Celebrating Batman’s 80th Birthday with Celebrity Guests Kevin Conroy, Lee Meriwether, Jim Lee, and more at Wondercon in Anaheim, CA

Over the weekend I attended one of my all time favorite conventions – Wondercon, the baby brother of the World Famous San Diego Comic Con. (2018 SDCC Cosplay Post, 2017 SDCC Cosplay Post) The three day geek convention has a vivid cosplay scene and with Batman celebrating an enormous milestone attendees were ready to party with the Dark Knight and crew! I attended the event as Nightwing and geeked out with 500+ attendees at the official DC Comics Birthday Bash.

Photos from Wondercon

The packed room featured an all-star panel included Kevin Conroy – the voice of Batman: The Animated Series, Jim Lee (DC Publisher CCO), David Mazouz (Young Bruce in Gotham), Lee Meriwether (Catwoman in 1960s Batman Movie), Diedrich Bader (Batman in Batman: Brave and the Bold), and Roger Craig Smith (Batman in Batman: Arkham Origins video game) as they reflected and shared memories. A gigantic cake was rolled out later in the program and all participants were given a Batman decorated cupcake and a mini Bat-signal flashlight as party favors.

Cosplaying as Nightwing

The event concluded with a montage of celebrities wishing the Cape Crusader a Happy Birthday and all the Batman cosplayers had a chance to take a group photo with the panelists. Attending this event was definitely a highlight of the convention and I’m still star struck that I got to be in a photo with the voice of Batman Kevin Conroy (!!!) who will forever be my Batman as I use to watch him everyday afterschool when I was an elementary and middle school student.

Whats your favorite Batman memory?

 

XOXO,

Rockstar

Wonderful World of Comics (WonderCon) at Anaheim Convention Center – April 2014

I’m a cartoon enthusiast and while my interest for thoughtful storylines is nowhere near the obsession of the TV show characters from Big Bang Theory, I’ve always wondered what attending a Comic book convention would be like. I’ve heard horror stories from friends who had attended the world famous San Diego Comic Convention as tickets are near to impossible to attain and that the venue itself is overwhelming to say the least; however, its concept continued to peak my interest as its mysteriousness attracted me.

 

This past Easter weekend I was informed that there WonderCon, a sister comic book convention, was being hosted in Anaheim, CA – just a hop, skip, and a jump away! I took the initiative to investigate this event as it appeared less known, but was excited about getting my geek-on!

Here are some tid-bits about the event

  • -Started in SF and was called “The Wonderful World of Comics” but shortened to WonderCon
  • -Moved down to Anaheim due to SF venue remodeling
  • -3 day event is held annually during Easter Weekend
  • -Parking in the designated convention parking is $12 a car
  • -There were about 12 or so food trucks lined up outside
  • -Most participants come in costumes
  • -Hundreds of Vendors that sell comics, collectibles and clothes galore

042714 wondercon 4 misty 042714 wondercon meowth

When I first stepped foot on the Anaheim property, I was blown away by some of the cosplayers (amateur costumed characters- though many could pass as the real deal!) and overwhelmed by the amount of vendors in attendance – easily over 100 booths. I dressed up as Misty, a water Pokemon trainer and friend of Ash Ketchum for my cosplay debut – all items that I already own, with the exception of the red suspenders. Dressing up is all part of the
fun! I was even able to buy a livesize Pikachu at the event – I choose you! Haha…

The energy at the event was intense and I definitely wanted to make the most of this first visit. This year marked the 75th anniversary for Batman. Rumors have it that Robin/Nightwing will celebrate next year. *swoons* Anyways there w042714 Wondercon 3ere various panels (discussions on comics, movies, the latest and greatest etc and of course the panels featuring people involved with Frozen or original Batman voice actors maxed out. So, to all you future Wondercon visitors, I would camp out at least an hour for popular panels. Gone are the days when you can walk in right at the start of a panel.

Nevertheless, I was able to catch a few and my favorite premier of “Son of Batman” an animated movie featuring Batman’s romance with villainess Talia and their son Damian (and future Robin). The voice actors came out afterwards to discuss their role and it really helped complete the VIP experience.

042714 Wondercon 2 I was exhausted after the full day, but I would definitely return next year! I purchased a one day pass for $25- which is ¼ of anime expo and substantially cheaper than SD Comic Con. It’s a great alternative to the mass chaos at Comic Con, but allows visitors to experience the wonderful world of comics.

 

Who’s your favorite comic book hero and villain?