Wondercon 2013

Violet

Moderator Emeritus
So this year, I plan to attend Wondercon and am returning to LA for another vacation- and yes, I will be able to make it to the Indy Exhibition.

Generally though, I'd like to know a bit more about Wondercon other than the usual standard con stuff- I do understand that I need a member ID to buy tickets online and such and have the ID, but would like to know for example- what kind of badges are avaliable, how much usually are you looking at say a one day badge, what kind of exclusives are usually avaliable and maybe if any fellow Raveners are planning to come as well? Due to my busy vacation schedule I'm aiming to do only one day and I am planning to go in cosplay- the cosplay doesn't have weapons and I have checked the policy, anything else I need to know?
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
Up until last year Wondercon was traditionally held @ San Francisco's Moscone Center. Scheduled renovations to the convention center forced the organizers to seek an alternate location, and they ended up in Anaheim. How much of that was due to Marvel-Disney's arm twisting I couldn't say, but I suspect quite a bit.

Come 2014 I expect to see the birth of a third major convention to take up residence in SF again. Wondercon will continue be the alternative to the behemoth that is the World Famous San Diego Comic Con. Or, we'll just have to content ourselves with APE.

Now, Wondercon has usually been a more sedate affair. Less multi-media extravaganza and more comic oriented. Oh, the video games and movies are there, but it was typically confined to one main room. Comics dominated the main floor and panels.

I opted not to attend last year's convention, but it definitely sounds like it's getting bigger, more San Diego-esque. Tickets should be easier to come across as usual, and aren't that expensive. A three-day pass will set you back forty bucks, Friday and Saturday are twenty bucks each, and Sunday only is ten bucks. That is, ten American dollars.

No idea on exclusives, though.


No definite plans to attend this year, but I am considering it.

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Violet

Moderator Emeritus
What I'm reading here sounds good- it sounds somewhat similar to the local con I go to, however Supanova's focus is more geared towards the cosplay championship and film & tv stars, however in the last couple of years they have started to have more prominent comic people.

Even with the currency exchange and the tax on top, the passes are certainly a lot cheaper than the local con too. It costs 70 bucks for our weekend and it's open less hours. So considering its cheapness I might opt for a full weekend depending on how it goes when the badges go on sale.

I noticed that for this year they have Jim Steranko and Jason Palmer (the guy who did the art for the Indy bluray)- so I will be after autographs from them.

Also who are usually exhibitors and vendors there? And what kind of groups are usually at the fan tables?
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
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Violet said:
Supanova's focus is more geared towards the cosplay championship and film & tv stars, however in the last couple of years they have started to have more prominent comic people.

I don't believe you'll have any problems with badge purchases. Even when it was up here, I never had problems with purchasing badges on the day of. It simply doesn't have the cachet of the it's more Southerly cousin, and considering Anaheim is the largest convention center on the Left Coast there shouldn't be a capacity issue.

There's cosplay a plenty on the floor! It's more imaginative too. Remember that Venture Bros. cartoon from a few years ago? Well, there was an entire group dressed like the Monarch, that girl he pals around with, and an entire posse of bee warriors! I swear it was like twenty people.

There's the annual Masquerade at the end of the day, too; that is, if you're interested in watching people traipse about a stage in superhero attire. It's not my thing, so I couldn't tell you what it's like.

All of that aside, I'd opt for the entire weekend just because trying to cram everything into one day really, really sucks. It isn't fun. You can pop in and out at your leisure, check out the Indy exhibit, and Disneyland when you need a change of pace.

Violet said:
I noticed that for this year they have Jim Steranko and Jason Palmer (the guy who did the art for the Indy bluray)- so I will be after autographs from them.

Remember to check often. They'll update the special guests up until about a week before the convention at which point in time the guest list will be complete. Barring any surprise additions, of course.

Violet said:
Also who are usually exhibitors and vendors there? And what kind of groups are usually at the fan tables?

Marvel & DC will be there. Image Comics, too. Darkhorse, Oni Press, & IDW Publishing should be there as well. Basically, every major comic publisher will have a booth of some sort. They'll usually bring a handful of their current crop of artists & writers for autographs at various times during the convention, so if there's somebody you're fond of see if they'll be in attendance.

Other luminaries will typically have their own panels and or tables.

Kick Ass held a sneak preview the last year Wondercon was in SF, so you theoretically could get a glimpse of whatever comic movie was set to release shortly afterwards. For example, Iron Man 3 is set to debut in April. I would expect a panel at the very least.

HBO will be back with Game of Thrones since it's become wildly popular. It certainly helps that the third season premieres about a week after the con ends. They've usually had a fun interactive booth.

Most of the major movie studios will opt for San Diego if it coincides with their scheduled release dates; otherwise, they'll premiere footage or whatever at Wondercon. For example, Warner Bros will probably have something for Pacific Rim and the newest incarnation of Godzilla.

You might even get a glimpse of Song n' Dance Man's The Wolverine!

You'll have the usual con attendees as well. For example, your sword dealers, local comic retailers, the 501st Legion, movie vendors, and anything else peripherally related to nerd culture.

Sad Sack Row will be there. You know it: the third tier celebrities who have been reduced to hawking their autographs for a living. Which means Lou Ferigno will be there!

Artist's Alley is usually well attended with well-known and not-so-well known artists. They'll sell their wares, do a sketch, or chat typically.

Hopefully they continue with one of my favorite meetups -- writers and artists looking for collaborators have a roundup over the weekend! It's a great way to promote and continue the medium.

But what if you played Dungeons & Dragons and were first string in football?

 

Le Saboteur

Active member
Badges for Wondercon: Anaheim went on sale a few days back. Pick one up if you're interested in attending!

It's still too early for any in-depth programming announcements, but con attendees will get the opportunity to see the World Premiere of Superman: Unbound with Matt Bomer in the titular role.

DC continues to put out exceptional animated fare, so I expect this one to be up there in quality as well.

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Lois Lane and Super Girl.

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A few more special guests were announced as well.
 

Violet

Moderator Emeritus
Yeah, I've been watching their page. I'm still waiting on more guests for me to be interested in. Unfortunately I dont see any writers that I like yet.

I know its still 2 months away, but I wish there were more info more fluidly, admittedly Supanova gives a lot of information heaps of time ahead of the con, the only thing is the program, that gets released about 2 weeks beforehand.

As for the badges out of curiosity, does it take longer to get in if paid for at the door or just as long? One of the things that happens here is the at the door line ends up being shorter and quicker than the prepaid lines coz most people pay online so for the past couple of years I have often paid in cash at the door.
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
Violet said:
Yeah, I've been watching their page. I'm still waiting on more guests for me to be interested in. Unfortunately I dont see any writers that I like yet.

I would see if you can suss out the website/Twitter/Tumblr/whatever for any of the talent you like. In my experience, they'll have their con schedules set well in advance of any official announcement. For example, I've known that Frank Cho would be @ Wonder Con for a couple of months now.

Right now I'm hoping that Bruce Timm & Paul Dini will also make it for Wonder Con!

Violet said:
I know its still 2 months away, but I wish there were more info more fluidly, admittedly Supanova gives a lot of information heaps of time ahead of the con, the only thing is the program, that gets released about 2 weeks beforehand.

That's right around when they'll announce the complete programming schedule. Part of me thinks they're working on lining things up right up until the last minute.

Which reminds me, no word on if Stan Lee will be there. If you're interested, I'd make a point to seek out his autograph. There's no telling how much longer he'll be around since he celebrated his 90th(!) birthday about a month ago.

Violet said:
As for the badges out of curiosity, does it take longer to get in if paid for at the door or just as long? One of the things that happens here is the at the door line ends up being shorter and quicker than the prepaid lines coz most people pay online so for the past couple of years I have often paid in cash at the door.

@ SDCC you have no choice but to purchase it on-line. However, getting the badge and getting on the floor took, maybe, fifteen minutes tops. Their ability to move a sea of people about with relative ease is impressive.

That said, when Wonder Con was in the Bay Area I always opted to purchase tickets at the door. It was more expensive, sure, but there still wasn't much of a wait. Again, it might have been ten-to-fifteen minutes to complete the transaction and get through the door.

With the Anaheim Edition of Wonder Con being theoretically larger, and thus better attended, I couldn't say. Given the organizer's experience though, I suspect you'll spend an equal amount of time either way. You might experience a longer wait if Disneyland day-trippers opt to swing by the con as well.

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