Looking Back at Comic-Con 2023
It has already been a week since Comic-Con ended, and I’m still recovering. It’s hard to come back to real life after a weekend filled with so much joy. I wanted to share some of the highlights with you!
Science in Middle-Grade Science Fiction
I was lucky enough to be on a panel with some fantastic people. The scientists on the panel were myself and Dr. Ronald Coleman, who specializes in regenerative medicine. The authors were Cecil Castellucci and Greg van Eekhout, who also happens to be my husband. Our first ever panel together! Moderator Dr. Mwenda KudumuBiggs from the Fleet Science Center led our lively discussion, and our audience was awesome. We explored the impact of science in middle grade fiction: is scientific accuracy important? What was our conclusion?
Scientific accuracy isn’t as important as nurturing a child’s curiosity with the story.
But at the same time, never lie about scientific facts for the sake of a story.
We all know we can’t go faster than the speed of light, so pushing a magic warp speed button is fine so more of the universe can be explored in the story. However, saying that vaccines do not work for the sake of a plot point would be lying about the science. Never lie to kids.
If you missed our panel, we received some news coverage before the con. Read it here!
Other Cool Stuff
What else did I do at the con? Made some purchases from a few favorite vendors. Took some photos of impressive props at the Lucasfilm booth. Here I am with the mural from Star Wars: Rebels, aka the best Star Wars:
Of course, I went to some programming. I really enjoyed the panel featuring the art department for Wakanda Forever. One of the great things about Comic-Con is learning about craft from the greats, like Hannah Beachler, the Academy Award-winning production designer of Black Panther. It was interesting to find out that there were more practical sets than I would have expected, given the current reliance on CGI.
I finished off the con by attending a panel about the science of superpowers. It was a fantastic presentation, moderated by the always wonderful Melissa T. Miller. I learned interesting things about electric eels and Storm’s powers, and the audience was packed with enthusiasm.
Not gonna lie, the coolest item on the show floor was this piece of the Allende meteorite at the NASA booth. It’s a rock from space that is over 4.5 billion years old! This reminds me… I need to write posts about meteorites. They are so amazing and scientifically important!
Every year, I love attending this con. It’s full of such talented people and excited fans and so much joy. I’m already looking forward to next year: July 25-28, 2024!
If you are interested in pop culture, check out this link: https://lisawillspace.com/category/pop-culture-science/
