Hello, readers!
This is Brandi. I am back with another convention review! As some may recall, I attended WonderCon 2023 last year with my friend and fellow TGON writer, Kat. You can click here to read about my three-day adventure. As usual, over the past year, I have attended conventions similar to WonderCon, either on my own or with Kat. But this year, I attended WonderCon with Kat AND Kasper, one of the newest additions to the TGON team, and I cannot wait to tell YOU all about it! With me dressed as my favorite ghost-type and Pikaclone, Mimikyu, Kat dressed as Ragatha from the hit animated web series The Amazing Digital Circus, and Kasper dressed as Malina from the indie puzzle-adventure game Helltaker, we were an unstoppable trio ready to take on what WonderCon had to offer this year!
Upon arrival, we hit Artist Alley first, working our way from one end of each alley. As we navigated through Artist Alley, we stopped at individual booths that piqued our interest. I spotted my friend and fellow digital artist, Abby, who had a joint booth with anime artist Amy. Both of them have wonderfully colorful art styles. In the past, I have commissioned Abby to draw me different magical girls, such as She-Ra and Ramona Flowers. Per tradition, I commissioned Abby to draw me Princess Peach (who, yes, I would classify as a newly established magical girl) to celebrate her latest Showtime! game. As always, I love how these conventions allow me to connect with and support creatives I may never have met otherwise.
Eventually, Kat, Kasper, and I separated to cover more ground. Kat and Kasper attended a mini figure painting session and The Musical World of Avatar panel together. Meanwhile, I continued to explore the Exhibition Hall. I recognized several artists and content creators, such as April Solomon, who specializes in fine art and fantasy; ChaiBee, an artist and cosplayer; Kim Winder, an adult comic strip artist; SpooksieBoo, an artist known for her spooky and cute designs; and SG Blaise, an author responsible for The Last Lumerian series. Seeing artists and authors, I recognized from previous conventions and social media was great.
I recognized Tea & Absinthe and was delighted to see they offered smell samples of their tea packets. I ended up buying their Fire Nation blend because I am a sucker for cinnamon. Suppose you are a tea drinker like me. In that case, you may love the samples sold by Tea & Absinthe because they offer a variety of tea blends inspired by various fandoms. I bought an awesome Pokemon print depicting Teddiursa and Ursaring from storyboard artist and writer Jeff Asato-Schuetze, who was nice enough to sign it for me. I loved his art style, and his prints made me smile seriously. I bought a Mystery Grail box, but I was sadly disappointed with my pull since it was a character I did not recognize. Mystery boxes are a fun concept, but before you buy, you must accept that you may buy a dud. I got a dud. Oh, well.
I would have joined Kat and Kasper, but their plans conflicted with my plan to meet American authors Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, who co-authored the best-selling book series The Spiderwick Chronicles. They were scheduled to sign books from 3 PM to 4 PM PST, and I did not want to miss my chance to meet them. To be expected, the line was long, but it was worth it because I got them to sign my 2008 The Spiderwick Chronicles DVD case. I watched the movie almost religiously as a kid, so meeting the creators of this fantastic fantasy world was a blessing, especially with the TV series debuting soon. Are you a Spiderwick fan? If so, are you eager to watch the TV rendering of The Spiderwick Chronicles? I was set to watch the first public screening of the official first episode later, and excitement did not begin to describe what I was feeling.
The Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore was next to the Author Signing Area, so I had to buy a book because why not? If you love bookstores dedicated to fandom fun, you will love the Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore in San Diego. It is my favorite independent bookstore. I next visited the Prism Comics booth and enjoyed their selection of comics and graphic novels. If you want to support lgbtqia+ artists and authors, consider buying from Prism Comics. I also stopped by the Kids Can Cosplay and bought a Funko pop because I love the idea of kids being introduced to cosplay and comic-con early on. It made me think about how much I would have loved this community as a kid. Every kid out there, and every adult, deserves to feel happy and safe parading themselves at these conventions, and Kids Can Cosplay supports kids expressing themselves through cosplay.
Next, I went to the Making of Sky by thatgamecompany panel. Have you played Sky: Children of Light? If not, give it a whirl. It’s free and fun, and I highly recommend it. As a player, I loved learning about what inspired this particularly beautiful game. Last but not least, I attended the first official public screening of the first episode of The Spiderwick Chronicles TV series. Out of respect for the creators, I cannot provide explicit spoilers, but I can say that if you loved the original book series or the 2008 movie, you will love the detail put into this televised series. Anticipate the official debut of this series on April 19th.
After TEN HOURS, Kat, Kasper, and I were ready to head home, satisfied but exhausted. Throughout the entire day, I saw several marvelous costumes. Peter Pan and Tinkerbell. Ryuko and Satsuki from Kill la Kill. Lydia Deetz and Beetlejuice from the 1991 cartoon. Angel Dust and Alastor from Hazbin Hotel. As always, I love seeing the detail people put into their costumes, and especially loved the Hazbin Hotel costumes since it is latest obsession.
We attended panels, bought merch, and had loads of fun. Overall, I highly recommend attending WonderCon, but I do recommend packing your own snacks (because food trucks are expensive) and arriving ten to twenty minutes early for popular panels (becuase they fill up quickly). I also recommend creating a set schedule via the official Comic-Con app (because it helps make everything less overwhelming).
My own compliant was that WonderCon 2024 took place on a holiday weekend this year. Luckily, WonderCon 2025 will take place Friday, March 28 – Sunday, March 30. Mark your calendars because it’s bound to be wonderful!
