It may not be as well known as San Diego Comic-Con, its Southern California counterpart, but the San Francisco WonderCon is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year as one of the country's best comics and popular arts events. On the fence about attending? Here's a rundown of what genre fans can look forward to at the show.
WonderCon runs at the Moscone Center South from April 1 through 3 with an incredible roster of comics' greatest writers and artists as special guests and featured in spotlight panels throughout the weekend. The show's programming schedule includes panels and previews from the comics industry's biggest publishers, including DC, Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, Aspen, IDW, BOOM!, SLG, and many more. All of these publishers have booths in the giant Exhibit Hall so you can visit and interact with them all weekend plus shop in a pop culture paradise! The Exhibit Hall includes vendors selling items from around the wonderful world of comics, movies, TV, animation, and much more. You'll also find artists selling one-of-a-kind original art and doing sketches! WonderCon features one of the best Artists' Alleys in the country plus a Small Press area and an Autograph Area filled with some of your favorite celebrities. WonderCon offers the complete convention experience, including games, anime, panels, seminars, and workshops.
The following schedules also include a bit of sci-fi and dark fantasy that we thought you'd find of interest and are, of course, subject to change so keep your eyes on the official WonderCon website for all the latest updates.
1:30-2:30 Behind the Music with CW3PR: Composing for Sci-Fi, Horror and Fantasy Film— Award-winning composers Jim Dooley (Pushing Daisies), Nathan Barr (True Blood), Scott Starrett (The Event), Marco Beltrami (V, Scream 4), Michael Suby (The Vampire Diaries) and Sean Callery (24) have all composed WonderCon and Comic-Con fans' favorite movies and TV series, and are here to share a behind-the-scenes perspective on creating exhilarating musical moments for television and film. Together with moderator Bryan Fuller (creator, Pushing Daisies; producer, Heroes), the panelists will discuss their respective projects, the pivotal director/composer relationship, and how they got their big break into the music composing industry. With a Q&A following the panel, plus exclusive announcements and giveaways for attendees. Room 104
2:00-3:30 Comics Arts Conference 2: Adaptation: Hollywood, Survival, and Success— Shylah Hamilton (School of the Art Institute of Chicago) uses the philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre, Georg Hegel, and Theodor W. Adorno to examine how the zombie tales of 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later provide a template for the survival of the individual and community in periods of genocide and social unrest. Tanya Zuk (University of Arizona) pits Kick Ass against Scott Pilgrim to answer the question of why one film succeeded and the other failed -- what leads a good comic astray in the heart of Hollywood? Kalani Largusa (School of the Art Institute of Chicago) examines the significance of Kato and the evolution of his role as the Green Hornet's sidekick. Stanford Carpenter (School of the Art Institute) responds. Room 204/206
2:30-3:30 Max Brooks— Max Brooks, screenwriter and author of the best selling books The Zombie Survival Guide, World War Z, and The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks, is the world's leading authority on the defense against a ghoulish uprising! Renowned for his campus and convention lectures nationwide, Brooks comes to WonderCon to share his insight into the rotting minds of the undead, reveal how the Zombie Survival Guide came into existence, and field questions from zombie-phobic fans! You dare not miss this lecture -- your very life may depend on it! Room 104
3:00-4:00 Dark Horse Fall Preview— Three years ago, Dark Horse made comics history with the launch of Buffy Season 8, which continued the canon storyline of the beloved cancelled show. Now, Dark Horse gives Wonder Con attendees exclusive news and insight into your favorite characters returning to comics this fall. Join Dark Horse director of public relations Jeremy Atkins, editors Scott Allie and Sierra Hahn, and a cast of surprise guests for the one panel you don't wanna miss! Room 103
3:15-4:00 Falling Skies— After an all-out invasion of the planet by an alien military force, ordinary people must do extraordinary things to survive in TNT's powerful new drama series from DreamWorks Television and executive producer Steven Spielberg, starring Noah Wyle and premiering in June. Falling Skies opens in the chaotic aftermath of an alien attack that has left most of the world completely incapacitated. In the six months since the initial invasion, the few survivors have banded together outside major cities to begin the difficult task of fighting back. The series combines stunning visual effects and personal human stories about triumph and survival in the most devastating circumstances. The panel will include exclusive clips from the series and a discussion with co-executive producer and writer Mark Verheiden, writer Melinda Hsu, and star Drew Roy. Everyone attending the panel will receive a limited edition Falling Skies "prequel" comic book published by Dark Horse. Esplanade Ballroom
5:00-6:00 Spotlight on Robert Kirkman— WonderCon special guest Robert Kirkman, one of the most successful writers in comics today, best known for his work on The Walking Dead, Invincible, Haunt, Image United, Astounding Wolf-Man, Marvel Zombies, the recent Super Dinosaur, and the upcoming The Infinite, will offer fans some insight into the genius behind their favorite hit comics. After becoming an Image Comics partner in 2009, introducing the internationally renowned hit TV show based on the comic The Walking Dead on AMC, and recently announcing an upcoming video game adaptation of the same series from TellTale Games, he has proven to be an unstoppable creative force. Room 103
5:30-6:30 Visions from Voyager and Highlights from HarperCollins— Join a Harper Collins Sorcerer Supreme for a vision quest tour through some great upcoming books by your favorite authors. You'll get details on new books by Neal Stephenson, Christopher Moore, Kim Harrison, Richard Kadrey and a host of others. From Avatars to Zombies, this panel has it all. And the best part is there will be free books given away! Room 220
6:00-7:00 State of the Genre Report: It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times— America's foremost geeksperts weigh in on the state of science fiction, fantasy, and horror film and television. Will J.J. Abrams have a Khan-do attitude on the next Trek? 3D: fad or forever? What's the next board game that will get remade as a $100 million flop? These questions and many more will be sliced, diced, and Ginsu-ed (hey, that could be a new film!). Starring Robert Meyer Burnett (Free Enterprise, The Hills Run Red), Ashley E. Miller (Thor, X-Men: First Class, Fringe), Daren Dochterman (Star Trek: The Motion Picture -- Director's Edition), Steve Melching (Transformers: The Animated Series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars), and special guest stars. Room 103
6:30-8:30 Back to Space-Con: The Story of the 1970s Sci-Fi Conventions— This panel discussion is a fascinating look back to the roots of today's modern conventions and is followed by the 74-minute documentary film about the 1970s conventions called Space-Con. Told by the original organizers and fans, the film includes celebrity interviews by Bob Wilkins, dealers-room footage, costume contests, and over 40 minutes of rare convention footage. A short Q&A session follows the movie with panelists John Stanley (Creature Features), Mr. Lobo (Cinema Insomnia), Tom Wyrsch (writer/director), Strephon Taylor (producer/editor), and Ernie Fosselius (Hardware Wars). Room 104
6:30-7:30 Let's Do the WaRP Time Again: Wendy Pini and Richard Pini— Wendy Pini (Elfquest, Masque of the Red Death) and Richard Pini (Elfquest) are the W and R in WaRP Graphics. Join them for an unscripted progress report on Elfquest: The Final Quest, the Masque of the Red Death graphic novel (and musical), and last but not least, the Elfquest movie. Room 220
6:30-7:30 Monsterverse Comics: Classic Horror Meets Modern Comics— The critically acclaimed Bela Lugosi's Tales from the Grave horror comic and its Monsterverse staff of editor/publisher/artist Kerry Gammill (Superman) and West Coast editor Sam F. Park (Molt) are joined by Derek McCaw (Tony Loco), Chris Moreno (World War Hulk), Rafael Navarro (Sonambulo), and more to discuss iconic horror for a new age, announce upcoming Monsterverse projects, and engage in a Q&A session! Room 254/256
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