WonderCon Is back!!

Neither rain nor sleet nor a pending heart procedure will keep me from the WonderCon. A worldwide pandemic though…

Ever hear of the Comic-Con? Well, neither had I. At least not in 2003. In July of that year, I found myself in San Diego on business, and I decided to stop in the Gaslamp district for dinner before heading home. If you’ve never been, the Gaslamp stretches seven or eight blocks along 5th St. near downtown San Diego and dead ends at the San Diego Convention Center. It’s mostly restaurants and clubs with a wide choice of live entertainment. Most offer limited outdoor seating, which I always avail myself of so I can people watch. Let’s face it, San Diego is a college town and there’s always a lot of cute coeds walking around. On this particular evening there are also a lot of people dressed as superheroes. I asked my waitress what was all that about? She laughed and replied “Oh! It’s the Comic-Con.” Back then the San Diego Comic-Con had been going on for about 33 years with little fanfare. Being a geek myself and having attended my share of Star Trek conventions, I remember thinking, “Well, that’s pretty cool.” When I got home, I told my wife about it and said we should come down to San Diego and check it out sometime. Then I promptly forgot about it.

The following year Petco Park in San Diego opened. I’ve been to Qualcomm stadium, the Padres previous home, on a few occasions. Since I am always up for checking out a new ballpark, I got tickets for my wife and myself to attend a game in July. It was a Sunday afternoon game, which ended around 4:00 o’clock. The Gaslamp was within walking distance, so we decided to stroll over there for dinner before heading home. Once again, we noticed people were walking around in costume. Purely by coincidence, we had chosen the final day of Comic-Con. The lightbulb went off and I told my wife “Oh, this is that Comic-Con thing I was telling you about. It must be this weekend.”

The following summer, 2005, we attended our first (of five consecutive) San Diego Comic-Cons. Those were fun years. It was just before the Con exploded onto the pop culture scene. Hall H was the BIG hall with seating for over 6000 people. All the big shows get booked in Hall H. Back then you could walk into a panel 5 minutes after it started and still get a seat. Albeit usually at the back of the auditorium. If you wanted to attend the Con the following year, there was always a booth where you could buy tickets a year in advance and get $10 off. Our second year, 2006, it was announced that Saturday was the first time the Con had ever sold out. To my way of thinking, that’s when it started to go downhill. In 2007 the entire event sold out for the first time. Also, for the first time, we are turned away from a panel because the room was full. For some of the more popular panels, lines were forming 10 or 15 minutes before the start. Nowadays 160,000 to 175,000 people attend every year. We attended our last San Diego Comic-Con in 2009. At the time, we were big fans of the television show Lost, which would wrap up in 2010. A Lost panel was scheduled for 11:00 AM on Saturday in Hall H. The Con, and Hall H, both opened at 10:00 AM with another panel scheduled for the Hall for the first hour. We got in a line, shortly after 9:00 AM, that stretched along the front of the Convention Center and across the street. When everything opened at 10:00 Hall H filled up. All 6000 plus seats, and we were still standing in line outside the building. They don’t clear the hall between panels so when the 10:00 o’clock panel ended some people left and were replaced with those of us in line. We managed to be one of the last people allowed in to see the Lost panel.

At this point we were beginning to wonder if it was even worth the trouble continuing to attend. Comic-Con was turning into Disneyland. Stand in line for an hour for a 5-minute ride. In the end, we decided to give it one more year and purchased tickets for the 2010 event. Unknown to me, at that time, I ended up spending that summer working in Alaska. We requested a refund, which they promptly gave us, but that was the last year they offered advance tickets to the Con. The following year, in 2011, they started online ticket sales. I did try to buy tickets. They announced when the tickets would go on sale, and I dutifully went online, only to watch their server crash. They attempted on-line sales again at least twice more a short time later, with similar results, before they finally got it right. Over the years, I’ve tried once or twice again but the results are always the same. I go online and am placed in a virtual waiting room where I am told what number position I am holding. Usually, I’m further back in line than 50,000 and the tickets usually all sell out in the first 30,000. There was a bit on the TV show, Big Bang Theory, where the guys each get a laptop and start going online to get tickets. They frantically keep refreshing their screens until one of them gets in at a favorable position. That’s not far from the truth. It’s like trying to be the 25th caller on a radio show to win tickets to a Led Zepplin reunion.

So, we did not attend the Comic-Con In 2010 or 2011, and I was doubting that I would ever consider attending it again, based on our last, 2009 experience. Then, in early 2011, I spotted an announcement on the Comic-Con website. WonderCon, which was put on by the same people running the San Diego Comic-Con, was going to be held at the Anaheim Convention Center that year. For many years it had been held at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco but, this particular year, the city was doing extensive renovations on the Convention Center, and it would not be available at the time the WonderCon was usually held. The Convention Center in Anaheim is the largest on the West Coast with over one million square feet of exhibit space. A three-day ticket for WonderCon now runs $120, (up from $80 in 2012) compared to currently over $1000 for a 4-day pass to the San Diego Comic-Con. Average attendance is now slightly over 60,000 people, (about 40,000 in 2012) but still about a third of the 160,000 plus attendance in San Diego. I was sold and I managed to convince my wife to give it another shot.

It turned out to be a WonderFul experience (pun intended) and reminded us of the Comic-Con the first couple of years that we attended. Some of the smaller panels were pretty full but the larger ones were probably only two thirds to three quarters capacity. In San Diego the trading floor had gotten so crowded that I felt like I was on the 405 freeway during rush hour AND there was a five-car pileup. In Anaheim we were able to breeze through without trampling anyone or being trampled in the process. Perhaps the only downside was, in wanting to save some money on hotel rooms, I decided to make the 1 ½ our drive, each way, from our house in Simi Valley. Yes, that’s a lot of driving but, and here’s a sentence I thought I’d never write, gas was ONLY a little over $3 a gallon back then. Then, on the first night driving home, there was a multi-car pileup which resulted in a 1 ½ hour drive becoming a three-hour drive. Another plus is you can arrange hotel accommodations through the WonderCon at a substantial savings. Lesson learned!

In 2013 the WonderCon was ready to return to San Francisco, except the Moscone Center had booked another event that was in conflict with the dates WonderCon traditionally occurred, right around or on Easter weekend. Not wanting to switch dates, they decided to hold it in Anaheim for a second straight year. Once again, it was very successful, so they decided to give the people what they wanted and have a WonderCon North in San Francisco and a WonderCon South in Anaheim every year. I don’t know if they ever returned to the Moscone Center, but they have continued the new tradition of having the WonderCon in Anaheim right around Easter. They have been there every year since 2012 except 2016 when they moved it to Los Angeles for one year in an ill-fated experiment. I have attended every year, except now I spring for the hotel. Especially since we moved to Bakersfield in July of 2012 and the drive is substantially longer…and gas is $6 a gallon.

Then, of course, COVID changed all of our lives and the event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021. But now it is back, strong as ever. And, of course, I’m here as well. I know most of you readers have probably never been to an event like this. Many of you probably don’t want to attend one. But if you are curious, I’ll give you some tips and tell you what to expect. WonderCon has a little something for everyone, leaning heavily into pop culture and geek culture.

GETTING THERE—The Anaheim convention Center is just off the 5 freeway, walking distance to Disneyland. If you have the time (and the money), it’s a great way to have a vacation, Disneyland for a couple of days and then the WonderCon. It’s already a very touristy area so make hotel reservations well in advance. Most hotels have a generous refund policy if something comes up and you have to cancel at the last minute. Both the Marriott and the Hilton are literally several dozen paces from the Convention Center. If those are a little pricey there are several other choices within walking distance. Keep in mind, it is Orange County and Disneyland so wherever you stay it is going to be on the higher end. If you go through the WonderCon, they reserve rooms in advance and provide those at a nice discount. The last time I attended, in 2019, my room cost $305 for two nights. This year, for some idiotic reason I didn’t use the WonderCon, and my room was $740 for three nights. There are also dozens of restaurants within walking distance as well. Bubba Gumps, PF Chang, House of Blues, McCormick and Schmick’s, Morton’s Steak House just to name a few. Plus, you have the usual assortment of pizza and burger joints. Another great thing is, just outside the Convention Center, they allow about a dozen gourmet food trucks to park, serving all manner of goodies, none of which are on my new restricted diet, post A-fib and diabetes.

In past years, I usually drove down to Anaheim on Friday, the first day of the Con. Over the years, I have found that by the time I made the three-hour drive (with traffic) from Bakersfield, got checked into the hotel, grabbed a bite to eat, and made it to the Convention Center the day was half over. This year I came down on Thursday, the evening before. On Friday morning I took the 10-minute walk to the Convention Center and got my (required) COVID wrist band before heading to the trading floor. I come for the panels and the first one wasn’t scheduled until 2:00 so I had four hours to explore the trading floor. It was really great because, especially the first couple of hours, the crowds hadn’t arrived, and I was able to spend time talking to several of the vendors. This is what you will find at the WonderCon.

GAMES—I’m not a gamer so I can’t say a lot here. When the Con opened its doors at 10:00 on Friday morning the focus was mostly on gaming. There are demonstrations for beginners and weekend-long tournaments for veteran players. These are mostly role-playing type games. I’ll throw out some titles, but I haven’t a clue about the games themselves. You gamers might be more familiar. Cat Lady, a type of card game; Dice City; Space Base; King of Tokyo; Star Wars X-Wing, Find the Rebel Spy; and, of course, Dungeons and Dragons. The games and tournaments are sponsored by various groups such as Alderac Entertainment Group, Golden State Gaming Network, Horseshoe Games, Adventure League, Pathfinder Society, Pine Box Games, and others.

CHILDREN’S FILM FESTIVAL—Since I don’t have kids, I really don’t go in for this one either. The festival runs all three days of the Con and then continues through April and May at other SoCal locations. It Features short films from around the world using animation, live action, and documentary styles. Filmmakers from the US, Canada, Japan, Spain, South Korea, and other places will show their films and talk about their work and how kids can actually make their own films.

ANIME—Once again this is not my thing, but if you are into Japanese anime, they’ll be showing films all three days from 10:00 AM until midnight. That’s a lot of anime.

TRADING FLOOR—The trading floor, which takes up most of the bottom floor of the Convention Center, is huge. So big, in fact, they divide it into sections for the Con. There is Artists’ Alley, devoted to artists where they can display and sell their artwork. There is an area where gamers congregate. Another area where various actors sign autographs. These are actors like Sam Jones who stared as Flash Gordon in the 80s movie with the soundtrack by Queen. And really hasn’t done much since then. Or Reggie Bannister who was primarily known for his portrayal of Reggie in the Phantasm movies, most of which went straight to video. This year the autograph section was rather thin. (Reggie was there though). Hopefully that is a result of the pandemic, and the actors will return in greater numbers in the future. They may be known mostly for making B-movies or having a guest role in one episode of Star Trek, but they are very accessible and fun to talk with. Another section is devoted to fan clubs. Yet another section is for sellers of comic books, which was the whole point of the original Comic-Con in San Diego. In recent years there has been some friction coming from this group due to the fact that the original Comic-Con was a comic book convention, held in the basement of one of the downtown hotels. Now it has become so much more. I suppose they feel that their vision has been taken from them and perverted into something else while they have been pushed off into a corner.

Most of the floor space, though, is given over to exhibitors. They sell everything from action figures to costumes to toys to books to tee shirts to you-name-it. It’s one of my favorite parts of the Con and where I usually spend the most money. Many of the authors are self-published, presenting paperback books as well as graphic novels. Someone said there is a niche market for everything so if you are passionate about something chances are others are as well. It may be books, or toys, steam punk (my personal favorite). I came across a vendor selling wooden drink coasters that had been laser engraved with characters from South Park.

MASQUERADE—This is an event unto itself and is held Saturday night after all the other activities (except for Anime, those people are die hards and slightly insane) have wrapped up. Normally held in the Arena, it was moved to Room North 200A for 2022. Groups of 15-25 contestants, cosplayers, come on stage one at a time and act out rehearsed skits for the audience. These may be one or two people or a group. As an example, and I have no idea why this one has stuck in my head over the years, at the 2007 Comic-Con, a group of seven or eight cosplayers performed a skit they called Greasy Potter. They were all dressed as characters from Harry Potter but performed a kind of mashup of the song, Summer Nights from the movie, Grease. Hmmm, Harry Potter, the musical. You can see the bit here https://youtu.be/iw6hfa6PhSQ I still laugh when I think about it. It’s always a good time and a way for cosplayers to show off their talents. Some are very creative. You can use this link to see the highlights of the Masquerade for 2022. https://youtu.be/QMSX_UHgNBs

COSPLAYERS— If you are going to attend the Con you almost have to wear some sort of costume. Cosplay is the big thing these days. I remember when I first started going to Comic-Con, cosplay was always a part of the scene, but now it has really exploded. Some of the costumes are very elaborate. I don’t know how people find the time to do it. In years past I’ve gone in my full steam punk outfit. That one was pretty easy since I pieced it together from various sites online or items I picked up at the Con. I didn’t spend a lot of time actually building the darn thing. This year I opted for the KISS method. Nothing more elaborate than a superhero shirt, Superman or Spiderman, and a different steampunk hat every day. There is a very cool fountain in a plaza located in front of the convention center, something of a horseshoe shape. That’s where you will find most cosplayers if they aren’t actually inside. It’s a great place for photo opps. Each year you will always see your fair share of Supermen, Batmen, and Spider-Men players. On the lady’s side Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn are always popular. When I first started going, back in 2005, there were a lot of Star Wars and Star Trek characters walking around. There still are those, but in ’05 there was nary an Iron Man in sight. In fact, aside from a lot of Spider-Men and the occasional Hulk, Marvel didn’t have much representation at all. Of course, now Marvel characters are everywhere. I even spotted a gang of Iron Men. Typically, whatever is popular on television or at the movies will generate a lot of players for that year. In 2022 the go-to costume was the Mandalorian, for both guys and gals.

PANELS—This is my favorite part of the Con. They can be anything from movie and television screenings to discussion panels. For example, one year I attended a panel consisting of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. They were discussing a movie they were working on together called Grindhouse. Just as were getting under way, Tarantino announced that they had just that morning signed Kurt Russell for the movie. Another time we saw a screening of the premiere episode of the Lost in Space reboot. This year I went to a panel that featured the principal designer and the primary makeup artist behind the Borg Queen from the second season of Picard, as well as the actress who plays her. They discussed the concept and how they did the makeup. It’s quite a process with the actress in the makeup chair for as much as four hours. Since this was a known character, what did they bring that was new and fresh? The whole process was much more complex than one would suspect. A second panel was put on by theonering.net, a fan-based group, discussing the new Lord of the Rings series coming out on Amazon. Amazon is being pretty tight lipped about the production, so a lot of this was speculation on what they expect/hope to see. A third panel was basically UFO’s, do they exist? Past panels have included topics such as Steam Punk meets Star Wars, what’s coming up on Warner Brothers movies, making your own cosplay costumes, usually something from Roddenberry Productions (a company run by the late Gene Roddenberry’s son) and a lot more. All of these are found on the second and third floors of the Convention Center in various rooms. Just walk in and grab a seat. Most last about 50 minutes. The one thing missing this year was the Arena. It’s the WonderCon equivalent of Hall H except it seats over 7,000 people. I think this year they were expecting COVID induced lower attendance, so they shut that down. Hopefully it will be back next year.

The con opens at 10:00 AM each day. Friday and Saturday the panels go until 6 or 7 PM. The trading floor closes at around 4:00 o’clock.  Of course, on Saturday evening, at 8:30, there is the masquerade. Sunday is usually a short day with everything closing up at 5:00 PM. Also, Sunday is usually the day parents are there with their kids, not that I have anything against kids. I just look at this as an adult playground. On Sunday everyone wants to go home so they start shutting down early. For my purposes, Saturday is usually the best day. Unlike Friday, they have panels starting at 10:00 o’clock which run continuously all day long. Sometimes there is an interesting panel on Sunday I might want to catch although this year not so much. I spent much of Sunday morning on the trading floor picking up a couple of gifts for my wife, adding to my collection of Doctor Strange comic books (yes, I am a geek), and buying a couple of T shirts and some Steam Punk paraphernalia. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes and loose clothing (unless you are a cosplayer with an affinity for spandex). You will do a lot of walking. This year the weather was pretty mild, but it can get warm-ish. I live in Bakersfield; I don’t start sweating until the thermometer hits 95 degrees.