WonderCon

History

Retailer Joe Field (of Flying Colors Comics and Other Cool Stuff) and his partner Mike Friedrich owned and operated the convention for fifteen years. In 2001, they brokered a deal with the management team which runs San Diego Comic-Con to make it part of the Comic-Con International convention family. That gave the San Francisco show a wider audience and has made it a venue for previews and early screenings of major motion pictures, in particular ones based on comic books. The events have included Spider-Man 2 in 2004, Batman Begins and Fantastic Four in 2005, Superman Returns in 2006, 300 in 2007, Watchmen in 2009, and Kick-Ass in 2010. All of the events featured the stars of the movies fielding questions from the audience. WonderCon had 34,000 attendees in 2009, 39,000 in 2010, and 49,500 in 2011.

The show left the Bay Area after the 2011 convention, because San Francisco's Moscone Center was being remodeled. The convention moved to Anaheim in 2012, and was rebranded WonderCon Anaheim. When the move to Anaheim was first announced, Comic-Con International said they would be returning to San Francisco after the Moscone Center renovations were complete; however, the convention ultimately stayed in Southern California. In 2016, a new convention started in the Bay Area, called the Silicon Valley Comic Con.

WonderCon moved from Anaheim to Los Angeles in 2016, and is now called WonderCon Los Angeles and was held March 25–27, 2016 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The 2017 edition of the convention returned to Anaheim and was held March 31 – April 2, 2017. The WonderCon logo was designed by Richard Bruning and Tim Zach.

Event history

Features and events

While the main attraction of WonderCon has always been various retailers selling back issues of comic books and action figures, the exhibitor list has grown to include retailers of specialty DVDs. There is also an "Artists Alley" featuring mainly comic book artists selling artwork, signing books, and doing sketches; and mainstream celebrities signing autographed pictures.

WonderCon hosted the Harvey Awards ceremonies from 1997 to 1999. Since 2007, academicians and comic industry professionals have held the Comics Arts Conference in conjunction with WonderCon. In addition, WonderCon features "Trailer Park", an event where trailers for upcoming films are shown. The WonderCon masquerade competition usually takes place on Saturday after the convention closes. Awards are given to those with the most creative performances, though anyone can participate.

References

References

1. "WonderCon Hosts DC's Rebirth Debut in Los Angeles". Publishers Weekly.
2. [http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2012/03/17/wondercon-moves-to-anaheim-with-costumed-avengers-in-tow/ "WonderCon Moves To Anaheim With Costumed Avengers In Tow"], {{Webarchive. link. (July 3, 2012 CBS 2 San Francisco (March 17, 2012).)
3. "WonderCon". [[Comic-Con International]].
4. Albert, Aaron. [http://comicbooks.about.com/od/wondercon/p/wondercon.htm "Wondercon Profile"] {{Webarchive. link. (July 7, 2011 , About.com.)
5. Boucher, Geoff. [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-apr-06-la-et-comic-con6-2010apr06-story.html "WonderCon shows the comic convention circuit's power is growing"] . ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. April 6, 2010
6. [[MacDonald, Heidi]]. [http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/trade-shows-events/article/46728-wondercon-brings-fans-publishers-excitement-to-san-francisco.html "WonderCon Brings Fans, Publishers, Excitement to San Francisco"] {{Webarchive. link. (August 23, 2011 , ''[[Publishers Weekly]]''. April 4, 2011)
7. Minotti, Mike. (April 17, 2015). "Steve Wozniak and Stan Lee are bringing Silicon Valley its own comic con".
8. Variety Staff. (April 6, 2015). "WonderCon Moving to Los Angeles for 2016 Convention". Variety.
9. Woerner, Meredith. (March 25, 2016). "WonderCon will go back to Anaheim in 2017, but L.A. wants it back for 2019". [[The Los Angeles Times]].
10. Mancuso, Vinnie. [https://collider.com/wondercon-2020-postponed-coronavirus/ "WonderCon 2020 Postponed Indefinitely Due to Coronavirus; No Decision Yet on San Diego Comic-Con"], ''Collider'' (MAR 12, 2020).
11. "Wonderful World of Comics Convention 1987 Information". Fancons.
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37. Press release. [http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=1745 "2003 Harvey Awards Banquet Cancelled, Awards Unaffected], Comic Book Resources (January 24, 2003).