Wondercon, the sister con to the massively popular San Diego Comic Con, concluded it’s 4th year in Anaheim over this past Easter weekend. Over the course of it’s short stint in Southern California the con has grown significantly, now taking over nearly all of the Anaheim Convention Center. From it’s humble days to where one could walk the exhibit floor easily in under 30 minutes to today where one could spend several hours wandering and still miss something. As the con plans to move to Los Angeles in 2016 this year’s installation became an unofficial last hurrah in hindsight. With this final installation in Anaheim the organizers brought the strongest incarnation of the event possible and ensured that the event is only going to continue to grow.
With the increased size comes the more diverse offerings given to the attendees in both offerings on the exhibition floor as well as the panels. This year I predominantly attended smaller panels in the Elite Room of the Marriott hotel. A majority of the panels were geared towards either incorporating more of one’s favorite fandoms into their day to day lives or taking a more Do-It-Yourself approach to expressing your geeky side. From fashion to fitness the panels with Sweat Equity Fitness of Los Angeles that covered a broad spectrum of topics headlined by those greatly involved in Southern California nerd culture.
The larger panels offerings were more catered to giving exclusive looks at some of the more prominent TV shows and movies currently dominating the airwaves. As usual Warner Brothers and DC debuted the latest installment of their Cinematic Animated Universe, this year’s offering being the highly anticipated Batman vs. Robin.
Of course Wondercon wouldn’t be complete without the comics! From several writers and artists in attendance as special guests to various companies representing their brand, the entire gamit of the comics industry was represented properly that weekend. Many of the larger indie companies such as BOOM, Image, and IDW each had booths set up so attendees could catch up with their favorite books or even find a new favorite book. Neal Adams, Matthew Rosenberg, and Babs Tarr were just a few among the long list of creators in attendance. The latter of whom actually designed the artwork for this years program and t shirt.
Amongst all these giants were of course the smaller retailers and artist that could be found spread throughout the exhibition floor. From local shops in the area trying to get rid of some inventory to vendors who hit several shows a month those looking to catch up on their various titles could easily score some back issue for a good deal. A good deal of these vendors are standard for any Southern California con and can often be found at Frank & Sons as well. So while not high on the list of priorities it’s still worth it to check them out seeing how you’re already there anyway…
This was easily my favorite Wondercon to date and despite having a set plan of attack for the weekend I deviated from it heavily. In spite of several deviations I still managed to have a killer time opening myself up to new experiences. meeting up with and making new friends, as well as being surrounded by so many fantastic cosplays. While it’s sad to see Anaheim lose such a fantastic con I am just glad the organizers are keeping it down south as opposed to moving it back to the Bay Area. I am extremely excited for next year’s installment as it makes the move to Los Angeles as the area is easier to reach via public transportation so there is less of a hassle getting into the area each day. I’m sure the big move will also help facilitate a bigger television presence next year which is either a good thing or a bad thing depending on who you ask. Regardless, I have full faith in the organizers to put on a kick ass show regardless of location and now we play the waiting game until next year.
And before I leave you enjoy this awesome picture of my friend Sara and I drawn by the phenomenal Paige! Apparently I’m a hufflepuff. Things could be worse I suppose.