Author Topic: Wondercon 2022: April 1-3, Anaheim  (Read 30795 times)

Offline Old Man Grey

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Re: Wondercon 2022: April 1-3, Anaheim
« Reply #285 on: April 04, 2022, 01:57:31 PM »
Equivalent of Turkey Con. Small crowd. Many missing vendors and publishers. Few panels worth going to. Except for the Comic Con Museum T-shirt deals (Thanks Alyssa) no bargains, prices were retail or higher. The one big name panel I went to (Fear the Walking Dead) showed a trailer that was already shown last week, and the rest was a prerecorded zoom call where only one person mentioned Wonder Con. I didn't even bother to go Sunday. Maybe Comic Con will be better, but things look pretty grim.

Offline semigeekgirl

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Re: Wondercon 2022: April 1-3, Anaheim
« Reply #286 on: April 04, 2022, 02:47:12 PM »
It was definitely small. I only went Friday, which was plenty of time for me. I enjoyed the floor a lot - I'm not a big collector and the floor at SDCC is always so crowded that I don't feel like I get to see much, really look at smaller booths, etc. I did find the panel schedule WILDLY underwhelming. I'm still hoping SDCC will be better, even if it's not quite at its "usual" level. Finger crossed!

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Re: Wondercon 2022: April 1-3, Anaheim
« Reply #287 on: Today at 02:18:46 AM »

Offline hikanteki

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Re: Wondercon 2022: April 1-3, Anaheim
« Reply #287 on: April 04, 2022, 07:30:30 PM »
It was nice to be back but I felt like this con was caught in a weird in-between zone. While CC:SE knew what it was and what it wasn’t (and to its credit, did not pretend to try to be CCI), this WonderCon felt like a twilight zone version of a regular WonderCon.

Friday was pretty lackluster but things picked up on Saturday and Sunday. The real studio panels were welcome, especially the full episodes of the Hardy Boys, Woke, and Boys Diabolical. I also attended Undone, which looks exciting (but good thing I watched the first season since otherwise the panel would have been impossible to follow, lol), Kung Fu, Quest, and Superman, which were decent to solid. The best panel of the weekend was the Bob’s Burgers movie. Even though that show is not my jam, it was a perfect example of the kind of panel that we’ve come to expect at these shows (most of the cast and production crew, exclusive movie preview, pin and poster giveaway.)

But overall things felt off. Some of the main reasons:

There were a handful of virtual panels which really broke the flow. Even though it was mentioned they were virtual on the online schedule, it wasn’t mentioned on the printed program or on the room announcement. These cheapen the experience (a fuzzy zoom call looks bad enough on a TV, but ten times worse on a big projector screen) and shouldn’t be a part of these things; at the very least, they should be relegated to a virtual-only room.

Not gonna lie, the DC animated shorts panel was a big disappointment due to the lack of any sort of premiere. I thought they were at least going to premiere the full Constantine cartoon, since this was really played up in the description. But instead we got 4 x 30 second clips (one of them repeated.) Covid is not a reason why they can’t show a full video on the big screen. Then they also tried to tie it into the “tradition” of premiering a DC animated movie at WonderCon…but that doesn’t work unless there’s actually a premiere of something.

Exhibit hall was decent sized but disjointed. It felt like there was no rhyme or reason for the placement. The past few years pre-covid, it had started to feel more like a swap meet…but this year, it really did feel like a swap meet. Even Funko was off in a back corner that was not visible from the majority of the hall.

Security seemed like they couldn’t figure out whether or not they were going to enforce the mask rule. In fact, a lot of security (and exhibitors for that matter) weren’t wearing masks. Either have a rule or don’t (a ‘strong recommendation’ probably would have been better.)

The food truck area was a cluster, especially on Saturday. Considering it was a light con, the outdoor area was even more packed than on normal years.

Also…considering this was a light con, I felt the location (Anaheim) was especially painful. When the con is full I can usually occupy myself doing con stuff, but there’s nothing exciting in the immediate area. It’s all hotels, parking lots, and mostly stale 80s Americana restaurants (with few exceptions.) Downtown Disney is not far, but not close enough to just drop by…you have to block off a good chunk of the day for it. Same with The Packing District (which really is cool, but requires an Uber or bus ride), Garden Grove Koreatown, or anywhere else. Disneyland requires a full day; might as well not go to WonderCon if you’re going to do that (or tack on a few extra days.)

And a huge (non-WC related, but Anaheim related) disappointment was that service has deteriorated at Roscoe’s. It took 20 minutes to take my order, 50 more minutes to get my food (and 50 minutes to tell me they were out of my choice of side.) I didn’t get the impression this was a one-off; recent reviews said similar things. I’m not in a hurry to go back. Although, I did discover a new favorite place within walking distance, Pho Ha Plus.

Not meaning to be too negative; Overall, I still think this was a step in the right direction because of the real studio panels. Hopefully the other issues will be solved by next year.
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Offline sessionka

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Re: Wondercon 2022: April 1-3, Anaheim
« Reply #288 on: April 04, 2022, 08:06:23 PM »
Since this was my first Wondercon, I have a slightly different perspective.

I get it that it wasn't as crowded as previous Wondercons.  But, I was happy to be there, and i think it's the first step, and from what I could see, people were ready to get back into the Con rhythm. 

I loved hanging out by the fountain, and watching the Cos Play.  I loved the food truck section. And, I enjoyed hanging out with fellow forum members at the Hilton.  It was fun.

Panels were kind of light, but I enjoyed the few that I went to.

I volunteered and got put on the Masquerade desk.  I got to interact with the people that organize it  It's a lot of work.  I then worked the line and later back stage.  While the room was set up for 3,000, I don't think they were expecting to fill it  I estimate it was about half full, which I think they were content with.

I went to the talk back, and the issue with masks was the first comment that came up.  Yes, there was inconsistency in enforcement.  The explanation was that different entities had different rules, and CCI didn't have the authority to enforce one single rule.

I will say the talk back was pretty positive.  While we may not be happy with all decisions, a lot of thought is given to all policies that are put in place.  Also, they did stress the importance of volunteers.  It is a struggle for them to get enough people.  Volunteers are essential to a smooth running event.

I think things will get better.  I was pleased to see the date for next years Wondercon in the program.  That is optimistic.

As for me, I look at Wondercon as a dry run for July.  And let me tell you, I am out of shape.  Since our gyms are opening back up, I plan to up my work out activities.
« Last Edit: April 05, 2022, 05:42:49 AM by sessionka »
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Offline alyssa

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Re: Wondercon 2022: April 1-3, Anaheim
« Reply #289 on: April 05, 2022, 11:53:34 AM »
Speaking of the talkback
here's a link to the voice recording

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Offline Old Man Grey

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Re: Wondercon 2022: April 1-3, Anaheim
« Reply #290 on: April 05, 2022, 02:18:57 PM »
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As for me, I look at Wondercon as a dry run for July.  And let me tell you, I am out of shape.  Since our gyms are opening back up, I plan to up my work out activities.
Boy is that the truth. After a day and a half at Disney before the Con I was exhausted. Lack of exercise and covid weight gain was a killer. I only saw two or three people (besides vendors and some panelists) not wearing masks. You're right Hikanteki about the food truck area. It was almost impossible to get through and it was the main entrance.
« Last Edit: April 05, 2022, 02:20:59 PM by Old Man Grey »

Offline MarvelGurl

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Re: Wondercon 2022: April 1-3, Anaheim
« Reply #291 on: April 06, 2022, 11:50:22 AM »
I for one thought it was a great convention to ease our way back into con season normalcy. Wondercon has always been underwhelming to me when it comes to panels and things to do outside the con. However, that's not what I expect for my experience. I use Wondercon to test out cosplays I might do for the rest of the year, I people watch, walk the exhibit hall floor several times putting things into my mental shopping basket, and I use that time to meet up with friends. The Saturday night masquerade is a must do for me as well. To me it's a pop culture convention that caters more towards cw/dc, animation, tv fans.

Friday was a very light day and I was wondering if that was indicative of the crowd for SDCC. Saturday I could barely walk the floor. The Artist Alley area was definitely the most congested all weekend. I think they made a good call with placing the Funko booth where it was because it didn't cause gridlock on the floor. I also liked some of the more affordable food and coffee inside the con. While I did see some people with no mask on the floor I didn't feel like that was the majority or unsafe. I think they enforced it the best they could. Remember a lot of these security members are being paid maybe a little more than minimum wage and congoers can be very entitled. I left the con feeling pumped for SDCC and from seeing a lot of people I haven't seen in three years.

Things they could improve on: pump up the mood some more...I would have had security cosplay as the Squid Game guards, overhead musical scores from tv and film in the exhibit hall, better layout (small press and artist alley should be together, autograph area placement made no sense), better food truck options because while I appreciate the more vegan items popping up it's still junk food. I would have loved a truck that offered fresh juice and smoothies or something like the Pickles and Peas food truck. As someone who opted to stay on site this year I ate like crap all weekend.

Offline lowgun

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Re: Wondercon 2022: April 1-3, Anaheim
« Reply #292 on: April 07, 2022, 03:30:37 PM »
So how was the process for "provide verification of full COVID-19 vaccination status or proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours" was that done ahead of time on the website? or as you enter the convention you needed to show the test results/vaccine card with your ID

Offline Transmute Jun

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Re: Wondercon 2022: April 1-3, Anaheim
« Reply #293 on: April 07, 2022, 03:51:06 PM »
It was exactly like CCSE. Approach the table, show them your proof (your card or digital copy) and ID, and they slap a wristband on you that is good for the entire con.

Offline lowgun

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Re: Wondercon 2022: April 1-3, Anaheim
« Reply #294 on: April 07, 2022, 04:02:43 PM »
found more of the wondercon process after researching a bit more. any word on if SDCC is going to try to do most of the vaccine verification online? one less line to wait in
« Last Edit: April 07, 2022, 04:13:25 PM by lowgun »

Offline puppy

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Re: Wondercon 2022: April 1-3, Anaheim
« Reply #295 on: April 07, 2022, 04:15:26 PM »
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So how was the process for "provide verification of full COVID-19 vaccination status or proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours" was that done ahead of time on the website? or as you enter the convention you needed to show the test results/vaccine card with your ID

We went to a tent and showed them our proof of vaccination and they gave us a wristband. It was done onsite the same day, away from the entrance.

Offline alyssa

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Re: Wondercon 2022: April 1-3, Anaheim
« Reply #296 on: April 07, 2022, 06:08:44 PM »
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found more of the wondercon process after researching a bit more. any word on if SDCC is going to try to do most of the vaccine verification online? one less line to wait in
Just going off what was said at the talk back panel, They understand the inconsistencies of the process.
Personally, I think the regulations of SDCC will be based on the CA state regulations 4-6 weeks before the July con.
I also get the feeling they would rather not have to do the verifications ;) but that's a guess on my part!
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Offline Transmute Jun

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Re: Wondercon 2022: April 1-3, Anaheim
« Reply #297 on: April 08, 2022, 12:23:41 PM »
Certainly the verifications cost money and volunteer time.