San Diego—This summer the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center gets in on the action at the pop culture, science fiction and fantasy event of the year, San Diego Comic-Con. The Fleet will be hosting a special installment of the popular Fleet Night of Science 21 and up parties and two Comic-Con panels that explore the art and science of comics.

The Fleet Night of Science: Comic-Con After Party takes place on Thursday, July 21, from 6:30-9:30 at the Fleet Science Center. For this 21 and up event, science and comic book enthusiasts have the opportunity to enjoy stimulating conversations about cutting-edge science, indulge in cocktails and let their curiosity run wild exploring the Fleet's interactive exhibit gallery.

Guests to the Comic-Con After Party will get to explore the Fleet's latest exhibition Science Fiction, Science Future, and engage in conversations about the science behind some of their favorite comics, TV shows and movies with members of the local science community. There will be a costume contest, a pop culture and science trivia game and an opportunity to converse with comic book artists and writers from IDW Publishing, including Chris Mowry, writer for Godzilla. Also in attendance will be journalist, writer and author Fred Bronson. He will be available to sign autographs and give a talk about his experience writing for Star Trek: The Next Generation.

The Fleet Night of Science: Comic-Con After Party is 21 and up, so leave the kids at home. The time is 6:30-9:30 p.m. at the Fleet Science Center. Tickets are $25 for nonmembers, $20 for students with ID, Fleet members, Fleet staff and volunteers and Balboa Park employees. Tickets can be purchased at the Fleet ticket counter or via the Fleet website. Tickets include two beer tastings and one souvenir tasting cup from Wavelength Brewing Company. This event is proudly sponsored by ViaSat.

The Fleet is also hosting two fun and informative panels at San Diego Comic-Con. The first of the two panels is Crossover: Where Comics & Science Meet. This panel is hosted in conjunction with IDW Publishing. Diehard fans know comics aren't just picture books for children and geeky adults. Comics have a long history of addressing complex issues, from science lab accidents to ethics, moral issues and social justice. This panel will look at the art, science and technology featured in some of our favorite comics and answer questions like: How do writers develop the stories? Are they communicating realistic scientific concepts? Could comic writer be predicting in the future of science and technology? This panel takes place Thursday, July 21, noon to 1 p.m. at San Diego Comic-Con, Room 9.

The second Comic-Con panel is Fiction vs. Reality: An Investigation of Science in Movies. This panel will explore our love of superhero and science fiction movies for their fantastic ideas and spectacular action sequences; but could any of the imaginative scenarios we witness in action blockbusters actually happen? How often do movies reflect accurate science or realistic depictions of future technology? Can real people have extraordinary superhero tools and abilities? Will humans ever travel throughout time and space? How important is it to make the science in fictional movies align with reality? This panel takes place on Thursday, July 21, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at San Diego Comic-Con, Room 8.

Additional Links:

For tickets and more information about Fleet Night of Science: Comic-Con After Party, visit the webpage here: http://www.rhfleet.org/events/night-science

Learn more about all the Fleet's 21 and up events on the The Fleet After Dark Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/thefleetafterdark

Information about the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con is here: http://www.comic-con.org/cci

Information about all the panels at San Diego Comic-Con can be found here: http://www.comic-con.org/cci/my-schedule

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To request an interview or media preview, please contact Reuben H. Fleet Science Center Public Relations Manager Nathan Young at 619-685-5743 or nyoung@rhfleet.org. We can arrange interviews with comic books artists and writers from IDW Publishing and local scientists involved in the Fleet Night of Science and Comic-Con panels.

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About ViaSat
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