I attended WonderCon 2023 in Anaheim, CA. Was on a couple of panels and saw tons of fantastic cosplay. Enjoy!
Some of the doomed Space Marines from Aliens
My Speculative Fiction in Alternate History panel. From L to R: Lissa Price, me, Stacia Deutsch, Scott Sigler
The panel audience
Scott Sigler reads a snippet from his story.
Aquaman and Wonder Woman
Ahsoka Tano and Darth Maul: Theirs was a forbidden love.
Aang, Katara, and Aapa the flying bison from Avatar: The Last Airbender. “Yip, yip!”
Avengers: Hawkeye, Iron Man, Thor
Futrama’s Bender (on a bender)
The brest, I mean best Catwoman cosplay there.
Chainsaw Man. The convention staff actually bothered to safety tag his chainsaw blades.
Chewbacca
Cinderella
A reliable and helpful cosplay repair man.
Cousin It from The Addams Family
“In his house at R’lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.”
Dancing Stormtrooper with real boombox music
With David Gerrold, the man who wrote the tribbles episode of Star Trek, among many other things.
Doc Oc from Spiderman
Edna Mode from The Incredibles was VERY busy telling all the superheroes, “No capes!”
Elves from a video game.
Final Fantasy cosplay. Speak softly and carry a big sword.
A huge Master Sergeant from Halo.
Poison Ivy and four Harley Quinns.
My KidLit author panel with, L to R: Tara Gilboy, Reggie Brown, me, Dee Leone.
You might think this is just a cute kid in costume. But it is also the most horrific costume at WonderCon. Why? This junior canine astronaut’s spacesuit has red stars, making her a cosmonaut. The Soviets launched a mutt Laika on a one-way journey into space at the early stages of their space program. That’s cold.
Mandlorians
Middle grade author panel with, L to R: Greg Van Eekhout, Dan Santat, Cecil Castelucci, and Chris Baron.
Amazingly well rendered Poison Ivy from Batman.
Remote-controlled robot from WALL-E.
The villain Ronan from The Avengers
Star Wars cosplay
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Michelangelo
Tony Stark and Pepper Potts
At The Rings of Power panel, the signer for the hearing impaired wore elf ears.
Galactus
Wise Uncle Iroh from Avatar – The Last Airbender
Walter White from Breaking Bad
Wednesday from The Addams Family
A second version of Wednesday from The Addams Family
Some cosplayers go to great lengths and expense to recreate iconic characters from movies, books, news, and comics. Not this guy… Thanks to Alexander Kravets and the mad geniuses at Bored Panda.
“Remember the Lowcostplay guy from Thailand who creates crappy cosplays using stuff he finds at home? Turns out, he has a serious competitor in Russia. Alexander Kravets from Moscow explores deeper levels of ridiculousness by recreating popular movies, TV scenes, games, or pictures of celebrities using only the things that he can find around him.
Alexander discovered his passion for cosplay in 2015 and since then he’s been brightening the days of almost 55k followers on Instagram. He calls his work zero-budget, “suitable” cosplay which he creates using stuff any person would be able to find at home: frying pans, hair dryers, various food products, towels, toys, household items or even his dog. Who says eye-catching costumes have to cost a fortune?”
Had a fantastic time at San Diego Comic-Con. I participated in three panels and got to hang out with some amazing authors. Took a ton of pictures for my friends who couldn’t be there. Enjoy!
My little Predator? One of my favorite pictures from the convention.
My sons and I outside the San Diego Convention Center
In the San Diego Convention Center, no one can hear you scream!
The Dark Crystal, Planet of the Apes, and Lord of the Rings sculptures
A giant Mr. Krabs from Spongebob Squarepants!
“Not with 10,000 men could you do this.”
Ah, Dungeons & Dragons humor…
Samurai Batman!
Puppets from the upcoming TV show Crank Yankers
Tiki Yoda and Moana !?
Godzilla doesn’t like waiting in lines either.
Gundam figures
Batman: Family
A sketch of me by the creator of Mr. Toast
The importance of good dental hygiene…
I’ve got my eye on you!
He-Man!
Domino from X-Men
Stephen King’s IT
Final Fantasy characters
3A figures from Ashley Woods
Magic Wheelchairs ❤
Met the kind and talented author of THE NIGHT CIRCUS, Erin Morgenstern
The wonderful author of SHADOW AND BONE, Leigh Bardugo, wins the Inkpot award
Leigh Bardugo and Erin Morgenstern: talented and funny
Are You There, Gods? It’s Us, the Protagonists panel with authors Rebecca Roanhorse, Scott Westerfeld, Margaret Rogerson, Ann Leckie, and Joan He
Ruby Rod cosplay from The Fifth Element. Supergreen!
Joffrey cosplay from Game of Thrones
The Future as I See It panel with authors Gini Koch, Tim Zahn, Steven Sears, Jonathan Maberry, Javier Grillo-Marxuach, and Seanan McGuire
The Fantastic Flavors of Fantasy panel with authors Renee Ahdieh, Lauren Shippen, Katy Pool, Nicole Conway, Sherrilyn Kenyon, and Marissa Meyer
Those Toy Story green army “men” are real people!
Jonathan Maberry gives Nancy Holder the Scribe Award
Star Wars samurai cosplay!
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild cosplay
Wherefore Dystopia and Darkness panel with bestselling authors Jess Rothenberg, Richard Kadrey, S.L. Huang, Ally Condie, Rachel Caine, and Marie Lu
Admiral Ackbar cosplay from Star Wars. “It’s a trap!”
Fembot cosplay from Austin Powers
Shego and Kim Possible cosplay
Tank Girl cosplay
The Writers Coffeehouse author panel with (l to r) me, Jonathan Maberry, Delilah Dawson, Peter Clines and Scott Sigler.
I can’t wait to see this urban fantasy series!
Carnival Row stars Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne. Is it hot in here, or is it just me?
Cara Delevingne’s fairy character takes flight off the edge of a cliff.
Six-foot tall LEGO Batman minifigure
Monty Python and the Holy Grail cosplay. “There are some who call me… Tim.”
Wakanda (Black Panther) / Spiderman basketball team cosplay. SDCC is known for such creative mashups.
Chun-Li cosplay from Street Fighter video game
Green Arrow cosplay
Peter Pan Lost Boy Rufio cosplay from the movie Hook
Beetlejuice cosplay. Don’t say his name three times
ALF cosplay
Stellar Stories and Awesome Adventures panel with authors Maura Milan, Mark Siegel, Tochi Onyebuchi, Ashley Poston, and Maryelizabeth Yturralde
Disney Hyperion Publishing panel with authors/editors Emily Meehan, Brittany Rubiana, Serena Valentino, and Jocelyn Davies
Theseus and the Minotaur cosplay
Three interpretations of Judge Dredd cosplay
Lord Voldemort: He Who Shall Not Be Named. Oops.
Skeleton warrior cosplay
Wonder Woman cosplay
Game of Thrones cosplay: Cersei, The Mountain, The Night King, Arya wondering why SHE isn’t killing the Night King
Rick and Morty cosplay
Global debut of the cover of my upcoming picture book, 2 Pirates + 1 Robot, from Kane Miller Books.
My fantasy/sci-fi author panel with (l to r) Tomi Adeyemi, Lev Grossman, A.G. Howard, Aditi Khorana, and Jonathan Maberry.
They packed the room!
Fans of The Magicians may recall Umber asking for little cakes. I brought Lev Grossman some little cakes.
After the panel, the authors signed their books. Many added graffiti to the tablecloth. Someone drew salmon. Author Chuck Wendig apparently has no respect for sustainable salmon farming. And the feeling is mutual.
Lev Grossman (The Magicians) left his own graffiti.
Mostly, we signed books. Here author Lev Grossman signs a fan’s chest.
My favorite cosplay of the convention: Warhammer 40K Sisters of Battle! Adepta Sororitas
My KidLit literary agent panel with (l to r) Hannah Mann, Thao Le, Kelly Sonnack and Stefanie Von Borstel.
Writing Craft panel with authors Sarah Gailey, Annalee Newitz, Charlie Jane Anders, Seanan McGuire, and Cory Doctorow
Godzilla, Ghidorah, and Rodan resin miniatures
Sci-fi author greats Larry Niven, Greg Bear, and David Brin
Fandom Meets YA panel with authors Livia Blackburne, Mary Pearson, Tricia Levenseller, A.G. Howard, and C.B. Lee
Lord of the Rings cosplay. A Minas Tirith dress! “For Gondor!!”
Reinventing the Modern Girl panel with authors Seanan McGuire, Danielle Paige, Sarah Kuhn, Nila Macgruder, Cecil Castellucci, and Jenn Fujikawa.
It seems only appropriate that movie directors’ homes should reflect their cinematic style and artistic preferences. Thanks to the mad geniuses at Bored Panda for sharing how illustrator Federico Babina combines his passions for illustration, cinema, and architecture.
“Wondering what the iconic movie houses would look like if they were based on her films, Babina created an illustrative series called Archidirector. The series follows the same pattern of another series, Archicine, in which Babina illustrates famous houses and constructions of certain films.
In this work, the Italian showed his admiration for names like Federico Fellini, George Lucas, Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Wes Anderson, Charlie Chaplin, David Lynch, Tim Burton, Lars von Trier, Ingmar Bergman, Coen Brothers, Fritz Lang and more.”
Finally, a use for all those collectible action hero figures gathering dust on the shelf, thanks to Hot.kenobi and the mad geniuses at Bored Panda.
“Japanese photographer Hot.kenobi plays with his action toys and uses photography to tell their entertaining stories. Osaka-based Hot.kenobi creates a universe where box office rivals DC and Marvel comics (sometimes Disney’s Star Wars as well) not only battle each other, but also have some fun in both surreal and everyday situations. Most of his compositions are explosive and feature a lot of movement, perfectly supplemented by special effects and a healthy dose of humor.
Whether it’s Hulk smashing a can of soda, or Spiderman trying to ‘play’ Captain America’s shield on a CD player, these images bring the colorful personalities of unlikely friends and foes.”
Conquering the galaxy isn’t all drama and highlights. The untold tales of Star Wars villains, as imagined by the clever photographer David Gilliver at Design You Trust.
“Tiny Storm Troopers and a mini Darth Vader are captured doing everyday activities – from taking a bath, to wrapping presents. Scottish Artist and Photographer, David Giliver created these scenes over a period of two years using toys and miniature props. Here: Two storm troopers lie in a bath.”
Darth Vader gives presents to Luke Skywalker
Darth Vader points at an opticians letter chart
A stormtrooper has a walker on a leash
A storm trooper rides a skateboard A walker hold a bone and wears a Christmas hat
An Emperor’s Guard wraps another in tin foil
A storm trooper wears high heeled boots
A storm trooper gives another a bunch of flowers
A storm trooper bottle feeds a walker
A storm trooper feeds a walker in the grass
A storm trooper throws a stick to a walker
Photo by David Gilliver/Barcroft Images
I’m a firm believer in truth-in-advertising. So, I really enjoyed this imaginative romp from Iveta Pete and the mad geniuses at Bored Panda.
“Movie posters don’t always tell it like it is. And that’s probably a good thing, at least for the people who make them. After all, would you pay to watch a film called ‘Young Woman Needlessly Degrades Herself To Be With Complete Arsehole’? How about ‘Liam Neeson Punches People’, or ‘Channing Tatum Takes His Shirt Off Again Or Something’? Ok, so maybe some of you would still pay to watch that last one.”
Some people love their cats perhaps a bit too much… By Greta J and the mad geniuses at Bored Panda.
“David and Sarah, a couple from the UK, are recreating famous movie scenes together with their cats and it couldn’t get any funnier! They have two cats who are almost identical named Willow and Tara, but Tara stars in most of their pictures. “We started doing it as a picture question in our pub quiz’s film/TV round, and it went down really well so we made it a regular thing,” – the couple told The Dodo.
“The cats clearly think we’re weird. It can be a challenge to get [the cats] to cooperate, but they get lots of treats so that tends to win them over to our nonsense,” Sarah and David told LoveMeow.
The good news for the movie and feline lovers is that there’s more pictures to come! “We’re going to keep making them. It’s a hilarious way to spend a Sunday!”
Ever wonder about alternative uses for old thrift-store paintings? Well clever artist David Irwine shows us some great ideas using pop-culture icons, as shown at Sad & Useless.
henryherz.com 