Review: Wondercon 2016

2016 was the first time I got to go to WonderCon located in Los Angeles at the convention center. Originally, I had not planned on going because I thought I would never in a million years get a press pass for such a large convention. with only a couple weeks before the event, I received the email that we had been approved and I spent almost ever bit of money I had to fly over and stay for the weekend to experience WonderCon!

Let’s get right into the review!

Food

When you are at conventions, two things are always a guarantee: Your feet will die and you will starve.

I love food and having a good selection within a reasonable distant from the event means a lot. I am happy to say that WonderCon had incredibly diverse food choices from food trucks just outside, on the inside they had their standard convention food and then various other vendors were stationed in the exhibitor hall.

Even the food at the convention supplied vendors offered unique options such as Mac and Cheese Hotdogs, Turkey Burgers, chicken strips, and more. The standard that I have seen in the past at other cons were simple hot dogs or hamburgers but rarely anything else. I snagged both a hamburger and a mac and cheese hot dog, both of them had pretty good quality and were filling on their own. The prices were standard and inflated but well worth it.

Good on Wondercon for supplying their con goers with good food!

Location

This was the first time I had gone to the Los Angeles Convention center and was blown away by it’s sheer size and set up. The badge pick up, volunteer station and other events took place on one end of the center while the exhibitor hall remained dedicated to vendors. They used up quite a bit of hall while still leaving room in the alley ways for con goers to come and go. Bathrooms were well maintained and gave easy access to those who had to answer nature’s call.

WonderCon set in place a badge system where attendees must tap their badge on a scanner to confirm it is a legitimate pass. In the past some attendees would take a real pass and then photocopy it to gain access to conventions with little to no trouble. Personally, I think the new badge system isn’t too much of a hassle at all so long as the equipment works properly. I can see major issues if one of the scanners malfunctions or shuts down.

One of my favorite aspects of the Los Angeles Convention Center would have to be their glass ceiling lobby. Walking into the lobby at prime time meant drowning in a sea of cosplayers and photographers making use of the wonderful lighting. The lobby had so much space that everyone was able to enjoy themselves without being constantly elbowed and shoved. If you needed to get back into the exhbtor hall, there were multiple ways from stairs, escalators and so on.

Vendors

Many high profile vendors showed up to pitch their latest and greatest products to consumers. Suicide Girls took the time to chat with fans or newcomers about their goods while DC and Image comics promoted their latest comics. Even websites like Nerdist and Geek And Sundry were there showing fans their latest content.

I was blown away by their video game presence of Nintendo and Capcom who set up huge booths with consoles allowing gamers to try out Street Fighter V, Mega Man Collection, Hyrule Warriors, and more. This might be because I have only ever been to conventions in Arizona but I never expected such big name vendors to attend and offer attendees the opportunity to experience their upcoming games.

Staff

The staff were wonderful as they assisted con goers in every way they could. Not once did I see an angry attendee giving the staff a mouthful or staff being rough with convention goers. They directed folks to where to stand, apologized for the wait time that was beyond their control, and encouraged everyone to have a great day. If you asked them a question, they’d be down to earth with you and give honest answers.

Guests

If you came to WonderCon for it’s guests for comics, then you came to the right convention as they had Jim Lee, Humberto Ramos, Annie Wu and so many more. Panels were held for Voltron, Legends of Tomorrow, a number of upcoming shows and films that you could spend the entire conventions in rich and entertaining panels.

Although not as guests, quite a few YouTubers such as Jenny Lorenzo, Harley Morenstein, Chad Quandt, Jessica Chobot enjoyed the convention while making time to interact with fans and have a great time.

Conclusion

It was a fucking fantastic convention. I encourage anyone and everyone who loves anything even remotely related to comics, films, anime, cosplay to attend because it is well worth the travel, my friends.