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WonderCon 2011: Friday

While 2011 may be WonderCon’s 25th anniversay, this will actually be my first visit to the San Francisco-based event. My first day at WonderCon was certainly one that I won’t be forgetting. While I must admit that I am a tad bit disappointed about the small number of cosplayers, it sure was neat to be in the same building as celebrities ranging from the likes of Ryan Reynolds to Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Of course, I made sure to snap as many photos as I could during my visit, so hit the jump if you’d like to view 70 pictures from the first day of WonderCon 2011.

I went to pick up my press pass as soon as I entered WonderCon, but the staff was unable to locate it. Thanks to the timely arrival of GFBR’s Andrew and Darci, a new badge was made for me right on the spot.

As soon as the exhibit hall opened, I rushed to line up for a chance to meet Green Lantern stars Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, and Peter Sarsgaard at their autograph session. In order to qualify, you had to stick your hand in a bag and draw a ticket marked with a star. My ticket was blank, so I wasn’t one of the lucky winners.

Comics on sale at a comic book convention? That’s preposterous!

A statue of Gundam RX-78-2 stands vigilantly at an exhibit.

Long Vo of Gaia Online and Capcom fame works on commissioned character sketches.

Competition was always plentiful at the Marvel VS Capcom 3 demo zone.

A sampling of some of Capcom’s finer merchandise was locked up in a glass display case.

Monster Hunter plush dolls and keychains were sold at the Capcom store.

Capcom also offered fans a chance to own a cool Street Fighter-themed skateboard deck.

The hot dog was glad to pose for a photo after I accepted one of the Frankenart postcards it was handing out.

An Uglydoll found many new friends around the WonderCon exhibit hall.

Mighty Fine sold a variety of shirts and handed out a variety of free items, such as oversized swag bags and Invader Zim hats.

Arrrrrrr, mateys!

A Yautja uses WonderCon as its proving ground.

Wow! It’s Doug Heffernan’s incredible neighbor, Lou Ferrigno.

The actor who potrays Daniel the Turtle in Supa Pirate Booty Hunt shows his devotion to the role by donning the costume.

An Uglydoll’s natural habitat.

The Game of Thrones throne photo op, which wasn’t being used at the moment due to filming.

I can finally say that I’ve photographed an undead Stormtrooper.

Free bottles of Nesquik were being handed out by friends of the popular drink’s mascot.

Attendees line up for the chance to become agents of SHIELD. Potential rewards for signing up for active duty with Nick Fury’s organization included a chance to win a laptop or a stunt driving session.

The interior of the SHIELD tent, where a little girl is in the process of being recruited.

Raven from DC’s Teen Titans.

Unemployed Man and his buddies look for work while at WonderCon.

A pair of Sucker Punch cosplayers draw their swords.

A brave samurai warrior also accompanied them to the con.

The Fluttering Horde has dire plans for WonderCon’s attendees.

Zatanna poses alongside Wonder Woman.

Dr. Ryuta Kawashima wants to know your brain’s age.

This is what happens when you try to play fetch with a werewolf.

E. Honda’s ready to prove the might of sumo wrestlers.

Street Fighter’s two most famous Shotokan Karate fighters.

A decorative figure seen at Kuso Vinyl’s exhibit.

Women promoting an online series known as Help! I’m Alive

Props used by Sean Bean in the upcoming TV series A Game of Thrones.

A bizarre monster baby doll spotted over at SacAnime’s table.

Sights that can been from the surface level of the exhibit hall.

The Doctor from Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood employed Tekken’s King as a bodyguard.

Supergirl’s arrived to save the day!

WonderCon’s exclusive White Lantern Batman and Flash action figures.

Animal hats of all shapes and sizes.

Now that the 3DS is available to the public, Nintendo’s booth took a significant hit in traffic.

Crowds begin to form as the Green Lantern head down to their autograph session.

Peter Sarsgaard was mysteriously absent, but Ryan Reynolds started up his autograph session in the nick of time.

Gossip Girl’s Blake Lively was also present due to her role as Carol Ferris.

Here’s a look at the exhibit hall from one of the upper balconies.

Ultimate X-Men’s Marvel Girl and Cyclops.

Storm prepares to summon a massive typhoon.

Marvel’s upcoming video games based on the Thor and Captain America films were playable at WonderCon.

Marvel editor Joe Quesada meets fans beneath a Captain America backdrop.

Former Justice League of America member Vixen.

In brightest day…

Stormtroopers sealed off a hallway while pursuing rebels.

Spock shows off his pet Tribble to an Orion slave girl. [Ed. - I can't tell if David's trolling with this caption...]

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night was just one of the many advance screenings of movies that can be watched in San Francisco.

By the time I entered the Green Lantern panel, I’d missed my chance at seeing new footage from the movie and was stuck sitting in the rear of the auditorium.

Thankfully, my camer’a 30x zoom can still take fairly wonderful shots from a distance like that.

GameStop hoped that attendees would reserve a copy of the new Green Lantern video game if she offered them a special shirt.

Miss Beadle from Little House on the Prairie was at the show, but must have left for the evening.

A shiny R2-D2 spotted over at Totally Wired Droids.

Ulala was covering WonderCon for Space Channel 5.

Classic video games sold by a vendor known as Gamerave.

You must know by now that I love taking advantage of the free photo ops at conventions.

Awwwww, herpes is so adorable!

A crane game filled with Tribbles from Star Trek. Some of them even vibrated.

Fans reach out for the chance to grab official Thor movie posters.

I’m sure that this team of Avatar cosplayers has some angry words for M. Night Shymalan.

Disney’s incarnation of Esmeralda from the Hunchback of Notre Dame.

I tried to end the first day of WonderCon with an advance screening of Priest at the Metreon’s AMC theater. The movie’s star, Paul Bettany, was even set to make an appearance.

Even though I arrived 70 minutes prior to the movie’s start time, I didn’t arrive soon enough. Since the theater had filled up, the promoters did their best to appease us with free Priest t-shirts.