Comic Book World At Big Screen

Get your tickets for our amazing panelsEmpire presents... BIG SCREEN isn't all about the movies and TV, you know. Over the three glorious days we're going to be spending at the O2, we've also invited the cream of British comic book creators to come along and share with you nuggets of wisdom. So come along, one and all, if you're fans of Mark Millar, Adi Granov, Andy Diggle, the legendary Dave Gibbons, Jock, the cult book How To Become A Superhero and, last but not least, the magnificent 2000AD. Here's the line-up so far, with a couple of big names still to confirm:FRIDAY AUGUST 12 - CINEWORLD 8. 11. 15-12. 00. GREATEST. CHARACTER. EVER. In this hilarious panel, a host of comic book creators and industry insiders, led by Empire's Danny Graydon, will somehow, in the space of forty-five minutes, attempt to answer the thorny question: who is the greatest comic book character of all time? Is it Batman? Wolverine? Judge Dredd? Jesse Custer? Rick Grimes? Or someone completely out of leftfield? Full panel line-up TBC, but trust us when we say, you won't want to miss this! 12. 30-13. 15. ON STAGE: DAVE GIBBONS. He was there, three years ago, when Movie-Con was brought forth kicking and screaming into the world. And now that it's back, bigger than ever, as Big Screen, the legendary Dave Gibbons has agreed to return to talk about his long and storied career. For the uninitiated, he's the co-creator of WATCHMEN, along with Alan Moore, and was the artist on Frank Miller's Give Me Liberty. Over the years, he's written Captain America, drawn Green Lantern, worked with Kula Shaker, been a consultant on the WATCHMEN movie, and now has a top-secret project coming up with Mark Millar. And for 45 glorious minutes, you can ask the great man anything. And no, he won't bring Alan Moore. 13. 45-14. 30. ON STAGE: ANDY DIGGLE AND JOCK. They are two of the most exciting talents working in the comic book industry today, a writer-artist team responsible for Judge Dredd spin-off series Lenny Zero, Green Arrow: Year One and The Losers, which was made into a movie last year. They are Andy Diggle and Jock, they're also very, very nice, and they're coming to Big Screen to discussing their Hollywood experiences and forthcoming comic-to-film projects, including the creator-owned thriller Snapshot. 15. 00-17. 00. TINTIN AND THE GOLDEN FLEECE. Decades before Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson hit upon the simply capital idea of bringing Herge's Adventures of Tintin to the big screen via the magic of mo-cap, a French filmmaker called Jean-Jacques Vierne tackled the bequiffed detective in live-action format. 1961's Tintin And The Golden Fleece, starring the magnificently-named Jean-Pierre Talbot as Tintin alongside a host of actors made up to look like the spitting image of Captain Haddock, Thomson and Thompson et al, is a delightful curio, and we're delighted to present it here, in its full, subtitled glory. Buy Single Session Tickets Buy Full Friday Pass SATURDAY AUGUST 13 - CINEWORLD 8. 10. 00-10. 45. THE GREATEST COMICS OF ALL TIME. If you thought trying to decide the greatest comic book character of all time was a tricky proposition, it pales in comparison to the question tackled by this panel: just what is the greatest comic book of all time? Watchmen? Preacher? The Dark Knight Returns? A. N. Other? This star-studded panel - full line-up TBC - will attempt to get to the bottom of things, complete with your help. Their final decision is legally binding. 11. 15-12. 00. ON STAGE: ADI GRANOV. He is the superstar artist who redesigned and revitalized Iron Man, on that character's way to become the biggest hitter in Marvel's movie stable. Since then, he's become one of the best in the business, creating indelible images for the likes of Astonishing X-Men, Amazing Spider-Man and Dark Reign, while he's one of the go-to guys for fantastic cover images. The Bosnia-born, British-based artist will talk about his life and career in this amazing panel. 12. 30-13. 15. 2000AD: A CELEBRATION. Borag Thungg, Earthlets! If you're a comic book fan, then you won't want to miss this sensational panel celebrating the life, times and apparently endless progs of the most influential comic of all time: 2000 AD. The comic that launched the careers of (take a deep breath) John Wagner, Alan Moore, Pat Mills, Garth Ennis, Mark Millar, John Higgins, Dave Gibbons, Carlos Ezquerra, Jock, Dan Abnett, Frank Quitely, Grant Morrison, Peter Milligan, Kevin O'Neill, Brian Bolland, Simon Bisley, Neil Gaiman, Jamie Hewlett, Andy Diggle and John Smith, it's an absolute institution. Appearing at BIG SCREEN to celebrate that institution, discuss its memorable past and glorious future, will be current 2000AD editor, MATT SMITH and ROBBIE MORRISON, creator of Nikolai Dante. Oh, and there'll be more names to come, including a few surprise guests... Don't miss it, or Tharg will not be pleased. 13. 45-14. 30. ON STAGE: MARK MILLAR. He is the genius who revamped The Avengers as The Ultimate, reimagined Superman as the Red Son, gave Spider-Man a kick up the jacksie and, with his penchant for slick dialogue, outrageous violence and memorable characters, has become arguably the hottest writer in the business. He is, of course, the funny, provocative and utterly brilliant Mark Millar, the Scottish writer whose creations, from Wanted to Kick-Ass and the forthcoming Nemesis, have blazed a trail onto the big screen. He'll be coming to the O2 to sit down with us and talk about all things Millarworld. And, knowing Mark, a lot more besides. 15. 00-17. 00. 30 MINUTES OR LESS. It's not based on a comic book, but it stars Danny McBride, Jesse Eisenberg, Aziz Ansari and is from the director of Zombieland, Ruben Fleischer. So it shouldn't matter too much. Buy Single Session Tickets Buy Complete Saturday Pass SUNDAY AUGUST 14 - CINEWORLD 8. 11. 15-12. 00. HOW TO BECOME A SUPERHERO. Ever wanted to become a caped crimefighter, but didn't know how to go about it? Not sure how to design a costume, or come up with a decent crimefighting name or - worse yet - how to develop incredible powers? And just what the hell do you do if you're faced with a supervillain so heinous he'll heat your wotsits up to 26,000 degrees Celsius? In 1992, Mark Leigh and Mike Lepine - with assistance from brilliant comic book artist Steve Dillon [Preacher] - wrote HOW TO BECOME A SUPERHERO, the ultimate handbook for wannabe superheroes, a hilarious and helpful tip-filled guide filled with inspired and surreal answers to simply everything under the super-sun. Want to know how to take on e. e. cummings-Man? This book will tell you how. Now, in a very special panel, Leigh and Lepine will celebrate their greatest triumph in a gut-bustingly funny panel that will stand you in good stead for a career busting heads and being beaten up by midgets. 13. 45-14. 30. TBC. Unfortunately, this session was billed as ON STAGE: GRANT MORRISON. Due to previously unforeseen circumstances, Grant has had to pull out. We'll update this panel asap. Buy Single Session Tickets Buy Complete Sunday Pass