The biggest and most exciting comic and culture convention has returned to New York City for the seventh time. New York Comic Con 2012, held from Oct. 11 to 14 in the Javits Center on the west side of Manhattan, is jam-packed with artists, gamers, panelists, guests and its fair share of stars as well, but with 650,000 square feet to walk through in just three short days, where's a Comic Con fan to start?

The International Business Times has you covered, as we'll be covering New York Comic Con 2012 from start to finish. Here, we've provided a guide to the best events held on the first major day open to the public, Friday, Oct. 12. There will be plenty of exciting events to attend, advance screenings of films and TV shows, and autographs to grab, so here's how you can find the best ones on Friday afternoon:

1. Setting The Score: Composing For Film & Television (Time & Location: 11 a.m. in Room 1A01)
Some of the best composers working in film and TV right now give an audience a sneak peek into their work on their popular work. The panel will hold a Q&A and offer special give-aways through the presentation, making it both informative and rewarding. Featuring composers: Dino Meneghin ("MTV's Teen Wolf"), Frederik Wiedmann ("Green Lantern Animated Series"), Jay Vincent ("Ninjago"), Kevin Manthei ("Invader Zim", "Ultimate Spider-Man"), and Will Bates ("Another Earth"). This panel will be moderated Matthew Patches (Editor, Hollywood.com).

2. Brian Wood & Dark Horse: From World's End To The Galaxy's Beginnings (Time & Location: 12:15 p.m. in 1A06)
Dark Horse creator Brian Wood, who currently runs the biggest independent comic book and manga publishing company in the US, discusses his creator-owned and licensed works with the Comic Con 2012 audience.

3. How To Get A Job In The Videogame Industry With Capcom (Time & Location: 12:15 p.m. in 1A14)
Francis Mao (CAPCOM) moderates a diverse panel of video game industry insiders to share how they got to "play video games for a living," and explain the wide variety of career paths that are available in the industry. The panel is designed to explain to audiences that they don't need to be a programmer or a digital artist their whole life in order to enjoy an exciting and successful career in the game industry, in areas like marketing, design, retail, PR, editorial, publishing, and more. Capcom's panelists include Andrew Schnorr, Karl Reader, Laili Bosma, Matt Dhalgren, Mike Lunn, Robert Tunick, and Tristan Corbett. The panelists will have one-on-one sessions with audience members after the panel concludes.

4. Adam West & Burt Ward Spotlight (Time & Location: 12:15 p.m. in 1A23)
Batman and Robin are back -- the original ones from the TV show, that is -- and fans won't want to miss an incredible chance to meet the caped crusaders themselves, Adam West and Burt Ward, in what could be one of the most memorable panels at Comic Con 2012.

5. Christopher Lloyd Q&A (Time & Location: 12:30 p.m. in 1A10)
Great scott! Christopher Lloyd of "Back To The Future" and "Clue" fame will be holding a Q&A? That's a must-see if I've ever heard one.

6. Sean Astin Photo Op (Time & Location: 1:20 p.m. in the Official Pix Booth in 1B Hall)
However you know him, whether it's Samwise Gamgee, or Rudy, or Mikey from "The Goonies," a photo with actor Sean Astin is simply priceless. However, Comic Con 2012 puts a price on it anyway: You'll have to pay $40 if you want a picture with Frodo's best friend.

7. Vertigo: A View From The Cutting-Edge Of Comics (Time & Location: 1:30 p.m. in 1A23)
One of the most successful comic book and graphic novel brands is holding a panel with some of its best writers and artists to discuss "the weird, the wild and the always unexpected" in their unique comic universe. The panel features "all-star talent" including Rafael Albuquerque (American Vampire), Brian Azzarello (Spaceman), Ryan Kelly (Saucer Country), Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth), Dustin Nguyen (American Vampire: Lord of Nightmares), Scott Snyder (American Vampire), Bill Willingham (Fables, Fairest) and more members of the Vertigo squad.

8. Stan Lee Photo Op (Time & Location: 1:45 p.m. in the Official Pix Booth in 1B Hall)
Getting a photo with the creator of such comics as Spider-Man, the X-Men, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and countless others, is the ultimate souvenir from Comic Con 2012. This too costs $40, but is well worth the price.

9. Archie Comics: The Hottest Publisher In The Industry (Time & Location: 2:45 p.m. in 1A06)

Archie Comics has been around since 1939, but the publishing team continues to find new innovative stories and storylines. In this panel with Archie Comics, the staff of the company tells the New York Comic Con 2012 audience what's coming for one of the oldest comic publishers in America.The panel includes Archie Comics co-CEO Jon Goldwater, President Mike Pellerito, Editor-in-chief Victor Gorelick, writer/artist Dan Parent (Kevin Keller), writer Michael Uslan (Archie: Will You Marry Me?), and others. If that wasn't enough for you, all attendees will receive a free Archie gift bag!

10. AMC Presents Kevin Smith's Comic Book Men (Time & Location: 2:45 p.m. in the IGN Theater)
Writer/director/actor Kevin Smith and his crew - Walt Flanagan, Bryan Johnson, Mike Zapcic and Ming Chen - hit Comic Con 2012 to discuss the second season of their unscripted series, "Comic Book Men," which is set in Smith’s comic shop called "Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash." The panel will also include a sneak peek at the new season which returns Sunday October 14 at 11:30pm on AMC.

11. Creator Connection (Time & Location: 3:45 p.m. in 1A07)
New York Comic Con 2012 brings back this popular panel, which has launched many indie titles and careers by itself. This panel invites creators to meet their next creative partner in this fun, interactive networking session. The Con asks creators to bring their business cards and samples of their work. "This is the panel that has literally helped complete strangers form creative teams and publish comic books," NYCC said on its website. "Be there and launch your career." Host: Buddy Scalera of ComicBookSchool.com. Support by Model/Actress Zoe Labella of Comic Artist’s Photo Reference.

12. The Kubert School: Celebrating Over 35 Years Of Talent (Time & Location: 4 p.m. in 1A08)

Since its founding in 1976, The Kubert School in Dover, N.J., has offered students a high quality and challenging education in Cartooning and Graphic Art. In this spotlight panel, Adam Kubert (AvX), will lead a unique and lively conversation where he will answer all your questions about the school. Come and learn what has made this important institution so relevant in today's age of comics.

13. Crime Scenes, Horror Anthologies, and Steampunk Dracula: Genres leaping to Transmedia (Time & Location: 4 p.m. in 1E07)
Fourth Wall Studios, dedicated to creating next generation, digital entertainment experiences called RIDES, is paying attention to the way you consume your media – across your computer, phone and tablet. Meet the creators behind the programs that spans from comedy to horror to steampunk. Featuring a look inside the Emmy winning web series Dirty Work, and their other upcoming projects, a Q&A with Mary Lynn Rajskub (24), Hank Harris and Jamie Clayton, and a special introduction to a new project from Alan Tudyk (Firefly).

14. The World of Capcom! (Time & Location: 4:15 p.m. in 1A10)
CAPCOM returns to NYCC with another stellar lineup of the hottest new video game titles in the coming year! Moderator Francis Mao (CAPCOM) leads a panel of Capcom's producers and product managers to share trailers and sneak peeks of all the hot, new upcoming CAPCOM games featuring Resident Evil 6, DmC, Lost Planet 3, Street Fighter X Tekken (PS Vita), Okami HD, Remember Me and more! Plus, a few surprises! Followed by a Q&A session.

15. From "Batman" to "The Dark Knight Rises": How a Boy Who Loved Batman Brought a Dark and Serious Batman to the Silver Screen (Time & Location: 5:15 p.m. in 1A08)
Michael Uslan, Originator and Executive Producer of all the Batman movies through "The Dark Knight Rises" and author of his memoir, THE BOY WHO LOVED BATMAN, tells his story how a blue-collar kid from Jersey managed to buy the movie rights to Batman and endured a ten year struggle of rejection from Hollywood in his mission to show the entire world what the true Batman as created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger was really like.

16. The Venture Bros. (Time & Location: 5:15 p.m. in the IGN Theater)

One of the most popular shows on Adult Swim and Cartoon Network, the creators of "The Venture Bros" Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer, perennial Comic-Con favorites, will discuss their original series, upcoming Halloween Special and answer fan questions.

17. Carrie Fisher Photo Op (Time & Location: 6:00 p.m. in the Official Pix Booth in 1B Hall)
Yet another priceless photo op with one of pop culture's favorite maidens, Carrie Fisher, a.k.a. Princess Leia of "Star Wars." Of course, this priceless photo op can be yours for $40.

18. Webcomics: From Hobby To Business (Time & Location: 6:30 p.m. in 1A08)
With almost a decade of experience, Ryan Sohmer talks about turning his single webcomic into a successful multimedia company with three webcomics, a distribution network, employees and more new ventures on the way. He and Lar de Souza, artist on "Least I Could Do" and "Looking For Group" will discuss the ups and down of the creating over the last ten years.

19. Scott C and The Great Showdowns, from Ripley vs the Alien Queen to Han vs the Green Fellow! (Time & Location: 7:00 p.m. on the Unbound Stage)
Scott C. is a New York resident whose art is celebrated around the world. Part of the Gallery 1988 phenomenon people flood galleries to see his work and snap up his wondrous and wondrously fun pieces. Here he talks about his work recreating some of the best and most iconic moments of movie and TV culture from his latest project - The Great Showdowns with Titan Books.

20. CollegeHumor Live at New York Comic Con 2012 (Time & Location: 8:00 p.m. in 1E13)
The overlap of the worlds of comedy and geek culture is indisputable, and so, the cast of CollegeHumor – and some of the site’s closest friends – will present a night of live, original comedy just for the New York Comic Con audience. Jeff Rubin (Editor-in Chief, Jest.com) and Patrick Cassells (Head Writer, CollegeHumor.com) will co-host the evening of stand-up and sketch comedy by nerds, for nerds.