{"id":6603,"date":"2022-06-29T02:32:01","date_gmt":"2022-06-29T09:32:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/samuraijosh.com\/?p=6603"},"modified":"2022-06-29T02:32:01","modified_gmt":"2022-06-29T09:32:01","slug":"wondercon-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/samuraijosh.com\/index.php\/2022\/06\/29\/wondercon-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Wondercon 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I first started this site and posting my convention coverage I would describe Wondercon as the kickoff to my convention season because it was usually the first convention of the calendar year I would attend. Considering how the COVID-19 pandemic messed everything up so badly the last few years it would probably be appropriate to make LA Comic Con 2021<\/a> the kickoff to my 2022 convention season.<\/p>\n

Looking at Wondercon 2022, I’m not sure how I can say it was a great ‘con. Like LA Comic Con ’21 there was a noticeable decline in quality compared to past events. Although like LA Comic Con ’21, considering what’s going on, it’s a bit understandable why quality was a bit low. Even though large-scale gatherings are okay to have, COVID-19 is still a thing, and it’s still affecting how we do things.<\/p>\n

I’m a bit bummed that COVID-19 made this a somewhat lackluster convention. Right before COVID-19 hit, I had finally had this whole strategy figured out for my site: Focus on looking and documenting impressive cosplayers and noteworthy activations, displays and other sights. If I find anything truly spectacular or I take a whole bunch of photos of 1 specific thing then I should I consider spinning it off. The problem with that strategy is that it required me to find noteworthy things to photograph and document, which unfortunately I couldn’t find anything. I really tried to find something but there just wasn’t too many things that caught my eye which will make this one of the shorter convention posts I’ve ever done. On the plus side I did gather enough pictures for two more stand alone posts on top of my cosplayer posts so Wondercon 2022 wasn’t a total bust.<\/p>\n

Anyway check out my photos from Wondercon 2022.<\/p>\n

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I know this photo isn’t that great, but I’m putting it up there just to emphasize how things are going during the COVID-19 era. Aside from the fact that there’s probably half as many people as you would expect to be seeing chilling out by the Anaheim Convention Center’s fountains, look at the front of the building and just notice how bare it looks. In the past the front of the Convention Center would be plastered with giant banners promoting some big TV show or movie, but for 2022 there was nothing. I’m not sure if this was because wasn’t a company willing to step up and cough up the cash to sponsor the front of the Convention Center, or if there just wasn’t anything worth promoting. Either way, it’s a subtle yet sad reminder of how we’re struggling to get things back to normal during COVID.<\/p>\n

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When I saw Funko’s booth I was really unsure why they decided to do their Freddy’s Beach Bash theme.<\/p>\n

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Especially since these were the Funkos they were selling at the ‘con and none of them really fit the beach theme. I guess they just thought it would be a cool theme to use.<\/p>\n

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Here’s a DUM-series Pit Droid that was brought out by the R2D2 Builder’s club.<\/p>\n

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A service dog that I saw inside the exhibition hall. I’m really curious if the guy just dressed him up in a Hawaiian shirt or if he got it from the Funko booth.<\/p>\n

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Here’s what Cryptozoic brought out with them. It was pretty much just the same stuff they had brought out with them to LA Comic Con.<\/p>\n

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Toynami had this life-sized bust of Tom Holland dressed up as Spider-Man. This thing looks insanely life-like, like super-creepy life-like.<\/p>\n

Speculative Fiction Collectibles had some pretty cool stuff with them. Unfortunately they didn’t bring too much with them otherwise I would have given them their own dedicated post.<\/p>\n

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Gal Gadot Wonder Woman wearing the armor of Asteria from Wonder Woman 1984<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Spider-Man fighting one of the holodrones from Spider-Man: Far From Home<\/em>. Note the pixilation in the stand, indicating this is supposed to be a recreation of the scene where Spider-Man sees through Mysterio’s illusion and destroys the drones.<\/p>\n

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Here’s an Angelus from Top Cow’s The Darkness<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Jiraiya from Naruto<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Batman as he looked in the Frank Miller The Dark Knight Returns<\/em> miniseries.<\/p>\n

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Here’s my favorite piece from this booth. It’s the X-Men fighting a Sentinel. In case you don’t’ see recognize them you have Archangel, Storm, Psylocke, Shadowcat, and in the back Iceman.<\/p>\n

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A bearded Thor.<\/p>\n

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Captain Harlock from the Space Pirate Captain Harlock<\/em> Manga\/Anime.<\/p>\n

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And here’s a Heath Ledger Joker from The Dark Knight.<\/p>\n