WonderCon 2026: The Full Weekend Recap

WonderCon 2026 was quiet, but still made an impact.

WonderCon has been a fixture of my convention calendar for long enough that the drive up to Anaheim feels like muscle memory at this point. Every year the show signals something for me: the start of convention season, the first real opportunity to dig through longboxes with friends, and a chance to reconnect with the kind of community that reminds you why you fell in love with this hobby in the first place. This year's show came in a little quieter than usual, sharing the weekend spotlight with C2E2 and working through a guest list that reflected that scheduling conflict. But three days, a handful of great panels, some meaningful additions to multiple collections, and more than a few memorable moments with creators made it a weekend worth recapping in full. Here's how it went:

Day One: A Lighter Show, But No Less Worthwhile

Convention season is officially underway, at least by my personal calendar. WonderCon has returned to the Anaheim Convention Center, and as much as I know other shows like MegaCon have already kicked things off earlier in the year, this one always feels like the real starting gun for me. There's something about making the local drive down to Anaheim each spring that resets everything and gets me locked in for the season ahead.

That said, this year's WonderCon came with an asterisk. The show found itself sharing a weekend with C2E2 up in Chicago, and the ripple effects were noticeable. The guest list came in lighter than usual, and walking the exhibit hall on Friday it was pretty clear that attendance had taken a corresponding hit. It wasn't a ghost town by any stretch, but anyone who has been coming to this show for a few years would have picked up on the difference.

Still, I wasn't going in alone or without a game plan. I was joined by Lance from Comic Book Keepers, Brad from Comic Book Couples Counseling, and artist Eamon Winkle, and the four of us hit the floor Friday morning with the right energy for a show like this: curious, unhurried, and ready to dig.

Tom King, Stick Figures, and a Signed Deluxe Edition

One of the first things on my radar was a Tom King signing happening early in the day, and I wasn't about to let that window close without getting my deluxe edition of Helen of Wyndhorn in front of him. King is one of those writers who actually seems to want to be there when he's at a signing table. He's engaged, warm, and he treats each person in line like the interaction matters. That's not a given in this space, and it's worth appreciating when you see it done right.

The highlight, though, might have been watching him do one of his now-infamous "commissions" for Eamon. If you're unfamiliar with Tom King's commission style, let me paint you a picture: a very deliberate, extremely violent stick figure drawing of Bane ripping Batman's head clean off. It is unhinged and completely earnest at the same time, much like the man himself. Eamon walked away with a genuine piece of Tom King original art. I'm choosing to believe it will appreciate in value.

The Floor, the Cosplay, and the Longboxes

Something I've said before and will keep saying: do not sleep on WonderCon cosplay just because it's a smaller show. The people who suit up for this one consistently bring real craftsmanship, and Friday was no exception. You could feel the care and effort walking the floor, and it adds a whole layer of energy to what might otherwise feel like a scaled-back exhibit hall.

Speaking of that exhibit hall, the lighter foot traffic actually worked in our favor when it came to the longboxes. More room to browse, more time to actually talk to vendors, and more opportunity to deal. That slower pace is one of the things I genuinely prefer about WonderCon over the organized chaos of San Diego. Both shows share a lot of the same vendors, but the vibe here allows for a different kind of hunt.

That hunt paid off. I turned up Silver Surfer #3 and #4, two notable keys I had been missing from my Vol. 1 run, and the vendor put together a solid deal for the pair. That brings my gap list down to just #14 and #16. Those will turn up eventually. They always do.

I also made progress on a personal Mega Man art project I've had cooking for a while, picking up some commissioned work that I'm genuinely excited about. That kind of thing, hunting down the specific pieces you need for a longer-term creative goal, is one of the quieter pleasures of doing the convention circuit regularly.

The Panel: Comic Art Collecting as Fine Art

The one panel I had circled going into the day was a discussion on the state of comic art collecting, moderated by Mickey Finnegan of Swagglehaus. The lineup was strong: Dinesh Shamdasani, CEO of Bad Idea Comics; art curator Patrick A. Reed; and producer and collector Carl Choi.

The conversation centered on something that feels genuinely significant if you've been paying attention to this corner of the hobby: original comic art has crossed over into fine art collecting in a real, recognized way. This isn't fringe enthusiasm anymore. High-dollar sales over the last five to ten years have made the case clearly, and the panel drove that home with some compelling examples of what pages and covers have commanded at auction.

What I found more interesting, though, was the thread about personal taste and how it develops. There was real discussion about understanding what specifically draws you to a piece of art, not just "I like this" but why, and how that self-awareness can sharpen your collecting focus over time. The panel made a strong case for community as a tool here. Having a network of people who also love and collect comic art gives you a sounding board, a reality check, and most importantly, someone who can help you say no when FOMO is doing the talking instead of your actual taste. That's practical advice that applies well beyond comic art.

The bonus at the end of the panel was entirely unexpected and entirely welcome: complimentary art for anyone who engaged with questions. Lance came away with a Stan Sakai piece, which is just objectively cool. Eamon landed a Sweeney Boo Harley Quinn sketch. I got a Wednesday Addams from the same artist, and I have zero complaints about that outcome.

Wrapping Day One

Lighter show or not, Friday delivered. Good company, a signed deluxe edition, a couple of Silver Surfer keys, progress on a long-running project, a thoughtful panel, and some genuinely fun free art to cap things off. WonderCon has a way of rewarding the patient approach, and day one made that case again.

Day Two: Snyder, Scarecrow, and a Saturday That Delivered

Saturday at WonderCon typically brings a noticeable uptick in energy, and this year was no exception. But before I could enjoy any of it, I had a commitment to honor: I was planting myself in line for Scott Snyder's first signature block of the day, and I knew going in that it was going to cost me somewhere between two and two and a half hours of floor time. That's the math you do when you really want a signature, and I made peace with it early.

The Wait, the Signatures, and the Scott Snyder Experience

The pricing on signatures at conventions is a conversation I'll save for another day, because it genuinely deserves its own space. What I will say here is that $20 for a raw signature and $50 for a raw signature on Absolute Batman #1 or #15 is the kind of number that gives you pause. There’s no doubt the impact that the Absolute line, and particularly Batman, has had on the comics industry as a whole, and Snyder’s role in shaping and driving this world demands a premium, to be sure. However, the quick shift in pricing from one convention to another did rub me the wrong way.

That being said, what made the wait worthwhile beyond the signatures themselves was getting a few moments with Snyder at the table. The man is visibly, genuinely excited about Absolute Batman, and that enthusiasm is contagious. He talked about the energy surrounding the Absolute line and the Batman franchise as a whole with the kind of eagerness you'd expect from someone who just landed the project of their career, which in a lot of ways this feels like. There's a creative momentum around that book right now that comes through even in a brief convention interaction. As a side note: if you thought this line was a trial run, San Diego Comic Con will be here before we know it. Consider it practice.

What's Next for DC: Green Arrow Mysteries and a Very Scary Scarecrow

I only caught the back half of the What's Next for DC panel, arriving about midway through, but I walked in at exactly the right moment. Pornsak Pichetshote was holding court on Absolute Green Arrow, and the pitch he laid out is genuinely intriguing. He described it as a Knives Out-style murder mystery crossed with the propulsive dread of something like I Know What You Did Last Summer, with billionaires squarely in the crosshairs. That's a compelling tonal combination, and Pichetshote clearly has a strong handle on what makes the premise tick.

He also offered one of the more memorable off-the-cuff moments of the panel when he made the case for why arrows are actually terrifying as a weapon. "I'd much rather get shot in the shoulder than take an arrow to the shoulder," he said, and the more you think about it the harder it is to argue. Absolute Green Arrow is set to launch May 20th, and it's now firmly on my radar.

Snyder closed out the panel with a look ahead at Absolute Batman #19 and the arc running through issue #25. The focal point of that stretch is a new Scarecrow who, by Snyder's description, is less frightening for what he looks like and more frightening for what he does. This version of Scarecrow is built to deconstruct Bruce Wayne, to peel back the layers and break him in ways that feel earned rather than arbitrary. The arc is designed to land with a major event that reshapes the dynamics of the entire Absolute Batman world, which is exactly the kind of long-game storytelling that makes this run so compelling to follow.

He also dropped the news that Werther Dell'Edera, the artist behind Something is Killing the Children, will be coming on as the next guest artist on the book. If you know Dell'Edera's work, you know that's a perfect pairing for what Snyder is building tonally. That announcement alone made the panel worth attending.

The Floor, the Artists, and an Akira #1

With the panel behind me, I headed back down to the show floor, and Saturday's crowd was a much better reflection of what WonderCon usually looks like. The energy was familiar and welcome after Friday's quieter showing.

One thing that came up in conversation with a few people: a number of Artist Alley vendors had been waitlisted, only to receive last-minute table assignments in the space that Funko used to occupy on the show floor. The signage directing people to that area was pretty minimal, and more than a few of the artists we talked to mentioned that even as the afternoon wore on, traffic to their tables had been thin. That's a real problem, and it's worth saying plainly: seek out the artists. Walk the whole floor. If something speaks to you, buy it. These are the people who make the hobby what it is, and a convention is one of the best opportunities to support them directly.

On the personal acquisition front, Saturday produced a significant one: an Akira #1, which kicks off what I'm now committing to as a singles collection for the series. If you know the book, you know what it represents. If you don't, that's an entirely separate conversation and one I'm happy to have.

The day closed with the Spotlight on Scott Snyder panel, which I'll be covering separately in its own piece because it deserves the full treatment. What I'll say here is that I left feeling more convinced than ever that Absolute Batman has the legs to keep winning over readers, both longtime fans and people who are just now finding their way into comics. Snyder in a spotlight format is something else entirely, and the material he's working with right now clearly has him firing on all cylinders.

Wrapping Day Two

Signatures, panels, a key addition to the collection, and a great dinner with Eamon, Brad, and Lance to close it out. Saturday delivered on most fronts. Sunday will be a shorter day for me, but I'm planning to get at least a couple of hours on the floor and track down some cosplay photos before heading out. One day left. Onward.

Day Three: Akira, Robot Masters, and the Long Drive Home

Sunday at a convention is its own particular thing. The crowds thin, the energy settles into something more relaxed, and if you're smart about it you can cover a lot of ground in a short window. I went in with a focused list: pick up a commission, do some more box diving, and get a few cosplay photos before pointing the car back toward San Diego. Simple enough on paper.

Continuing the Akira Run

With Akira #1 already secured on Saturday, I went into Sunday with a clear mission to keep building the singles run. Digging through the longboxes, I came up with issues #2, #7, and #9, all at prices that kept the project feeling sustainable rather than punishing. That's three more pieces of one of the most important works in the history of the medium sitting in my collection, and each one picked up at a convention feels like it carries a little extra weight somehow.

This is what I love about having an ongoing collection goal at a show like this. It gives every pass through the longboxes a sense of purpose. You're not just flipping through hoping something jumps out. You have a list, you have a budget in your head, and when something clicks into place it feels genuinely satisfying in a way that's hard to explain to someone who hasn't caught the collecting bug. I now have a legitimate Akira singles project to pursue across future shows, and honestly that's one of the better outcomes of the weekend.

The Mega Man Jam Piece Gets Two More Additions

The commission pickup I had waiting for me Sunday morning was for the ongoing Mega Man jam piece, a project I've been building across multiple shows and artists. Don Nguyen had taken on Top Man, and the result was exactly what you hope for when you hand a piece like this off to someone: it came back looking awesome, full stop.

Energized by that, and knowing I had a little time left before I needed to head out, I swung by EJ Su's table with a request for Spark Man. Su took it on and delivered a terrific rendition of the robot master in roughly 45 minutes, which is the kind of thing that makes you appreciate what skilled artists can do when they're locked in. Adding four new commissions to the piece over the course of one weekend was more progress than I expected going in, and the project is starting to feel like something special. Gemini Man is next on the roster, and once that's in I'll be thinking seriously about how to get this thing displayed properly. It's earned it.

One Last Look at the Cosplay

Even on a Sunday, when attendance is lighter and people are starting to filter out, the cosplay at WonderCon held up. That's a consistent truth about this show: the people who put in the work on their costumes show up all three days, and the passion comes through regardless of the crowd size. I got some good photos, appreciated some genuinely impressive work, and was reminded once again that this is one of the underrated pleasures of the Anaheim show specifically.

Lance and I said our goodbyes to Eamon and Brad, and then it was time to make the drive back down to San Diego. The decompression conversation on the way home is always one of my favorite parts of the convention experience: going back through the weekend, talking about what landed and what didn't, and starting to think about what comes next.

Looking Back on WonderCon 2026

Stepping back and looking at the weekend as a whole, WonderCon 2026 had a quieter overall vibe than what I'm used to from this show. Saturday brought the energy back to something closer to normal, but the combination of a thinner guest lineup and the scheduling conflict with C2E2 meant the draw simply wasn't as strong as it has been in previous years. That's not a knock on the show itself so much as an acknowledgment of the circumstances. These things happen, and a convention's character isn't defined by one off year.

What does give me some pause looking ahead is that WonderCon 2027 is once again falling on Easter weekend. That's a real variable when it comes to guest availability and family commitments, and it's something worth watching as the lineup for next year starts to take shape. Hopefully the organizers are thinking carefully about how to counterprogram against that particular calendar conflict, because the foundation of a great show is there. It just needs the right pieces around it.

That said, I want to be clear about what the weekend actually delivered, because the negatives are easy to over-index on. I reconnected with good people who share this hobby at the same level of enthusiasm I bring to it. I sat in on panels that gave me a genuinely clearer picture of where DC is headed and left me more excited about Absolute Batman than I already was, which is saying something. I got time with Tom King and Scott Snyder, two writers who are doing some of the most interesting work in mainstream comics right now, and both interactions reminded me why this community is worth showing up for. I added meaningful pieces to multiple collections and made real progress on a long-term art project that I'm genuinely proud of.

WonderCon at its best is a show that rewards the patient, curious fan who is willing to dig, wander, and engage. This year had enough of that spirit to make the trip worthwhile, even if the marquee elements didn't quite reach their ceiling. I'll be back next year. I always am.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to start thinking about San Diego.