● Karl Urban, Deborah Ann Woll, Jorge Jiménez, Carmen Carnero, Dave Jones, and Shin’ichirō Watanabe join the more than 30 new confirmed guests

● Panel Cero also unveiled the new venue, the first official poster—designed by Helen Chen—and Disney’s presence in Hall M

July 7, 2026. San Diego Comic-Con Málaga held its highly anticipated Panel Zero today, an event during which it shared major announcements about the 2026 edition with the fan community. During the livestream, hosted by Cristinini alongside CEO Fernando Piquer and featuring artist Jorge Jiménez as a special guest, previews were revealed regarding the program, the new layout for the second edition, and the highly anticipated first poster, reaffirming the convention’s commitment to sharing these updates with fans ahead of time.

A venue with new spaces

One of the most notable announcements from Panel Cero was the unveiling—several months in advance—of the official venue, which will maintain its capacity of 90,000 attendees (22,500 per day). 

Fernando Piquer, director of SDCC Málaga 2026, stated: “The venue map shows the expansion of the convention for its second edition. It has been designed to include new spaces, optimize routes, and facilitate movement throughout the venue—which spans more than 90,000 m²—thereby enhancing the attendees’ experience. We’re very excited to be able to share this first look with our fans.”

Five aspects stand out among the main changes in the venue’s new layout. First, the expansion of the exhibition area, which will now feature two large spaces:  

• Exhibitor Hall Town, located inside FYCMA and continuing the exhibition space from the previous edition.
• Exhibitor Hall Garden, a new indoor, fully equipped pavilion located in the Village area, outside the Exhibition and Convention Center, covering more than 8,800 square meters.

Both exhibition spaces will also feature Sit&Play areas where visitors can enjoy, among other things, new board games before their official release. Second, Artists’ Alley will also be located inside the Exhibitor Hall Garden tent. There, attendees will find the third new feature: they’ll be able to explore more than 90 booths by national and international artists—nearly double last year’s number—to discover original illustrations, purchase prints, and meet the artists in person.

In this new edition, SDCC Málaga 2026 will continue to feature two auditoriums and Hall M, and, as a new addition, will build an additional auditorium from scratch, located near the Exhibitor Hall Town. Thanks to this expansion, the program will feature more than 300 hours of content, offering a diverse lineup covering comics, film, television, animation, board games, video games, and Popular Arts.

25 new special guests

During Panel Cero, a new group of 25 special guests was also announced, along with the dates they will be attending SDCC Málaga 2026: These include 7 comic book artists, 3 manga artists, 2 key figures from the world of video games and role-playing games, and 12 talents from the film and television industry. These twenty-five new names join the more than 30 internationally renowned names announced throughout the spring, bringing the lineup to over 50 special guests—a number that continues to grow. The new additions, by category, are:

Movie and TV Highlights: Five of the stars of the unforgettable Starship Troopers saga ( Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards, Dina Meyer, Michael Ironside, and Jake Busey), Natasha Liu Bordizzo ( *The Greatest Showman*), Dan Fogler ( *The Walking Dead*), Denise Gough ( *Star Wars: Andor*), Christopher Lambert ( *Highlander*), Kevin Sussman ( *The Big Bang Theory*), Karl Urban (The Boys, The Lord of the Rings) and Deborah Ann Woll (Daredevil).

Featured Video Games and Role-Playing Games: The founding father of video games that have marked a turning point in history will attend San Diego Comic-Con Málaga for all four days. He is Dave Jones, creator of the classic *Lemmings* and the acclaimed *Grand Theft Auto* (GTA). Jeremy Crawford, designer of iconic role-playing games such as *Dungeons & Dragons*, will also be visiting San Diego Comic-Con Málaga from October 1 to 4.

Featured Manga: Director and screenwriter Whin’ichiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo) will be in attendance on Friday, October 2, and Saturday, October 3. Yoshihiro Ueda, director of Dragon Ball, and Akira Yamaoka, the composer of Silent Hill, will also visit the convention on Thursday, October 1, and Friday, October 2.

Comic Highlights: Carmen Carnero ( Captain America), Chris Condon ( Ultimate Wolverine), Jorge Jiménez ( Batman), Pepe Larraz ( The X-Dynasty), Álvaro Martínez Bueno ( Justice League Dark), Michael Golden (Doctor Strange), Michael Walsh (Comeback). All of them will be stopping by Artists’ Alley; specifically, Larraz and Carnero will be there from Friday through Sunday, and Condon, Martínez Bueno, Golden, and Walsh will be attending the convention every day.

These latest announcements from the comics division come on top of those recently announced: Stefano Caselli (The Ultimate Black Panther), Juanjo Guarnido (Blacksad), Philip Kennedy Johnson (The Chronicles of Fellspyre), Rick Leonardi (The Uncanny X-Men), Laia López (Royalty Witches), David Messina (Catwoman), Pat Mills (Charley’s War), and Dan Mora (Justice League).

This universe took on a special significance at Panel Zero with the presence of one of the newly announced special guests: artist Jorge Jiménez. Today, he surprised fans at the convention. At Panel Zero, he revealed that he had created a special print commissioned by SDCC Málaga and noted that “Coming back to San Diego Comic-Con Málaga feels like playing on home turf.” Last year, I really enjoyed the fans’ passion, and that’s why, when I started planning my 2026–2027 schedule, I felt I had to start over at Málaga’s Artists’ Alley.”

In addition to the talent invited by the organizers, the more than 300 hours of content at SDCC Málaga 2026 are being developed in collaboration with leading entertainment companies such as Disney, which, as Piquer has announced, will be present in Hall M at the upcoming event.

Helen Chen designs the first official poster for SDCC Málaga 2026

Artist and art director Helen Chen was commissioned to create the first official poster for SDCC Málaga 2026. Chen, known for her work as a production designer and visual artist on productions such as K-Pop Warriors and Raya and the Last Dragon, has created an illustration inspired by this year’s theme, “Team Up!”, as well as by the identity of the city of Málaga.

As Chen points out, “The commission was a unique challenge. There were no previous designs for the characters on the poster, so it was fun to imagine them from scratch. And Málaga’s architecture is so beautiful that it immediately transports you into that fantasy.” SDCC Málaga has confirmed at Panel Cero that the artist will be visiting Málaga for all four days.

During the presentation, it was also announced that legendary comic book artist John Romita Jr. will be creating the second official poster for SDCC Málaga 2026, which will be unveiled soon.

Panel Cero also reminded attendees that today, July 7, marks the end of Wave 1 and, with it, the conclusion of the first phase of ticket sales. The Fan Portal was also unveiled at , and it was confirmed that journalist and film critic Ali Plumb (BBC Radio 1) will participate in this year’s festival.

With this comprehensive presentation, SDCC Málaga continues on its path toward its 2026 edition, hand in hand with its fans. The convention is supported by the 2021–2027 Feder Andalucía Program and the Regional Government of Andalusia, and it reinforces its position as one of Europe’s premier gathering places for fans and professionals in Popular Arts. Tickets for the upcoming edition are now available at Ticketmaster.