There was a very strong comic book focus to the con, maybe not so much as at Long Beach, but all the major comics publishers were there, plus many of the minor ones. I was surprised to find webcomics wrapped around the large-press area and not hidden off in a corner. The small press and Artist’s Alley areas were huge (especially when compared to Wizard’s Comic Con in the same hall two years ago). And there were comic book dealers all over the place.

The only real complaint I had about the layout was that it seemed a bit haphazard. Marvel, IDW, and DC were front and center, but Studio Foglio and the Winner Twins were stuck in between IDW and DC. Zenescape was off in a corner rather than being clustered with fellow indies Archaia, Aspen and Avatar. And when I say the comic dealers were all over the place, I mean scattered all over the place….

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WonderCon 2012 Weekend is a post from Speed Force.

My full set of WonderCon 2012 photos are up, from Friday through Sunday. Sunday was really different than the first two days for three reasons:

• We brought our son along (it was his first comic-con). Having a toddler with you really changes what you can do, how you get around, how quickly you can get around, etc. He had a great time looking at people and displays, and playing with demo toys.
• We got in late and were stuck parking waaay out at Angel Stadium. (On Friday I actually parked in the convention center lot.)
• I forgot to drink water and ended up thoroughly exhausted and dehydrated after only four hours at the con.

Seriously: Drink water. Especially if you end up eating salty food because it’s what’s available and you can eat it fast. You’re walking around for hours, and if you’re spending multiple days at a con, you can wear yourself out easily. That’s especially bad if you have a long drive home at the end.

Full convention write-up coming soon, Monday if I can make the time.

WonderCon Day 3 Photos / Steampunk Flash is a post from Speed Force.

Saturday’s WonderCon photos are up on Flickr.

The main bit of Flash news that I caught: Heat Wave is up next after Weather Wizard, leading into the big Rogues battle.

WonderCon Day 2: Aquawoman & Flash is a post from Speed Force.

WonderCon: Flash Hats is a post from Speed Force.

The first round of my WonderCon photos are up on Flickr.

There wasn’t really any Flash news today. Someone asked about a Superman/Flash race at the DC All Access panel, and they said that there were no current plans, but all Flash questions should be directed to Dan Didio at a later panel.

Now to get some sleep before day two!

WonderCon: Marv Wolfman & Brian Buccellato is a post from Speed Force.

I considered liveblogging some of the DC panels, but decided I didn’t want to lug around the laptop, and I can’t type fast enough on the phone to really do a liveblog justice.

Here’s what I will be doing online:

• Posting on Twitter at @SpeedForceOrg. Keep an eye on that stream for updates. If Dan Didio announces something like Pandora is actually Wally West, you’ll hear it there first.
• Posting photos on Flickr, nightly if I have time, or by the end of the weekend. (Here are my galleries of photos from past conventions.)
• Run-down of Flash news & photos here on the blog, again daily if I have time (and if there’s news!), or else at the end of the weekend.

More: Past convention coverage (write-ups, photos and more).

Speed Force Plans for WonderCon is a post from Speed Force.

I’ve gone to WonderCon for three of the last four years and really enjoyed it. The Comic-Con International people may still be trying to figure out how to handle huge crowds, but they really know how to plan a convention. So the key thing is, I’m glad that it’s happening next year.

The location is going to really change the experience, though.

I live in the Los Angeles area, so the move to Anaheim is going to make it an in-town convention that I can easily drive to each morning. But I liked the fact that San Francisco was just far enough to go out of town for a weekend without flying, and a good excuse to visit places along the way like San Luis Obispo and Hearst Castle, Monterey and Carmel, or nearby areas like San Jose and Napa Valley. We’ve also got family and friends in the Bay Area, so heading up a few days early makes it into a good combined visit & convention trip.

The character of the city is vastly different, though.

Moscone Center is in the heart of downtown San Francisco. The Anaheim Convention Center is across the street from Disneyland. There’s a lot of stuff to do near Moscone, plus great public transportation. In Anaheim, as I verified last year you’re surrounded by hotels, motels, and restaurants. Not a problem if all you want to do is get out for a bite to eat, but if you want to go farther out, you’re probably going to have to drive. (On the plus side, the roads are flat and wide, and the parking’s a lot cheaper.)

And then there’s the Hollywood factor. San Francisco is a short commuter flight away. Anaheim is an hour’s drive. WonderCon, at least in the years I’ve gone, has had a strong Hollywood presence, but it hasn’t overshadowed the actual comics the way it has in San Diego. Being so much closer could change the balance (but it doesn’t have to).

Speaking of San Diego, there’s another thing to consider: With demand sky-high for Comic-Con International tickets, Anaheim smack in the middle of Southern California, and WonderCon run by the same people, a lot of con attendees are going to aim for WonderCon as an alternative. Depending on how much of the usual Bay Area crowd decides to take to the road, this could be a more crowded event than usual.

All in all, I’m going to like having WonderCon close by next March, but I hope they’re able to move back to San Francisco for 2013.

The Wizard Factor

One more interesting thing: CCI, Reed Exhibitions, and Wizard actually coordinated this move. Reed moved C2E2 from March to April so it wouldn’t conflict with WonderCon’s new dates, and Wizard “postponed” the April 2012 Anaheim Comic Con. Which is kind of an odd thing to say, since just a few weeks ago, Anaheim dropped off the schedule completely while Wizard’s Los Angeles Comic Con (scheduled for late this month) was “postponed.” Now Anaheim’s back on the website (at least in the “Upcoming cons” list) with the April 2012 dates that the press release says are being changed, and Los Angeles is gone, both from that list and from the drop-down menu.

I’m not sure what Wizard’s trying to do in the LA/OC area, but hey, we’ve got Long Beach Comic Con next month and Comikaze Expo in November, and now WonderCon in March, at least for a year. I think we’ll be fine.

Read more at my other blog:

• WonderCon 2008 report & photos
• WonderCon 2009 report & photos
• WonderCon 2010 report & photos
• Anaheim Comic Con 2010 report & photos with an emphasis on the venue and city

WonderCon in Anaheim for 2012 (and more Wizard Weirdness) is a post from Speed Force.

This year I missed WonderCon (we weren’t sure about traveling with a baby), Anaheim (I’d rather catch Long Beach), and the one-day Long Beach Comic Expo (a busy month after moving, the new place desperately needed a no-plans weekend for some unpacking).

The second half of the year looks better.

Comic-Con International (July). I’m only going one day this year — new job, new baby and plans to move all conspired to keep things uncertain back at the time that tickets went on sale. So I’ll be a lot more focused on experiencing the day that I have than trying to report from the floor, but I’ll post my usual photos and writeups afterward.

Long Beach Comic Con (October). I’m still kicking myself for missing their April event, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. During its first two years, Long Beach has been a fun regional con focused on the actual comic part of Comic Con, and while I couldn’t make it to WonderCon this year, I really have no excuse to miss this one.

(Wizard World) Los Angeles Comic Con (September). Just announced a month ago. I sort of figure this is a second chance to catch Anaheim in case I change my mind, since Wizard has been really big on standardizing their shows lately. Also, I suspect they’re trying to crowd Long Beach out of the market, which is a big reason for me not to go.

Comikaze Expo (November). I only just heard about this one today, through the press release on Newsarama. It looks like they’re trying to out-Wizard the Wizard cons, judging by the heavy emphasis on TV/movie celebrities in the guest list, and maybe throw in elements of Anime Expo and GenCon to boot. It bothers me that they’re trying to hype it as the first con of its type in LA, ignoring the history of the Wizard cons and nearby conventions that aren’t within the Los Angeles city limits, but are close enough to be considered LA. I might drop in out of curiosity, assuming I’m not conventioned-out from Long Beach the week before.

So, current plans: San Diego and Long Beach. Maybe one of the two LA cons.

Southern California Comic Cons – 2011 is a post from Speed Force.

So, here’s a round-up of the Flash-related costume/cosplay photos I’ve found on Flickr from WonderCon and C2E2.

Flash & GL

Psykitten Pow as the Flash and Mia Ballistic as Green Lantern at WonderCon (previously seen in this costume at San Diego 2010), photo by LynxPics. They were part of a much bigger group, which is up next after the cut.

Gender-swapped Justice League

The full, incredible group, as presented by United Underworld. Again, photo by LynxPics. Amber’s Fashion Tips for Super-Heroes has a write-up and list of the participants.

The Flash

Photo by uncle_shoggoth.

White Lanterns

There were quite a few White Lanterns at Wondercon, including…

White Lantern Flash

Photo by Sargonas

White Lantern Captain Boomerang

Photos by Earthdog.

Green Arrow, Hawkgirl and Kid Flash

Photo by uncle_shoggoth.

Off the Shelf

C2E2 mainly picked up people wearing off-the-shelf costumes.

Flash and Supergirl

Photo by Mikey Brick.

Lady Flash

Photo by Anime Nut.

Oh, and One More Thing…

And finally, back to Wondercon for Psykitten as the Flash…and a fan. I had to include this one, just for fun! Photo by Roxana Meta.

Flash Costume Photos From Wondercon, C2E2 (2011) is a post from Speed Force.

At the WonderCon DC Nation panel, DC announced a series of one-shots coming this summer called “Retro-Active.” Each set features three one-shots set in 1970s, 1980s and 1990s continuity re-uniting the characters with the creators most associated with of classic runs from that era.

The Flash issues will be written by:

• Cary Bates for the 1970s
• William Messner-Loebs for the 1980s
• Brian Augustyn for the 1990s.

Each issue will feature 26 pages of new story and 20 pages of reprinted material and will run $4.99. No word yet on artists or release dates. Other characters announced include Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and the Justice League of America.

It’s odd that they’ve broken up the Waid/Augustyn team. Given that Waid has expressed willingness to work for DC again, I figure this means one of two things:

• DC doesn’t want to hire Mark Waid for now.
• Mark Waid doesn’t want to return to The Flash after the disaster of “The Wild Wests.”

Source: CBR coverage and Newsarama coverage.

Update (Monday): DC has released the logos and writers for the event.

A “Retro-Active” Flash-Back is a post from Speed Force.