Disney Kingdoms started in 2014 as a line of Marvel Comics inspired by purposed and actual Disney Parks attractions with the Seekers of the Weird series. Now their getting ready to publish their sixth series: one based on Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room. Grown out of a conversation between two Walt Disney Imagineers — Josh Shipley and Brian Crosby — and Joe Quesada, Chief Creative Officer of Marvel, at an Angels game, Disney Kingdoms has turned into an in-demand comic book series to not only die hard Disney fans but also the normal comic book nerds such as myself. Last year the Disney Kingdoms panel at the San Diego Comic-Con had a nice turnout but didn’t get close to filling the smaller room it was in. But this year was a completely different story! 
The 2016 panel, consisting of Josh Shipley, Andy DiGenova, Brian Crosby, E.M. Gist, Tad Stones, and Jim Zub, not only filled the room but had to turn away Con-goers at the door. The panel started out with the introductions of Shipley and DiGenova who still with WDI, Crosby who was formerly with WDI and now with Marvel, Gist who is a cover artist for Disney Kingdoms’ Haunted Mansion, Stone who is a former WDI employee and one of the creative geniuses behind the original E.P.C.O.T. Center attraction (and home of Figment) Journey Into Imagination, and Zub who wrote both the original Figment and Figment 2 comics.
Due to another panel Zub had to get to, he gave us a quick backstory on Figment and shared a fun story of his recent visit to Epcot where he sparked an impromptu signing of his books in the gift shop after noticing a woman buying all the different issues of Figment and Figment 2. But before he headed out the door, he shared that, just prior to panel, he had received word that he could announce another Figment series was on its way! While we were on the subject of Figment, Stones shared some of his history with helping create the attraction and his love of the little dragon.
E.M. Gist went on to tell us of his love of Disney even before getting the call to work on the art for the Haunted Mansion comic and how he designed each cover as if you were going through the attraction.
To wrap up the panel, Shipley and DiGenova talked about the upcoming Enchanted Tiki Room comic. They described it as a Fantasy Island-type story with each issue focusing on guests visiting and their dreams. Also was revealed the variant cover of Enchanted Tiki Room” #1 with a special appearance of the Orange Bird.
With that, the panel was over. Here’ hoping for another Disney Kingdoms panel at the D23 Expo 2017!
