Fans Crowd WonderCon
This story originally appeared in PW Comics Week on March 6, 2007 Sign up now!
by Ian Brill, PW Comics Week -- Publishers Weekly, 3/6/2007
 Gerard Butler answers questions at a 300 panel. |
Last year, WonderCon took place at the Moscone Center West, but the show was moved this year to accommodate its growing attendance, nearly 18,000 last year, according to David Glanzer, director of marketing and public relations for Comic-Con International, which manages WonderCon and the San Diego Comic-con. Indeed fire marshals were forced to close down the main exhibition floor at last year's WonderCon for a while due to overcrowding. That did not happen this year.
Although total attendance figures for this year's WonderCon are not yet available, attendance looks to rise, and Con officials said that online registration was up 70% over last year. Officials said that, for about two hours on Saturday, online registration had to shut down. Even on Sunday, during the last few minutes of the convention, the floor held a healthy crowd.
The biggest buzz of the convention was the advanced screening of 300 on Friday; 300 preregistered attendees were chosen from a drawing to attend a screening of the film, which opens on March 9. The next day, director Zach Snyder and star Gerard Butler interacted with fans at a panel devoted to the film. "The studios know we can pull off events pretty spectacularly," said Glanzer.
The film is based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley and tells the story of the ancient battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. The book is published by Dark Horse, which reaped the benefits at its convention booth. Despite the enormous publicity and hype surrounding the film, there are still a few folks who don't know it's based on a graphic novel. "A couple of people, who had no idea 300 was a comic book, were elated when they found out," said Shawna Gore, Dark Horse associate editor. Gore said that events like WonderCon allow the comics medium to get the same kind of fan and media attention that's directed at TV and film: "This is one of the few places that can educate people about comics." She added that many think comics don't get enough mainstream publicity, and 300 may crack open that door.
Following so closely on the heels of New York Comic-con, WonderCon was not the place for making or announcing major publishing deals.While DC Comics had a large presence at the convention, most of its major plans for the year, such as the weekly series Countdown, had been publicized at the NYCC the weekend before. Nevertheless, WonderCon offered fans on the other side of the country the opportunity to grill DC executive editor Dan DiDio, v-p of sales Bob Wayne and such creators as Countdown co-writer Adam Beechen, about who lives and who dies in the DC Universe. Referring to doing two major conventions in as many weeks, Wayne said that it's the enthusiasm of fans that recharges everyone's energyat DC. "It lets us know what's responding to fans and what's not," Wayne said.
Marvel didn't have an official presence at the convention, but some of its creators were around. Phil Jimenez (Infinite Crisis, Wonder Woman) announced he will be penciling Amazing Spider-Man now that his exclusive deal with DC is over. Jeph Loeb (Batman: Hush, Superman/Batman) talked to fans about taking over The Ultimates as well as working on a Hulk series with his Superman/Batman collaborator Ed McGuiness.
Independent publisher Slave Labor Graphics had the most dramatic WonderCon announcement. Publisher Dan Vado announced that in addition to publishing trade paperback collections, graphic novels and comic books, the company will present new projects in digital form through the Web site EyeMelt.com. But Vado also had some frank and somewhat controversial remarks about indie comics publishing and creator-owned works, saying that if he had a chance to do it over again he would not publish creator-owned work, instead choosing to own properties outright, like a traditional work-for-hire comics publisher. His remarks are contentious, considering that SLG is one of the most prominent independent comics publishers and has generally championed the move away from work-for-hire publishing.
The convention also served as something of a eulogy for Vertigo's hit series Y: The Last Man, which is coming to an end, and both writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Pia Guerra were guests of honor this year. The series has five issues left to its run. At the Vertigo panel, Vaughan looked back on the series. "I'm 30, a very old man now and started thinking of [the series] at 24," he said. "The story is of the last boy on Earth becoming the last man on Earth. So I have some respect for the boy I was."
He also talked about working with Guerra and being an intergender creative team on a book about gender politics. The two also defy gender stereotypes. "We complete each other nicely. She likes to draw motorcycles crashing through windows. I like to write people talking quietly about their feelings."
