SDCC '26: Z2 is back at San Diego Comic-ConÂ
- Ollie Kaplan
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Z2 is back at San Diego Comic-Con, and Booth #1529 is stacked. This year's lineup brings together musicians, actors, authors, and creators for a full week of live interviews, appearances, and signings, with names spanning genres and generations: Marc Maron (WTF Podcast), Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden), Mike McCready (Pearl Jam), David Dastmalchian (Street Fighter, Suicide Squad), Charlie Benante (Anthrax, Pantera), Spencer Charnas (Ice Nine Kills), Dance Gavin Dance, TX2, Wild Wing (The Anaheim Ducks), and more still to be announced.
"San Diego Comic-Con is supposed to feel larger than life, and that's exactly what we're bringing this year," Josh Bernstein, President of Z2 adds, and continues, "when you have Marc Maron, Bruce Dickinson, Mike McCready and David Dastmalchian all appearing as part of your weekend, you're not just putting together a convention schedule—you're creating moments fans will be talking about for years to come. Everything about this year’s Con feels bigger, louder, and more ambitious than anything Z2 has done before."
Beyond the booth's usual fan-favorite signings, the week is anchored by Z2's featured panels. McCready, Dickinson, and Maron each headline sessions tied to their upcoming books, while Dastmalchian, Benante, Carla Harvey, the producers of …And Out Comes the Wolf, and Cage Claypool sit down for deeper conversations about what's next.Â
Full signing times, panel details, and schedules are below:
THURSDAY, July 23, 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront
FAREWELL TO SEASONS - MIKE McCREADY’S ALTERNATIVE HISTORY OF GRUNGE
As a founding member of Pearl Jam, Mad Season & Temple of the Dog, guitarist Mike McCready saw first-hand the human impact on Seattle’s music scene as Grunge exploded in the 1990s. Now, Mike is joined by co-writer Mark Sable (Unthinkable, Supergirl), artist Sebastián Piriz (Speed Racer), Z2 President Josh Bernstein, and editor-in-chief Rantz A. Hoseley to discuss the glory and the heartbreak of that era, captured in the pages of Mike’s new graphic novel FAREWELL TO SEASONS, along with the challenges of bringing a seminal moment in music history to life on the comic book page.
THURSDAY, July 23, 1:45 PM - 2:45 PM
Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront
BETWEEN THE PAGES OF MARC MARON’S WTF IS A PODCAST
Marc Maron’s WTF podcast established the gold standard for podcasting, as it helped define the lexicon of a new form of entertainment. In celebration of the full history of WTF, and the release of the official graphic novel history from Z2; WTF IS A PODCAST, Marc is joined by his longtime partner-in-podcasting-crime Brendan McDonald and New York Times best-selling cartoonist Brian Box Brown (André the Giant, The He-Man Effect) as Z2 President Josh Bernstein talks with them about encapsulating almost 20 years of podcast and personal history into the pages of one graphic novel.
FRIDAY, July 24, 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Room 5AB
BRUCE DICKINSON’S THE MANDRAKE PROJECT – YEAR TWO
As the war between magic and science for the control of immortality reaches a fever pitch, Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson arrives in San Diego, joined by interior artist John Devilman (werewolftarantulafrankenstein), and Z2 editor-in-chief Rantz A. Hoseley to spill all the juicy details to Ryan J. Downey (MTV News) about the revelations that have rocked Necropolis’ world in THE MANDRAKE PROJECT: YEAR TWO, as well as dropping secrets about YEAR THREE and Bruce’s upcoming new solo album, Vigor Mortis!
SATURDAY, July 25, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Room 7AB
Z2: Where Comics and Culture Collide
Over the last five years, Z2 has firmly established itself as the publisher for graphic novels that authentically and powerfully bring the entertainment worlds of music, film and comedy to life within Comics. For this special panel, Z2 welcomes creators Cage Claypool (Frizzle Fry), Charlie Benante (Anthrax, Pantera), Carla Harvey (Lords of Acid), and David Dastmalchian (Late Night with the Devil), with Z2 editor Jasminne Saravia, to talk with Ryan J. Downey (MTV News) about establishing the Rock and Roll Standard in comics, as well as what fans can expect from Z2’s 2026 and 2027 lineup of books!
Z2 BOOTH #1529 SIGNING SCHEDULE: (ALL TIMES PST) |
Thursday, July 23rd |
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Friday, July 24th |
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Saturday, July 25th |
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Sunday, July 26th |
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