WonderCon 2010 Celebrates Comics, Sci Fi and Fantasy

WonderCon 2010 is a conference celebrating the world of comics, sci fi and fantasy...see previous blog

Some, however, like Badger, Thalisha, Douglas and Shellee were not, apparently, despite appearances, in costume!

'It's pretty much us!' said Badger. The friends, it seems, spend much of their lives as Victorian


sci-fi characters, a genre known as Steam Punk.

'This is my first time here,' said Douglas, who said he had enjoyed everything about the event from the people he had met, to seeing 'everyone else dressed in amazing costumes,' and the fictional displays of adult and children's cartoons.

Also the actors. Around the center, Douglas had spotted actors from 'movies I have enjoyed from when I was five all the way up to the videos I watched last night!'


Other people were there there for the fun and with a professional interest. Like Lilleah, a brilliantly coloured unicorn from the video game Robot Unicorn Attack. She runs the business, www.BeastCub.com, that provides artistic animal costumes.

But if actors charging fees for autographs presented problems for some conference goers, there were no such problems for fans of cartoon writer and illustrator, Darwyn Cooke. He was generously signing his book, 'The Hunter', an adaptation of Richard Stark's book, for free. Also there for fans was a $2 preview of his next offering, The Outfit, which fans could buy and which was freely autographed.

'It goes on and on!' said Darwyn of his autographs. He'd been an hour at the table where I met him, but had other tables around the conference. 'It stops looking like a name at a certain point!'

But his fans were not disappointed. Michael, of Foster City, who said he goes to the conference every year, was delighted with his signed book.

What took Darwyn into the world of comic illustrating?

'Love of it - ie comics - as a child and a love of drawing. They come together very easily when you're young. And it just never left me.'

It took Darwyn six months to complete The Hunter. He expects to finish The Outfit by the end of May, and for it to be on sale in October.

Tonight the Masquerade costume competition will be held, where costumes have to be both original and handmade.