By Desi Javier
Art, comics, nerds, writers, artists, nerds, celebrities, geeks, nerds, and oh yes, sexy cosplayers. Wondercon 2012, the annual comic and pop culture convention normally held in San Francisco, was held this year at the Anaheim Convention Center.
Being a first time comic convention attendee, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised by all the artwork on display, writers and artists in the comic book industry, and the enthusiastic fans.
Besides geeking out at the buffet of artwork and comics, there were also a few celebrities there. Lou Ferrigno, Kristen Stewart, Emma Stone, Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, and a the hosts of G4‘s Attack of the Show just to name a few. Some were signing autographs, others were in panels discussing upcoming films like the Snow White reboot. As for the celebs of the comic book industry, some notable ones were in attendance such as Arthur Adams, Jim Lee, Mark Waid, and Ryan Sook.
Even with all the celebs around, the real stars of the convention were all the cosplayers decked out as their favorite comic/video game/movie persona. They were all around and I couldn’t help but stare in awe at how detailed and intricate (or skimpy) some of these costumes were. And unlike the the real celebrities, they were a lot easier to photograph and talk to.
Other things to do were to check out the various games and panels being held. There were trading card games, conventional role playing games and a few video games. Most notable of the video games was the new Resident Evil: Racoon City and Kid Icarus Uprising for the Nintendo 3DS. Among the trading card games were standby’s like Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh!
There were many panels, each covering different types of mediums. From comics, art, films, tv, and video games. One of the panels that I sat in was for DC Unlimited. The main discussion was about their popular New 52 reboot. Another panel was for the new Naruto video game: Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations. It was the last panel of the convention and it was fun getting some insight on what the creators did to incorporate as many characters (72 to be exact) into the game to appease the rabid fans of the games and anime.
WonderCon was moved to Anaheim this year while Moscone Center South in San Francisco, WonderCon’s home for the last 6 years, underwent renovation. The Anaheim Convention Center is an ideal location for such a convention. It’s easy to get to from 2 different airports and it’s surrounded by several hotels, restaurants and is within walking distance of Downtown Disney. All in all I had a great time and experience. Hopefully Wondercon will continue to have a home here in southern California.
