SAN FRANCISCO – When WonderCon comes to town, the owners of local shops play host to a wave of comics fans ready to shop and party till they drop.
Sean Murphy, owner of Action Figure Freddy, a store that's directly across from WonderCon central at Moscone Center, is busily preparing for this weekend's probable rush. He anticipates a surge for his business of more than 400 customers per day during the three-day comics convention, and has stocked up on limited-edition goods to sate fanboys' and fangirls' appetite for collectibles.
This year's hot item: characters from PSP game Death Jr.
"We bought 200 sets with this guy called The Seep, an armless, legless fetus with a moustache in a jar," Murphy says. "People love it."
Murphy attributes his shop's success to comics fans who attend the convention, then hit his store throughout the rest of the year for a reliable source of nerdy toys.
"WonderCon birthed my business as Action Figure Freddy," says Murphy, who ran a booth at the convention for years before opening his shop in late 2006. His is just one of the local comics stores looking to entertain – and cash in on – the WonderCon crowd. The annual convention, first held in 1987, serves up a sci-fi- and superheroes-heavy mix of comics, collectibles and Hollywood star power that's made it a magnet for Northern California geeks.
When they're not attending panels on Star Wars fan films, getting sci-fi stars' autographs or catching preview clips of upcoming Marvel movies, many WonderCon attendees will be shopping and hitting after-parties hosted by San Francisco Bay Area shops.
"There are so many indie comics parties and screenings that make WonderCon unique," says David Glanzer, director of marketing and public relations for Comic-Con International, which runs WonderCon. "It's the place to be this weekend."
Isotope Comics, an independent comic book store in San Francisco's Hayes Valley neighborhood, is hosting several big events to coincide with WonderCon, including appearances by Antony Johnson, author of dystopian graphic serial novel Wasteland; Ben Templesmith, the sci-fi horror artist behind the graphic vampire novel miniseries 30 Days of Night; and DC Comics author Darwyn Cooke, who will be celebrating premiere screenings of Justice League: The New Frontier.
Last year's event drew a best-ever 20,000 attendees, and Glanzer says he thinks there's a good chance WonderCon 2008 can top those numbers, thanks to a heightened presence of big-name stars.
"This year, Hollywood has stepped up their presence," Glanzer says. "We have Brendan Fraser, Steve Carell, Summer Glau (of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) and, for serious X-Files fans, Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny, who will make their first-ever joint appearance at WonderCon."
Other highlights on the WonderCon schedule include:
Build your own R2-D2: Participants sit in on a thorough how-to session on constructing a replica of the beloved Star Wars droid.
Special screenings: Clips and appearances by cast and crew members from Wanted, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Pixar's WALL-E, Marvel Comics' Iron Man, Harold & Kumar 2, Jericho, Starship Troopers, The X-Files sequel and more.
Star Wars fan flicks: Home-brewed tributes to George Lucas' series go head-to-head in a friendly competition for a special prize.
Q&A; with Richard Hatch: The Battlestar Galactica actor celebrates and discusses three decades of BSG in an open forum.
Spotlight on Becky Cloonan: Known for her manga-influenced works, this panel with the American comic book creator covers the upcoming sequel to her highly acclaimed East Coast Rising graphic novel about punk rock pirates and street gangs in a waterlogged New Jersey.
Creature feature celebs: TV horror hosts discuss the preservation of ghoulish personalities; includes rare clips and a Q&A; session.
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WonderCon 2008 runs Feb. 22 to 24 at Moscone Center in San Francisco. Tickets cost $5 to $15 per day, and children 11 and under get in free with a paid adult admission.
