When you think of comic books and graphic novels, what comes to
mind? A nerdy, single male sequestered in his bedroom reading
Superman? Hardly. That stereotype died with the dinosaurs.
When you think of comic books and graphic novels, what comes to mind? A nerdy, single male sequestered in his bedroom reading Superman? Hardly. That stereotype died with the dinosaurs.
When I was a kid, I couldn’t find decent science fiction or comic genre shows on prime time television – only on Saturday mornings when the networks aired less than a handful of superhero cartoons.
Now, the comic book genre is more mainstream. It has garnered respect in the entertainment industry where anyone can watch comic-related material at the movie theater, on television or the Internet. And like-minded individuals with a passion for comics can meet at one of the fastest-growing media conventions in the United States.
WonderCon will be held April 1 to 3 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Last year, close to 40,000 people saw “Iron Man 2”, and notables such as Sergio Aragones (creator of Groo The Wanderer) and Michael Chiklis (actor, producer and creator of “The Shield”).
Anime, gaming and a masquerade competition will be held April 2, and movies, panels with Hollywood professionals and artist alley await convention goers. Another interesting draw is the Comic Creator Connection, where artists and writers can build creative teams.
If you’re a fan of BBC America, they will show parts of the new “Dr. Who” season on April 3.
Special guest Berkeley Breathed will be at the convention this year. He’s famous for the comic strip Bloom County, which won a Pulitzer Prize. His children’s book “Mars Needs Moms” was made into a Disney movie, which is currently in theaters.
However, WonderCon wasn’t always this large.
Comic retailers John Barrett, Bob Borden and Rory Root, with comic writer Mike Friedrich formed The Wonderful World of Comics in 1986. They originally met in Oakland, but moved to San Francisco in 2002 and changed the name to WonderCon.
Tery Karvonen, from Oakland, has attended many WonderCons as a professional in small press, self-published comics and illustration, along with her husband Kevin. She noticed the stratospheric rise of the three-day event over the years.
“Comics is the foundation of WonderCon, but it also pulls in consumers of mass media, television and movies,” she said. “When WonderCon started, it was a small local, event and a lot of us who attended knew each other. It was a nice, low-key local alternative. Over time, of course, it kept growing.”
Karvonen continued: “I’ve enjoyed alternative and science fiction ever since I was a teenager, and always loved to draw … I came into comics rather late, and became interested in them as a vehicle for serious story telling. My favorite is Maus by Art Spiegelman, which I think should be required reading for anyone who thinks comics are just for kids and sci-fi nerds.”
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WonderCon 2011
– When: Friday, April 1, noon to 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 2, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, April 3, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
– Where: Moscone Center, 747 Howard St., San Francisco
– Details: www.comic-con.org.
