WonderCon Friday Programming Cancelled; Relocation to Skywalker Ranch For Rest Of Weekend
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Renovation work on the Moscone Center in San Francisco has forced WonderCon to close Friday, and possibly for the rest of the weekend. The move was a precaution after the discovery of asbestos on the convention floor during routine testing. Follow up tests are planned before that part of the building can re-open.
This is a precautionary measure; should asbestos be found, it permeates newsprint, such as in most comics and bristol board. Any comics and original not slabbed or similarly protected could conceivably require disposal.
“It’s almost inconceivable this could happen,” said Jack Napier, spokesperson for the Moscone Center. “You expect disasters like this on Friday the 13th, not April Fool’s Day.”
The current backup plan is to take everybody to Skywalker Ranch in nearby Marin County, by force if necessary. “We were considering taking them to the Lucasfilm facility at the Presidio, which is closer… but we could get more fans motivated to move if we dangled the place that they’ve heard of in front of them. Besides, fanboys need the fresh air and sunshine.”
When asked if George Lucas had been consulted about the move, Napier said, “No, but he owes me and the fans a visit for what he did to us with The Phantom Menace, dammit.”
In recent years WonderCon has grown from a highly successful regional show to the first large national show of the comics convention season. Hollywood was supposed to have a major presence at WonderCon this year as well, with Green Lantern stars Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively and Peter Sarsgaard; Cowboys And Aliens director Jon Favreau; Henry Cavill (until recently, the newest Superman); V‘s Elizabeth Mitchell, Priest‘s Paul Bettany, Super‘s Rainn Wilson, Human Target‘s Mark Valley, and Breaking In‘s Christian Slater. The guests are all being polled to see if any of them know George Lucas, and if so, can ask for a really big favor and have a few thousand friends over.
The updated WonderCon programming schedule is available at http://www.comic-con.org/wc/wc_prog.php.
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