Although San Francisco's annual WonderCon has been and probably always will be the spunky younger sibling to the ginormous pop culture behemoth that is San Diego Comic-Con, it's certainly got its upsides: namely, fewer lines to get into panels and more breathing room everywhere you go, even if the sickly sour stench of sweaty nerds wafting in and out of the convention center air ducts unfortunately remains the same. What else remains the same, con after con? My undying love for the good folks who take the time and care to dress up in costume at every convention, celebrating their favorite comics, movies, and series with pride among the strangers who share the sentiment the most, whether they're wearing their geek badges literally on their sleeves or not.


As a Bay Area native, it was particularly nice to return to my old stomping grounds and see plenty of enthusiasts representing in the city by the bay. As always, there was a heavy Star Wars contingent -- to be expected in the land of George Lucas -- and quite a few nods to favorite spandexed superheroes. Some of my faves from the WonderCon floor: Admiral Ackbar (and cereal), the Hitcher from "The Mighty Boosh," and the zombified guy in military gear who went to the trouble of wearing the freakiest contact lenses ever made. (Gotta love that dedication to detail!)
More ladies seem to be getting in on the cos-play in 2010 (and I don't mean booth babes, though the Kick-Ass girls caught my eye with their cleverly-located taglines). Look for the Lady Marvel heroes for my favorite group costumes of 2010 in the gallery below, and tell us what you think of this year's WonderCon cos-players.