Wondercon 2024 Wrap Up

Hi CHU Fam, hope life is good for everyone in 2024! CHU visited Anaheim for 2 days to check out Wondercon 2024 over the weekend of March 29th to March 31st. I originally booked this trip assuming you can’t go wrong with a show by Comic-Con International, but at the time I didn’t realize it was Easter weekend….ooops. It wasn’t on Easter weekend the year before, but I decided to keep my plans and make the most of it.

There were 2 major panels that needed larger rooms.  One was for Boy Kills World, which is inspired by anime and comic elements, and featured several cast members.  The other was the Funmaker Meetup including Funko Founder Mike Becker, Disney Imagineer Legend Bob Gurr, and Producer David Kirschner. Mike Becker knows how to get the crowd fired up, it’s always worth attending anything he is hosting. 

No major Hollywood or big two fanfare at this show which was to be expected, that allows me to focus on panels, small press, and artists alley.  Here are some cool things I came across.

The founders of CovrPrice shared their data-driven thoughts on the aftermarket. They presented some fascinating graphs that showed how pre-The Walking Dead media content didn’t move the market that much. But in modern times, the aftermarket actually drives and reinforces on-screen content. Speculation creates media buzz which pours over into content. However, now there’s some cooling off on Marvel as news has slowed plus low buzz on their TV shows. Even with a strong 1st appearance book like Shang-Chi, we haven’t seen that character in several years so the price has dropped.

There’s reason to be hopeful for 2024-25. Marvel and DC will have a full slate of new content to announce, and the strongest time to sell is between announcement and before the movie/show release. We will likely see a resurgence of the aftermarket. In the meantime, non-marvel and non-DC is doing great. Their data shows strong sales for Power Rangers, Precode horror, TMNT, Frazetta, and Dave Stevens (driven by the documentary).

Otherwise, we all probably know most of the other best practices they covered. E.g. buy on rumors only if the price is really good. If you are buying only to collect, wait until after the release when the price drops.

A panel called “The Write Stuff” took place in way too small of a room for the amount of absolute legends in attendance. This panel included Marv Wolfman, Gail Simone, Steve Englehart, David Mack, Steve Orlando, and Terry Kavanaugh. They discussed their creative process and shared anecdotes from the past. I was standing in the back because there weren’t enough seats and I couldn’t be happier knowing comics are still alive!

The Comics Beat held a panel to celebrate their 20 years of comics journalism. Wow, time flies! I appreciate these journalists dedication to the comics art form and how they try to give due credit to creators. They shared stories of how much comics has evolved in 20 years from the fringe to major media and mainstream political conversations.

IDW was the only major comics publisher in attendance.  They brought some awesome “convention exclusives” but nothing exclusive to Wondercon which I found disappointing but there weren’t many con exclusives here overall. They did have some 2nd printings of the red hot Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees books, along with some artist signings throughout the weekend.

The rest of my time was spent in Artist Alley and Small Press visiting old friends and discovering new artists. Please give these folks a follow and check out their work.  Starting with one my all time favorite artists, Carla Wyzgala. Picked up this killer Harley sketch at her table.

Fresh Monkey Fiction brought these awesome figures of old school comics characters. Had to pick one up and plan on ordering more, they are the perfect size to go along with my Super 7 figures.

Z2 Comics is reliable for bringing rock stars for booth signings. Bruce Dickinson appeared for a signing and a panel.  His signing at their booth formed one of the largest lines of the weekend.

Creator Eric Erdek created Espresso Detective and has been gaining traction with a few successful Kickstarters.  Worth checking out if you are in the mood for an indie noir thriller.

I don’t normally get into clothes but as a lover all things cryptids and kaiju, I have to recommend Cryptidzoo. The designs alone are cool enough for me to pick up some shirts, but the images also respond to an augmented reality app that will make the monsters come alive.

This con was laid back and easily accessible, and I’m always having a good time in a room filled with comics and fans who love them.  That being said, this convention was one of the most lackluster I have attended compared to the countless others I have been to. If Wondercon lands on Easter weekend, I would only recommend it to locals. Next year, it will not be on the holiday weekend so it may be worth traveling to especially if you see some guests you like.  Cheers until next time!