Z2 returns to San Diego Comic-Con with an all-star lineup of musicians, actors, authors, and creators to Booth #1529 for an unforgettable week of live interviews, appearances, and signings. This year’s featured guests include 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 much more. In addition to celebrated fan events at the booth, McCready, Dickinson, and Maron will headline featured panels celebrating their upcoming books, while Dastmalchian, Benante, Carla Harvey, the producers of …And Out Comes the Wolf, and Cage Claypool will join Z2 for special discussions about upcoming projects. In addition to signings, panel programming details and schedules can be found below:

Z2 PANEL SCHEDULE:

THURSDAY, July 23, 12:30PM – 1:30PM

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, 1:45PM – 2:45PM

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, 4:30PM – 5:30PM

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, 12:00PM – 1:00PM

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

Noon – 1pm: Lee Jennings of The Funeral Portrait
1pm – 2pm: Spencer Charnas of Ice Nine Kills
4pm – 5pm: Mike McCready of Pearl Jam with Marc Sable and Sebastián Piriz
Friday, July 24th

11am – Noon: Marc Maron, Brendan McDonald of WTF with Brian “Box Brown
Noon – 1pm: Spencer Charnas of Ice Nine Kills
1pm – 1:30pm: Lee Jennings of The Funeral Portrait
1:30pm – 2:00pm: Charlie Benante of Anthrax/Pantera and Carla Harvey of Lords of Acid
3pm – 4pm: Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden with artist John Devilman
Saturday, July 25th

11am – Noon: Danny Peykoff, Jamie Neese and Jason Neese the Director/Producer/Writers of …And Out Comes The Wolf
1:30pm – 2:30pm: David Dastmalchian, David Mack and Cat Staggs
3:00pm – 4:00pm: Charlie Benante of Anthrax/Pantera and Carla Harvey of Lords of Acid
Sunday, July 26th

1pm – 2pm: Dance Gavin Dance
“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.”

Among the highlights of Z2’s San Diego Comic-Con lineup are several major publishing premieres and exclusive releases. Fans will get their first look at Marc Maron’s WTF IS A PODCAST, Les Claypool’s Frizzle Fry, the next chapter of Bruce Dickinson’s acclaimed The Mandrake Project: YEAR TWO, and Mike McCready’s Farewell to Seasons, an alternative history of Seattle’s groundbreaking 1990s music scene. Z2 will also debut new collector’s editions of fan-favorite titles created in partnership with Ice Nine Kills and “Weird Al” Yankovic, further expanding its catalog of music-driven graphic storytelling and collectibles.