WonderCon 2026

What makes a superhero a superhero, and why does it matter now? Building on Peter Coogan's defining criteria of mission, powers, heroic identity, costume, and generic distinction, this interactive panel examines how these elements shape both classic and contemporary understandings of the superhero genre. Antero Garcia (Stanford University), Susan Kirtley (Portland State University), and Peter Carlson (Green Dot Public Schools) introduce a practical, classroom-tested rubric for analyzing superhero construction, drawing from their comics pedagogy framework and community-centered activities. After modeling how Coogan's criteria illuminate characters across publishers and eras, panelists guide attendees through hands-on evaluation and rapid-creation exercises. Participants name, assess, and finally design their own superheroes rooted in real-world identities, communities, and needs. This session invites scholars, educators, and fans to rethink the superhero not merely as a genre figure but as a cultural tool for storytelling, self-authorship, and collective imagination.

As a cartoonist and animation director, 2026 Eisner Hall of Fame inductee Lee Marrs' legacy is wide-reaching and topical. Marrs was one of the first women underground cartoonists, serving as a founding mommy of Wimmen's Comix, the first all-women comics series, and created her infamous underground series The Further Fattening Adventures of Pudge, Girl Blimp. In the 1980s, she was one of the first women to work for both Marvel and DC, and in the 1990s, she worked for Dark Horse, writing two Indiana Jones miniseries. Lee and moderator Sydney Heifler (The Ohio State University) will discuss Marrs's contributions to underground, mainstream, and fantasy comics and how her comics have sparked conversations about women's bodies, sexual orientation, and race within feminist and comic book narratives. This spotlight concludes with a look at Marrs' latest work and her ongoing effort to create comics that speak to important social, cultural, and political moments.

How have comics responded to the Trump era? Adam Adler (Super Babies v. DC Comics) and Peter Coogan (Institute for Comics Studies) explore how comics use metaphor, abstraction, and larger-than-life characters to express controversial or politically charged ideas and show how the response to Trump is the latest in a long line of comics-based activism.

Stephen Burns (3D artist and author) and Nikolai Svakkin (Adobe lead 3D engineer) demonstrate the possibilities of using Blender 3D to design and create concepts that aid in telling great stories. They also explain how this technology allows concept and 3D artists to collaborate in bringing their visions to life.

Creative passion and keen business sense don't always go hand in hand, and that's one of the reasons why many creators put off taking steps to protect their rights. But with an ever-growing appetite for new content and artificial means for laypersons to generate creative works with simple prompts, it has never been more important for creators to "get their ducks in a row" as soon as they can to protect themselves and their creations. But comics creators have their own Defenders they can turn to—and not just Jennifer Walters and Matt Murdock—as noted IP attorney Michael Lovitz (author of The Trademark and Copyright Book comic book) returns to WonderCon along with IP attorney Alana Friedman to bring attendees the information needed to protect their creative works. This Comic Book Law School session tackles the basics of protection and ownership of ideas, works of authorship, characters, names, and branding, giving creators information to help them protect their creative works from conception through publication and beyond. Attendees will participate in an interactive discussion about rights available to authors and creators under U.S. copyright and trademark laws, as well as some of the problems and pitfalls they may face, some important contract “dos and don'ts,” and (time permitting) a brief discussion on why written agreements can be unsung heroes and why not all generative A.I. programs are villains. Please note: The Comic Book Law School seminars are designed to provide relevant information and practice tips to practicing attorneys, as well as practical tips to creators and other professionals who may wish to attend. However, the seminar is presented for information and entertainment purposes only, and the information presented and opinions expressed at the seminars do not constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. [This program is approved for one credit of California MCLE.]

Are you passionate about writing, creating, and storytelling? Do you have a book, script, or idea in need of some TLC? Creative professionals join for an engaging, audience-led discussion designed for independent authors, creators, and artists like you! Featuring host April Wahlin (author, Pandora Syndrome), Doc Farrow (actor, Young Sheldon), Jessica Maison (comics publisher, Wicked Tree Press), Aristotle Dreher (content creator and performer, Aristotle Full Throttle), Laurine Price (producer and writer, Phoenix), Dr. Travis Langley (writer, Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight), and Tessa McFionn (novelist, Star-Crossed Negotiations).

See figure models Lucy Smith (director of SoCal-based figure drawing series Library After Dark Presents) and Kia Watson pose live for Lisa Dosson (storyboard artist for Disney TVA, Sesame Workshop, and Dan Harmon's Krapopolis), Orpheus Collar (storyboard artist for Disney's Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus), and Jose Pimienta (comic book artist and story artist for Disney and Random House). Artists and models will discuss their unique perspectives on working in the animation industry. Attendees can pose and take home a sketch or two. Moderated by Lucy Smith.

Panelists examine the process of adaptation into and out of comics and how those adaptations navigate audience responses. Adriana Griot (California State University, Long Beach) analyzes fan response on social media to the graphic novel adaptations of the Dungeons & Dragons live-play campaign The Adventure Zone. Audrey Garcia (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) investigates how readers can "close play" comics alongside video games, considering Alien: The Illustrated Story alongside Alien: Isolation as a case study. Rachelanne Smith (Liberty University) explores how the graphic novel Trick 'r Treat: Day of the Dead connects to the original film and expands on its lore. Sierra Schiano (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) considers Reimena Yee's digital comic The God of Arepo, which adapts a collaborative short story written spontaneously and anonymously on Tumblr into an original Classical myth.

Why do we like stories about ghouls, darkness, and other assorted horrors? Some of us can't stand to be spooked, yet others can't get enough. What can we learn about the human condition from tales of horror? Delving into the darkness are Shelly Clevenger (Sam Houston State University), Daniel Jun Kim (PopMythology.com), and Alex Langley (Spider-Man Psychology: Untangling Webs). They explore pain, trauma, and resilience in the Ice Cream Man series, Home Sick Pilots, and Nice House on the Lake. Panelists use the genre of comics to help us understand how horror can illustrate both the worst and best of the human experience.

What makes a superhero timeless? From the Man of Steel soaring into comics in 1938 to the masked vigilantes and webslingers dominating popular culture today, each taps into something essential in the human imagination. Experts and industry pros explore why these icons became cultural mainstays, how their appeal has shifted across eras, and what their evolving popularity reveals about the societies that embraced them. The discussion looks at the characters' mythic roots, their psychological and cultural resonance, and how fans—across generations and around the world—have reinterpreted them. Whether it is Superman's embodiment of hope, Batman's brooding complexity, or Spider-Man's neurotic relatability, the panel unpacks the formulas that made them unforgettable and considers how newer heroes are building on that legacy.

Emilio Soltero, Ph.D. (John Buscema: A Life in Sketches, Gorillas in da Mix) presents a primer on drawing the figure for popular media, including drawing for comics and character design. Professionals and beginners are welcome. Bring your drawing supplies to draw during this interactive presentation. Come ready to take notes and to draw.

What superpowers of the body, mind, or heart do you have? This family-friendly interactive workshop is led by Angel Halo Chang, a former preschool teacher and children's book author-illustrator who is passionate about creating diverse and inclusive spaces for all children and families. Pencils and paper provided. Coloring pencils and crayons are encouraged, not required.

Some of the best voice directors in the industry, including Kristi Reed (Fionna and Cake), Sara Jane Sherman (Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man), and more, are once again stepping out of the booth to share the secrets of their craft with journalist Taimur Dar (The Beat).

Comic book artist Cutter Hays will demonstrate and teach his fast methods of achieving cool-looking inks in a flashy, sped-up sumi style. It's fun to watch, he takes questions while doing it, and you, too, can learn to be fast, good, and braver with a brush and ink. Cutter will even take on suggestions for subjects as a fun challenge. If you're a beginner, this can be your launching pad. If you're advanced, you can put a new tool in your arsenal. Many are intimidated by traditional inking—come watch and find out how fun it can be!

Learn techniques from the experts: Fon Davis (25-year veteran of miniature VFX who has worked on over 25 movies, including the Star Wars series and Guardians of the Galaxy), Brooke Wheeler ( technical sales manager/materials specialist with Reynolds Advanced Materials), Sam Girgis (owner of BiggerBoxModels, designing ideas using CAD systems and with a unique focus on the 3D printing environment), Shawn Thorsson (founder of Thorsson & Assoc. Workshop whose props and armor are produced for films and collectors), Julia Jenkins (cosplayer of many characters who is an avid seamstress and builder), and Jeff Broz (in mold production for over 30 years, producing both aerospace and sci-fi projects).

Artists Brenda Chi (IDW variant cover artist, TMNT, Transformers, Godzilla Rivals), Don Nguyen (Pablo the Gorilla; sketchcard artist, Marvel, DC Comics, Star Wars, Spongebob), Marcus Newsome (Lightning Strike, Sincere: American Nightmare; sketchcard artist, Marvel, Halo, X-files) and Nathaniel Osollo (Dark Mouse, Sewer Boyz) lead the audience in a life-drawing session featuring cosplayers Crystal Rose, Patricia Rabago, Warpath_Dylan, Jimmy Sherfy, and Jeanie Herger. Attendees are encouraged to bring their preferred drawing tools, whether digital or analog. All skill levels are welcome, and there may be surprises.

Daniel Ambord explores how the figure of the monstrous CEO centaur Dario Agger in Thor playfully deconstructs the narrative limits of the superhero genre to examine predation and exploitation, institutional structures of money and power, and the very real predators that dwell within them. Elke Defever (Binghamton University) traces how French cartoonist Moebius blends ancient mythic storytelling with 20th-century political tension to create a new kind of speculative visual language, not to escape reality, but to interrogate it. Logan Uber (Once Upon a Time) builds upon McCloud's definition of comics to examine the sequential artistry of illustrated Medieval texts and marginalia as juxtaposed images in sequence.

This panel looks at the continued and intertwined impact of both the writings of Hunter S. Thompson (author of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and other books) and the Chicano Movement (including the Chicano Moratorium against the Vietnam War) on comics. Librarian Xaviera Flores (UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center), cartoonist and producer Lalo Alcaraz (La Cucaracha), and animator Jeaux Janovsky (Orwell: 2+2 = 5) discuss the Chicano art journal Con Safos, the writings and activist work of Oscar Zeta Acosta, the art of Ralph Steadman (illustrator of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and other books), and prints from the East L.A. Art center Self Help Graphics. Moderated by Gustavo Alberto Garcia Vaca (Museum of Modern Art).

Superhero comics serve as evolving cultural battlegrounds where questions of identity, otherness, race, queerness, disability, and social justice are negotiated and reimagined. Britton Payne (Nickelodeon) uses the Martian Manhunter to explore how superhero secret identities mirror the autistic experience of masking, belonging, and negotiating what it means to be American. Tracing queer themes, Esther Brito Ruiz (American University) examines how American superhero comics have wrestled with—and reshaped—LGBTQ+ identity over time. Focusing on Damian Wayne in The Boy Wonder miniseries, Juan Carlos Fermin (California State University, Fullerton) analyzes how Juni Ba reimagines the Batman mythos through postcolonial and Marxist critique. Mike Bittner (Stanford University) revisits 1990s teen superhero titles to assess how comics of the era tackled hot-button social issues—from LGBTQ+ rights to environmentalism—with varying degrees of insight and misfire.

Doing great art is difficult, right? Training in art is supposed to be hard, right? That's why 99 percent of people don't make it, right? Nope, wrong. Does your brain try to find ways away from art instead of into it? We did the opposite as kids. Why not still? Comic book artist Cutter Hays will give you several good tools to restore the fun and delight to your art, even if it's training hard. Loving it is the first, best way to continue doing it and get good. If it's grueling, or you have trouble sticking with it, if you feel it's never good enough, or you come up with excuses to not do it instead of the other way around, you'll want to hear this. You're not alone—many people, even professionals, have this problem, and it's curable. Come with an open mind and leave loving your artwork again.