Batman and the Monster Men
Batman and the Monster Men is an American comic book limited series written and drawn by Matt Wagner with colors by Dave Stewart, published by DC Comics in 2006 and starring the superhero Batman. It, along with its sequel Batman and the Mad Monk, are set in between the events of Batman: Year One and Batman: The Man Who Laughs, it is the first part of Matt Wagner's two-part Dark Moon Rising series, which are expanded and modernized versions of early Batman stories. Batman and the Monster Men is developed from an early Hugo Strange story from Batman #1. In Wagner's version, this is Batman's first encounter with Strange; the story depicts a optimistic Batman shortly after the events of Batman: Year One. Julie Madison Bruce Wayne's love interest in early comics, is reintroduced in this series. Madison had not been seen as a regular supporting cast member since 1941, in Detective Comics #49. Batman and the Monster Men gives a retroactive role to Sal Maroni, a character tied to the character Two-Face, as a crime boss funding Hugo Strange's experiments on Arkham Asylum patients.
This story is intended to depict the first time Hugo Strange is involved in creating violent giants out of human patients. This story and its sequel and the Mad Monk take place in between Batman: Year One and Batman: The Man Who Laughs. Jim Gordon has been promoted to Captain and Edward Grogan has just replaced the corrupt, mob-affiliated Gillian "Gil" Loeb as Police Commissioner. One of Batman's early encounters with a villain known as "the Red Hood" occurs some time shortly before this story begins, indicated by the fact that a newspaper headline depicted on the opening page reads: "Red Hood Gone? Eyewitnesses claim mystery thief falls to doom after Ace Chemical heist attempt foiled by run-in with vigilante Bat-Man"; the incident at Ace Chemical, depicted as flashbacks in Batman: The Killing Joke, transformed the Red Hood into the Joker, who makes his first appearance in The Man Who Laughs. Instead of being an actress as in her Golden Age incarnation, Julie is a freshly graduated law student.
Jim Gordon is shown to still be married to his first wife, Barbara Kean-Gordon, who leaves him shortly after the events of Batman: The Long Halloween and returns to him in Batman: Dark Victory
Etrigan the Demon
Etrigan the Demon is a fictional superhero and antihero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, Etrigan is a demon from Hell who, despite his violent tendencies finds himself allied with the forces of good because of the alliance between the heroic characters of the DC Universe and Jason Blood, a human to whom Etrigan is bound. Etrigan is a muscular humanoid creature with orange or yellow skin, red eyes, pointed, webbed ears; the character was based in Gotham City, leading to numerous team-ups with Batman. Etrigan was inspired by a comic strip of Prince Valiant in which the eponymous character dressed as a demon. Kirby gave his creation the same appearance as Valiant's mask. Etrigan the Demon first was created by Jack Kirby, he created the Demon. According to Mark Evanier, Kirby had no interest in horror comics, but created Etrigan in response to a demand from DC for a horror character. Kirby was annoyed that the first issue sold so well that DC required him to do sixteen issues and abandon the Fourth World titles before he was done with them.
Etrigan returned for a four-issue miniseries in 1987, written and illustrated by Grendel creator Matt Wagner. Alan Grant followed this with an Etrigan feature in Action Comics Weekly #636-641 and a second ongoing title in 1990; the 1990 series lasted two Annuals and one # 0 issue. Garth Ennis took over the title beginning with issue #40. Ennis' run included the first appearance of Hitman; this series was followed by Driven Out. Following this, John Byrne's Blood of the Demon lasted 17 issues, ignored much of the continuity that took place after Kirby's initial run. While his first monthly comic book series was short-lived, his second was canceled after five years, Etrigan remains a popular supporting character with occasional additional miniseries. Popular series in which Etrigan has appeared include Neil Gaiman's The Sandman, Alan Moore's Swamp Thing, Kevin Smith's Green Arrow and Batman: The Widening Gyre, Garth Ennis's Hitman, Cosmic Odyssey by Jim Starlin and Mike Mignola. In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity.
In this new timeline, DC Comics launched a new series featuring Etrigan titled Demon Knights, with issue #1 on September 14, 2011. It was drawn by Diógenes Neves. Etrigan, son of the demon Belial, is summoned by his half-brother. Unable to gain the creature's secrets, he bonds the demon with Jason Blood, a knight in King Arthur's Camelot; this renders Jason immortal, though at times he considers this either a curse. Centuries Jason Blood resurfaces in recent times, becoming a prominent demonologist in Gotham City. Jason discovers a poem that changes him into Etrigan, he is followed by the long-lived Morgaine le Fey, who lusts for Merlin's secrets. That leads to Etrigan's first major battle. Over the years, Etrigan both clashes with and aids Earth's heroes, guided by his own whims and Jason's attempts to turn his infernal power to good use; some time after his first appearance, Etrigan begins speaking in rhyme due to a promotion in Hell, though he is not limited to rhyme. He led the forces of Hell in the great battle against the Great Evil Beast and was in brief contact with the entity in its questions about its nature - he survived the attempt.
His high rank would see him guide Dream of the Endless from Hell's gates to Lucifer. Some time after this, Jason Blood and Glenda Mark sought to separate Blood and Etrigan, an event which led to Blood's ally, Harry Matthews, being devoured by, turned into a pillow by, Belial. At the end of these events and Blood were separated. Both began to age and during the event known as Cosmic Odyssey and Etrigan were merged once again. After the remerging, the relationship between Blood and Etrigan became more contentious. Drawn to Hell by the Archfiend Asteroth, Etrigan stopped Asteroth's attempt to sacrifice Glenda Mark, Randu Singh and Blood himself. Etrigan followed these events by overthrowing the triumvirate of leaders in Hell and taking the symbol of authority in Hell, the Crown of Horns, for himself. Separated from Blood via the Crown's power and about to destroy him, Merlin reminded Blood of his own power. Jason Blood spoke the incantation and remerged with Etrigan and they were drawn back to Earth.
There, he fought Lobo, Klarion the Witch Boy and his gang and was drawn into the Realm Beyond, where he met the Thing-That-Cannot-Die and was reunited with his older brother, Lord Scapegoat. Upon escape from the Realm Beyond and Blood agreed to work together and teamed with Batman and Robin against the Howler. Soon after, Etrigan was chosen as a political candidate for President of the United States and nearly succeeded in securing the Republican nomination from George H. W. Bush. During his political run, he was denied it; when Jason Blood's daughter was born, he decided to destroy Etrigan and hired metahuman hitman Tommy Monaghan to help him. After a battle against both Merlin and Etrigan, the two of them rescued the baby and Blood was able to steal the Demon's heart neutralizing the demon and binding him to Jason's will. However, at the end of the battle to gain the Demon's heart, Jason Blood left the child, Kathryn Mark, with her mother, Glenda Mark. Jason told Glenda before he had left, "Take care of Glenda.
I think it would be best if she never knew
Batman Black and White
Batman Black and White refers to the comic book limited series published by DC Comics featuring 8-page black-and-white Batman stories. Vol. 1 and 4 of the series feature all-new stories, while vol. 2 and 3 contain stories from the backup feature of the Batman: Gotham Knights comic book. The origin of the series is told by editor Mark Chiarello in his introduction to the first collection, in which he writes about a dinner table-discussion with "a few famous comic-book artists," at which they pondered the "desert island" question in terms of a single complete run of comics one would be happy to be stranded with. With "half a minute"'s thought, they "amazingly... all agreed, pound for pound, page for page" that the unequivocal choice was Warren Publishing's Creepy, a high point unmatched since "there has never been such a collection of stellar artists assembled under one banner publication" as in Creepy, whose pages were host to "Toth, Williamson, Colan, Wrightson, Corben." Chiarello notes that "most of those stories" were written by one man: Archie Goodwin "probably the best editor to work in comics the best writer to work in comics," whose Warren work was itself an "homage to the favorite comics of his youth, the E.
C. line."When Chiarello became a Batman editor "a whole bunch of years" he "pitch the idea of a black and white anthology." Told by many colleagues that it wouldn't sell - both as an anthology and a black-and-white title, neither purportedly liked by comics readers - the idea was green lighted, Mike Carlin and Scott Peterson joined Chiarello to "make sure didn't destroy the integrity of." Chiarello's initial thought - "to hire the best artists in the business" led to he and Peterson assembling a wish list and contacting artists. The series became "a creative and financial success," when the first four-issue volume was published between June and September 1996; each of the four issues featured several self-contained short-stories, all written and drawn by a diverse group of comic artists and writers, most of whom had worked on Batman comics. Each story varied in theme and tone, offering multiple interpretations of Batman - and, in some cases, his supporting characters - by exploring their inner pathos and relationships.
This contains all-new material. "Perpetual Mourning" - by Ted McKeever Batman conducts an autopsy on a murder victim to help find her killer. "Two of a Kind" - by Bruce Timm A Gotham news anchor comments on the biggest story of the year: a brilliant reconstructive surgeon, Marilyn Crane, has been able to repair the damage done to Two-Face, which cures him of his insanity and restores his Harvey Dent identity. Dent plans to marry Marilyn, but becomes nervous when he discovers that she has a twin sister named Madeline, mentally unbalanced herself. Madeline and Harvey begin an affair, but when Dent decides to end the relationship and return to his wife-to-be, she is driven insane with rage and murders Marilyn. Harvey's therapy and surgery prevent him from tapping into his darker side, so he deliberately scars his face with hot coals, travels to Gotham's docks, kills Madeline, he waits for Batman to come and take him back to Arkham "with the rest of the crazy people", bitterly resigning himself to a life of madness as Two-Face.
"The Hunt" - by Joe Kubert A surreal take on Batman. "Petty Crimes" - by Howard Chaykin Batman investigates a series of murders that are motivated by rudeness and lack of respect for rules. The Caped Crusader tracks down the culprit—a nondescript Gothamite who believes that he is doing the world a service by forcing people to pay closer attention to their behavior. After Batman apprehends the criminal, he assures the Dark Knight that the two of them are performing the same work to save the city, offers to be a "sidekick" to the hero when he gets out of jail. "The Devil's Trumpet" - written by Archie Goodwin, art by José Antonio Muñoz A jazz musician's search for a legendary trumpet leads him into the path of Batman. "Legend" - by Walter Simonson A mother tucking her son into bed tells the child an exciting story about a time long ago, when a masked man dressed as a bat fought criminals and all forms of evil to defend Gotham City. As her boy drifts off to sleep, the woman murmurs that the mysterious Batman swore to always be Gotham's protector, hopes that he might resurface soon.
It is revealed that the story takes place in an Orwellian dystopia, with Gotham transformed into a police state—but the final panel depicts a familiar, bat-shaped shadow descending on an officer, suggesting that Batman has not abandoned his quest to save Gotham. "Monster Maker" - written by Jan Strnad, art by Richard Corben Batman has a violent run-in with several 11-year-old black children, who he deems "monsters", before launching into an extended criticism of urban society. "Dead Boys Eyes" - by Kent Williams Batman reaches out to the soul of Gotham during a near-death experience. "The Devil's Children" - written by Chuck Dixon, art by Jorge Zaffino Batman investigates a series of mysterious gangland murders. "A Black & White World" - written by Neil Gaiman, art by Simon Bisley
Portland, Oregon
Portland is the largest and most populous city in the U. S. state of Oregon and the seat of Multnomah County. It is a major port in the Willamette Valley region of the Pacific Northwest, at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers; as of 2017, Portland had an estimated population of 647,805, making it the 26th-largest city in the United States, the second-most populous in the Pacific Northwest. 2.4 million people live in the Portland metropolitan statistical area, making it the 25th most populous MSA in the United States. Its Combined Statistical Area ranks 18th-largest with a population of around 3.2 million. 60% of Oregon's population resides within the Portland metropolitan area. Named after Portland, the Oregon settlement began to be populated in the 1830s near the end of the Oregon Trail, its water access provided convenient transportation of goods, the timber industry was a major force in the city's early economy. At the turn of the 20th century, the city had a reputation as one of the most dangerous port cities in the world, a hub for organized crime and racketeering.
After the city's economy experienced an industrial boom during World War II, its hard-edged reputation began to dissipate. Beginning in the 1960s, Portland became noted for its growing progressive political values, earning it a reputation as a bastion of counterculture; the city operates with a commission-based government guided by a mayor and four commissioners as well as Metro, the only directly elected metropolitan planning organization in the United States. The city government is notable for its land-use investment in public transportation. Portland is recognized as one of the world's most environmentally conscious cities because of its high walkability, large community of bicyclists, farm-to-table dining, expansive network of public transportation options, over 10,000 acres of public parks, its climate is marked by cool, rainy winters. This climate is ideal for growing roses, Portland has been called the "City of Roses" for over a century. During the prehistoric period, the land that would become Portland was flooded after the collapse of glacial dams from Lake Missoula, in what would become Montana.
These massive floods occurred during the last ice age and filled the Willamette Valley with 300 to 400 feet of water. Before American pioneers began arriving in the 1800s, the land was inhabited for many centuries by two bands of indigenous Chinook people—the Multnomah and the Clackamas; the Chinook people occupying the land were first documented in 1805 by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Before its European settlement, the Portland Basin of the lower Columbia River and Willamette River valleys had been one of the most densely populated regions on the Pacific Coast. Large numbers of pioneer settlers began arriving in the Willamette Valley in the 1830s via the Oregon Trail, though life was centered in nearby Oregon City. In the early 1840s a new settlement emerged ten miles from the mouth of the Willamette River halfway between Oregon City and Fort Vancouver; this community was referred to as "Stumptown" and "The Clearing" because of the many trees cut down to allow for its growth. In 1843 William Overton saw potential in the new settlement but lacked the funds to file an official land claim.
For 25 cents, Overton agreed to share half of the 640-acre site with Asa Lovejoy of Boston. In 1845 Overton sold his remaining half of the claim to Francis W. Pettygrove of Maine. Both Pettygrove and Lovejoy wished to rename "The Clearing" after their respective hometowns; this controversy was settled with a coin toss that Pettygrove won in a series of two out of three tosses, thereby providing Portland with its namesake. The coin used for this decision, now known as the Portland Penny, is on display in the headquarters of the Oregon Historical Society. At the time of its incorporation on February 8, 1851, Portland had over 800 inhabitants, a steam sawmill, a log cabin hotel, a newspaper, the Weekly Oregonian. A major fire swept through downtown in August 1873, destroying twenty blocks on the west side of the Willamette along Yamhill and Morrison Streets, causing $1.3 million in damage. By 1879, the population had grown to 17,500 and by 1890 it had grown to 46,385. In 1888, the city built the first steel bridge built on the West Coast.
Portland's access to the Pacific Ocean via the Willamette and Columbia rivers, as well as its easy access to the agricultural Tualatin Valley via the "Great Plank Road", provided the pioneer city with an advantage over other nearby ports, it grew quickly. Portland remained the major port in the Pacific Northwest for much of the 19th century, until the 1890s, when Seattle's deepwater harbor was connected to the rest of the mainland by rail, affording an inland route without the treacherous navigation of the Columbia River; the city had its own Japantown, for one, the lumber industry became a prominent economic presence, due to the area's large population of Douglas Firs, Western Hemlocks, Red Cedars, Big Leaf Maple trees. Portland developed a reputation early in its history as a gritty port town; some historians have described the city's early establishment as being a "scion of New England. In 1889, The Oregonian called Portland "the most filthy city in the Northern States", due to the unsanitary sewers and gutters, and, at the turn of the 20th century, it was considered one of the most dangerous port cities in the world.
The city housed a large number of saloons
The Batman Adventures
The Batman Adventures was a DC Comics comic book series featuring Batman. It is different from other Batman titles because it is set in the continuity of Batman: The Animated Series, as opposed to the regular DC Universe; the Batman Adventures was created to tie-in with the Batman: The Animated Series. As the animated series changed with each successive re-branding and relaunch, so too did The Batman Adventures, it was conceived as a miniseries, but got its status as tie-in. The success of The Batman Adventures has led to a set of "Adventures" titles mirroring the animated series that followed Batman: The Animated Series, including Superman Adventures and Justice League Adventures. Based on Batman: The Animated Series, the first series ran for 36 issues, 2 annuals, 3 specials; the first annual introduces Roxy Rocket, who would appear in The New Batman Adventures episode "The Ultimate Thrill" and the Superman: The Animated Series episode "Knight Time". Most of the issues were written by Kelley Puckett, illustrated by Mike Parobeck and Rick Burchett, though Ty Templeton did the writing and art on a few issues.
Mad Love was written by Paul Dini and illustrated by Bruce Timm, while the holiday special was written and illustrated by a number of creative people who had worked on the animated series, including Paul Dini, Bruce Timm, Glen Murakami, Dan Riba, Kevin Altieri. Following the re-branding of the animated series as The Adventures of Batman and Robin, the comic series was relaunched, it ran for 2 annuals, as well as 2 specials. Ty Templeton was the regular writer, with Rick Burchett as the artist. However, according to colorist Rick Taylor, the series was cancelled before many planned stories could be published; some of them included another Batgirl and Robin team up, Batman teaching a grieving widower the futility of vengeance, the origin of the Threatening Three and the first appearance of Anarky. Shortly after The New Batman Adventures began airing on Kids WB!, DC Comics published a five issue miniseries titled The Batman Adventures: The Lost Years. This series bridged the gap between the end of Batman: The Animated Series and the start of the new show.
Additionally, the first two issues were adapted from the episode "Old Wounds," and issues #4 and the end of issue #5 were adaptations of the episode "Sins of the Father". Book One: Robin voices his disapproval regarding Batman's tolerance of the crime-fighting activities of the untrained Batgirl and takes it upon himself to stop her. Subsequently, Batman deduces that Batgirl is Barbara Gordon while watching her play tennis against Dick – he realizes that she moves just like Batgirl. Batman decides to give her the training she needs. Robin argues with Batman, but refuses to change his mind. Book Two: Bruce and Dick continue their argument up through Dick's college graduation ceremony; when the Joker unleashes a radar jammer that can cause aircraft to crash and Batgirl battle him and his gang before Dick, as Robin, intervenes. The Joker is defeated, he decides to leave Gotham City, despite the protests of Barbara. Book Three: Dick breaks up a smuggling operation by Two-Face and discovers an ancient African tribe, where he learns combat techniques from them taking the first steps out of Batman's shadow.
In Africa, Dick develops a new persona for himself: Nightwing. Book Four: Batman becomes angrier and more driven because of Dick's departure – his new partner, Batgirl, is concerned over his change in personality. One night, while on the trail of Two-Face, Batman saves young Tim Drake, son of petty criminal "Shifty" Drake. Shifty was trying to stop Two-Face from holding Gotham City ransom prior to his death, Tim seeks to honor his father's dying wish. Batman trained Tim into Robin to save him from a life of crime. Two-Face was captured and Batman took in Tim as his second ward. Book Five: Dick joins an expedition to find a group of Tibetan monks who have lost an artifact, agreeing to recover the artifact in exchange for their secret of flight, he succeeds in gaining the artifact back from Ra's al Ghul. Succeeding, he visits Batman and reveals his new identity of Nightwing to him, Alfred and Robin. A new series based on The New Batman Adventures titled Batman: Gotham Adventures ran for 60 issues.
This was the longest-running series in the Batman Adventures line. Early issues were written by Ty Templeton and illustrated by Rick Burchett, while the team of Scott Peterson, Tim Levins, Terry Beatty did most of the issues. Batgirl and Nightwing appeared in most of the issues; this series was praised for its level of characterization. In 2003, DC Comics launched Batman Adventures, shortly after the cancellation of Batman: Gotham Adventures; the first issue was made available through Free Comic Book Day. It ran for 17 issues before being canceled to make way for The Batman Strikes!, a new title based on the new, animated series The Batman. Every issue had two stories, one by Dan Slott and Ty Templeton, while the other was by Ty Templeton and Rick Burchett. Issue #15, written by Jason Hall, bridges the gap between Mr. Freeze's appearances in Batman: The Anima
Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman: Trinity
Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman: Trinity is a three-issue comic book limited series published by DC Comics in 2003. Written and drawn by Matt Wagner, the series focused on the first meeting and alliance between DC's Trinity: Batman and Wonder Woman, regarded as DC's most popular characters; the story takes place before the formation of the Justice League. The series was collected as a hardback and a softcover trade paperback by DC Comics in 2005; the story establishes the first meeting between The World's Finest Trinity: Superman and Wonder Woman. When Batman's greatest nemesis, Ra's al Ghul, recruits Bizarro and the Amazon warrior Artemis to aid him in his plan to create global chaos, the Dark Knight Detective finds himself working with the Man of Steel and the Amazon Princess. Looking to thwart the madman's plot to destroy all satellite communications as well as all of the world's oil reserves, Earth's greatest heroes reluctantly band together, but if Batman and Wonder Woman are to have any hope of stopping Ra's nuclear missile assault, they will first need to overcome their own biases and reconcile their differing philosophies.
In keeping up his secret identity, Clark Kent misses the train to take him to work, something he intentionally does three times a week. A gunshot is heard from that train and Clark appears as Superman and finds the victim: the train's driver; as the train speeds up uncontrollably, Superman tries to grab the side of the train but it plummets off the curve toward the ground. But Superman manages to catch it. Superman tracks the trajectory of the bullet that finds nothing. In the distance, shadowy figures track his movements, that night, those figures break into S. T. A. R. Labs, they make sure Superman is not around to stop them, but a shadowy figure appears and stops them anyway. The media believes Superman was the one who stopped the thieves, but speculation abounds as to why he decided to leave them hogtied. In Antarctica, other shadowy figures track down and dig out a creature created by Lex Luthor: Bizarro. Clark receives a tip from an old friend, he meets him in his limousine. Bruce was the one who captured the S.
T. A. R. Labs thieves, as he explains that he has been on the trail of an exclusive cartel that can obtain any type of weapon calling themselves "the Purge"; the thieves were after kryptonite, determining that there wouldn't be enough time til the next job for him to do so, Bruce requests Superman's help in the decryption of a LexCorp disc, both men concurrently surmising that the thieves will steal next from Lexcorp. An Amazon woman, who calls herself "Diana", passes her "audition" by fighting several shadowy figures. A man from the shadows offers her a position with The Purge. Clark breaks the code on the disk and discovers that The Purge was after something called "Project Replica", he knows what it means, goes to one of the locations, only to find it missing. Covered in heavy, thick chains, Bizarro sits: Ra's al Ghul. Calling Bizarro his "friend", he talks him into joining the Purge and adds that no one will harm him again, he is released, given a medallion that says "Bizarro #1". In the Batcave, Batman informs Superman that the man behind The Purge is Ra's al Ghul, an eco-terrorist.
Batman once had connections inside Ghul's network. He knows whatever he is doing, it is big. Bizarro steals a nuclear sub, only to be attacked, he shakes the sub and kills all the soldiers, with one of the missiles launched and detonated near Themyscira. Above the Daily Planet, Superman is greeted by Princess Diana aka Wonder Woman, she has come to talk about the missile that fell, for which the Amazons believe Superman responsible. When it is revealed to be the work of Bizarro, Diana voices regret over the Amazons' initial suspicions of Superman. Both decide to take down the sub, Superman and Wonder Woman take a ride in her invisible jet. Tracking the sub down at the Sahara Desert, they find a camp where they investigate an underground facility. Soon, the two heroes are attacked; the commander orders Unit A to fall Unit B to advance. Realizing Unit B are suicide bombers, Superman can do nothing but shield Diana as the bombers explode; the dust settles, after Superman takes care of the nerve gas, they make their way to the commander who has locked himself in a vault.
Inside, the commander kills himself just as Superman and Diana burst in. With no time left, Superman gets Diana out as he spins at incredible speed to get the bomb underground as it explodes; as she leaves, Diana sees a knot on a crate, an Amazonian Bridle Knot. Diana tries to find Superman as his hand breaks through the surface; when Diana mentions the crate addressed to Gotham City, Superman knows. "Diana" and members of The Purge meet with a street gang in Gotham. Inspecting the "merchandise", Batman takes down the Purge, soon does the same with the gang; when he goes after "Diana", Batman is able to fend off most, but not all, of her attacks. "Diana" knocks him out and escapes. Recovered, Batman uses one of the Purge members to get answers. Not able to get anything, a golden lasso wraps around the man and he starts spilling his guts. Diana does not approve of Batman's aggressive methods. Superman tries to play peacemaker while he introduces one to another, why they are here. After bringing him up to speed, Batman gives the two heroes a psychological sketch of Ra's and wants to question the Purge member further, using Wonder Woman's lasso.
She agrees. After getting the man's name and serial number, the t
WonderCon
WonderCon is an annual comic book, science fiction, film convention held in the San Francisco Bay Area - under the name WonderCon Anaheim - in Anaheim and WonderCon Los Angeles in 2016. The convention returned to the Anaheim Convention Center in 2017 after a one-year stint in Los Angeles; the convention was conceived by retailer John Barrett and held in the Oakland Convention Center. In 2003, it moved to San Francisco's Moscone Center; the show's original name was the Wonderful World of Comics Convention. Retailer Joe Field and his partner Mike Friedrich owned and operated the convention for fifteen years. In 2001, they brokered a deal with the management team that runs the San Diego Comic-Con International to make it part of the Comic-Con International convention family; this gave the San Francisco show a wider audience and has made it a venue for previews and early screenings of major motion pictures, in particular ones based on comic books. These have included Spider-Man 2 in 2004, Batman Begins and Fantastic Four in 2005, Superman Returns in 2006, 300 in 2007, Watchmen in 2009, Kick-Ass in 2010.
All of these events featured the stars of the films fielding questions from the audience. WonderCon had 34,000 attendees in 2009, 39,000 in 2010, 49,500 in 2011; the show left the Bay Area after the 2011 con, because San Francisco's Moscone Center was being remodeled. The convention moved to Anaheim in 2012, was rebranded WonderCon Anaheim; when the move to Anaheim was first announced, Comic-Con International said they would be returning to San Francisco after the Moscone Center renovations were complete. In 2016, a new convention started in the Bay Area, called the Silicon Valley Comic Con. WonderCon relocated from Anaheim to Los Angeles in 2016, is now called WonderCon Los Angeles and was held March 25-27, 2016 at the Los Angeles Convention Center; the 2017 edition of the convention returned to Anaheim and was held March 31-April 2, 2017. The WonderCon logo was designed by Tim Zach. While the main attraction of WonderCon has always been various retailers selling back issues of comic books and action figures, the exhibitor list has grown to include retailers of specialty DVDs.
There is an "Artists Alley" featuring comic book artists selling artwork, signing books, doing sketches. WonderCon hosted the Harvey Award ceremonies from 1997–1999. Since 2007, academicians and comic industry professionals have held the Comics Arts Conference in conjunction with WonderCon. In addition, WonderCon features an event called "Trailer Park," where trailers for upcoming films are shown; the WonderCon masquerade competition takes place on Saturday after the convention closes. Awards are given to those with the most creative performances. Official website WonderCon feature on Sidewalks Entertainment WonderCon founder's website
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