This year's annual Comic Con International in San Diego, California is coming up and we are inviting all attending SCS members to meet up with us at a number of planned events.The convention runs from Wednesday July 13 (Preview Night) through Sunday July 17 at the San Diego Convention Center. The two biggest SCS events planned are a Simpsons Collectors Meeting on Friday afternoon and a dinner on Friday night. See the schedule below for all planned SCS meetups as well as some panels that may be of interest to our members. NOTE: All meetups will take place at the Bongo Comics booth, unless otherwise noted.

Wednesday, July 13 (Preview Night: 5:30 to 8:30 p.m):

• Meetup/Hanging Out: 8:15pm
  Meet with fellow SCS members towards the end of the Preview Night. SCS members will be driving to a night of fun at a nearby Dave and Busters (2931 Camino Del Rio North). Punch and pie.

Thursday, July 14:

• Meetup: 10:30am
  Meet with fellow SCS members at the Bongo Comics booth to chat for a few minutes before heading off to get your Con on.
• Action Figure Times: Toymaker Q&A panel: 6:00-7:00pm, Room 4
  Ever wanted to know why one character was chosen for production over another? Why your favorite character was limited or just what toy companies are thinking? This is the place to ask those folks who have the answers: the manufacturers (both big and small) of their favorite figures and statues. Panelists include Jerry Malcaluso, president of SOTA; Randy Falk, head of product development for NECA; Mez Markowitz, president of Mezco Toys; Raymond Choy, president of Toy2R; Kevin Winnik, director of marketing for Tower Records; Brandt Bridges, product designer for Sideshow Collectibles; Seth Johnson, games designerer for WizKids; Larry Marder, president of McFarlane Toys; and Eddie Haydon, brand manager for Mattel. Audience members will be encouraged to ask their questions. Prize raffle to follow the panel discussion. Moderated by AFTimes.com
• Meetup/Hanging Out:
  Meet with fellow SCS members at the Bongo Comics booth near the end of the Convention for another evening of fun. SCS members will be driving to dinner at an area In N Out Burger (4375 Kearny Mesa Rd.) location. After that, the plan is to go play miniature golf at Boomers (6999 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.).

Friday, July 15:

• Meetup: 10:30am
  Meet with fellow SCS members at the Bongo Comics booth to chat for a few minutes before heading off to get your Con on.
• Simpsons Collectors Meeting: 2:00-3:00pm, Room 24A (in the new portion of the Convention Center, on the top floor, on the city-side hallway near the South end of the building)
  Simpsons collectors of the world unite! Take a break from the busy Con floor and get a chance to meet some of your fellow collectors of Simpsons merchandise. This gathering is sponsored by the staff of the SimpsonsCollectors.com website. Collectors from all over the country will be here. Meet the other Simpsons collectors that you see on the message boards and put faces to the names. This gathering is a great chance to network with other collectors from across the country and share your hobby with others.
• Action Figure Insider: Under the Knife panel: 5:30-7:00pm, Room 9
  Action figure sculpting is pop art that is just recently coming into the spotlight. In years past, nameless, faceless sculptors cranked out figure after figure of beloved characters, but today the sculptors are becoming better known among fans and the industry. In this discussion with some of the industry’s top sculptors you’ll discover the path that led them to many a fanboy’s dream job. Find out what tools and materials they use and where laser scanning ends and the sculptor takes over. Panelists will discuss mold-making, painting, and scanning technology. Find out their favorites, and what figure they would like to do over. Moderator Julius Marx, from ActionFigureInsider.com, is joined by panelists Tim Bruckner, sculptor, and Shawn Knapp, associate art director, DC Direct; Chris Dahlberg, Eric “Cornboy” Mayes, and The Four Horsemen, sculptors, Mattel, NECA; Digger, president and founder, Art Asylum; and Ruben Procopio, sculptor, Electric Tiki, Disney Feature Animation.
• Bongo Comics Sneak Peek panel: 6:00-7:00 pm, Room 8
  Bongo Comics offers a mouth-watering preview of several upcoming Simpsons and Futurama comic projects. Bongo’s managing editor Terry Delegeane, along with Ian Boothby (The Simpsons/Futurama Crossover Crisis), and Bill Morrison (Heroes Anonymous) will share what’s in the future for Futurama Comics, Simpsons Comics, and Bongo’s newest title, Simpsons Super Spectacular! This all-star panel also features a special spotlight on Bart Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror #11, with superstar guest creators Gene Colan (Daredevil), Mark Schultz (Xenozoic Tales), Len Wein, (X-Men), Marv Wolfman (Tomb of Dracula), and Bernie Wrightson (Swamp Thing)!
• SCS Dinner/Midnight Bowling: 7:30-8pm
  This year's dinner will be at the new House of Blues location downtown (5th, between Broadway and C street). This is within walking distance of the convention. Meet with SCS members at the end of the show or meet in front of the restaurant. Please be prompt as a large party must be present for this booking. Cost per person is $28.50 plus applicable tax and tip. Alcoholic beverages available at extra cost. Please feel free to email me at: blueduck37@hotmail.com if you have any questions about the dinner.
  Also, following dinner, SCSers will be going for midnight bowling at Sunset Bowl (3093 Clairemont Dr): "Xtreme Bowling" attracts both teens and families on Fridays and Saturdays from 11:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., with disco lights, swirling fog and DJ music..

Saturday, July 16:

• Meetup: 10:30am
  Meet with fellow SCS members at the Bongo Comics booth to chat for a few minutes before heading off to get your Con on.
• Todd McFarlane Tells All panel: 1:00-2:30pm, Room 8
  Comics! Video games! Toys! Movies! Animation! Spawn.com! Todd McFarlane’s companies are involved in all aspects of popular culture. Hear the latest about all the ongoing McFarlane projects from Todd himself in a lively 90-minute discussion.
• Action Figure Insider: Behind the Plastic panel: 4:30-6:00pm, Room 5AB
  Action figure sales and marketing have changed radically since the days of walking down to your local discount stores and picking up your favorite MEGO or new Star Wars figure. The Direct Market, mail order, and the Internet have all changed where and how you can find your favorite toys. Does Wal-Mart control what characters get made? Can a license without a media tie-in make it in today’s crowded market? Is the collectors market making a difference, or is it still “all about the kids”? Be a fly on the wall as some of the top names in the industry sit down together, as they do only once a year at this event, and talk toys. Moderator Julius Marx from ActionFigureInsider.com welcomes Jesse Desanto, product manager, Jazwares; Digger, president and founder; Art Asylum; Jesse Falcon, director of product development, Toy Biz; Randy Falk, director of product development, NECA; Jim Fletcher, senior art director, DC Direct; Eddie Hayden, associate brand manager, Mattel; Mike Horn, CEO, Palisades Toys; Jason Horowitz, associate brand manager, Mattel; Jerry Macaluso, president, SOTA Toys; and Larry Marder, president, McFarlane Toys.
• The Simpsons panel: 4:30-5:30pm, Room 20
  Now in production for its 17th season, The Simpsons has gone from an animation curiosity to a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. This Emmy Award–winning series is currently the longest-running comedy on television and the longest-running animated show in television history. Creator Matt Groening offers an exclusive peek behind the scenes of this historic show, accompanied by producers Al Jean, Matt Selman, Don Payne, Matt Warburton, Bonnie Pietila, and supervising director David Silverman. Moderated by Bill Morrison.
• Meetup/Hanging Out:
  Meet with fellow SCS members at the Bongo Comics booth near the end of the Convention for another evening of fun. The planned trip is to the Padres vs Diamondbacks game at Petco Park (7:05pm). Tickets for this event have already been purchased. If you haven't already arranged for this with member "homersapien619" (Scott Dunsmore), it may be too late to come. Some extra tickets may be available at the last minute if someone backs out, though. If interested, please inquire.

Sunday, July 17:

• Meetup: 10:30am
  Meet with fellow SCS members at the Bongo Comics booth to chat for a few minutes before heading off to get your Con on.

Thanks to Clochette, RedTheTrucker, homersapien619, semajnala, and others for their planning efforts!