Seth Rogen, George Clinton and Joss Whedon are among the celebrities expected to make appearances Friday at the annual Comic-Con International celebration of pop culture.
Rogen will take part in a panel discussion for the AMC television series "Preacher," along with fellow producer Evan Goldberg and cast members Dominic Cooper, Ruth Negga and Joseph Gilgun. The panel begins at 7:30 p.m. in Hall H of the San Diego Convention Center.
Clinton, bandleader of the Parliament-Funkadelic music collective, will participate in a discussion on the state of black culture in the age of President Donald Trump, Me Too and national anthem protests. Actor Isaiah Washington, artists Shawn Martinbrough and Bernard Change, as well as writer LaShonda Clinton, are expected to participate.
SPECIAL COVERAGE: San Diego Comic-Con International
Director, producer and screenwriter Whedon, meanwhile, will celebrate the 10th anniversary of "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" with Nathan Fillion, Felicia Day and Maurissa Tancharoen at 10 a.m. in Hall H.
Additional sessions during the day will focus on women working in genre film, "Star Wars" fashion and the combination of hip-hop and comic cultures, among other topics.
Earliest sessions begin at 10 a.m.; while later ones run until around midnight. Topics vary wildly across movie, television, book, comic, video game toy and other popular art industries.
Apart from the Convention Center, convention venues include the Central Library, Hilton Bayfront Hotel, the Horton Grand Theatre and the Marriott Marquis.
More than 130,000 people are expected to attend Comic-Con over its four-day run. The convention typically generates more than $143 million in economic activity for the region.
With streets sure to be crowded, many officials recommend avoiding cars during Comic-Con weekend.
Visitors can travel around downtown using dockless bikes, scooters or pedicabs. They can also use public transit to reach Comic-Con venues.
MTS trolleys on the Sycuan Green Line route will depart from stations toward the Convention Center at least every 15 minutes during the duration of Comic-Con, including from SDCCU Stadium, which will offer 5,000 free parking spots.
The UC San Diego Blue Line and Orange Line will run similar schedules, with departures lasting until at least midnight in many cases.
