The best thing about the Wondercon was the look on my nephew's face when he saw Batman, while wearing his Batman shirt (with cape), Batman beanie, Batman jacket and holding his Batman costumed Monkey. Yeah, the kid likes Batman. He's 3 years old, so it was a blend between pee in your pants excitement over seeing your favorite superhero ever and being terrified of someone dressed up as your favorite superhero. He was scared of the Alien and Storm Trooper costumes, how do you explain they are not real if they are standing in front of you. I like checking out the memorabilia, but I've grown out of buying collectibles since they dont exactly go with my decor at home. The kid inside of me will always have an appreciation for comics, cartoons and video games, so I love visiting the Wondercon every year. I noticed that this year's show was more crowded than last year, despite being on the holiday weekend. Way to boost the economy, Comic geeks and Fan Boys! :) read more

WonderCon - Batman - Festivals Near Me - San Francisco, California

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What I liked: - Batman!!! My favorite super hero :) - The table selling hats with animal ears! - HAGGLING! FTW - Talented artists, most of whom would draw you something awesome. (Mine was me hugging batman with my cat-ear beanie on) - ART ART ART! COMICS! ANIME! CUSTOM DRAWINGS/PAINTINGS! - Cast of Chuck What I didn't like: - Sunday was slow... not very many people in costume... - Table selling hats with animal ears was so overpriced, as were ALL the tables selling anything. $15/hat after haggling... - Everything seemed soo expensive...(t-shirts were $20+, one sketch my friend bought was a mass-produced drawing that you could get anywhere...for $18!) - No beer... or they ran out by the time we got there. boo. - No Final Fantasy stuff anywhere... ! Minus the Helios table giving away a Cloud and Chocobo doll to the winner of the name drawing contest. (Was not happy to constantly see the winner of the chocobo doll ... grr) It was a fun experience overall but I don't think I'll be back. I def. want to check out ComicCon before I die, though! read more

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Just the attendees of WonderCon thought all hope was lost, the yelpettes swooped in with the best food and drink recommendations around town! Ligaya - Katana - like the sword: sharp, deadly and direct. Connie - Lady X - enigmatic and demure, some say she is from the future. Nicole - Ms. Fierce - 'nuff said and don't even ask about those boots. Jessica - Blaze - scorchin' hot, and we're not even talking about her superpowers. Together, we are: Foxy Freedom Force 4. I gotta say, being a Yelp promo gal at this event was amazing! People really go all out for this and dress up in some very cool costumes. If you want to check out ours: http://www.fearnet.com/news/b14865_wondercon_2009_your_moment_of_costume.html read more

WonderCon - the yelpettes! - Festivals Near Me - San Francisco, California

Yummy, nerdy-licious! First WonderCon visit, but not the last. Dressed as a Fem Trooper and it was FUN. Met a lot of cool fellow geeks and fans. Ran into Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca actor) and Sioux Sinner (internet nudist), all entertaining and amusing. $12 entrance fee offset the $20 Moscone parking garage fee. Next time, I will wear civilian clothing for one day to *really* check out the vendors' booths; it was nonstop paparazzi dressed in costume. RECOMMEND for all comic book geeks or just geeks in general. If you're a deep undercover geek like me, it's RECOMMENDED, too. ;) read more

We have this thing. It happens every year when WonderCon is announced. 1) White Hot Wife with gigantor X-Men collection leaves announcement in conspicuous location. (Did he just 'out' her secret identity? Aw, no he di-in't!) 2) Clueless Hubby is supposed to feign great interest in attending, even though his interest is pretty much limited to Krazy Kat, a few Acmes and "Reid Fleming--World's Toughest Milkman". 3) WHW agrees that we can go and tears through that place like a whirling drum of 'Stop-Leak' plugging the tiniest holes in her collection. 4) CH wanders about, aimlessly at first, picking up a bitchin' Mach 5 tee. Checks out tables of talented artists sketching everything from courageous to cute to cutting edge, right there on the spot. Unexpectedly meets the artist who did an amazing print he saw and loved months ago and thought he'd never find again. 5) WHW, with her mission completed, attempts to drag CH out of the show. She succeeds only after he purchases the very print he missed out on months ago: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/x4JvqZdgCna6guiqTKSPWQ?select=4UgW-ZnIv5nImaXDkWjMuA 6) Fast forward to next February. Clueless Hubby leaves WonderCon announcement in conspicuous location... read more

WonderCon - Muni v. Taxi, by Joshua Ellingson. One of the many talented artists present at Wondercon SF. - Festivals Near Me - San Francisco, California

This is my second time (I'm not a Wondercon virgin!) and I came back for a reason. Wondercon is effing awesome. I don't read comic books, I don't scour the internet looking up blogs on obscure superheroes, and I do not play video games. HOWEVER... I have way too much fun here. I dressed up as a scandalous Lara Croft (booty shorts and a tank top, plus heels to make the nerds sweat) and ran around dancing with Lady Gaga (whoever you were, girl you rocked that shit and were fierce as hell) and chatted up Lou Ferrigno (who was terribly intimidating, he just has those intense eyes..) My one gripe is this, and hopefully Wondercon organizers are reading this: WHERE IS THE BAR? Cmon, I'm not powered by juice. Roll out a mini bar and my life will be complete. And if you really wanna impress me, bring out some PBR, please and thank you. read more

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I remember WonderCon from its infancy. This was way back in the days when I used to run the Live Programming division for FanimeCon. We liked to support our fellow anime cons in the Bay Area, and this one was no exception. Only, WonderCon doesn't need help anymore. Not since ComicCon incorporated them. One word, luvies - UNBELIEVABLE! This year, yet again, I was not privileged enough to attend ComicCon down in San Diego, but WonderCon is quickly becoming their Northern California counterpart. Last year, they boasted a total of 34,000 attendees, and this year was even bigger! And my god man! The costumes!!! Since my Live Programming days,I'm not much for one to go to all the panels and events. I just go to hit the dealers' hall and take photos of all the amazing costumes walking around. Last year, one guy boasted an EPIC Bumblebee costume, made from real metal and stood about 10 feet tall! (Look! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/x4JvqZdgCna6guiqTKSPWQ?select=dLKssb7XyBRMWfvTtGuWZQ) Sadly, he wasn't here this year, but that's okay. There were plenty other cosplayers that took our attention, like that sexy Mandalorian! For the first, I didn't really dress up this time. I just threw on my cat ears and fox tail and that was it. Pretty low key for me at these kind of events. Maybe next year I'll get more dressed up. I'd love to do an Inara (Firefly) costume someday. The only thing I griped about missing was Ryan Reynolds, that super hottie! I was going to have him sign my boob with a tattoo pen, but I missed him. So sad. But at least I got to see Elvira, the original Elvira! Her boobs are as perky as ever! You go hot stuff! Anyhoo, WonderCon is getting bigger and badder every year passing, so if you missed it this year, make sure you go next year. Get your g33k on with me baby! I'm always down for taking scandalous shots with other hotties at the cons. read more

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It's definitely a geek fest, but one I am proud to enjoy. This is a great gathering for anyone interested in comic books and super heroes. You can find that missing comic from 1987 or the newest variant incentive cover. Besides comic books, rare and hard-to-find action figures, DVDs and video games can all be found here. They have demonstrations for upcoming games as well as trailers and panels for SciFi movies and television shows. If you're into celebrities, they show up as well - I've seen Christian Bale, Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal and Gerard Butler just to name a few. There are a ton of people in costume, but everyone is here to have fun. The Moscone Center is the perfect venue for this. read more

I had a good time at the 2007 WonderCon. In most years I'll attend the show on a day or two, but I took in all three days this year. I checked out the exhibit hall on Friday collecting free stuff and movie posters then I waited in lines and visited with a few of my favorite comic book artists. The Friday night programming which featured winning films from the 2006 Comic Con International's Indie Film Festival was very entertaining; "Zombie Prom" a comic book-turn-reality film starring RuPaul as Ms. Strict was well created and absolutely fun to watch. I spent most of my Saturday in the Esplanade Ballroom watching movie clips of upcoming features and listening to panel discussions from the creators and stars of some of those soon to be released movies. Trailer Park which is a half hour presentation of upcoming movie trailers is always a favorite of mine. The panel discussions with Hilary Swank (The Reaping) and Gerard Butler (300) were tops in my opinion and I never expected Mr. Butler to be as hysterically funny as he was. I was disappointed that Sony Pictures decided to do an in-depth look at "Surf's Up" (another stupid animated penguin movie!) instead of "Spider Man 3"; Venom looked pretty cool in the Spidey 3 trailer. I hardly watch any prime time television anymore because I work nights, but the Sunday panels were quite interesting too. When they aired the entire episode 14 of Jericho I had no idea what this series was about, but with that slick ending I was curious as to what would happen in episode 15. I guess I'll have to check out the dvd when it becomes available. Oh those marketing people are good! I think I might have been the only person sitting in the front row who had no clue of who Skeet Ulrich, Nathan Fillion and Kristin Lehman were, but Ms. Lehman was kinda hot and Mr. Fillion was very entertaining himself. Both of the latter stars were there to promote their new Fox series "Drive". If I were not satisfied with my WonderCon weekend yet, I went home with the coveted full-size movie poster for "300" so I was very pleased. Great show! read more

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In Addition to Bucky K. Mr & I checked this event past Saturday morning. My first time, it was an experience but for some odd reason I felt it's lacking something. I can't quite put my finger on it. The line was long but the organizers are efficient in making it tolerable. Mr bought a book for $20, retail for $60 from this guy who created most of the characters at Lucas Arts (Sorry, can't remember the name). I'm irritated with Arthur Adams though....there's line of people paying him to draw something who's been waiting for a long time & all he does is YAP to his friend. Grrrr Talk about Ego (do what you're supposed to do or else go to Starbucks & to talk to your friend there). Mr had fun testing the Cintiq 21UX, retail $2,499 (maybe if I get promoted I can surprised him with Cintiq this year). Like that some people dress up....Fee was $12 (next time to avoid long line, buy tickets on will call) read more

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Went there this weekend and was impressed by the content, crowd and the line. It took us about 20 to 30 minutes to get in, the line was very long but thankfully the weather made standing outside in the sunshine not so bad. People who bought their tickets online seemed to get in faster so we may do that next year. I wish I hadn't forgotten my camera. The storm troopers, villains, heroes, and she-devils in costume were pretty trippy. I saw some amazing creative stuff; people put a lot of hard work into their costumes. I loved how much hard work and detail they put in. I did see some men wearing kilts who shouldn't have been though, and listen guys if it's a black kilt with no plaid it's just a skirt! If Vin Diesel can't pull off the black kilt what makes you think you can. Come on! We got some freebies. Which were cool. I now have a lot of buttons I don't know what to do with. I have some posters and some bookmarks too. They had a lot of "300" stuff there, and at the Dark Horse booth. Anyone else dying to see that movie?! Is it just me or are the Dark Horse movies cooler then most of the other super hero movies out there. I thought Sin City was a shocking and amazing flick. Some of my favorite stores had booths there to like Lee's comics and A-1! There were t-shirts, toys, movies, figures, statues, action figures, anime, comics, and so much more to buy! Also Christopher Moore the author was doing a panel today. I missed the actual event (I was stuck in line) however I have read tons of his books, like "Island of the sequined love nun" or "Coyote Blue" or "A Dirty Job: a novel" or "Fluke". He's an amazing writer and it was so awesome he was there. The also have lots of comic book artists and authors signing items and talking to fans. And they had Elvira mistress of the dark signing autographs. Fun event, a lot of people took their kids and got their pictures taken with those in costume. A must for any comicbook or superhero junkie! read more

I missed last year and almost missed this year but made it out late on Saturday. Had a blast! Ran around like the paparazzi taking pix of the costumed people (I alas didn't plan ahead and went as myself). Bought a panda hat....don't know why but I love the animal hats! Saw Jaws from James Bond....so cool! Took a picture on a throne and one with a giant ugly doll. Saw a woman with underarm hair so bushy I followed her around for 20 minutes because I couldn't believe my eyes. Ran into Unemployed Man on our way out and were serenaded by a guitar playing Poison Ivy. It was a good day =) read more

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Let me just first off say I don't think I could ever do Comic Con in San Diego. Which is why I love Wonder Con. It is manageable to walk through this place. It was crowded, but not to the point I was going crazy. I loved seeing people in their costumes. Especially families, so cute!!! My other favorite thing was the celebrity row. I got to see people who I never thought I'd see in my lifetime. 2011- Timmy from Lassie, Original Catwoman TV series, Battlestar Galactica Original Boomer, Sinefield's Soup Nazi, Survivor's Goth guy. My favorite artists were Camila D'Errico and Britney Lee. They can also be found at the APE expo. read more

Wondercon is typically held in San Francisco but this year it is going to be held in Anaheim. Now for NorCal fans this kinda sucks since both Wondercon and Comic Con are held in Socal in 2012. The expectation is that Wondercon in Anaheim will be have better attendance than in SF but will see. As a fan I kinda liked having an annual trip up to the bay area. It gave me the opportunity to see family and friends. The Con is the baby brother of SDCC so although you still have a little bit of everything, its just on a smaller scale which allows you to appreciated all the exhibits as well as get some time in on the panels. Also the location in SF is great with many great restaurants and hotels in the local vicinity. Chinatown is about a 15 minute walk but great to grab some dim sum before a day of geeked out entertainment. Wil see how this year goes in Anaheim , hopefully it will be back up in SF for 2013. read more

Not my first convention, but first at wondercon. Ill be brief. My recommendations are plan ahead and know what you want to go see. I suggest also go early, because by the end the crowds will wipe u out. What weirded me out that massive amount space that was wasted for registration, where they could have spread the convention floor by another 50 feet so you could get some breathing room. It was so crowded, you could barely move. Its hard to shop or even get in line for a event. By the later afternoon, your tired of the screaming moms with their brats and the hot stinly mass of people. Moscone center, plan the layout better! Otherwise, great showings, costumes, great things to shop for and lots of signings (could not find Robert Kirkman (the walking dead) to save my life even though he was on the flyer). Ill come back next year, just a lot earlier! read more

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I used to go to Wondercon occasionally when it was owned by Joe of Flying Colors Comics in Concord, CA. I've been a long time comics fan, buying for the most part since the 1960s. The colorful characters and their adventures was the best fiction ever written at times. When Wondercon sold their soul to the boys at San Diego Comicon and became part of that family, the convention turned more commercial and less "comics." In fact most conventions do this now to bring in more attendees. Comic books nowadays are more esoteric, being found only online and a few comic and toy stores, very unlike when I was a kid and saw them in drug stores and magazine stands. Wondercon had its last SF show in 2011. The City and Moscone Center could not agree on a contract and decided to part ways, all the while telling fans that they're coming back. They never came back! Now Wondercon is still part of the San Diego Comicon family, enjoying its stay in Anaheim, CA. This year it was temporarily in Los Angeles but returns to Anaheim in 2017. I have yet to see this new show since it's inconvenient to fly down there when I used to take a bus in. A pity San Francisco does not see the economic importance of these pop culture conventions. I bet the Board of Supervisors never read a comic book in their lives. Alas! San Jose however embraces them. They have several comic book and anime conventions in the South Bay. Also in Stockton! Final Thoughts: I'll miss Wondercon. Whenever I have the Disney itch, I may return there. read more

The guy who was wearing leather straps pulls out a sword the length of his body. an odd looking dragon huffs a puff of smoke across the stale air. . . The smoking hot girl with boobs the size of her head jumps up and down in a bikini, causing all the guys to stop and stare while blood spouts out their noses (like anime/manga), thus creating a bottle neck effect at Wondercon! Good looking ladies, great products, many enthusiastic fans. What's more to ask for? Wondercon 2009 was the first ive been to, and it was great. Lots of booths, great looking people, and spectacularly interesting comics. Although i spent a good amount of time contemplating what i wanted to buy, and what seemed like a good price.. i decided to go for items that are popular such as kidrobot mystery boxes as well as an art-piece called kangomolerabbit. very interesting picture of a rabbit with huge teeth and a pouch. I also ended up fulfilling one of my fantasies of seeing some Suicide girls in the flesh.. oh yes i did. Everyone was in high spirits and there was no drama. It was interesting to see Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia... but in their true human form! I would definitely recommend you all to go to the next one in 2010! read more

The only big event I've ever been to where there was no wait for the Ladies Room. That, and at lunchtime I ate a sandwich while sitting next to a Wookie. FIVE GEEKOID STARS!! (SOMEONE just reminded me that Wookie is actually spelled W-O-O-K-I-E-E...which means I have discovered another species of geekoid...THE UBER-GEEK!! Amazing!) read more

I'm still decompressing and sleep-deprived from the weekend spent in the Bay Area for this con, but I'll give writing the review now a try. I actually started this review Monday morning, and finally came back to it Tuesday night still somewhat mentally drained. Anyway... My general reaction to WonderCon was that it was rather underwhelming for a 25-year-old major metropolitan convention. The exhibit hall, while at a manageable size, was rather small and crowded. Their floor's somewhere between a quarter and one-third the size of Comic-Con's (with about quarter the number of attendees), and yet aisleways were still clogged. The panels lacked a certain "WOW!" factor (well, except maybe Sunday's "Dr. Who" panel, of which I'm not a fan, but hey, they had Neil Gaiman). Granted I was pleased with what we could get, but the biggest name on Saturday (the biggest day of any convention) was Jon Favreau, and he was only given 30 minutes at the beginning of the day. Marvel's got "Thor" and "Captain America" coming out soon and they didn't have a panel for either of them? Really? Favreau said it himself when he asserted that most industry seem to ignore WonderCon and focus all of their marketing firepower on Comic-Con. There was a rather unfortunate shortage of cosplayers, which the convention understandably does not control. It seemed like there was one cosplayer per 50 people. Still, to those who did come in costume, huzzah for you. My biggest gripe was with badges. My friend lost hers within 10 minutes of getting it and I spent another 15 retracing our steps looking for it. There were several problems with this. 1) They didn't print names on attendee badges. Anyone could have picked up her badge and run off with it to give to a friend or sell in the street. 2) The registration clerk took the print-out of her barcode and so she couldn't bring that as proof of payment or who she was. 3) But she just needed to show her ID, right? Apparently WonderCon's registration doesn't require names or addresses and all she had in the system was her first name (since a mutual friend bought her badge for her). As far as I know they ended up forking over $40 for a new badge. There was, however, one very noticeable positive difference between WonderCon and its big brother, Comic-Con - how congenial the general con-goers are. Most people are not disgruntled and mean or elbow you or sneeze on you without apology. For the most part, people were nicer, they smiled, they joked with strangers, and the staff were helpful and friendly. In closing, I've been to over 60 fan conventions, and they had one thing I'd never seen before: a woman, in the middle of the exhibit hall floor, lifted her shirt and exposed her bare chest and started nursing while walking the floor. Only in San Francisco? read more

"Hi, my name's Mikey. And... and I'm a geek..." Wondercon, for all intents and purposes, is Mecca (or "Mecha", horrible fanboyish wordplay intended!) to Northern California's legions of geeky masses. Feb 22-24, '08 http://www.yelp.com/events/san-francisco-wonder-con-day-1 Whether your intent is to obtain issues missing from your collection, hunt down sought after or hard to get toys and figures, or simply meet or see a creator that you've been a fan of, Wondercon is your best bet, outside of the "Big Show" (Comic Con International, San Diego!) The breadth of the showroom will host the countless wares of vendors selling everything from comic books to toys to foreign films to apparel. Some of today's niche-hipster brands often made an early appearance at these shows on their way to mainstream success... "Urban Vinyl" collectibles (a la Kid Robot) are often premiere'd or even limited to availability at conventions (with the creators sometimes on hand for autographs!). And pre-Le Sports Sac, Tokidoki developed huge followings at conventions like this... Just as opportune (and of personal interests to me!) is the Artist's Alley!. Some of the industry's biggest names and established legends can be found here greeting fans and signing autographs, neighbored by some ingenious and talented upstarts and unknowns who very well may become tomorrow's stars. *cough*..come see me at the Iron Umbrella Media table in Artist's Alley, if I can put the drink down long enough to write and draw something in time for the show... *cough* The people watching here cannot be beat! For 3 days, throngs of people from all walks descend upon Moscone Center, musing about this-n-that, capes and magic, art vs. writing, Hulk vs. Thor, etc., etc. All the while, a battalion of StormTroopers and Jedi in nigh-authentic garb will likely gather for photo-ops as casually as a family picture at a picnic... (keep an eye out for the Elvis Storm Trooper!). And though this convention doesn't have the draw of CCI, San Diego, it isn't unusual for [movie] celebrities to make appearances as a promotion for upcoming comicbook/sci-fi films; this year's ('08) possibilities being someone from Iron Man and/or Speed Racer. Recommendation? This show's not for everyone, but I can almost guarantee you know someone who'd like it... and geeks need love too! So, go'head, yo. Get yer geek'on!!! ... seriously. No, c'mon. Someone call me... read more

Last year's Wondercon was the biggest I've been to especially with draw of the Iron Man movie panel. This year felt even bigger with the nearing of the over-anticipated Watchmen movie. So large in fact I had to wait twenty minutes in line to get in. Instead of walking right through the doors of Moscone Center, like I did in previous years, the line stretched back around the block and then back again. Then you had to enter a corridor allotted for ticket holders and purchasing ticket holders. Organized chaos for sure. Once I finally got in I headed to the Esplanade Ballroom so I could meet up with my friends. Too late for me. The Watchmen panel was closed due to full capacity. I wasn't too disappointed since the rest of the day was jam pack with activities. Here's some of the new stuff I saw: -Adventureland skee-ball promotion -The best costume at the convention, "Bumblebee" Transformer -Terminator: Salvation panel with a kinda stupid sounding Common -Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher signing autographs for $100 -Podcaster Blair Butler getting mobbed by camera flashes -Star Trek panel with new Captain Kirk and Spock actors -Street Fight IV panel The day was so filled with panels and roaming the exhibit floor that we didn't have lunch till 3PM. I thought I knew what to expect from last year, but this year was more jam packed. Even though there seemed to be less big events and artists that I wanted to see, there was actually more to do. It doesn't make much sense. Still, I did get a lot more free stuff this year. Like my Wonder Woman tiara, lotsa buttons, comics, posters, and a Ryu headband(?!0). With all the commotion going on about it was already closing time! I hadn't even met all the artists I wanted to nor did I get a chance to go back and buy the rare stuff I had my eye on. The entire night was saved when I caught the private theater screening of Pixar's next feature film "Up" at Metreon. Sure it was a hassle handing over cell phones and cameras, but we got to see the first 46 minutes of the movie uncut! From what I saw, "Up" will become a new classic for families and animation lovers everywhere. I can't wait to see the full film in theaters. Pixar really knows how to make emotional puppets out of their audiences. ___ I'll be back next year hopefully with a better plan. Check out the Alternative Press Expo in October if you're looking for a smaller venue and less mainstream stuff. NOTE: Tickets prices went up a little. From originally $10 to $12 pre-order or $15 onsite. read more

I visited Wondercon with my husband and daughter, who are a self-described nerd and nerd-in-training, respectively. This really isn't my scene, but I would have enjoyed it if it weren't so terribly crowded. The exhibit floor has something for just about anyone. I liked the cute stuff like the Finn & Jake (from Adventure Time) hats. It's also a blast to people-watch here. I saw Grant from Mythbusters and it made my day! I was too shy to ask for a photo, though. read more

For weeks I contemplated on the subject matter for my 100th yelp. There are lots of things I could write about but I wanted something with a more special meaning. I didn't want it to be a food review because food preferences change and who knows, what my favorite was for my 100th may no longer be my favorite for my 200th. Last night my friend suggested that I write something that describes me, something not likely to change. I recollect that his suggestion was "just write about why you enjoy being a nerd". So imagine a convention hall packed with nerds and geeks, many in costumes living out their dreams as a superhero, a science fiction villain, an anime warrior or just something else of a unique origin. This was like reliving my childhood all over again. I met people I'd never met before and we bonded because we shared similar interests and loved some of the same villains and heroes. I don't recall how my love of anime began, but for years I've had an obsession with watching anime. Isn't it every girl's dream come true to finally be the superhero with terrific fighting skills and a delightful array of weapons at her disposal, to swoop in and save her wimpy little dude in distress all while maintaining her nice curves and her massive sex appeal? Whatever it is I love my anime, and if dressing up like one of my favorite anime stars means having guys circle you with wandering eyes and salivating tongues who ask to take a picture with you while you notice that their camera lens are all pointed at your boobs, so be it! I had a mask on, and I'm pretty certain only one person at the show knew who I really was. WonderCon is that and a whole lot more. I'd never attended this show before, but my friend promised me I'd have a great time and I did! Comic books, graphic arts, Wonder Woman movie debuts, The Watchmen, Terminator: Salvation, AstroBoy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer sing-alongs, exclusive television show premieres, free toys, collectible toys, unique Japanese toys, action figures, sexed up action figures, cute boys, hot girls, costumed babies ... I think you get the picture. Major stars came out for this. Summer Glau who plays one hot Terminatrix with big guns on television was there! The real Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia were there too! We even saw not one, but four life-size fully operational R2-D2 robot replicas. I've just spent three entire days in a convention hall filled with my dreams come true. Going back to the real world on Tuesday will be difficult. I can't wait until WonderCon 2010. read more

First off... JIM LEE ... you're such an a-hole for walking away from your fans that lined up for your ass at the Artist Alley. Comic celebrity or not. That's hella f**ked up for just showing up for a few minutes then walking away so you can socialize with your buddies at DC Comics. That just changed my impression about you! I couldn't believe what he just did in front of me and your fans. I didn't want your autograph! Just a picture to share and put on Yelp or Myspace - Hey I met Jim Lee! But nope. What I was so disgusted! Anyway.... This was my first event ever. For years, I've missed this show. My college buddies and I would make plans then forget about the event. If I had the time and money back in the 90's, this would be a shopping spree for me. Yes, I was much into comics and toys in elementary and middle school. When I reached high school, my interested changed (music and girls were my point of interest). It wasn't until college when my buddies Omar, Richard, and I dropped into a comic shop in Hayward and picked up the Superman Doomsday storyline. All of a sudden I was hooked again. Finally after two years of collecting comics and toys, I stopped and stayed with authentic artist prints. I've adored the beauty of artwork in the form of posters or canvas print. Thanks to Joe Jusko and his Marvel Masterpieces* from 1992, I always keep an eye out for artist renditions of my favorite superheroes and celebrities. On this visit, I was able to pick two astonishing prints: Philip Tan's masterpiece of Batgirl and Jason Palmers's canvas print of "River" from the Serenity TV series. Both awesome artworks that are well worthy to be in my home as inspiring decorations. I was so happy to meet these artists in person and have their personalized autographs on their works. * Marvel Masterpieces: http://www.mrcollectoronline.com/images/misc_toys/cards_mmasterser1.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Masterpieces In addition, I want to give out a special shout out to fellow Yelper, Mikey U, for inviting us to his artist table - Iron Umbrella and sharing his private collection and artwork. I do have plans to have him draw an artist rendition of one my favorite superheroes. Great job Mikey! Stay with your plans...someday you'll live your dreams. Just make one big note. Don't ever be like Jim Lee! Otherwise, I'll drive down to your crib and kick yo ass in person if you diss me at a comic show! LOL! Celebrity Appearances on this day (02/23/08) - The ones I had to meet and see in person: Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca from Star Wars) - I had to get his autograph, but dayam he's freakin tall and does have a monster hand shake! Lou Ferrigno (The Hulk TV Series) - This dude is still in great shape! Chase Masterson (Star Trek Deep Space Nine) - I can still see the sexy Dabo Girl in her. Richard Hatch (Battlestar Galactica - Dash) Herbert Jefferson (Battlestar Galactica - Lt. Boomer) Highlights: - Meet up with Tiffany T and the Capcom mega display. Cute outfit Tiffany! - Vader's Fist 501st Legion. I didn't realize that this group took Star Wars so seriously! Bad ass costumes and detail to the weaponry. - Best Costumes: Boba Fett and Jango Fett - Admission: $12.00 (includes everything...the show, artist alley, movie previews, and nighttime gala of all the costumes. I missed the nighttime gala this year - I started to run a fever and cold. - What I Missed: The following day (Sunday) they were going to have the entire cast of "Serenity" signing autographs. Dammit! I really wanted to ask Morena Baccarin and Summer Glau to be my hot dates to any Yelp Elite Event! Dammit! http://browncoats.com/UserFiles/431ba1b696633/Image/ChelliesPictures/morena3.jpg http://www.wallpaperbase.com/wallpapers/celebs/summerglau/summer_glau_2.jpg Tips for next year: - Parking is hell. I would suggest carpooling. Thanks Ed H for driving this year. We ended up parking at the Museum PARC garage on 3rd and Folsom. - If you're going to purchase prints, I would bring your own poster tube with carrying case. These can be found at Michael's or your local art store. I had some trouble securing my prints during the event. I didn't want any creases or damages. - Have lunch outside the event. There's a bunch of Yelp worthy restaurants in the Moscone area. I missed lunch and ended up starving throughout the show. - If you're going to wait in line for Jim Lee, be ready to get dissed. Yes, I'm still bitter about it. LOL! read more

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It's Saturday morning and somehow I find myself standing in a crazy line of 1000s of people at the Moscone Center in SF.....oh yes, I am at WonderCon 2009. To be fair and offer full disclosure to this review, I've never been to a convention before nor am I big comic fan. I was all about checking out the following things: Disney previews, "9" preview, checking out costumes, and finding the ultimate Naruto gear... As others said, the place was SO packed that it was crazily overwhelming. The main hall was filled with tons of booths with apparel, collectibles, and some signings. I usually don't get claustrophobic but it was too much for even me (including all of the smelly people....yeah, I said it!) The upstairs floors offered panels and pre-screenings of films/shorts. My highlight of the day was seeing the sneak peeks to "9" and "Up". I also enjoyed hearing the panel with folks from "9"--that included Elijah Woods---yay Frodo! Costumes were pretty cool too! Tons of Princess Leias, Jedi Knights....but the awards goes to two costumes in particular. The first to a full fledged "Bumblebee" from Transformers costume. It was amazing! And second, goes to a trio who dressed up like the aliens (the Yip Yips) from Sesame Street. They were hilarious--costumes and sound effects! Would I go again? Eh, not too sure. It was good entertainment but pretty darn exhausting and crowded. My advice if you plan to go, wear comfy shoes & light clothing (it gets hot!), bring cash, and be prepared to get pushed around a bit. ps. Sadness because I didn't find the ultimate Naruto gear :( pps. The bf LOVED the preview of the New Street Fighter read more

This is too good of a story to be so overdue Comic and toy lovers everywhere... rejoice that there's a con closer to you... much closer than the one in socal! Carpooled up here with Usi and Ali and had a great time. I remember pulling up for street parking and remarking that i didn't think we could park there. The others looked at me and then the other cards and said that if they parked there, we could park there. Erm ok. And anyways, we could always come back out to refill the meter. I bet them that we'd get a ticket. I won that bet. As for the 'Con itself.... imagine all the people that you went to school with that dressed up, played dungeon and dragons, etc etc, you know the type of people I'm talking about... now imagine they grew up (some very hot, and some not so hot) and bred like rabbits.... moscone was packed! There was lots of stuff and even ran into more yelpers! There were rooms for discussions, rooms for panels, rooms for viewings, rooms for contests, and a large ass room for all the vendors, artists, signings, and other trappings of such a glorious event. Too bad we didn't get a chance to see the Yelper League of women in spandex and capes. wootWOOT! And because of the people we met, we were invited to a after event event. After returning to the car and pocketing the parking ticket we lazily drove to the after event event and haphazardly parked in front of Horizon. Once in, we were greeted by artists from the 'Con and tastings of locally made sake! What's not to like? Find out that we parked in a no parking zone and that the car got towed. Not only that, on top of the tow was yet another parking ticket. I still had a great time! ;P read more

Not many conventions can rival Wonder-con. I went with a group and had a blast. The Moscone Center is huge, more than capable for sustaining the traffic. Unfortunately, It's size still won't protect you from the legions of sideswiping elbows and shoulders. Oh yeah! The venues a little smelly too. On the brighter side, the cosplaying was spectacular. Lots of Star Wars reps and more Power Rangers than I'm use to seeing. I only have a minor gripe to pick with morbidly obese women wearing Princess Leia's slave outfit. Ladies please leave that shit at home. The vendors were out in full force with all of their best comic-related offerings but I was disappointed by the lack of fan specific merchandise from comicbook publishers. Particularly hoodies/t-shirts/toys/keychains etc.. I don't need these events to buy books, Amazon helps me do that. I like conventions for finding rarities/fanfare; things that are sometimes harder to get. Ultimately, I walked out of Wondercon with a Capcom bag..... This is an issue. But I digress, if you need an intro to geekism, this is the best place to start. read more

A three-day event that takes place in the heart of SF in late winter, WonderCon is chock-full of comic vendors, artists booths, and soooo much more. A lot of people who attend these conventions might say that WonderCon is "weak" compared to ComicCon, but after frequenting both, you start to realize that WonderCon is the place where you hit all the vendors, blow ridiculous amounts of money on back issues, toys/action figures/articulated miniatures, and hoard as much free swag as you can get your hands on. It's also the eye-opening teaser that begins the countdown to ComicCon at the end of July... It's basically where you get your "fix" that's supposed to tide you over until summer rolls around. Now and then, a Stormtrooper will pass you by and you can't help but do a double-take. But when you're totally unphased by the extravagant costumes that surround you, you know you're in the zone. The buzz in the air creates an atmosphere that draws you into a childlike sense of wonder and excitement, and for four or five hours, you happily trot from one booth to another and get sucked into the world of comics and/or anime - a world that you lost touch with after you graduated from sixth grade and moved on to more mind-numbing things like clothes, hair, and boys. Oh wait, I'm recounting my personal experience now. I digress. Anyhow, my thoughts? Do all those things that I mentioned above. If you can squeeze in a panel - great! But if not, don't worry... because that's what ComicCon is for. read more

The biggest congregation of geeks in the bay. Also the biggest acne concentration in the bay and people like to grow out there facial hairs, but I digress... This being my first comic book/anime type convention I wasn't sure what to expect. At first it was a little confusing as to where to get our damn preregistered tickets, but after walking around aimlessly for 5 minutes, or so, we were able to find it. Once your in, it's pretty awesome. Many booths with items to buy. There are so many talented artists. I'm jealous of their skills. Also, damn creative people with awesome costumes... However... On the downside...I think they should have a screening or a check at the front door for folks who decide to dress up...or dress down rather...for these types of events. I mean, I'm all for less clothes and more skin, but not when there is more cellulite and cottage cheese than you'll find in waste bin of a liposuction machine at a plastic surgeons office, or the cheese section at your local grocery store. No thanks. The cool me now wanted to make fun of the people playing their little card games, but I was in their shoes once...ages ago...(Ok, well I did make fun of my friend Glen who was in the one of those card game tournaments. What a geek!) If I was still into these things, as I was back in High School, I'd definitely go back next year, but this will probably be my first and last. However it's worth checking out. read more

I went on Sunday and it was only $10 to get in. Not bad at all, what a deal. Lots of celebrities also. In the room where the celebs were sitting in a row and talking I went up to the front to take some pics and one of the employees said to me and the other photogs, "If you're not an official Wonder-Con photographer then take your photo fast and go back and sit down." I thought that was kind of rude since we were all on our knees and not blocking anyone's view. Give us a break, there was tons of room for everyone up front to take pics. I was kinda shocked that Mark Hamill was there but he was charging $100 for an autograph. Kinda ridiculous. Also, the main room was kind of hot and humid with so many people there. Don't they have A/C? Anyways, I loved it overall. 4.5 stars. I will go again for sure. read more

Good times. Assuming you don't want to do the big panels in the Esplanade room, Wondercon is essentially a nerd mall. Hundreds of artists and vendors gathered together in one place to display their wares to the hungry geek crowds (and there's a LOT of crowds). Cosplay is big and getting bigger as well, including a remarkable transgendered Wonder WoMAN, a very accurate Vader, complete with portable Imperial March machine, and a number of Slave Leia's of middling to good quality. read more

WonderCon reminds me of how the San Diego ComicCon was when i was young, only with newer stuff. * It's smaller and less crowded * I can buy a ticket at the door * the ticket price is much cheaper and more reasonable (though I noticed it's climbing a little) * lines for autographs and whatnot are shorter or nonexistent so in fact, I not only like WonderCon in some ways i prefer it because SDCC has grown so much you need to buy tickets the minute they get released, you have to camp out and loose a whole day to go to the more popular panels and whatnot, and it's become more focused on movies and tv media than genre, art, and its comic roots. The unfortunate thing about WonderCon is this sense that it's mostly the same guests every year. But that doesn't matter, I like the environment and I like watching the cosplay people. read more

I don't read comic books. I'm not into action figures. I'm not into magic, or animation, or anime. I don't play any of those asian card games like, Yugioh... Now, with that said...this was A BLAST! My boyfriend is into the comic books and I might have had more fun than him. It's like a big...geek orgy. My boyfriend had a list of about ten comic books that he wanted to try and find while there and he found seven of them...SCORE! The only bummer that I noticed is he really had to SEARCH to find them. Sellers have bins upon bins and rows upon rows, and although they were in order of character/title...they weren't numerically catagorized which would make it way easier to find what you're looking for fast and move on to the next booth. We circled the entire place like four or five times and it got better and better every time we went around! I got to see Mr. Larson from Happy Gilmore and when I saw him I got so excited I hid. Hahaha!! I was star-struck! We saw Ryan Reynolds from Green Lantern too. They had like I guess you would call them press conferences? (I'm not really sure of the lingo, sorry) for new comic book releases and that was pretty cool...we sat through one of those...interesting stuff. We got hungry a few hours into our adventure and I saw one place to buy food...just one and they offered like three things to eat. I got pizza, and so did my boyfriend and from the looks of the overly-crowded room we were in, so did everyone elsle. It was okay pizza but I'll definitely be packing us some food next time around. The people walking around in costume was fun to look at. I liked that you can take a break from all the geeketry and give blood...I thought that was really awesome actually. I didn't have time this year, but next year I'll definitely make time for that. I highly recommend this event. We'll be back, it was definitely worth the 20$ day pass. We both had a fantastic time. read more

My very first con!!! My bros took me. Pretty awesome... would love to go again but to a different one maybe. hahaha! You'll see lots of good costumes and really shitty ass one where it looks like they decided to play dress up that day. The best ones are picture worthy!! I've seen quite a few. The "Brain Age" guy was pretty funny! Booths for comic geeks, anime ~LOVERS~, fanatics, toy collectors, etc. I'm for the artists and some toys. Not really much of a comic person... save for xmen since my brother loves xmen ever since we were growing up! Scored a cool print of Storm and saw some awesome art work. Picked up some cards from artists, I may commission to paint me something in the future. Couple of tips. 1. Where comortable shoes: pretty much walking around and standing and waiting. 2. Bring water / snacks: IDK how much at the food stands but I rather save. It gets hot inside! 3. Mints: umm... not eating or drinking for very long may lead to STANK breath so yeah... I'd be down to dress up and stuff but cost to look really good is expensive! read more

The one event I don't feel like the awkward socially inept dweeb I am. Love it. A small comic book convention (compared to the mammoth SD Comic Con). Buy your 3 day tickets online and pick them up on Thursday to avoid the long lines the day of. Not certain about the 1 days. Bring food, water and a friend (or a book) because there will be lines. If you plan to buy anything, bring cash because the ATMs have huge lines too. One place that surprisingly does not have a huge line: women's bathroom. If you're not into comics, it's ok. With television and movie studios promoting their movies = free screenings of full length episodes and movie clips. Vendors have plenty of toys, ranging from cutesy to hardcore nerd, and other stuff to look at. Oh yeah, also art and comic books. Actors to photograph, get autographs, and pay to do so. Or get a friend to snap a picture while the actor is standing in the background as I did with Felicia Day last year. Discussion panels to sit at; they can be academic, technical, laid-back or just plain fun. ~~ the nitty gritty details of what i did. PANELS: hit or miss. If you're really interested in one, get in line an hour before. The meeting rooms are fairly small. The academic ones were less crowded. -Book of Eli: awesome. The screenwriter talked about how it went from screenplay to movie. His experiences with screenwriting, how to get into it (if your foot is in the door, you need to bring 6 even better ideas), talking with Denzel Washington (he is so good he didn't bother getting his second Academy Award engraved). -Arkham Asylum: as a pysch major, nothing new to me. The presenters were fun and informative. A lot of the Batman villains are OCD.... Joker is not legally insane; the fact he's unidentifiable (no ID, no tags in his clothes) shows he knows the wrongness of his actions. -Real Archeology of Indian Jones: awful. His PowerPoint presentation was horribly made; as his assistant advanced within a slide, a picture would disappear. He blamed the assistant for going too fast, but why set up a slide in which the picture disappears? He also broke a cardinal rule of public speaking: do not read off your material. Every thing he said was on the slide show. He also spelled Ark as "arc". ESPLANADE Screening Room: Fun, but the lines can be outrageously long. The space is fairly huge, but it could get packed to capacity. Last year, I stood in the hella long line to see Pixar; it went all along 3rd St to Folsom St. This year, I got in line right away and sat in there all Friday afternoon to see Kevin Smith at night. -Kevin Smith: before seeing him: I like him ok. After: OMG, fangirl crush! he is sooo awesome, omg, hearts. Seriously, see him if you get a chance. He can be profane, will definitely go off topic (someone asked the standard "How are you doing?" and he answered, "Great. Probably because I had amazing sex last night" and went into details which included the fleshlight), and loves his fans. That last one is very important. -Masquerade: good. Amateur to professional; some pose, some have skits. A line formed 2 hours prior, but it is not crowded at all. If you don't care about sitting thisclose to the stage, come when the doors open. Bumblebee from Transformers was mind-blowing. See the pictures. -Viewings: we're nerds. Home alone, we'll talk to the tv. In a theater full of nerds, we'll yell at the screen. Can have long lines. DAYS to go: Friday is less crowded and easier to get around. Maybe the best day to see the vendors. Saturday is probably the most packed day but has lots of costumed people to stare at/admire. read more

I've now gone to the Wondercon both this year (2010) and last year. I have to say both times I've really enjoyed myself. Parking has been easy; I parked right across the street in the Moscone Center parking lot (cost about $20 for the whole day and in to the evening). Entrance to the con is cheap, it was $12 this year online. I like several things about the Wondercon including: - Easy "celebrity" sightings and interactions. Last year, I bumped in to Felicia Day while she was shopping for some books and my girlfriend and I had a nice 5 minute conversation with her completely unhindered. Last year we spotted Carrie Fisher and Mark Hammil. This yea I spotted lower tier folks like Brent Spiner, Adam Baldwin and John DeLancie. And then there are all of the other celebs like Denise Crosby, Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), Erin Grey, Richard Hatch, Lou Ferigno and the guy who played the Gorn in the original Star Trek. I have to say, it is interesting seeing and chatting with these actors that I knew in my childhood and more recent years. - Comic Books - I love comics and buying comics and this is a decent place to look at, discover, and purchase comics. Of course buying online still gets you the best deals, but there are bargains to be found and the sheer quantity of comics allows me to discover new comics. - Underground Comics - there is a decent presence (not super great) for undergrounds at Wondercon. Being in SF, one of the epicenters of the underground movement really helps. - Costumes - seeing all of the people who put effort in to dressing up is part of the fun. I am always impressed that there are people who put so much work in to their fantasy costume. Makes for good pics too and they are always willing to pose. The best costumes are some times on the little kids - dressed up like the Hulk or Captain America. Overall: easy access, lots of pop-culture geeking, cheap entrance cost, wholesome family fun, celebrity spotting, and some interesting panels/presentations = a good time for all pop culture fans. read more

WonderCon is awesome. I was manning the Brand Fury booth this year, which made it even more uber cool because I got in free. Whee! Selling things and passing out postcards is a small price to pay for that. There was a huge selection of dealers and artists (which were the people I had mot contact with). The best advice i can give you is to guard your wallet, not because someone will steal it, but because you may end up spending every last ounce of cash you have. You can probably find any, and I mean any, type of comic that you want. Get into specifics if you want, and you'll be bale to find it and get it cheaper than you would find it anywhere else. Because dealers generally bump the prices down a little or cut of tax if you pay with cash. Heck, practically everyone ONLY takes cash. I recommend using an ATM OUTSIDE of the convention as well. The one or two that they have within the center are always mobbed. WonderCon has this really good vibe that I just adored. You can meet all sorts of cool people, and if you are an artist then you can get good advice from the professionals and amateurs that are there and have booths. read more

This was really a great venue to see some cool people in costumes, the new cool games, and great comics. This year was by first time going (I went with my sister who does The Meek comic online meekcomic.com) and I wasn't sure what to expect. As an APE veteran, I was kind of expecting the same thing, but I found there to be waaaay more stuff. It's actually like a mix between ComicCon and APE. There was a helluva lot of people there, but everyone was generally nice. It was pretty cool to see the costumes b/c everyone obviously put a lot of work into it. I liked the different panels they had and I got to see Jake Gyllenhaal, Jerry Bruckheimer, and Nicholas Cage (barrrffffff). I also got a meat pillow. You really can't beat that. I will definitely be back next year, especially for the cheap price that we paid to get in. Very cool read more

WonderCon is the best convention for pop culture here in California up until the San Diego one comes in July. It helps hold me over. You can find most anything sci-fi/comic/fantasy related. You can meet artists of your favorite comic books. Or get autographs from F-List celebrities past their prime and in need of food money. There are even a lot of people in costume, mostly Star Wars themed, though. I mainly go for the panels. Usually there is one big panel with a famous director or famous movie actors that gets a big long line for it. One memorable panel was the one for the first Fantastic Four, which had Julian McMahon of Nip/Tuck fame, starring as Doctor Doom representing the movie. He wore a shirt and a beanie which had a "Von Dutch" style logo on it, but instead said "Von Doom" (his character in the movie is Victor Von Doom, a.k.a. Dr. Doom. He obviously knew nothing of the movie when a WonderCon attendee had lined up and asked him a specific question about a recurring Marvel character. Attendee: "Will Galactus make his way into any sequels?" Julian McMahon: "Galacticus? I will kick Galacticus's ass." Attendee: "?!?!?!?!?!" Julian Mcmahon: "See my 'Von Doom' beanie? See my 'Von Doom' shirt?" Lately, though, as pop culture borrows A LOT of it's creativeness to the sci-fi/comic book genre, more people come to the conventions than normal, and increases every year. This makes for more people laughing at nerds. You used to be able to show up at these things in your favorite anime costume and not get scoffed at. Now, it's like high school all over again with people making fun of people they think are lesser because they wore a costume. read more

Wondercon 2011 happened this weekend. Whew. It was exhausting. Wondercon has been at the Moscone center, the last 5 years. It was a large venue and it worked better. But even buildings reach their capacity and wondercon did. Each day was crowded, including Sunday. I attended the con all 3 days and after Saturday. I had had it, I was pooped. I went to go see Zan and Jon at PRISM comics to give them some of my art. We had talked during downtimes at the show. But today, the PRISM comics stand was packed. Maybe something about the gays who were unwinding after a night of partying or what. But I wanted to give them my art and leave. I wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone during the show. Sunday is normally a slow day. But this entire weekend was packed. My b/f and I decided to hit the dealer floor today. I didn't purchase anything at all. I got near drunk yesterday and I wasn't in the mood. But things went well. I had a few hansome(rare at a comic con) guys pick up on me, met some fabulous boys at the PRISM booth, posed for pictures, and had a blast with my b/f. I also went by the TROMA stand today and met the creator of TROMA studios. He told me I was HOT. I recommend buying your tickets when they go on sale, since WONDERCON 2012 is going to be packed. Comic book conventions are becoming more and more part of mainstream culture. read more