WonderCon

“Trance,” the latest film from Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle (“Slumdog Millionaire”), doesn’t open in theaters until April 5, but Hero Complex readers will be able to see the art world-set thriller early — and free — at a special screening March 30. Boyle will be on hand for a Q&A moderated by Hero Complex contributor John Horn following the film. The first feature from Boyle since the 2010 drama “127 Hours,” “Trance” stars James McAvoy as Simon, a fine art auctioneer who becomes mixed up with a criminal (Vincent Cassel) and seeks the help of a hypnotist (Rosario Dawson). There was a sneak preview of the film earlier this month at Austin, Texas’ South by Southwest Film Festival, where Boyle and his longtime musical collaborator Rick Smith from the English techno duo Underworld partnered on a DJ set at a […]

The programming schedule for WonderCon 2013 is out, featuring panels for Guillermo del Toro’s robots-versus-kaiju movie “Pacific Rim,” Joss Whedon’s Shakespearean adaptation “Much Ado About Nothing” and the upcoming reboot of “Evil Dead.” The annual gathering of sci-fi, fantasy and comics professionals and fans — sort of a little sibling to San Diego’s Comic-Con International — runs March 29-31 at the Anaheim Convention Center and offers movie and television panels, previews from comic publishers, a cosplay masquerade (click through the gallery above for a peek at last year’s costumes), autographs and book signings, portfolio review for aspiring professionals and, of course, plenty of geek-friendly shopping. This year’s roster includes panels devoted to several big-budget Hollywood productions. A Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures panel Saturday at 11:30 a.m. will feature”Pacific Rim” director Del Toro and “The Conjuring” director James Wan. And Sony’s […]

Tickets are now on sale for 2013′s WonderCon, the annual gathering of sci-fi, fantasy and comics professionals and fans. The pop culture expo — a sort of little sibling to San Diego’s Comic-Con International — runs March 29-31 at the Anaheim Convention Center and offers movie and television panels, previews from comic publishers, a cosplay masquerade (click through the gallery above for a peek at last year’s costumes), autographs and book-signings, portfolio review for aspiring professionals and, of course, plenty of geek-friendly shopping. The full 2013 schedule will probably be released two weeks prior to the event, but announced guests include Bent Anderson, Frank Cho, Amanda Conner, J.M. DeMatteis, Jane Espenson, Mark Evanier, Dean Koontz, Jim Lee, Marjorie Liu, Doug Mahnke, Ann Nocenti, Jason Palmer, Jimmy Palmiotti, Dan Slott, Jeff Smith, Jim Steranko, Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell. It’s WonderCon’s […]

“Adventure Time” at first glance is a typical kids’ show. Finn, a 14-year-old boy, and his buddy Jake, a magical dog with super stretching powers, battle candy zombies, evil gnomes and their arch-nemesis Ice King in a shiny world called the Land of Ooo. In the show’s Season 5 premiere Monday, Finn fights a gang of neon-colored, village-burning hoodlums while Jake goes hot-tubbing with Cosmic Owl and a pink, wish-granting being named Prismo. Hot-tubbing? “If somebody pitched me verbally an episode plot of an ‘Adventure Time’ cartoon, I’d probably think, ‘That’s the dumbest thing ever,’ ” said Cartoon Network chief content officer Rob Sorcher. “But somehow in the hands of ['Adventure Time' creator Pendleton Ward], the nuance with which this is executed, it’s perfect.” The Emmy-nominated cartoon is one of the Cartoon Network‘s most popular shows, consistently ranking No. 1 […]

WonderCon, the annual gathering of fantasy, sci-fi and comics enthusiasts, will again be held in Anaheim despite initial plans for the 2013 edition of the convention to return to its home in San Francisco. WonderCon — Comic-Con International‘s little sister — was held at the Anaheim Convention Center this year due to major renovations at San Francisco’s Moscone Center, where the pop culture convention was held for the previous six years. The convention, in its 27th year, started in Oakland and was expected to return to its Bay Area roots in 2013. However, WonderCon officials announced Monday morning that although the renovations are complete, the dates offered by the Moscone Center are for the fall and coincide with another major event, resulting in “unavoidable conflicts” and expensive hotel room blocks starting at $300 per night. PHOTOS: Cosplay at WonderCon 2012 […]

What’s awaiting horror fans who visit “The Cabin in the Woods”? The answer will be revealed on April 13 when Drew Goddard’s sly and subversive genre riddle finally reaches movie theaters. At WonderCon, Lionsgate hosted a special sneak preview of the film and, afterward, director-writer Goddard was joined on-stage by his partner on the project, writer-producer Joss Whedon. I interviewed the two of them and, between a lot of laughter, there was a feeling in the room that pair would deliver one of the most intriguing popcorn diversions of 2012. You’ll find some highlight moments from the Q&A below, but first a bit of background about the film’s protracted path to the projection room. Some horror movies keep the audience on the edge of their seat — this one had that effect on the cast and crew, which filmed it back in 2009 with an early 2010 target release. The fiscal calamity […]

Jay West, a frequent contributor to Hero Complex who writes about fan culture, collectibles and alternative reality games, braved the rain last  weekend to visit WonderCon in Anaheim. He brought his camera along and, of course, what member of the cosplay tribe can resist a photo op? Above, West’s collection of costume memories from the convention. RECENT AND RELATED Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, back in black WonderCon: Felicia Day’s Geek & Sundry arrives WonderCon: Watch for free Hero magazine ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ comes to WonderCon New comics: ‘Dragon Tattoo,’ Anthony Bourdain Andrew Garfield: Fame terrifies me ‘John Carter’: Creating Woola, lizard-dog of Mars Johnny Depp in ‘Lone Ranger’ first look Batman Live arena show starts U.S. tour on Sept 5

If the reaction from the crowd at WonderCon’s Avengers vs. X-Menpanel is any indication, the children of the atom may crush Earth’s mightiest heroes in the upcoming 12-issue event series from Marvel written by the team of Brian Bendis, Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, Jason Aaron and Jonathan Hickman and drawn by John Romita, Jr., Olivier Coipel and Adam Kubert. “Event” is the operative word here, as not only will the book (and its offshoots) cross into various titles and spotlight huge battles, it’s drawing in more than 1,100 comic shops worldwide to participate in special Avengers vs. X-Men launch parties on April 3. If you’re in L.A., Meltdown Comics is one of the participants. It was also mentioned at the WonderCon panel that fans would be able to pick up exclusive giveaways. That panel, moderated by Marvel’s  director of communications, publishing and […]

DC Nation and Marvel Television are making superheroes jump off the page and into television sets, and each shined a spotlight on their present and future offerings Saturday at WonderCon. Both comic companies have a long history with animated fare on TV.  Bruce Timm’s animated creations using DC characters (“Batman,” “Superman,” etc.) have usually been crowd-pleasers, and Marvel’s forays include its new G4 anime offerings, popular ’90s “X-Men,” and even the classic ’60s “Spider-Man” series whose theme song still ranks as one of the best cartoon tunes ever. But it’s a new day, and first up was Marvel at its noontime panel. The company’s Disney owners have afforded it more of an opportunity and “muscle,” according to chief creative officer Joe Quesada, to put out more products. Head of Marvel Television Jeph Loeb was on hand to present the newest offering, “Ultimate […]

Felicia Day, the apple of many a fanboy’s eye and creator of the hit Web series “The Guild,” unveiled her next venture into online entertainment at WonderCon on Saturday. Along with a panel of colleagues with plenty of geek cred, Day introduced Geek & Sundry, her new YouTube channel. Five new shows plus Season 5 of “The Guild” will begin airing on the site in April. Day was full of enthusiasm on the panel as she chatted about the project (and she admitted that she “started crying to Pearl Jam on the way down” to Anaheim). “Every single show is like a piece of love,” she said. “We’re really excited to create a whole new community around these shows.” Before the panel kicked off, fans watched the trailer for Geek & Sundry’s lineup, which is now available to view on […]