The "we're going to a mondo pop culture comic-themed convention" road trip? It's kind of a staple in our modern, entertainment-consuming lives.
So much so a major film was made about this particular rite -- yep, 2011's "Paul" with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost -- and blogs spring up every year, come summertime, lending stop-and-see hints to road-trippers on their way to Comic-Con.
But a whole convention going road-trippin' is a much rarer thing, except in one prominent case: WonderCon. Make that Comic-Con International Presents WonderCon Anaheim, which is the official, says-it-all name.
Why does the name say it all? Well WonderCon, which will unleash a torrent of colorful pop-culture goodness upon the Anaheim Convention Center from Friday, April 18 through Sunday, April 20, needs "Anaheim" in its name these days, given that it was a Bay Area fixture for a decade and a half.
Its former location, San Francisco's Moscone Center, has been undergoing construction, which meant that the con hopped to Orange County a few years back. Hence the "convention taking a road trip" theme to this essay.
Lucky for SoCalers, WonderCon is hanging around, Anaheim-style, for 2014. This means booths (and booths and booths and booths) of merch covering practically every superhero, horror character, and game icon.
It means oodles of artist appearances -- hello, Sergio Aragones -- and writer appearances -- hello, Mark Evanier.
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And reveals about a bouquet of properties, from flicks to graphic novels, tend to be a Thing, capital T.
But what of the "Comic-Con International" in WonderCon's long official handle? Yep, the org behind San Diego's pop-ginormous behemoth is also at the controls of WonderCon. Which sometimes lends it qualifiers like "mini Comic-Con" but, really, there's not too much that's pint-sized about it. (Still, "baby con" is just too cute not to use, now and then.)
And, yep, be inspired by the Comic-Con backing, if you're a cosplayer or just love to rock a costume. Loads of people dress up in the tights and capes and Ghostbuster jumpsuits and Catwoman masks. We'd almost say this is more expected in Anaheim, over San Diego, given that Disneyland is just across the street from the convention center.
Need a schedule? Yeah, you do. Signings, panels, chitchats, and the full complement of con-flavored madness await you, WonderConer.
