Wow! San Diego Comic-con 2020 is over, and like Cyndi Lauper, so unusual! Many of the typical comic-con activities were not in the cards this year and that was a huge bummer. On the bright side—No Con Crud! But since we couldn’t attend SDCC2020 in person, the organizers held a virtual comic-con with over 400 prerecorded panels! That’s nuts! Comic-Con@Home consisted of program panels, gaming panels, anime, and watch panels. And talk about variety! There is literally something for everyone. I watched over 20 panels, and I’m here to tell you what those are and which ones I think you should watch. Check it out!

Educational Panels

Each panel comes with a link so if you see one you like just click the link. For a description of each panel, please visit the schedule page. If you’re interested in Marvel/Disney/Star Wars panels, check out our Fandom Panel list in this article.

On the first day of SDCC2020, I watched three panels. Typically the first day starts later than the others, and it’s also where you’ll find some of the lesser attended panels. Several educational panels filled out Day 1, which is great because you never stop learning, and what’s better than listening to educators talk about how they use comic books in the classroom to teach art and writing? So if you like that as much as I do, here are the panels you should check out:

Eye-Opening Panels

I made a point to watch as many panels as I could that were hosted by African American moderators, or those who are members of the marginalized parts of society, and LGBTQ creators. It was my way of supporting them. I felt like that these panels are unfortunately not going to receive as much attention as they warrant. And it’s my responsibility to make sure I listen to other perspectives. This is how we learn from each other—listen, and think about how issues affect others. Here are those panels that I recommend everyone to watch:

Classic Science Fiction Panels

I previously mentioned how impressive the variety of panels was. When I scoured the schedule before the Con, I was pleasantly surprised to see four unexpected panels. They spotlighted long-forgotten parts of science fiction. I’m a massive fan of classic science fiction movies, stories, and comic books. I want to thank SDCC2020 for personally thinking of me when they added these (I jest). When I saw these, I genuinely felt excited.

A Variety of Interesting Panels

The rest of the panels I watched were a variety of history, filmmaking, writing, art & science, and psychology. There was even a panel about how comic book shops dealt with staying open during a pandemic.

What Could Be Different?

In all, I watched over 25 panels! Yikes! But as with any Con experience, there are things I’d do differently next time. I would cut back on the program panels, add more gaming panels, and maybe slip in a watch party or two. And yes, the overall experience was pleasant considering the circumstances, but if there was one thing I’d change if a virtual Con happened again, it would be to add vendors. When I go to a convention, I don’t even go to panels. I spend the whole day perusing the different art and store vendors. Why couldn’t vendors have links to their online stores if fans wanted to buy an art print or were searching for that rare comic book? Make it more interactive.

Anyway, those are all the panels I watched and recommend you watch if you want to open your eyes to the wonderful world of SDCC2020. Here’s to hoping next year we can attend in person!