For the second year in a row, I made the 45 minute car drive from Los Angeles to Anaheim to visit the wonderful Wonder Con. While it’s not THE comic con it is run by the same people that make San Diego Comic-Con possible. How could I tell? Simple, the security.
At every other con, I have been to you merely show the security guards your badge. Not Wonder Con. Here you go through a nifty little scanner and tap your badge against a small target (This year it was the Batman logo). After you hear the “beep” you are free to go inside. Then your badge is checked by another security guard when you enter the con floor. In addition to this, there are plenty of security guards walking around the con, lobby areas and, photo shoot locations. There were several K-9 units, which I have never seen at a con. (All of the security dogs were so cute). From this you can tell management is top notch and really takes out safety seriously.
One thing I love about Wonder Con is that you can run into B-list celebrities on the floor. And I have, both years I have gone. Last year I saw Talisen Jaffe shortly after the Critical Role panel. This year, I was graced with the presence of Matt Key as he was wandering around the food court. We had a brief exchange about Doctor Strange before departing to get lunch. At no other con has this happened to me and I hope it never stops happening.
The type of people you get to meet at Wonder Con; the cosplayers. There are so so many gathered in front of the iconic Anaheim convention center fountain and in the front lobby. While most cosplayers are donning superhero attire (since this is a comic con) there were plenty of My Hero Academia, Steven Universe, and The Adventure Zone cosplayers. I even saw some cosplayers from more obscure fandoms like Sally Face and Castlevania.
I got to meet a very famous cosplayer; our Cosplayer of the Month Alum, Amanda and the Cosplay Dog! They were a wonderful pair as Waluigi and Bowser. Merly was extremely photogenic and Amanda is just as kind in person as she is online. Seeing them made my con 10 times better.
I know I’m making it seem like Wonder Con is a flawless convention but, I assure you, it is not. If I had to complain about one thing, it would be the lack of swag. Most conventions I have gone to at least give their visitors a free lanyard or button. These usually are advertising the cons biggest sponsor, like Funimation or Marvel. But WonderCon was lacking in the free gifts department. The lanyard they provide is a basic boring black and not free items came in the complimentary goodie bags. I shouldn’t even call it a goodie bag. It’s now a sad bag. Because it just makes me sad I don’t get free stuff.
More than anything, I go to WonderCon for the unique experience it is. No other con has this quality cosplayers, management, and guests. Each year it is different, but different in a wonderfully new way I could never imagine. There is no con like it. Wonder Con is wonderful.