So, Comicon International/San Diego is almost upon us!

I've updated my schedule in the "Find" section of this site, where I list conventions, store signing and the like, but just to be thorough, I figured I'd list my schedule here, too. Things may be subject to change—I just added another panel about half an hour ago, and who knows what else is coming?—but I'll update this entry if things change.

So here's what up with All Things Busiek at SDCC so far:

Wednesday, Preview Night:

• 7-8pm - signing at the DC booth.

Thursday:

• 11:30-12:30pm - Spotlight on Kurt Busiek, Rm 8

Here's how SDCC describes it: "The Eisner Award–winning writer and Comic-Con special guest discusses his career—past, present, and future—in comics. With a résumé that includes Superman, Justice League/Avengers, Conan, and his own creator-owned projects Astro City and Arrowsmith, Kurt Busiek is one of comics most popular writers! Joining Kurt will be long-time friend and fellow comics creator Scott McCloud (Understanding Comics)."

In addition to having Scott moderate the panel, which means we'll be talking about our roots back in junior high school, when we started figuring out how to make comics, we may have an appearance by Brent (Astro City, X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills) Anderson (or as I call him, "Brent (Somerset Holmes) Anderson") and if things go like it looks like they're going at present, a Very Special Announcement or two.

• 2:30-3:30pm - signing at the Hero Initiative booth

Friday:

• 2-3pm - signing at the DC booth

Saturday:

• 11-12pm, signing at the DC booth

• 3:30-4:30pm - Robert E. Howard in Comics: Then. Now. Always., Rm 24ABC

"Robert E. Howard is seen as the grandfather of the sword and sorcery fiction genre. He's created such classic characters as Kull the Conqueror, Red Sonya, and Conan the Barbarian, who have lived in comics for more than 40 years! Explore worlds of magic, bravery, and savage revenge as this panel delves in to Robert E. Howard's timeless fiction in comics of the past, present and future." Moderated by award-winning REH scholar Mark Finn (Blood and Thunder: the Life and Art of Robert E. Howard) and featuring panelists Joseph Rybandt (editor of Dynamite's Red Sonja), Kurt Busiek (writer of Dark Horse's Conan relaunch), Matt Gagnon (editor of Boom's Hawks of Outremer), Paul M. Sammon (writer of Conan the Phenomenon) and maybe more.

• 6:30-7:30 - WildStorm: Storm Front, Room 4

"What’s new in the WildStorm Universe? Vice President & General Manager Hank Kanalz and Senior Editor Ben Abernathy bring you up to speed with this inside look into DC’s wildest imprint. Joining Hank and Ben will be Adam Beechen (WildCats), Kurt Busiek (Astro City), Darick Robertson (Fringe: Tales From the Fringe), Tom Taylor (The Authority), Tim Seeley (WildCats), Adam Archer (Ratchet and Clank), Cruddie Torian (Gen13) and others."

Sunday:

• 10-11am - Jack Kirby Tribute panel, Room 4

"It's time once again to pay tribute to Jack 'King' Kirby, the prolific writer/artist who co-created some of the world's most famous superheroes, including the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Thor, Captain America, the New Gods, and many more. Kirby biographer and friend Mark Evanier (Kirby: King of Comics) hosts this annual Comic-Con tradition and is joined this year by writers Marv Wolfman (Tomb of Dracula, New Teen Titans), and Kurt Busiek (Astro City, JLA/Avengers) and other Kirby fanatics to discuss the King."

• 1:30-2:30pm - signing at the DC booth

• 3-4:30 - Comics Pro/Fan Trivia Match, Room 4

"Len Wein (Microbots), Kurt Busiek (Kool-Aid Man), and Mark Waid (Batman Electric Talking Toothbrush) face off against fans Tom Galloway (former Google employee), David Oakes (college professor), and Michael Grabois (rocket scientist) in a match on significant pre-Crisis DC events in celebration of DC's 75th anniversary. Peter David (Captain America's War on Drugs) will moderate."

On a more hate-filled note, it turns out that the intolerant chuckleheads of the Westboro Baptist Church, the people who like to picket the funerals of American soldiers killed in action and assure homosexuals that God hates them, are going to picket the San Diego Con this year. For 45 minutes, on Thursday afternoon.

Turn out they have a busy schedule of hate, going after the Dallas Holocaust Museum, the International Jewish Geneology Conference and more, but they're having a sort of hate double-header on the 22nd—hating Al Gore at the Grand Hyatt from 12:15-1:00pm, then hustling down the street to the Convention Center to start hating us at 1:15pm. Although I think they're being unrealistic to allow only 15 minutes to make it from one hate-spot to the other.

Oh, and after they're done with us, the following week they'll be off in Kansas City, hating Justin Bieber.

What their schedule says about us is, "Are you kidding?! If these people would spend even some of the energy that they spend on these comic books, reading the Bible, well no high hopes here. They have turned comic book characters into idols, and worship them they do! The destruction of this nation is imminent - so start calling on Batman and Superman now, see if they can pull you from the mess that you have created with all your silly idolatry." It's surprising how much some of that sounds like it could come out of the mouth of Lex Luthor, hm?

Anyway, I think the best way to hand them is to ignore them. What they want is publicity, and I suspect they're going to find themselves drowned out by the very volume of SDCC—it's easier to get press by being noxious and hateful at a family funeral than to try to stand out among 120,000 comics fans, including dozens of Darth Vaders, Slave Leias, Spider-Man and more.

But on Twitter last night, among the suggestions for counter-statements against the WBC's rallying cry of "God Hates Fags," this lovely response came up, coined by Lori Matsumoto and designed by Dane Ault:

I think that strikes just the right tone, don't you?