Transformers at SDCC 2012

Next Wednesday, the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con starts where Hollywood comes out for the geeks to promote their upcoming movies and television shows. The schedule is finally up for this year and the highlights include a 10th Anniversary panel for Firefly (oddly without any of the ladies attending), Iron Man 3 and The Hobbit. TV Shows, both new and current are also represented including Warehouse 13, Psych, Merlin and so forth. Comics, cartoons and toys are also represented but can get lost of the all the noise for the more famous events.

Transformers will be well represented with panels from Hasbro, IDW, and High Moon studios to promote the toys, comics and Fall of Cybertron. Hasbro will have SDCC exclusive toys available with teh most expensive being the Bruticus gift set at $99.99. The highlight for Transformers fans will be Saturday nights "Optimus Prime: Up Close and Personal" panel when Peter Cullen is interview by legendary broadcaster Larry King about his decades long role as the voice of Optimus. Below is the Transformers related panels and descriptions. The full schedule is here or at day links below.

Thursday
10:00-11:00 IDW & Hasbro — Join senior editor John Barber (Transformers: Robots in Disguise), editor Carlos Guzman, and Hasbro's director of global publishing Michael Kelly reveal secrets and upcoming plans for Transformers, G.I. Joe, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, and more. A new Transformers series will be announced-as well as a new license. Panelists include Larry Hama (G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero), Chris Metzen (Transformers: Autocracy), Flint Dille (Transformers: Autocracy), Livio Ramondelli (Transformers: Autocracy), Andrew Griffith (Transformers: Robots in Disguise), Brendan Cahill (Transformers: Robots in Disguise), Mike Costa (G.I. Joe: Cobra), plus surprise guests! Room 9

1:30-2:30 Hasbro: Transformers Brand — Aaron Archer (vice president, Hasbro Design) and Jerry Jivoin (director, Global Transformers Brand) discuss the hottest Transformers topics including the Transformers Prime and Transformers Rescue Bots TV series, action figures, video games, comics, theme park rides and more. Attendees will also get sneak peeks at upcoming action figures and brand news. Jerry and Aaron will also host some Q&A for your burning Transformers questions. Roll out! Room 24ABC

Friday
11:00-12:00 Spotlight on Herb Trimpe — Comic-Con special guest Herb Trimpe carved out his own legendary place in the Marvel Universe starting in the 1960s. His incredible work on the Incredible Hulk, along with his other art on series such as G.I. Joe, Transformers, Godzilla, and many more, have made him a fan-favorite artist. Trimpe talks about his career in this special spotlight panel. Room 32AB

1:00-2:00 From Imagination to Screen: The Art Department of Industrial Light & Magic — Creative director David Nakabayashi and the art directors of ILM -- Christian Alzmann (Cowboys & Aliens, The Last Airbender), Yanick Dusseault (Star Trek 2, The Avengers), Alex Jaeger (Pacific Rim, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) and Aaron McBride (Noah, Battleship) -- discuss the legacy of ILM's first art director, Ralph McQuarrie. The team will also cover some of the most memorable moments to come through their department during the company's history, spanning over 35 years and more than 350 films. Room 7AB

6:00-7:00 Optimus Prime: Up Close and Personal — The incomparable Larry King, one of the most recognized broadcast interviewers in the world, goes one-on-one with voice actor Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime), a talent who is practically synonymous with Comic-Con itself. In this panel, "The King of Interviews" salutes the beloved Cullen and takes attendees through the actor's early days on the original 1984 animated TV series Transformers Generation One, the three box office smash Transformers movies, and his current work on The Hub TV network's Daytime Emmy Award-winning animated series Transformers Prime from Hasbro Studios. Audience Q&A to follow. Room 23ABC

Saturday
10:00-11:00 Activision Panel Featuring Transformers: Fall of Cybertron Video Game Talent — Legendary Transformers voice talent and game experts at developer High Moon Studios come together in one epic panel to discuss their roles in the upcoming Activision video game Transformers: Fall of Cybertron. Panelists include Peter Cullen (voice of Optimus Prime), Gregg Berger (voice of Grimlock), Nolan North (voice of Cliffjumper), and Matt Tieger (High Moon Studios game director). They'll give everyone an inside look into bringing your favorite characters to life in the making of the video game, as well as answer the questions you've been dying to ask. Room 7AB

11:30-12:30 IDW's Digital-First Comics — IDW is at the forefront of digital comics, bringing special new series to digital before they come out in print. Hear more about the making of digital blockbuster Transformers Autocracy, and learn more about new projects featuring Transformers, Star Trek and Memorial. Join an all-star cast featuring Chris Metzen (World of Warcraft, Transformers Autocracy), Flint Dille (Transformers Autocracy), Livio Ramondelli (Transformers), Mike Johnson (Star Trek), Chris Roberson (Memorial), John Barber (Transformers, G.I. Joe), Lorelei Bunjes (IDW Digital), and Jeff Webber (IDW Digital). Room 24ABC

1:00-2:00 Cartoon Voices I — Audiences flock each year to moderator Mark Evanier's panels of folks who supply the voices of your favorite animated characters. They demonstrate their craft and tell who they are and how they got into that bizarre line of work, and you'll hear a voice session happen right before your ears. This year's Saturday gathering features Matthew Mercer (ThunderCats, Resident Evil 6), Debi Derryberry (Jimmy Neutron, Monster High), April Winchell (Lilo & Stitch, The Legend of Tarzan), Steve Blum (Transformers, The Super Hero Squad Show), Fred Tatasciore (Kung Fu Panda, The Hulk), Jack Angel (Toy Story 3, G.I. Joe), and the legendary Chuck McCann. Room 6BCF

Sunday
11:30-12:45 Cartoon Voices II — It's the second of two panels this weekend featuring folks who supply the voices of your favorite animated characters. Moderator Mark Evanier will interrogate them about how they do what they do, ask them how they came to do what they do, and make them demonstrate what they do. Their ranks this time will include Dee Bradley Baker (American Dad, SpongeBob SquarePants), Rob Paulsen (Pinky and the Brain, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Audrey Wasilewski (The Garfield Show, My Life as a Teenage Robot), Jim Ward (The Avengers, The Fairly OddParents), Gregg Berger (The Garfield Show, Transformers), and Misty Lee (The Garfield Show, Spider-Man). Room 6A