It wouldn’t be San Diego Comic-Con without a little drama, some big questions, and a lot of hype. Just 24 hours before this year’s show floor opens at the San Diego Convention Center, it appears that the con will deliver all that and more—including some terrific programming set to begin on Thursday and Friday’s Eisner Awards ceremony. And with downtown San Diego abuzz with comics fever, some companies are ramping up their presence at the show while others are leaving the playing field.

Among comics publishers, the stakes at this year's con may be highest for DC Comics, which is why it's going...well, all in. The home of Batman and Superman has survived turmoil at parent company Warner Bros. Discovery and slowing sales to launch a huge new initiative at SDCC: DC All-In. The program is a reboot of DC’s regular periodical line that is also connected to the comics giant's new Absolute Universe, which features reimagined versions of the core characters by fan-favorite creators.

The Absolute Universe is overseen by superstar writer Scott Snyder, who will have several chances to get audiences excited for the new line, with panels and a giveaway comic featuring a new version of Batman who comes from a lower class background instead of inordinate wealth. DC is also promising a new, larger booth this year, to complement its All-In push.

While Boom! Studios has been pushing their presence as usual—including a Hall H presentation with Keanu Reeves for his BRZRKR series—the question on the industry’s mind is what the comics publisher’s recent acquisition by Penguin Random House augurs for its future output. Attendees can expect many questions at the booth and at industry parties.

Other publishers are returning to the con after sitting it out for years. Among them is the U.K.–based Titan Comics, which is promoting its eclectic line of licenses—Conan the Barbarian and Blade Runner among them—and original crime novels. Also back is manga/manhwa publisher Yen Press, an imprint of Kadokawa and Hachette Book Group. According to JuYoun Lee, deputy publisher and editor-in-chief at Yen, part of the reason is the press's three Eisner Award nominations. “It’s always an honor for a publisher to see their titles nominated, but this year’s selection really means a lot to us,” Lee told PW.

The returns are balanced by few notable absences. The most notable is Scholastic, which is pulling out of the show entirely after years of attending and throwing a popular Thursday night party. A spokesperson confirmed that the house would be focusing on its presence at fall’s New York Comic Con instead.

IDW is also presenting a much smaller booth on the floor following a year that saw the publisher downsize considerably. Perhaps to make up for it, the publisher will host a 25th anniversary party and showcase the 40th anniversary of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Mad Cave Comics, a rising force in the comics business, is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and will show off its licenses—Flash Gordon and Gatchaman among them—but has been teasing a slew of new creator-owned projects as well, including a panel with all the reveals. Dynamite is also celebrating an anniversary: 20 years. Although the publisher won’t have a booth, it will feature its Disney line and other offerings on several panels.

SDCC 2024’s storylines also include a different kind of reboot: the return of threats that the show may leave the city that gives it its name. According to chief communications and strategy officer David Glanzer, SDCC’s contract with the city is only renewed through 2026, due to pushback from local hotels on setting aside blocks of rooms for attendees at discounted rates. Hotel rooms are assigned via a lottery months before the show, and those who missed out are currently looking at prices ranging from $2,500 to $5,000 a night at downtown hotels.

Attendees getting priced out because of high hotel room costs would create a “downward spiral” of lesser interest for studios and publishers alike, Glanzer told Forbes earlier this year. “If we can’t accommodate the people who want to attend the show then we’re in a pretty bad situation.” While Glanzer has said that the show might look at new venues, most locals think this is a negotiating tactic— although highlighting the high cost of hotel rooms seems necessary.

Aside from high rollers planning to roll into town and pay $5,000 a night, most of the activity at the Con seems set, including a schedule brimming with events including these must-see panels:

Thursday, July 25

Marvel: Past, Present, and Future from Abrams
10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. PT, Room 28DE
Creators and publishing execs talk about the Marvel/Abrams publishing program.

The Craft of Comics
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m., Room 5AB
What does it take to make comics? How does one take an idea from concept to reality?

Paul Levitz and the Business Secrets
11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Room 10
PW contributor Rob Salkowitz sits down with DC publisher Paul Levitz.

Spotlight on Zoe Thorogood
12:00 p.m.–1:00pm, Room 25ABC
The acclaimed creator talks about her work.

Absolute Power. (DC Comics Panel)
12:45 p.m.–1:45pm, Room 6DE
Get the details on DC Comics’ 2024 blockbuster summer event and more.

The Pathway to Libraries for Indie Comics
2:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m., Shiley Special Events Suite, San Diego Central Library
Library professionals and indie comics creators discuss how publisher-to-library pipelines can be forged.

The Secret History of Comics on the Bookshelf
3:00pm–4:00pm, Room 23ABC
The untold story of early trade collections featuring pioneering editor Linda Sunshine.

PW Book Buzz: New Graphic Novel Imprints and Indies
3:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m., Room 24ABC
Publishers Weekly's graphic novels reviews editor Meg Lemke talks with the folks behind Graphic Mundi, Inklore, Noir Caesar, and Street Noise Books.

The Beat at 20: Creators on the Past and Future of Comics
4:30 p.m.–5:30 p.m., Room 24ABC
More to Come cohost Heidi MacDonald talks with Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud about their upcoming collaboration and the last 20 years of comics history.

Friday, July 26

Eisner Hall of Fame
10:00 a.m.–11:30am, Room 29CD
Celebrate the 2024 Eisner Awards Hall of Fame inductees at this special ceremony.

Dynamite Entertainment’s 20th Anniversary Celebration
11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Room 5AB
A shindig to mark the 20th anniversary of Dynamite Entertainment.

The Comics That Made Us
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m., Omni San Diego Hotel, Omni Grand Ballroom DE, 4th Floor
Creators talk about the comics that inspired and changed them.

My Creative Habits
2:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m., Room 25ABC
Comic-Con special guests Liz Climo, Jack C. Harris, Patrick McDonnell, Ken Steacy, and Julia Wertz spill their secrets.

Marvel Fanfare with C.B. Cebulski and Kevin Feige
F3:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m., Room 6DE
Marvel Comics editor-in-chief C.B. Cebulski and Marvel Studios’ president Kevin Feige talk shop together.

EC Comics Lives Again at Oni Press!
5:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m., Room 23ABC
EC Comics is back with a bold and bloody new line of comic book series from Oni Press.

The 36th Annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards
8:00 p.m.–10:30 p.m., Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront
The industry’s big to-do!

Saturday, July 27

20 Years of Scott Pilgrim with Bryan Lee O’Malley
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m., Room 7AB
A one-on-one conversation with creator Bryan Lee O'Malley for a career-spanning retrospective.

My Life at Stately Wayne Manor: Bob Wayne's First 65 Years in Comics
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m., Room 4
Comics industry legend Bob Wayne talks about the history of the direct market and more.

What's Happening in the DC Multiverse
12:30 p.m.–1:30 p.m., Room: 6DE
More on DC’s new initiatives.

Mad Cave’s Industry-Shaking Comics Secret Revealed!
1:30 p.m.–2:30 p.m., Room 29CD
Mad Cave's most explosive secret—whatever that is—will be a secret no more.

Spotlight on Daniel Clowes
4:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m., Room 25ABC
The celebrated artist talks about his career.