WonderCon 2025: Full Schedule

1:00pm PDT

Build Your Community: The Importance of Community for Comics Creators

Friday March 28, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm PDT

In these challenging times within the shifting comic book landscape, community is more necessary and valuable than ever. Led by Bryant Dillon (president, Fanbase Press), comic book creators Corinna Bechko (The Space Between), Ray-Anthony Height (Midnight Tiger), Charlie Stickney (White Ash), and Arthur Ebuen (California, Inc.) speak to the value of the comic book community, how one can maximize its positive aspects, and how we can all help the comic book community grow and prosper.

Friday March 28, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm PDT
Room 209

1: Programs, BIPOC, Cartooning and Comic Strips, Comics, LGBTQIA+

2:00pm PDT

Keep Bans Off Our Books

Friday March 28, 2025 2:00pm - 3:00pm PDT

Room 209

Book banning and censorship continue to be a serious issue for many communities, as more and more good graphic novels and books are being taken out of the hands of children and teens. Moderator Grace Sheehy (librarian II at Mission Viejo Public Library) and authors Jen Wang (Ash's Cabin), Marcie Colleen (Time Buddies), Jose Pimenta (Halfway to Somewhere), and Gabriel Valentin (Digital Lizards of Doom Volume 4: Fat Cat Rogers) address this issue.

Friday March 28, 2025 2:00pm - 3:00pm PDT
Room 209

1: Programs, Books, Comics, Education, Kids, LGBTQIA+, Writers & Writing

4:30pm PDT

Gay Geeks and Where to Find Them

Friday March 28, 2025 4:30pm - 5:30pm PDT

Room 300C

Nicole Maines (actress and writer), Emmett Yonemura (director, X-Men '97), DJ Croft (cosplayer), and D'Manda Martini (drag artist) gather to discuss their careers and projects, seeking diversity and representation, and how being a member of the community influenced their work. Moderated by Julian Jetson (host and stylist).

Friday March 28, 2025 4:30pm - 5:30pm PDT
Room 300C

1: Programs, Animation, BIPOC, Comics, Cosplay, Fandom, LGBTQIA+, Television, Writers & Writing

6:30pm PDT

Queer Horror: A Film Guide

Friday March 28, 2025 6:30pm - 7:30pm PDT

Room 213AB

Queer horror as a film genre has exploded in the last five years, but LGBTQ horror content has been part of the cinema landscape since the very beginning. Prism Comics and moderator Sean Abley (Fangoria contributor, Socket writer/director, creator/co-editor of Queer Horror: A Film Guide) hosts book contributors Calpernia Addams (Transamerican Love Story, Peabody Award–winning author), Michael Varrati (Midnight Mass podcast with Peaches Christ, There’s a Zombie Outside), and Molly Henery (The Blogging Banshee, Uterus Horror for Certified Forgotten); film director and author Sam Irvin (Elvira’s Haunted Hills, Captain Samouflage and the Frankensam Scam!); and cover artist and filmmaker Brendan Haley (The Jessica Cabin,Fangoria Chainsaw Awards).

Friday March 28, 2025 6:30pm - 7:30pm PDT
Room 213AB

1: Programs, Action/Adventure, Comics, Horror and Suspense, LGBTQIA+, Movies, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Television

11:15am PDT

11th Annual Women Rocking Hollywood Panel: Surviving and Thriving in a Changing Landscape

Saturday March 29, 2025 11:15am - 12:15pm PDT

North 100B

The last few years have been difficult for artists working in the screen industries. This has been especially true for women. And yet, they persevere. This year’s panel celebrates the showrunners, directors, and advocates creating great work despite the challenges. From fan favorites to genre films and compelling stories on the small screen, female filmmakers reflect diverse voices onscreen. This panel of powerful women changing the landscape of film & TV from the inside discusses their newest projects and how they navigate the worlds inside and outside Hollywood. Scheduled to appear are writer/executive producer Aeysha Carr (Woke, the upcoming Government Cheese), director Rosemary Rodriguez (Peacemaker, The Walking Dead franchise), producer/executive producer Dara Resnick (Daredevil, Home Before Dark), writer/executive producer Carla Ching (Fear the Walking Dead, Mr. & Mrs. Smith), writer/executive producer Danielle Sanchez-Witzel (Up Here, Survival of the Thickest), and advocate Chandra Jackson (director of marketing and communications for Women in Film). Moderated by Leslie Combemale (lead contributor, Alliance of Women Film Journalists).

Saturday March 29, 2025 11:15am - 12:15pm PDT
North 100B

3:00pm PDT

Queer Comics in Color

Saturday March 29, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT

Room 211

More and more, diverse cultural voices of people of color are being heard in comics today. Prism Comics, moderator Viktor Kerney (StrangeLore, We Belong), and panelists Amy Chu (Carmilla: The First Vampire,Red Sonja), Ajuan Mance (Gender Studies), William O. Tyler (Queerbait), and others discuss the contributions of queer people of color to comics and creating a more inclusive and powerful queer geek community.

Saturday March 29, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT
Room 211

1: Programs, Animation, BIPOC, Cartooning and Comic Strips, Comics, LGBTQIA+

4:00pm PDT

Progress and Possibilities: A 2024 Retrospective on Representation in Animation

Saturday March 29, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm PDT

Room 211

Moderated by animation activist and educator Sam Goff, panelists examine the progress made in 2024 and the opportunities ahead in authentically representing marginalized identities on screen Searit Huluf (Pixar Spark Short: Self), David DePasquale (Invincible Fight Girl, Golden Axe), Ren Bernal (Rey Mysterio, The Harley Quinn Show), Bryan K. Turner (Justice League, Rise of the TMNT), and Rodrigo Nogueira (Blue Sky Development Deal) share their insights on creating impactful and inclusive animation content.

Saturday March 29, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Room 211

1: Programs, Animation, Anime & Manga, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, Movies, Television

4:00pm PDT

The Legend of Taylore

Saturday March 29, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm PDT

Room 300A

The Legend of Taylore is an actual-play D&D podcast based on the music, memes, and lore of Taylor Swift, as played by a bunch of nerdy television writers. Produced by D&D WGA Strike Day organizers, it’s a great adventure for Swifties and non-Swifties alike, where characters encounter dangers, intrigue, and easter eggs at every turn. Moderator Jose Molina (Marvel’s Agent Carter, The Vampire Diaries) chats with dungeon master Lindsey Allen (Marvel’s Agent Carter, MacGyver) and players Casey Fisher (Altered Carbon, Walker), Daphne Miles (Batwoman, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow), Lauren Muir (The 100), Ray Utarnachitt (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow), and Nick Bragg (Death and Other Details, The 100).

Saturday March 29, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Room 300A

1: Programs, Action/Adventure, Fandom, Games, LGBTQIA+, Music, Podcasts, Television, Writers & Writing

6:30pm PDT

Supernatural Worlds of Kid/YA Comics

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:30pm - 7:30pm PDT

Room 208

James Thompson (A People's History of Comics), Alonso Nunez (Little Fish Comic Book Studio), Mary Ellen Stout (San Diego State University), Charles Hatfield (California State University Northridge), Fadi Bayaa (writer, technology/gaming expert), and Jameson Rohrer (Butte County Library) explore the fantasy and horror tropes that dominate comic youth markets from early readers to young adult, allowing for magic metaphors of acceptance, tolerance, and awakening sexuality and difference within traditional romance, melodrama, and comedy narratives. Favorite books and authors will be discussed.

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:30pm - 7:30pm PDT
Room 208

1: Programs, Comics, Education, Horror and Suspense, Kids, LGBTQIA+, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Video Games

10:00am PDT

Mixer for Science-Minded Geeks

Sunday March 30, 2025 10:00am - 12:00pm PDT

Room 204C

Among all the pop culture geeks, there are plenty of scientists in our midst at WonderCon. Everyone is welcome at this mixer, and there’s no such thing as a stupid question. What might life be like in a galaxy far, far away? Could gamma radiation produce a Hulk? What would it take for a lion king to sing? Friendly scientists will be on hand and ready to speculate about how things work in our favorite fandoms. Mingle with them and other science-minded folks in a fun, informal setting.

Sunday March 30, 2025 10:00am - 12:00pm PDT
Room 204C

1: Programs, BIPOC, Education, Fandom, LGBTQIA+, Technology - Science - STEM

12:30pm PDT

Diverse Storytellers Empowering Equity and Inclusion

Sunday March 30, 2025 12:30pm - 1:30pm PDT

Room 213AB

Andres Useche (writer/director, We Don’t Give Up, Marching into the Light), Rob Edwards (writer, Captain America: Brave New World, The Princess and the Frog), Nicole Maines (actor, Yellowjackets,Supergirl), Miranda Kwok (showrunner/producer, The Cleaning Lady,The 100), Jorge R. Gutierrez (director/animator, The Book of Life, Maya and the Three), Aaron Butler (editor, Euphoria, The Idol), Drew Leung (concept artist, LOTR: The Rings of Power, Black Panther Wakanda Forever), and Stephanie Paciullo (agent, CAA) reveal the secrets of their craft, how you can make your way into the industry, and how the arts can make a difference by giving voice to underrepresented folks in the search for greater justice, empathy, and equality. Moderated by Stephanie Pfingsten (CEO/publicist, Lumos PR).

Sunday March 30, 2025 12:30pm - 1:30pm PDT
Room 213AB

1:00pm PDT

Queer Comics and Resistance: Poking Fun at Power

Sunday March 30, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm PDT

Room 211

How can comics and culture fight back against homophobia and transphobia? Can poking fun at political figures influence their opinions? Can satire in comics change the way people think about the queer community? Prism Comics, moderator Tara Madison Avery (Prism Comics, Stacked Deck Press), and panelists Liam Coballes (The Out Side, Yu Yu Hakusho), Nicole Maines (Bad Dream, Secret Six, Supergirl), Knave Murdok (TransCat, We're Still Here), Megan Praz (One More Year, Contested Strip), Sonya Saturday (The Greatest Thing You've Ever Seen in Your Life, J.K. Rowling and the Ungrateful Fans), William O. Tyler (We Belong, Anxious Ax), and Shing Yin Khor (The Legend of Auntie Po, American Dream? A Journey on Route 66) discuss these and other topics of social activism in comics.

Sunday March 30, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm PDT
Room 211

1: Programs, Animation, BIPOC, Cartooning and Comic Strips, Comics, Humor & Satire, LGBTQIA+, Superheroes

2:00pm PDT

Japanese Queer Media

Sunday March 30, 2025 2:00pm - 3:00pm PDT

Room 211

Japanese Queer media (Yaoi, BL, Yuri, and GL) has grown in popularity with an incredibly devoted fandom. What are the earliest depictions of Japanese queer media? How has it evolved? Panelists discuss this subgenre and how it is being challenged today.

Sunday March 30, 2025 2:00pm - 3:00pm PDT
Room 211

1: Programs, Animation, Anime & Manga, Books, Cartooning and Comic Strips, Comics, Education, Fandom, Historical, Horror and Suspense, LGBTQIA+, Television

4:00pm PDT

Writing What Makes You Different: Turning Unique Experiences into Compelling Fiction

Sunday March 30, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm PDT

Room 211

Gretchen Schreiber (Ellie Haycock Is Totally Normal), Emery Lee (Meet Cute Diary), Elle Jauffret (Threads of Deception), Dennis K Crosby (Kassidy Simmons series), and Dr. Billy San Juan (Supernatural Psychology) explore how distinctive backgrounds and unusual experiences become storytelling strengths, enhancing character depth and creating authentic fiction that resonates with readers.

Sunday March 30, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Room 211

1: Programs, Books, Education, Horror and Suspense, LGBTQIA+, Mysteries & Crime Dramas, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Writers & Writing