WonderCon 2015- Bringing Pop Cultrue Greatness to Southern California

By Nolan P. Smith

(Victor Valley)– Comic Con International’s WonderCon 2015 once again invaded the Anaheim Convention Center, and attendees from across the states gathered by the thousands.

Featuring small press, local creators, comic book publishers, video game studios, film studios, and more, WonderCon exceeded expectations when it comes to pop culture. As with every con, one of the major draws would have to be the outstanding showing of cosplayers, who portrayed everything from Disney Princesses, Marvel’s many Spider-Men, DC Comics’ lovely ladies and more. There was even a great cosplay of Image Comic’s Luther Strode, the violent anti-hero with a third and final series hitting stores this year.

“WonderCon is simply amazing,” said Victorville resident Rebecca Rubio, who attended her first comic book convention with WonderCon. “Words cannot describe it. You really just have to go and experience it. Being the super hero fan that I am it’s hard to believe I had never gone before, but now I can’t ever imagine not going next year. This is definitely a new tradition.”

Exclusives are a mainstay at comic conventions, and WonderCon was no different. Image Comics had two beautiful hardcover collections, Low and Wayward. Boom Studios had a hardcover of Hit: 1955. IDW had a special convention exclusive of a comic based on the 80′s icon, Jem as Valiant Entertainment had a preview book of their upcoming series, Bloodshot Reborn. Graphitti Designs also had a special WonderCon exclusive shirt featuring a Batgirl design.

The fun didn’t stop inside the convention center, as food trucks lined the street outside, giving attendees a unique dining experience. The grounds outside were covered with cosplayers and fans looking to catch some of those famous California sunrays. You couldn’t look outside without seeing troves of people at every turn, many of them dressed to the nines in the scorching heat.

“WonderCon was a great experience,” said 10-year-old Victorville resident Bianca Smith, who attended the convention with her whole family. “People had awesome costumes everywhere! I can’t wait to go back next year!”

Stand out booths included the Hollywood Sci-Fi Museum, which had a preview of their upcoming physical location, the Dino Art Prints booth, which featured prints based off of the designs by Stan Winston and Crash, and the San Andreas truck trailer, which hosted footage of the upcoming film featuring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

WonderCon was sold out and a massive hit for Southern California. Comic Con International’s next comic convention is the San Diego Comic Con, the largest pop culture gathering in the world. For more information on WonderCon and Comic Con International, visit them online at www.comic-con.org.