From frontlines to drawing lines: How Comic-Con's giving vets an opportunity to 'shine in the best of light'

The highly-anticipated Comic-Con returns to San Diego this week for the first time since the pre-pandemic days, and with it, brings a new panel: "Veterans in the Arts and Pop Culture."

As the convention kicks off Thursday, one of the highly-coveted morning time slots is dedicated to the all-veteran panel, moderated by Steve Dilley of the Veterans Art Project (VETART) -- a San Diego-based organization serving veterans, active duty and their families through deep arts engagement and art therapy. The organization touts its mission in striving to provide those with post-traumatic stress, TBI and MST find their voice and work through the life-changing process of transitioning from military to civilian life. 

"The panel is a group of veterans, most from San Diego, and is part of the Veterans Art Project mission to promote artwork and veterans as creators," Dilley told Fox News Digital ahead of the panel discussion Thursday.

"It's an outgrowth of the work that I’ve, I’ll call it my artistic responsibility of working with veterans here in San Diego." The city, he added, is known for the importance it places upon veterans. It also houses the Naval Base San Diego, the second-largest surface ship base of the United States Navy.

Dilley, though not a veteran himself, is the son of parents who both met and served in the U.S. Navy. His influence as the child of veterans -- coupled with his art school degree -- is the motivation behind giving back to those who've served in San Diego through VETART's uniquely creative method of helping vets.

"No one’s out there really doing this type of work with veterans and giving them this kind of opportunity," Dilley told Fox News Digital. "And it's not lost on Comic-Con, the importance of veterans and the military on San Diego’s culture."

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Comic-Con panel questions will offer attendees insight into the minds of veterans: what inspires them to create their art, how their time serving in the military may influence their creations and what benefits and/or challenges of being a veteran-turned-artist may exist.

"All of our panel participants have very unique backgrounds --  from an Air Force Lt. Colonel who’s part of a skill bridge program, down to probably the most popular which would be Maximilian Uriarte, who’s currently in the process of optioning his graphic novel to be made into a movie."

Dilley also said Comic-Con attendees can look forward to hearing from Colin Hoffman, a Marine Corps creator who self-published a children's book; Tonya Savice, a two-time suicide survivor on how she practices art as a means of wellness, and others.

"It's giving them [veterans] the opportunity to shine in the best of light," Dilley said.

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To learn more about the organization's mission, visit vetart.org. Badge-holders interested in attending the panel on Thursday can do so at 10 a.m. PT in room 29AB at the San Diego Convention Center.