The month of March ended with Wondercon returning to the Anaheim Convention Center. 2026 will go down as an odd year for the sister convention of the much-larger San Diego Comic-Con. Many on social media complained about the lack of attendees, big name guests, and exhibitors. Indeed, the non-profit Wondercon had stiff competition with C2E2 in Chicago and Planet Comicon in Kansas being held on the same weekend. Throw in other shows such as Pax East, Toylanta, and Lexington Comic Con and that means celebrities and comic creators were spread thin. This was especially notable when walking the con floor with empty spaces where a booth should be. Some vendors seemed to have abandoned their posts while others never bothered to show up.
Hollywood seems to get stingier each year with less of a presence at both Wondercon and SDCC. Less panels, less guests, less swag, etc. Lest we also bring up the controversial sale of Warner Bros. to Paramount who seemingly outbid Netflix at the last minute. Anyone hoping studios would preview The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Project Hail Mary or the new season of Daredevil: Born Again may walk away disappointed. Rising gas prices and a shaky economy certainly weren’t helpful either.
However, that didn’t mean Wondercon was completely lacking in star power. The sci-fi action classic Aliens celebrated its 40th anniversary with a panel featuring Space Marine actors Jeanette Goldstein and Mark Rolston. Unfortunately, Michael Biehn was a notable cancellation. Apple TV previewed season 5 of For All Mankind with show creators Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi, along with several cast members. Actors Max Burkholder, Alanna Ubach and Scott Grimes were present for a panel promoting the sophomore season of Seth MacFarlane’s Ted.
Not a huge shocker that Disney/Marvel didn’t bother to send any major players from Wonder Man, which ended its debut season to critical acclaim. Still, there was a panel focusing behind-the-scenes on set decorating for the ionic powered superhero. Veteran voice actors Jim Cummings and Charles Fleischer were welcomed to Wondercon and joined by several of the voices behind the ultra-popular Marvel Rivals videogame. Other guests include David Dastmalchian from The Suicide Squad, actor/author Felicia Day of Supernatural and Buffy fame, and martial arts action star Cynthia Rothrock. Though nobody from the movie swung by, Sam Raimi’s Send Help had a large booth with numerous escape rooms. Attendees could make an appointment and attempt to solve a string of puzzles.
The longest line at Wondercon seemed to belong to special guest Scott Snyder, writer behind the ultra-hot Absolute Batman. Snyder’s first signing on Saturday morning was closed almost as soon as it was opened. Fellow DC writers Tom King and Joshua Williamson were also signing books and meeting fans in the same row in Artists’ Alley. They were joined by writers Tini Howard, Josie Campbell, Collin Kelley, and Jackson Lanzing plus artists Babs Tarr (who also provided the cover art for this year’s program), Jeff Dekal, Jim Cheung, and David Mack.
For toy collectors, Funko, Bandai, McFarlane, and Good Smile were noticeable absences. Jada Toys were placed prominently by the entrance, but made no significant reveals. On display were the upcoming T-Hawk and Zangief figures from the Street Fighter II line, and select figures from Scooby-Doo and Mega Man. Funko founder Mike Becker’s new company Rokimoto did brisk sales of their Godzilla figurines, which are packaged in boxes resembling cups of instant ramen. The surprise showstopper was Plastic Meatball with a variety of retro 3 ¾ inch scale action figures showcased and for sale. Among the licenses they snagged were Halloween, Time Bandits, Jay and Silent Bob, and Labyrinth, which includes a deluxe Ludo. Most amazing were plush dolls of Emmet Otter and Mrs. Otter from the beloved Jim Henson special Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas.
Wondercon felt like a ghost town on Friday, but business really picked up late Saturday morning. As always, it was still a fun convention even in its slightly stripped down format. With competing events moving to different weekends next year, let’s hope Wondercon 2027 will have a more stacked guest list.
For more photos from Wondercon 2026, head over to Flickr.
