Dealers Hall / Artist Alley by Eri Kagami
The dealers hall is gargantuan! All of the Anaheim Convention Center’s first floor exhibit halls was used to house the artist alley, fan creations, and vendors. If you are planning to attend Wonder Con, prepare your wallets. You can get a few unique things here from signed goods, figurines, books, and more. I took some time to explore the Artist Alley on Saturday evening when there wasn’t many people crowding the aisles. There are both amateur and published artists here. You won’t be disappointed with what you see. I managed to pick up a Star Trek cats book for my nephew, cosplay related pins from an artist that works for Film Roman, a signed copy of Bombshells United, and a print inspired by the evil bride from the Haunted Mansion.
The vendors made up the majority of the dealers hall. These vendors included golden and silver age comic salespeople, comic vendors, Funko pop vendors, and more. There was also a section of the hall that sold Disney pins for pin trading and had authors signing books and interacting with fans.
Definitely prepare your wallet for Wonder Con! You’ll never know what you might find here.
Writers Coffeehouse at WonderCon by J the Greek
This was a very different kind of panel. Everyone was seated at tables like a workshop and we got an interactive seminar with someone from the publishing industry. The panel covered the myths of traditional publishing and self-publishing as well as general advice that can help with the career of a writer. The panel brought up topics like meet ups and how to make connections. This was a two hour panel and all of that time was used to empower writers both new and old as they continue to progress in their careers. The panel was capped off with a group photo and discussions between different people about projects and ideas.
Over 30 Cosplayers Meet Up by Eri Kagami
This was a meet up by the fountain organized by the Over 30 Cosplayers Facebook group. While there was a handful of 30-somethings at the meet, we had an astounding number of elder, seasoned cosplayers. The purpose of Over 30 Cosplayers is to show that cosplay has no shelf life. This group runs panels at small comic cons to bring awareness that cosplay doesn’t have to end at the end of your 20s, it’s a hobby that can be enjoyed into retirement.
Children’s Book Literary Agents by J the Greek
This panel had two children’s literary agents talking about the growth in the children’s book market. From picture book to young adult novels the different genres and the requirements of the medium. There were plenty of questions from the audience both from those seeking to be writers and others curious about the industry. This was a fascinating panel and even if you have no intention of becoming a children’s writer there was plenty about the publishing industry this panel could teach you about. This was a panel that both works as professional development and as an introduction to the vast options of children’s literature.
Disney Cosplayers Meet Up by Eri Kagami
The Disney cosplay meet up was ran by Robert T Photography. The annual meet up took place on the second floor roof. There was plenty of room for this big gaggle of Disney intellectual property. Though this meet up occurred close to the Fox buy out, Anastasia’s were told to step aside for this meet. Because of the volume of this meet up, only Disney created IP were welcomed at this meet up. I went in my 1940s dinner Belle that I made at the last minute. We did have the major group photo at the stairs. However, the sun was way too bright and hot during the meet up. For smaller group shots, we opted for the shaded part of the second floor. A chunk of the cosplayers that showed up for the large group shoot had to peace out afterwards. I managed to stay for the entire thing, mingling with a few cosplayers, discussing plans for D23, and developing future Disney cosplay ideas with likeminded folks.
Space Command Conquers the Universe by J the Greek
While there were several premieres at Wondercon this was focused on a crowd funded project. The creative staff kept questions to the end and the whole pilot of Space Command was played for an audience of curious sci-fi fans. The pilot introduces the team and the scenario featuring ancient alien technology. It ends on an exciting cliffhanger, but if you want to see it the whole episode can be found online easily. When the show was over the creative staff was open to questions about their crowd funded project. This was a great way to wrap up panel hopping for the day and hopefully Space Command can move forward into a series due to how well they did with this crowd funded pilot.
