WonderCon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| WonderCon | |
|---|---|
  WonderCon exhibit hall. 2008. |
|
| Genre | Multi-genre |
| Location | San Francisco Bay Area |
| Country |  United States |
| First held | 1987 |
| Organizer | Comic-Con International |
WonderCon is an annual comic book, science fiction, and motion picture convention, held in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1987.
The convention was conceived by retailer John Barrett and originally held in the Oakland Convention Center, where it remained until 2003, when it moved to San Francisco's Moscone Center.
While the main attraction of Wonder-Con has always been various retailers selling back issues of comic books and action figures, the exhibitorship 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.
Sometime after 2000, the convention's founders made WonderCon part of the Comic-Con International family of conventions. This has given 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. These have included Spider-Man 2 in 2004, Batman Begins and Fantastic Four in 2005, Superman Returns in 2006, and 300 in 2007. All of these events featured the stars of the films fielding questions from the audience. In addition, Wonder-Con features an event called "Trailer Park," wherein trailers for upcoming films are shown. Academicians and comic industry professionals have held the Comic Arts Conference in conjunction with WonderCon.
