WonderCon

WonderCon is an annual comic book, science fiction, and motion picture convention, held in the San Francisco Bay Area (1987–2011) then, under the name WonderCon Anaheim, in Anaheim, California (2012-2015), and most recently WonderCon Los Angeles starting in 2016.

The convention was conceived by retailer John Barrett (a founder of the retail chain Comics and Comix) and originally held in the Oakland Convention Center. In 2003, it moved to San Francisco's Moscone Center. The show's original name was the Wonderful World of Comics Convention. The WonderCon logo was designed by Richard Bruning and Tim Zach.

History

Retailer Joe Field (of Flying Colors Comics and Other Cool Stuff) and his partner Mike Friedrich owned and operated the convention for fifteen years. In 2001, they brokered a deal with the management team that runs the San Diego Comic-Con International to make it part of the Comic-Con International convention family. This gave the San Francisco show a wider audience and has made it a venue for previews and early screenings of major motion pictures, in particular ones based on comic books. These have included Spider-Man 2 in 2004, Batman Begins and Fantastic Four in 2005, Superman Returns in 2006, 300 in 2007, Watchmen in 2009, and Kick-Ass in 2010. All of these events featured the stars of the films fielding questions from the audience.