Pop Xulture Newsletter # 43
Focusing on WonderCon 2026. 3/27-3/29/26
Hey Friends! Each year I give you highlights from WonderCon and this is that Newsletter! Before I get to that, I’m briefly asking you to check out my new podcast “But Keep Your Stories Closer” (available on all platforms, including Apple and Spotify) and for you to check out my recent article: “1985 vs. 2025: A Hope/less Hallelujah.”
Xomposition Exclusive
You can read my coverage of WonderCon 2023, WonderCon 2024, and WonderCon 2025. Here are the highlights from 2026:
Spiritual Themes in Comics
This is always an insightful panel put on by CCAS (Christian Comic Arts Society). The moderator’s (Kyle Keene) first question was whether fiction was a wise way to get through the world’s current difficulties. The panelists said not to use escapism, but gave examples of video games, TV shows, and films to see spiritual themes which tie back to our deeper beliefs.
Phenomenal artist and Disney editor Casey Robin (and other panelists) talked about curiosity where Christianity has historically archived (via conservatories, the arts, founding universities, etc.) and this also preserves culture (in some ways, “fandoms”). One sad example is that because of lower attendance in Black churches, their styles of singing are not being passed on.
Bobby Herbeck: TMNT Screenwriter
Screenwriter Bobby Herbeck wrote the original 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) film. He was…let’s say, high energy. This meant he shared lots of cool, random stories (Clint Eastwood once held a script of his and said, “Too heavy, shorty”) but it also meant the moderator was unable to wrangle the panel into anything meaningful about the original TMNT film. I did learn Herbeck’s first TMNT draft was 150 pages, he doesn’t like Michael Bay’s versions, and there is a new live action slated for 2028!
Aliens’ Jennette Goldstein & Mark Rolston
For the 40th anniversary of the sequel Aliens (1986), actors Jennette Goldstein (who played “Vasquez”) and Mark Rolston (“Drake”) shared humorous stories and heartfelt memories. Disappointingly, Michael Biehn had to cancel but Goldstein and Rolston still made it one of the best panels I attended.
One highlight was hearing that a British bodybuilder had been cast as “Vasquez” but the production was paying for her to take acting lessons. Goldstein read for “Vasquez” and “Hudson” (again, even though both were cast) and she won the “Vasquez” role! She said this was because she could act and had been working out for two years at the gym where Mr. and Mrs. Britain trained. Mark Rolston shared crazy stories like his death scene involved pyrotechnics (some attached to his face!) where he wasn’t allowed to breathe until two huge crew members could pull him off the floor up to a fan.
BONUS: I didn’t realize the M56 Smartguns were cantilevered off steadicam harnesses (new technology at the time) and firing real rounds (blanks, of course)!
Jim Cummings: Legendary Voice Actor
As the voice for beloved characters like Winnie-the-Pooh and Tigger, Jim Cummings was the consummate entertainer. Humorous anecdotes and a charming personality, he was everything you want in a panelist. I found it intriguing (and artsy) that he creates original voices by looking at the character and hearing the voice in his head. (He called this “very scientific”.) This applied to how he created Darkwing Duck and Hondo Ohnaka (Star Wars).
David Dastmalchian: Actor & Creator
I’ve enjoyed David Dastmalchian in The Suicide Squad (2021), Dune: Part One, Oppenheimer, and Murderbot (to name a few), so it was fun to hear him talk about his process and projects. Speaking on storytelling, Dast said, “…Down in its heart, like, in its guts, I love when [storytelling] really sings, because I think people, no matter where they are in their life, no matter who they are, no matter how they identify, how they look, how they live, where they’re from…they just feel connected, and they feel less alone.”
Moderator (and publicist) Gary Miereanu used this to segue into discussing Dastmalchian’s new graphic novel Through. I purposefully stayed in the dark about the details of Through because I will be buying it from my local comic book shop soon.
Xoncluding Thoughts
I appreciate you reading this far and hope you enjoyed the coverage! I did attend other panels, so let me know if you have questions or comments.
Thanks, in Him,
-Chris (the Bearded Wonder) Fogle