Blood Drive by Eri Kagami
The red cross and the Heilein Society joined forces to bring us a blood drive at Wonder Con. While This might seem like an odd choice to have a blood drive at a comic con where people may not be up for it, you would be surprise at the amount of donors who were lining up the morning the blood drive opened up. Our copy editor, J the Greek decided to finally donate his type O negative blood for a good cause. J the Greek filled out a form and was laid to rest on a hospital stretcher. There were two options – the typical donation and the Power Red donation. J went for the latter. This donation made his platelets go on a field trip. If you have the energy and are physically able, we would recommend donating blood if you are at the con. Donating blood can also drain quite a bit of energy – plan accordingly.
Her Universe: Fashion Show…For Kids! by Eri Kagami
It wouldn’t be Wonder Con without programming for younglings. Right next door to the blood drive was a workshop for kiddos lead by Ahsoka voice actress and Her Universe founder, Ashley Eccleston. Younglings, accompanied by an adult, were given colors and paper to design an outfit. This was a hit for both boys and girls with creative spirits! Ashley would comment on each of the kiddo’s designs. I observed from the sidelines thinking how cool would it be that a Star Wars voice actress was reviewing my work. The nice thing is that there was plenty of room for people who were just coming in; no need for any long lines!
The Man From Atlantis The Other Aquatic Superhero by J the Greek
This panel was a celebration of the original super hero TV series that came up during the hero TV show craze of the late 70s and early 80s. To add to the celebration the star of the show Patrick Duffy was part of the panel. The discussion ranged from how Mr. Duffy became the lead of a super hero series to the very dangerous stunts he was talked into performing in the early days of the TV movie and series. The panel also showed off the remastered clips of the show and TV movie that looked great. This was a very fun panel and it was amazing how funny and quick Mr. Duffy was during the panel. While the show may have been a little silly, The Man From Atlantis might be worth a revisit due to the heart and effort put into the classic show.
Pop Culture Exchange in the Pacific Rim by J the Greek
This was our first panel we ran this year. It was a heavily revised version of the panel we ran in previous years. This version added information about Disneyland, Voltron, and removed redundant sections that slowed the panel down. We had a good audience that really liked learning more about how the West helped influenced Japan and how Japan influenced the West. This is our only panel that features the whole team and it is fun to run it alongside everyone. The audience enjoyed themselves and we already have ideas to upgrade the panel before the next event.
Star Wars Cosplay Meetup by Eri Kagami
I was cosplaying as Sailor Princess Leia, my original design that mashes up Star Wars and Sailor Moon. This is a bigger hit at smaller comic conventions. It seemed that the male types of fandom were confused and had no clue what the mash up meant. However, I did get quite a few compliments from various fans of anime and Sailor Moon who “got” the mash up. The meet up took place on Saturday afternoon lead by Chief Geek Photography. At Wonder Con, there are hundreds of Star Wars cosplayers representing different eras and factions. There’s even creative types that have their own spin on Mandalorian armor, Steampunk mash ups, etc. It was warm afternoon and people were already vying for shade. The cosplay meet up only had one major photo of everyone. The rest of the photoshoot was for members of exclusive costuming clubs such as the 501st, Rebel Legion, Saber Guild, and Mandalorian Mercs.
Rob Liefeld’s Major X by J the Greek
This panel was a bit of a surprise because it isn’t often you get a panel about a comic that had yet to release. The panel began a little late, but when Rob Lieffeld showed up the party got going. He discussed his career and how this was an idea he had for a long time. He showed off the trailer he made for the comic and discussed how it felt to be working with Marvel again. He also took moments to get selfies with Deadpool cosplayers and even gave out comics to random people in the audience for random reasons. The panel was funny and Rob has quite a bit of charisma as he answered all questions with humor and energy. Whether or not you like his art, the man is a fun guy and has a deep love for the medium. If you are a comic book fan then you should take any opportunity you have to see him at an event because it will be one of the most fun experiences you will have.
Fanbase Press: World of Trading Cards by J the Greek
This panel was different that I expected. It featured a group of artists talking about modern franchise based cards. Many of the cards feature original art and they talked about the process of creating the art for different series including: The Walking Dead, Star Wars, and Batman. It was interesting how different artists used different styles and how each style provided different challenges when moving from canvas to card. They also discussed the secondary aspects of being an artist like attending cons and requests for artist proofs (original cards made by the artists). Overall, this was a far more interesting experience than I had imagined and it was a fun way to spend the hour prior to our second panel.
Mythology in Final Fantasy by J the Greek
This was one of the last panels of the event that day. This was the first time showing off the new version of this panel that discusses the mythological origins of several creatures and weapons from Final Fantasy. This time new monsters were added and two special bonuses extra slides that covered Chocobos and Cactaurs. The panel worked out great and everyone had a good time. After the panel several people came up to ask questions and talk to me about history and mythology. Even the con staff members that attended the panel were impressed with how I handled everything and the amount of information I could impart to the audience. I am looking forward to running this panel again with some of the new ideas I want to cover next time.
