The 2008 San Diego Comic-Con is underway even as we speak at the San Diego Convention Center, and Asian and Asian American comic book creators are everywhere. Just a few items to note on the schedule over the next few days:

Friday, July 25

12:30-1:30 Spotlight on Jim Lee: The Art of DC Universe Online (DCUO)
Jim Lee (All Star Batman and Robin, The Boy Wonder, Batman: Hush, Superman: For Tomorrow) and Carlos D'Anda (Brass, WildC.A.T.S, Bionicle, The Outsiders, JLA: Classified, Deathblow) of WildStorm Productions fame join with Chris Cao, Jared Carr and Jason Smith of Sony Online Entertainment's DC Universe Online game development team to discuss the unique challenges and opportunities faced in adapting the rich comic book art of the DC Universe to a 3D game world and delivering the same emotional impact online as the brand evokes in its other mediums; moderated by Mat Broome (Batman: No Man's Land, WildC.A.T.S) Room 6B

3:00-4:00 Spotlight on Lynda Barry
Iconic alt-cartoonist and Comic-Con special guest Lynda Barry is the author of the recently released -- to much acclaim -- graphic-how-to-memoir, What It Is. Barry has been at the forefront of alternative comics since Matt Groening published her first comics while they were both students in college. This presentation takes an inside look at Barry's creative energy, genius, and approach to making art. "The ordinary is extraordinary" in Barry's world, and everyone can write and be creative -- we just have to ask ourselves the right questions. Have your pencils ready and your mind prepared to be blown with this once in a lifetime chance to meet the! Lynda! Barry!, creator of Ernie Pook's Comeek, One! Hundred! Demons! and The! Greatest! of! Marlys!. Room 7AB

8:30 pm - Eisner Awards ceremony.
Click here for a list of Asian American nominees.

Saturday, July 26

1:15-2:00 Spotlight on Tite Kubo
VIZ Media welcomes prolific manga (graphic novel) creator Tite Kubo for a series of rare in-person appearance. Mr. Kubo is the creator of the wildly successful manga series Bleach and ZOMBIEPOWDER. Both series are published domestically by VIZ Media, and Bleach is currently serialized in Shonen Jump. This is the first time the artist will appear at a North American convention. Mr. Kubo, along with his editor, Mr. Atsushi Nakasaki, will provide insight regarding his past, current, and future projects. Room 7AB
Tomine Saturday 5:30

5:30-6:30 Spotlight on Adrian Tomine
New Yorker illustrator and Optic Nerve cartoonist Adrian Tomine is the author of one of 2007's most critically lauded graphic novels, Shortcomings. For this Spotlight, Tomine will be interviewed by the first editor ever to give him an actual paying gig, Marc Weidenbaum, editor-in-chief of magazines at VIZ Media. The two will discuss what it was about the then UC Berkeley student's comic that attracted Weidenbaum to offer him a regular spot in Tower Records' Pulse magazine and how Tomine has matured over the last decade to become one of North America's leading literary cartoonists. Room 10

Sunday, July 27

2:45-3:45 Virgin Comics: Grant Morrison and Deepak Chopra: The Spirit of the Superhero
The tradition continues! As Virgin Comics gears up to launch the new animated on-line series MBX, series writer Grant Morrison (New X-Men, Superman, Final Crisis) once again teams with best-selling author and Virgin Comics co-founder Deepak Chopra (The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment) to talk...superheroes! Join the ongoing conversation investigating the id, ego, superego, and spirituality of the superhero -- we're talking social theory with sound effects, four colors fused with existentialism. Two of the greatest minds of comics and culture talking comics and culture -- this is not to be missed! Ballroom 20

Also, check out the list of Artists Alley participants -- including Jim Lee, Ron Lim, David Nakayama, Dustin Nguyen, Christina Strain, and many others!

And click here for Greg Pak's panel and signing schedule.

I nearly busted a gut laughing when I read Adrian Tomine's one-page comic "The Donger and Me" in an anthology book a few years back. So I'm thrilled to report that the comic can be read online at NPR.org -- and it's not to be missed by anyone who's ever trembled with rage over the Long Duk Dong character from "Sixteen Candles."

Via the Beat.

Two Asian Canadians, an Asian American, and an Asian Australian dominate the "Best of 2007" lists posted by last year's Eisner judges at Bookslut.com.

Shaun Tan's "The Arrival" makes two lists -- here's an excerpt from Chris Reilly's blurb:

Sublime and visually stunning, this book tells the wordless story of an immigrants "arrival." The imagery is abstract and beautiful and refreshingly not Photoshopped. The images are alien and so perfectly depict how frightening it is to be a stranger in a strange land, with little more than the clothes on his back and lint in your pockets.... The landscapes, language (there is an unreadable alphabet) and even animals/monster/creatures here are so strange that you really become this guy.

For more about Tan, who grew up in Australia and won the World Fantasy Award for Best Artist, visit www.shauntan.net.

Anne Marie Fleming's "Magical Life of Long Tack Sam" makes Robin Brenner's list. Here's a bit of the blurb:

This book shines for its sense of humor and the way it conveys the grand adventure of digging through your ancestors pasts and discovering how learning a little bit here and a little bit there may uncover a treasure trove of history.

Brenner also cites Jason Shiga's "Bookhunter":

This book is fantastic in the way it takes a look at crimes very close to reality (the most famous book thieves are intriguingly odd characters, and often quite genius in how they commit their crimes) and then cranks it up into a great procedural drama everyone can enjoy. And... there's a climactic chase scene with book carts!

And James Sime cites Bryan Lee O'Malley's "Scott Pilgrim Vol. 4":

If you like rock and roll, half-ninjas, battling ex-boyfriends, rail-slides, failed job interviews, leveling up, and the endless laughs that boy-meets-girl creates, this is a must-read series for you to sink your teeth into.

As an extra bonus, former Eisner judge Whitney Matheson cites both "Magical Life of Long Tack Sam" and Adrian Tomine's "Shortcomings" on her Best of 2007 list at usatoday.com.

Via ComicMix.com.