For several years now, I have been told stories of Wonder Con from various friends from Northern California . When I found out that the convention would be moving to my neck of the woods, I was excited to see Wonder Con for myself. I usually enjoy going to comic book conventions and I had high expectations for Wonder Con. There was so much to do at this convention at times it felt overwhelming, but that does not mean that this convention is without flaws.

It was nice to be back at the Anaheim Convention Center as it is both close to me and the local area is nice. While I have commented in the past that I want more conventions at the Anaheim Convention Center (ACC) I had forgotten some of the downsides of the event area. This mostly includes the traffic that can build up in the area, the long walk to most good food places, and the fact that every time I go to a convention at the ACC I find myself running into people from a different convention. At Wonder Con we also had a national cheerleading competition and to get to or from the dealer hall requires passing their section of the convention. There did not seem to be much problem between the two groups it was just odd to run into random cheerleaders while you are walking around dressed like a comic book nerd. In addition Angel Stadium was used as the main parking area, while the convention lot still had space available. Waiting for the bus from the stadium on day one (both directions) took far too long and ate up too much time. However, I was told that day two shuttles were more frequent.

Each day had a large line up of panels going from morning to night. There were so many great panel to watch that you often had to make a tough choice between two or three panels in each hour. The panel rooms were large enough that there was enough room for everyone. Many of the panel rooms also featured large screens that could be viewed all the way in the back of the room. It was easy to find the various panel rooms due to the large room number signs that hang in the halls of the ACC. However, it would have been nice to have clearer room listings by the doors. Half the time I could not find the day's listings by the door and I had to pull out my program guide. The layout helped reduce traffic going from one area to another. However, even with wide asiles the dealer hall had traffic issues. For the most part it was easy to get around the dealer hall, but at some sections lines or random groups of people would clog up the walk room. Otherwise, the dealer hall was well done with a good variety of booths from movies to comics to video games. You could find just about anything nerd you needed at the dealer hall.

One of the aspects of Wonder Con that I have always been told about was the strong list of guests that show up at the convention. Upon looking at the listings prior to con I was excited. Actually being able to meet Robert Meyer Burnett, Ralph Bakshi, and Lloyd Kaufman was huge for me. In addition to being up front and listening to Lauren Faust, Scott Synder, and Jeph Loeb talk about their works was a great experience. This is in addition to the nearly endless list of guests I did not have the chance to meet. I am glad that the stories of Wonder Con's guest list were not hyperbole.

While I do wish I had gotten more things signed and I had networked more I am very satisfied with everything Wonder Con had to offer. There were some great panels and too much good stuff at the dealer hall. There was everything you could want as a nerd without the crazy crowds of Comic Con International. If you are into comics or cartoons then this is a convention I highly recommend. Hopefully it will stay in my neck of the woods, but even if it moves back to the Bay Area I will fly up as Wonder Con has joined my list of cannot miss events.

Before wrapping up I would like to thank the following people the Scarlet Rhapsody staff, the podcast crew, Todd, Robert Meyer Burnett, St. Patrick, the Ghostbusters, the Rebel Legion, Lloyd Kaufman, Wonder con staff, the couple from the food court, and the lady that talked my ear off at the 1982 panel. If you have any comments or questions about this report then feel free to not send me an e-mails at jared (at) scarlet-rhapsody.com. Until next give my love to pretty pretty princesses.

The List

1 GO AVENGERS!!
2 I met Lloyd Kaufman!
3 RE 1- I need an Avengers costume
4 Directive 4 – Classified
5 Renew!
6 Too many things I want
7 Finally a con where I can wear Constantine
8 I need to read the Elite comics when I get the chance
9 What if I am actually blue?
10 Devil May Cry in HD, fine take my money.
11 So much to do and so little time.
12 They have a Bizarro shirt…
13 RE 12 – …and I didn't buy it.
14 Does this mean I have to go to Comic Con now?
15 Potter heads, Rebels, and Ghostbusters, oh my!
16 Everywhere and Nowhere at once.
17 I could do without the traffic
18 Why is it every nerd con at ACC is at the same time as an anti-nerd con?
19 So many ponies…
20 I have some documentaries I need to watch.
21 Decisions…
22 Sorry if I missed you at con.
23 Note to self: Next year, party harder.
24 Ralph Bakshi – not as crazy as I expected
25 OMG, it's Toxie!!
26 I'm not a fanboy, I'm just giddy
27 No Bruce Timm, sigh…
28 Napping in the Hilton lobby, that brings back the memories…
29 What, me worried?
30 Maybe I should have given my love to the Star Sapphires... nah too cliche
31 Superman vs. The Elite, final verdict thumbs up
32 Yeah I referenced Bizarro Reviews, what of it?
33 You can never seem to find that one costumer.
34 Should of, would of, could of
35 Wait, our theme is from what?
36 Happy St. Patrick's Day
37 Next time I'll bring home Supergirl… or Power Girl I'm not picky.

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