Wonder Con Review, by Doug Abramson – The Guest Spot | @MDWorld

March 22, 2012 Guest Spot 0 Comments

Last weekend was the first, and possibly last, Wonder Con at the Anaheim Convention Center; in Anaheim, CA. For those who don’t know, the show was frozen out of its usual San Francisco home because of construction issues. The show was very well run, as one would expect a show run by the San Diego people would be; but lacking many of the crowd related issues that crop up at the older show. Anaheim actually out does San Diego in a few areas, including the quality of the concessions available and convention center and security personnel that are not only polite, but can answer questions accurately and correctly. As much as I enjoyed myself, I do think that last weekend illustrated why Comic Con could never make the frequently rumored move to Anaheim from San Diego. While the center itself is more than large enough to provide Comic Con with enough floor space; the facilities can’t provide enough amenities. The restrooms are too small, there aren’t enough seating areas, there aren’t enough concession stands, there aren’t enough trash cans, the parking lots are too small, most of the surrounding streets are too narrow and the public transportation available is a joke.

Traffic and parking were the two issues that I heard people complaining about the most. While Wonder Con only used about a third of the facilities, the rest on the convention center was full; approximating the amount of people and cars that a Comic Con sized show would bring and there is simply not enough parking. Many people had to park at Anaheim Stadium and take shuttle buses to the convention center. Traffic allowed this to work, barely; on a March weekend, with bad weather, chasing away most of Disneyland’s business. For most of the year, the area is simply too busy to accommodate a show larger than Wonder Con. During the Summer months, the area is even too busy for a Wonder Con sized show. During peak periods, Disneyland sends people to the convention center to park. No parking, no show.

I don’t know if Wonder Con in Anaheim was a one time thing or not. Only time will tell, but I do think that last weekend showed that, during slow tourist periods, the Anaheim Resort area can host a good sized comic convention and do it well. If Wonder Con doesn’t return; I hope that Comic Con International, or anyone other than Wizard, decides to put a Wonder Con sized, late Winter show on in Anaheim.