[Wonder Con ’25] fandom is brat

It’s okay to just admit that you’re jealous of me

I attended Wonder Con for all three days. I was originally intending to only show up on my panel day, but I did have friends that were coming into Wonder Con that I have not seen in months and wanted to hang out. I decided to give this convention another chance in spite of the bad vibes and Gooners with Camera’s (GWC) from 2023. 

Wonder Con is the younger sibling of San Diego Comic Con. There are a ton of “comic cons,” but there’s only one brand of San Diego Comic Con. Wonder Con is a part of that brand. The biggest draw is the exhibit hall filled with vendors, artists, and independent press. So many people were lined up for the Funko exclusives. I’m not really into the super deformed collectibles,  but every other person at the con had the large retro style Funko shopping bags. 

I had more time to explore the independent press section. This is comparable to the Writers Block at Emerald City Comic Con. While this area was a place for indie comic book publishers to show up their work (and it still is), I noticed a growing number of indie authors present selling their books. We even had an indie bookstore, Mysterious Galaxy set up shop here. 

As a new author, I wanted to focus my attention to checking out various author and writing panels for my professional development. I attended the Romantasy and YA Romance panels during the convention. Both panels featured authors and gave them a moment to talk about their books. These authors also touched upon diversity in their genres. One such author talked about integrating Vietnamese culture, mythology, and medicine in her thriller series. Another author discussed about integrating Black vodoo culture in fictitious HBCU that was known for thaumaturgy. Another author talked about integrating queer friendship in a fantasy novel taking place at everyone’s favorite meet cute, a coffee shop. 

Both panels were very fascinating and made me want to read these books. Alas, there is a danger in attending book themed panels – you will want to buy every book they talk about! As a writer, I felt I got some professional development out of it – authenticity and writing for yourself is very key in captivating an audience. 

I performed my “In My Y2K Era” panel with my colleague and convention ride-or-die, Geki. We were given a late night timeslot at 8PM on Friday once the dealers hall had closed. We still managed to pull in about 20 or so people coming in late at night to gush over millennial anime nostalgia. 

I also attended a Dungeons and Dragons themed panel called “Legend of Taylore.” This is a DND podcast based on the lore and fandom of Taylor Swift. In other words, what if Taylor Swift songs were DND characters? (I’m already statting a “Long Live” princess paladin and a “Black Dog” black mage…or whatever is the DND equivalent of one) I was looking forward to this panel the most because this podcast is reawakening my interest in DND. Talking to the panelists after the panel while gushing over Taylor Swift was a treat. I even got free dice from it! 

I attended a few cosplay meet ups. I really did like going to the musicals meet up at the convention. It had a handful of cosplayers from Little Shop of Horrors, Wicked, Hadestown, Epic: The Musical, and others. I was pretty close to bringing Eliza Hamilton, but alas, the dress no longer fits me. I also attended the Arcane meet up to take photos. While I was dressed as Ahri from League of Legends, the game that inspired the popular Netlflix series, a Luxe cosplayer and I were surprised that we didn’t see people who recognized who we were from. While we get not everyone who loves Arcane plays League, we were hoping that maybe one or two people would chit chat with us. My mood at the Arcane meet up was soured when a photographer kept touching me without my permission. If you need me to move, please direct me, do not touch me without permission. 

I did like the community vibe at Wonder Con far better than my last bout in 2023. I liked that we had outdoor karaoke. I didn’t sing, but I did join in when a Taylor Swift cosplayer was singing, “Ready for It?” While Wonder Con still has GWC’s, there were a few friendly photographers like Alvin the Photog. I had someone from KROQ interview me while I was cosplaying as Ahri from League of Legends in a “Guess What This Cosplayer Is From?” type of interview. I had a few private shoots with my friends, Art of the Luna and Robert Torres. I do like the Anaheim Convention Center for cosplay photos – the jungle area is a good place, but you gotta be strategic about it. Hence, I shoot there in the morning. 

Geki and I are industry professionals. Geki is in the video game industry and I’m a writer. We attended professional development networking panels. Geki was apprehensive to attend the video game one because of the state of the industry, but he was able to talk to a mental health expert who consults video game developers on writing trauma. While looking for the next best opportunity might be slim pickings in today’s economy, Geki had a good talk with the consultant. I attended a panel of writers who gave great information for beginners – how to find an agent, how to stay motivated, and I nodded along with their advice. While I may be in the published sphere now, I felt they were giving honest and sound advice to newbies to the craft. I felt their social media advice was the most helpful; social media is always changing and people are moving from platform to platform. The panelists gave advice on how to use each platform to build community, not followers. Community is the goal. 

Overall, I had a good time at Wonder Con. Popular fandoms this year included Marvel Rivals, Disney, and Star Wars. The mouse is in the house. I feel this convention is hit or miss with me. This is a local con where I’m okay with checking it out if given the opportunity to do so. It’s a smaller version of comic con, stripped from the Hollywood Hall H vibes, but you’ll see most of the artists and small press that you would normally see at San Diego Comic Con. I did see a lot of familiar faces and names in the small press section. This part of the SDCC family is my preferred place to hang out and chat. If you’re in the area, this is the next best thing to experiencing San Diego Comic Con without the gargantuan crowds or competitive buying of badges.