From Chicago Comic Con, 2015.

We’ll have more panelists than are named in these descriptions. Jen Golbeck will join “From Star Trek to Star Wars,” Martin Lloyd will be in the “Who’s the Most Neurotic Superhero?” panel, and then we’ll fill however many seats each panel gets.

Travis, Alex, and Katrina will be signing at Artist’s Alley table B46 the rest of the time, joined at times by fellow PsychGeeks.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 19

2:00-2:45 PM
GAME OF THRONES PSYCHOLOGY: THE MIND IS DARK AND FULL OF TERRORS (ROOM 4)
In George R. R. Martin’s fantasy world, where almost everyone fights for power over the realm or simply over their own lives, how do love and hate, good and evil, need and greed, altruism and narcissism drive the very best and the very worst human behavior? Join the knights of the psych table as they diagnose characters, explore all these questions, and more: psychologists Travis Langley (Game of Thrones Psychology; Batman and Psychology), Colt Blunt (The Walking Dead Psychology), Jennifer Golbeck (Star Wars Psychology), Martin Lloyd (Doctor Who Psychology), and Patrick O’Connor (Comicspedia; Star Trek Psychology). What kind of person can even survive the game of thrones, much less hope to win?

5:00–5:45 PM
FROM STAR TREK TO STAR WARS: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE SCRUFFY (ROOM 6)
Which shapes science fiction more -Star Trek or Star Wars? Where would Firefly, Babylon 5, Stargate, Farscape, or Battlestar Galactica be without either of them? Join us in a celebration and exploration of all things sci-fi as Dr. Travis Langley (editor of both Star Wars Psychology: Dark Side of the Mind and Star Trek Psychology: The Mental Frontier) brings together experts for a lively discussion: Michael Witwer (Empire of Imagination), Colt Blunt (Game of Thrones Psychology), Scott Jordan (Captain America vs. Iron Man; Star Trek Psychology), and more. Live long may the Force be with you! [Travis has to leave this one early to get to his next panel.]

5:30-6:15PM
WHO’S THE MOST NEUROTIC SUPERHERO? INSIDE THE MINDS OF BATMAN, SPIDER-MAN, CAPTAIN AMERICA, JESSICA JONES AND MORE with BATMAN AND PSYCHOLOGY’S TRAVIS LANGLEY, SNL’S J.J. SEDELMAIER, 100 GREATEST GRAPHIC NOVELS’ ALEX LANGLEY & SPIDER-MAN’S DANNY FINGEROTH (ROOM 2)
Ever since the dawn of Marvel’s “superheroes with real problems,” costumed adventurers have been letting their psychological damage show. Spider-Man’s guilt and insecurity, Batman’s tango with trauma, Captain America’s survivor’s guilt and Jessica Jones’ smorgasbord of symptoms are just a few of the most well-known mental challenges that modern superheroes deal with. Today, experts including psychologist Travis Langley (Captain America vs. Iron Man: Freedom, Security, Psychology),animator/satirist J.J. Sedelmaier (SNL’s Ambiguously Gay Duo), pop culture expert Alex Langley (100 Greatest Graphic Novels), and comics writer and historian Danny Fingeroth (Superman on the Couch: What Superheroes Really Tell Us About Ourselves and Our Society) discuss what issues a variety of heroes (and some villains) live with, and how those challenges help and/or hinder them.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 20

3:30-4:15PM
HORROR ENTERTAINMENT: VAMPIRES AND ZOMBIES AND WERES, OH MY! (ROOM 6)
What really scares you? Movies, comic books, novels, and other modern forms of entertainment all play on the same fears that grabbed the earliest people telling scary stories by the campfire, but why? Travis Langley (The Walking Dead Psychology: Psych of the Living Dead), Katrina Hill (100 Greatest Graphic Novels), Martin Lloyd (Game of Thrones Psychology: The Mind is Dark and Full of Terrors), Eric Wesselmann (Captain America vs. Iron Man), Michael Witwer (Empire of Imagination), and Jay Bonansinga (The Walking Dead novels), look at how horror storytellers send chills up our spines and why we love it when they do.

5:30-6:15PM
CAPTAIN AMERICA VS IRON MAN: FREEDOM, SECURITY, PSYCHOLOGY (ROOM 1)
Team Cap looks out for superhero liberties to keep heroes free to do what’s right while Team Iron Man defends national and international security. Dr. Travis Langley (Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight) brings together a super team to marvel at the history and heroism of Steve Rogers and Tony Stark: Victor Dandridge (Vantage: Inhouse), Alex Langley (Star Wars Psychology), Martin Lloyd (The Walking Dead Psychology), Scott Jordan (Star Trek Psychology), and Eric Wesselmann (Captain America vs. Iron Man: Freedom, Security, Psychology). When the road to Civil War is paved with good intentions, are any of them truly right?

11:00-11:45PM
LIVING BY HIS OWN RULES: CHRISTIAN KANE (ROOM 4)
[Travis moderates.]