More than 50,000 fans from around the globe turned out for this year’s WonderCon
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All manner of cosplayers, gamers, artists and comic book collectors made their way into the Anaheim Convention Center on March 29 for WonderCon, the annual comic, science fiction and film convention. Many stopped to take pictures near the fountain just outside the center, a popular meeting spot for those who dress up in elaborate costumes and makeup to emulate their favorite comic or film character.
Produced and operated by San Diego Comic Convention, which also hosts Comic-Con International in San Diego each year, WonderCon hosted more than 50,000 people, all with varying degrees of fandom, over the last weekend of March.
Bill Ponseti, owner of Fantastic Worlds Comics in Scottsdale, Ariz., was among the comic book vendors selling issues from the Silver and Bronze ages of the collectibles at the convention. While he negotiated over the price of a stack of comics one customer pulled, he talked about his early experience with comic conventions.
“I have been doing shows since about 1974,” said Ponseti. “Early on, they were more than just comics. The first one I went to was a Star Trek science fiction and comic book convention.”
Like most conventions, WonderCon has always attracted an eclectic mix of fans and vendors. Originally known as the Wonderful World of Comics Convention when it began in the late 1980s in the Bay Area, the convention came to Orange County in 2012, rebranded as WonderCon Anaheim, where it has become a highly anticipated event with an international following. This year’s convention welcomed attendees from Afghanistan, Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Canada, Columbia, Costa Rica, Denmark, France, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe.
The 2025 convention featured speaker panels, autograph moments, original art, toys, games and even a masquerade. More than 900 exhibitors participated in the event.
Graphic artist Molly Nemecek, who uses they and their pronouns and goes by the name Mollinko, was working a booth on Artist Alley, where they offered a commissioned drawing for $75.
“It is my first time at WonderCon, and so far everyone has been really nice,” said Nemecek, who traveled from Canada for the event.
Nemecek has done illustrations for video games and comic books and loves to make stickers for conventions because it gives the artist the chance to put their design skills to the test, drawing characters from video games and television shows.
“Some people call my style Lisa Frank, but with muscles,” said Nemecek, referring to the design firm that was especially popular in the 1980s and ’90s. “There are a lot of really bright colors and I love doing male pin-up work. You don’t see a lot of people doing sexy dude pin-ups; it is usually women. I like to even the playing field a little bit.”
Nemecek sketched on a pad in their lap, while cosplayers perused stickers and prints.
“I want people to come to my booth and see my art and see a safe space where they can be themselves,” Nemecek said.
Sometimes being yourself means dressing like someone else. Alex Nicholson was one such cosplayer, dressed as Seiko Ayase from the manga series Dandadan, complete with a gray wig fluffed up to stand at attention like Seiko’s trademark hairstyle.
“This is a store-bought wig that we literally teased and formed last night,” Nicholson explained.
Some cosplayers worked on their costumes a little longer, like Vivienne Dubrock, who began putting together her Ahsoka costume in January. The Star Wars character, played by Rosario Dawson on the Disney+ show, has distinctive head features; two montrals and three head tails with blue and white coloring. Dubrock said she made most of her costume from scratch, including the headpiece.
“It is all, for the most part, 3D printed and then I sanded and hand-painted everything,” said Dubrock. “The headpiece I made start to finish from silicone. We 3D printed a mold for it.”
In the gaming area, attendees gather around tables for popular role playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, or to discover a new favorite. Aric Lorton attend the convention promoting his new extraction style board game, Duelgeon.
“At a convention you get direct interaction with people that are probably going to be very invested in your game, that otherwise would not see it,” Lorton said.
Orange County Public Libraries also set up a booth at the event, using the convention as an opportunity to call attention to the selection of graphic novels available to check out at local branches.
“We are promoting literacy,” said Katherine Ramirez, a representative of OC Public Libraries. “Pictures with words is a great for kids who like to read, or are learning to read.”
Ramirez offered library card membership and talked to attendees about Comic Orange, a family-friendly event celebrating comics and promoting literacy that will be held on May 10 at the Tustin Library.
Whether people were attending as fans of comics, gaming, cosplaying or art, they found a little bit of magic and wonder at the convention.
Ponseti said he is glad the conventions are still going strong and his booth remained busy throughout the weekend.
“There is a whole other generation we are passing the torch to and it is super fun to see,” he said.
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