’s For You, Paige), and Esin Aydingoz (Composer,
Arranger, Pianist; DCappella). Moderated by actress Lorna Courtney (Juliet in & Juliet)!
Friday, NYCC Day 2 Panels
Prime Video Presents: Good Omens
In 2019, Aziraphale and Crowley helped save the world from the Apocalypse. Next year, they’ll return to solve a mystery that takes in all of Heaven and Hell. It’s time for an overdue celebration of all things Good Omens, and some of the creators and cast will return to New York Comic Con for a very special fan Q&A. Plan your questions and get ready to share in the behind-the-scenes stories of our favorite angel and demon, and perhaps some of your most burning questions about what you can expect in Season Two will be answered with more than just a “wait and see.”
Prime Video Presents: The Wheel of Time & The Lord of the Rings, The Rings of Power
Prime Video presents a dream programming block for the fantasy fan, when The Wheel of Time and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power take to New York Comic Con’s Empire Stage for back-to-back panels with series talent from each show.
Following their season-long adventure that culminated in a showdown with The Dark One and the shocking reveal of The Dragon Reborn’s identity, the cast and creative team behind The Wheel of Time will assemble in New York for their first in-person Comic Con. Join series stars and showrunner Rafe Judkins as they reflect back on their Season One journey, both on and off screen, as well as drop a few hints of what audiences can anticipate from the hotly anticipated second season.
Join members of the cast from the Prime Video Original series The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power for an in-depth panel discussion about the first seven episodes of this groundbreaking series. Based on J.R.R Tolkien’s Second Age and beginning in a time of relative peace, The Rings of Power follows an ensemble cast of characters as they confront the reemergence of evil to Middle-Earth. Fans can get ready for some fun behind-the-scenes stories, hints about the long-awaited season finale, and a few surprises along the way.
Note: I like the first show but I’m here for Tolkien!
Saturday, NYCC Day 3 Panels
Star Trek Universe
The fan-favorite Star Trek universe panel returns to New York Comic Con, featuring conversations with the cast and executive producers Star Trek: Picard and the hit animated series Star Trek: Prodigy.
Star Trek: Picard returns for its third and final season with the iconic Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden, Brent Spiner, Marina Sirtis and Michael Dorn, as well as Executive Producers Alex Kurtzman, Rod Roddenberry and Terry Matalas. Star Trek: Prodigy returns to the NYCC stage this year with the talented voice cast including Kate Mulgrew, Ella Purnell, Brett Gray and Jameela Jamil, alongside Executive Producers Alex Kurtzman, Rod Roddenberry, Kevin Hageman, Dan Hageman and Ben Hibon as they discuss what’s ahead.
Note: this is my only big panel for Saturday but, wow, as a Trek fan, my eyes are widening at the heavy hitters brought to this panel.
Sunday, Day 4 NYCC Panels
Let’s Get Weird
Note: I can’t think of a better last panel than this one!
Come join the all-star cast and director of Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. A Roku Original film streaming free on The Roku Channel this November 4th. MTV & Comedy Central’s Josh Horowitz will join Daniel Radcliffe, Evan Rachel Wood, and director Eric Appel onstage, and the legendary man himself, “Weird” Al Yankovic, will join virtually to take us behind-the-scenes in an exclusive panel about the filming of this outrageously epic biopic.
