wondercon 2015

I knew I was back in Anaheim because of the warm sun and the endless parking lots.

WonderCon is a great convention because I see different people (both behind the tables and in attendance) than in any of my other shows. The con itself feels like a more manageable version of San Diego. Instead of a marathon, it’s a 10K. And it’s right beside Disneyland, so we get some spillover happiness.

This year I was happy to loan table space to Warner Archives for part of the day Saturday.It is a testament to the open-mindedness of convention goers that they accepted without question our oddly-matched table.I was incredibly lucky with my placement this year. Rarely do I get to know all my neighbors at a con, but my row was chock full of friendly, talented people. If they felt a self-publishing cartoonist was out of place among the animators and illustrators, they didn’t show it.

After the show Sunday, I made my way to Disneyland and California Adventure. The last time I visited was in high school, but I found I remembered quite a bit. I mostly wandered the parks, going on a few classic rides (Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones). I had dinner at Carthay Circle, a converted movie theater. Through fate or just blind chance I sat next to a few fellow convention exhibitors. Apparently I was not the only one with the brilliant idea of going to the park after the con ended.

WonderCon is an interesting show for me because of the involvement of the aforementioned animation industry people. In the Pacific Northwest, there are mainly self-publishing cartoonists such as myself. In Southern California, I’m more of an anomaly. It’s good to have a bit of both experiences, I think. I learn a lot from each crowd.