San Diego Comic-Con 2009: Sunday's Manga Highlights

After three and a half days of fun, Sunday at San Diego Comic-Con International 2009 is one of the quieter days of the show, and a time for the young ‘uns to come out to play, as it’s officially Kids Day at Comic-Con.

Today’s your last chance to grab that cool freebie, that hard-to-find comic or collectible so get ‘em while you can. The Exhibit Hall opens at 9:30 am and stays open until 5:00 pm for your shopping and schwag-grabbing pleasure. The panels and anime showings start at 10:00 am and keep going until 5:00 pm.

This isn't all that's going on at Comic-Con today, but it is a manga-centric guide to some noteworthy events that are worth your while to check out.

• 10:00 am - 11:00 am: Kids' Graphic Novels at Room 3
  What's new and wonderful in the world of comics and graphic novels for kids in 2009? Moderator Robin Brenner, creator and editor-in-chief of NoFlyingNoTights.com, highlights the works of panelists Lewis Trondheim (Tiny Tyrant), Gene Yang (American Born Chinese), Derek Kirk Kim (The Eternal Smile), Eric Wight (Frankie Pickle and The Closet of Doom), Chris Schweizer (Crogan's Vengeance), Jennifer Holm (Babymouse), and Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Lunch Lady), who all recommend other great titles.
• 10:00 am - 11:00 am: Dynamic Anatomy: Manga Style! In Room 30CDE
  Billy Martinez, artist and instructor at Neko Press Art Studios, presents his workshop on dynamic anatomy, manga style. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced artist, this panel will be informative and fun. Learn from this 16-year pro on how to get your art from your ideas onto the paper.
• 11:00 am - 12:00 pm: CMX Bringing Manga to You! at Room 4
  Find out what’s new, cool and coming soon from CMX Manga straight from the mouths of Director of Manga Asako Suzuki, Editor Jim Chadwick and newly-minted Assistant Editor, Chynna Clugston (creator of Blue Monday)
• 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm: Pixu - Gabriel Ba, Fabio Moon, Becky Cloonan and Vasilis Lolos at Dark Horse Booth 2615
  Meet the talented (and award-winning) creators of Pixu, a gripping horror graphic novel from Dark Horse.
• 12:00 noon - 2:00 pm: Asian Ball-Jointed Doll Collectors at Room 32AB
  Doll owners and enthusiasts discuss the world of Asian ball-jointed resin dolls from companies such as Elfdoll, Volks, Cerberus Project, Customhouse, Fairyland, Angelregion, Bambicrony, and many others. Learn the basics about BJDs, and pick up tips on customizing, maintaining, and photographing these beautiful dolls.
• 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm 25 Years of Usagi Yojimbo: Spotlight on Stan Sakai at Room 8
  Learn the history of the ronin rabbit and his supporting cast, and find out what is in store this year. Comic-Con special guest Stan Sakai will do a step-by-step demonstration on his creative process and take questions from the audience.
• 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm Autograph session with Yoshinori Natsume at CMX Manga Booth 1915
  Here’s your last chance to meet the artist of Togari and Batman: Death Mask amidst the masses at the very big and very busy DC Comics booth.
• 1:00 pm- 2:00 pm: Manga Art for Kids at Room 30CDE
  If you love manga, here's your chance to learn how to draw it! eigoMANGA editors and artists will be on hand to teach the fundamentals of drawing manga for kids of all age.
• 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm Comics and Graphic Novels for All Ages at Room 3
  There's a wealth of great comic books series and graphic novels out there for comics-loving kids of all ages—so much so, that Comic-Con presents its second big panel of the day on the topic! Moderator Randy Duncan (co-chair of the Comics Arts Conference) talks with Jimmy Gownley (Amelia Rules!), Kazu Kibuishi (Amulet), David Petersen (Mouse Guard), Eric Jones and Landry Walker (Supergirl, Little Gloomy), Jeff Smith (Bone), and Alexis Fajardo (Kid Beowulf) about comics for everyone!
• 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm: Master of Monsters at Room 8 Author August Ragone (Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters) presents a visual tribute to Japan's "Master of Monsters," Eiji Tsuburaya, the man who created the analog special effects for Godzilla and invented the kaiju eiga (giant monster movie) genre. See over a hundred rare, behind-the-scenes photographs from some of his major films, such as Rodan, The Mysterians, Mothra, and The War of the Gargantuas, all in one big presentation!
• 2:45 pm - 3:45 pm: Kamen Rider Dragon Knight at Room 6DE Meet the cast of TheCW4Kids new action-packed, monster-clobbering masked-heroes series Kamen Rider Dragon Knight. Stars Stephen Lunsford (Kit), Matt Mullins (Len), and Yvonne Arias (Maya) will answer all your Kamen Rider questions! Plus, fans will get to view never-before-seen footage from future KRDK episodes! Lucky attendees will get the chance to win prizes from Bandai's KRDK toy line and more!
• 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm: Kids' Graphic Novels from Papercutz at Room 2
  See previews of new art and stories, talk with Papercutz's creators, and find out what's next for the hottest house in comics for kids! In attendance will be Papercutz publisher Terry Nantier, editor Jim Salicrup, Bionicle creator and writer Greg Farshtey, Hardy Boys writer Scott Lobdell, Nancy Drew artist Sho Murase, and maybe more!
• 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm: Making Webcomics at Room 4
  Ron Perazza and Kwanza Johnson (Zuda Comics), Kevin Colden (Fishtown, I Rule The Night), Cameron Stewart (Transmission X, Vertigo), Molly Crabapple (Act-i-vate, Dr. Sketchys Anti-Art School), and others present a roundtable discussion about the advantages, challenges, questions, solutions, costs and benefits of making webcomics for fun and profit. Topics include working with a publisher, self-publishing, promoting yourself, best practices, style, and moving from web to print (or vice versa)!

Want to take a breather from the convention crowds? Check out some of the anime showings in rooms 24BC, 25AB and 25C from 10 am through 5:00 pm. Here's a link to Sunday's schedule of anime showings, which include screenings of Gakuen Alice, Lucky Star, Yawara and Sgt. Frog.

Also, here's your guide to where to find manga and graphic novel publishers at Comic-Con 2009.

If you're eager for updates and photos fresh from the convention floor, follow me on Twitter!