 WonderCon 2019 Preview
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Preview All the Fun and Excitment of WonderCon 2019 Written by: Abel S. Pinedo March 27th, 2019
Springtime means only one thing 'round these parts: WonderCon. The annual show held in Anaheim traditionally has a greater focus on comic books and their creators. It's a true haven for real comic fans. This outstanding convention is filled with a wide variety of exciting content. With that in mind, let's dive right in to some of the highlights of what is sure to be a fantastic show. Friday: Friday begins with a deep dive into the upcoming slate of Valiant Comics. Get a look at some of the current titles, a sneak peek at some new titles and everyone in attendance gets a free gift! Not to be outdone, IDW Publishing is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a panel dedicated to TMNT, Sonic and so much more. Can you believe that Batman is celebrating 80 years of crime fighting? A year of events are planned and they start with multiple panels this weekend. First up is a panel hosted by several of the current creators of the Dark Knight. A favorite of mine every year is the Jim Lee spotlight panel. Watch as Jim does live sketches and answers your most pressing questions. A lucky few will even go home with an original sketch. Spotlight panels are the best way to get up close with some of your favorite creators. They share stories of how they got their start and the Q and A's are some of the liveliest of the whole weekend. A few spotlight panels scheduled for Friday include Scott Shaw, Joelle Jones, Brian Stelfreeze, Phil LaMarr and Greg Pak. Movie & TV Panels:
For something a little more cinematic, 20th Century Fox will present footage from the upcoming feature, Dark Phoenix. Select cast members will be on hand for a Q and A afterwards. While the Lord of the Rings film saga has come to a close, the creative team and cast of the upcoming feature Tolkien will be on hand for a look at the author's early years. It's hard to believe but this is the 40th anniversary of Battle of the Planets. A nostalgia filled panel featuring some of the vocal talents and editors will present an episode and answer your burning (as in Fiery Phoenix) questions. Friday ends with the world premiere of Justice League Vs. The Fatal Five. After the screening, Warner Brothers Animation will host a star studded panel featuring the voice talents of Kevin Conroy, Susan Eisenberg and others as well as the creative teams. Stick around for a lively discussion. Saturday: Saturday starts with some laughs. The hosts of the Star Trek podcast, Inglorious Treksperts will be discussing the much maligned Star Trek V: The Final Frontier with special guest, Trek V screenwriter David Loughery. AMC will host a screening of the pilot for it's upcoming series NOS4A2. Based on the novel by Joe Hill, members of the cast as well as Hill himself will be taking part in a discussion after the screening. Fans of Amazon Prime's The Tick won't want to miss a sneak peek at the upcoming second season. Members of the cast will be in attendance. Saturday also includes a panel discussion of The Batman Who Laughs and Grimm Knight featuring author Scott Snyder. Other spotlight panels today include Tim Sale, Peter Tomasi, Gerry Duggan, Andy Kubert and Donny Cates to name a few. The panel dedicated to the upcoming season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will surely draw a huge crowd. Cast and crew will be on hand to offer a peek at the upcoming season. One of my favorite companies, Kotobukiya, will present a look at some of their offerings for the first half of 2019. There's always some really cool reveals, not to mention some sweet giveaways for a lucky few! Another favorite panel of mine is the annual DC Meet the Publishers with Dan DiDio and Jim Lee. This panel is always quite lighthearted while at the same time offering a look at the upcoming slate of DC Comics. Audience participation is strongly recommended. A celebrity filled panel will be on hand for Happy Birthday, Batman! Kevin Conroy, Lee Meriwether and others will discuss the many iterations of Batman across all forms of media. This is the can't-miss panel of the weekend. Movie & TV Panels:
The wildly successful YouTube series Cobra Kai will offer fans
a look at the new season featuring the return of Kreese himself, Martin Kove! This panel is sure to draw big crowds as the
show was the biggest surprise hit of 2018 and there is great anticipation for the new season.
I can't wait for the upcoming sequel to Godzilla so I definitely will be at the panel for Secrets of the Monsterverse, hoping for some insight into Godzilla: King of the Monsters. As a bonus, some fans will walk away with a cool freebie. Warner Brothers will be hosting a mystery panel in the late afternoon. Details are mum at this time but the rumors are looks at the upcoming horror film The Curse of La Llorana and the soon to be released Shazam! Saturday night ends with a panel discussing the 40th anniversary of the sci-fi horror film Alien. As part of the celebration, six short films have been made by upcoming filmmakers set in the same Alien universe. Two of those films will be making their world premiere at this panel, with the creators in attendance. Sunday: Buckle up! It's Sunday so let's go out on a high note! First up, IDW's Hey Kids! Comics! panel returns with a look at the process of creating comics for younger readers. All kids in attendance will receive a free comic book. Want to learn how to draw Batman? The DC Batman Art Academy panel will feature a lineup of artists offering a look into how they approach the caped crusader. Get ready to jot down some notes. It's obvious there will never be another Stan Lee. But if you'd like to hear some stories from people who worked with him and/or knew him, the Remembering Stan Lee panel will offer some insights into the man who touched so many lives. This is sure to be a memorable event. If you have any questions about Heroes in Crisis, then the spotlight panel on Tom King is where you may get some answers. Other spotlight panels today include Liam Sharp, Jen Bartel, Greg Capulo and Kendare Blake. Next year is the feature film debut of Valiant Comics' Bloodshot, starring Vin Diesel. With that in mind, if you want to catch up on the Bloodshot series, then like me you'll want to sit in on this panel and learn about this character before the upcoming movie. Comic Con fans are abuzz about the soon to open Comic Con Museum
in San Diego. There will be a panel highlighting the progress being made and some of the events being planned for the museum.
Check back with me next week as I give you the rundown of all the awesomeness I experienced during my three day WonderCon weekend. See you at the show! Further information can be found via the official website: https://www.comic-con.org/wca About the Author: Abel S. Pinedo a.k.a. "Honest Abe" has written reviews for Dark Horizons, JoBlo and MusicTap. He has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. He can usually be found at his keyboard ranting and rambling about the human condition or watching Beavis & Butthead.
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