Wondercon
First Wave of WonderCon Guests Announced
WonderCon is delighted to announce the first group of special guests for 2026: Ben Brode, Jasmine Guillory, Liana Kangas, and Spenser Starke.
Ben Brode
Ben Brode is one of the most recognizable card game designers, thanks mostly to his side gig as a rapper. Mostly known for leading the creation of MARVEL SNAP, Brode was also the first game designer and eventual game director of Hearthstone while at Blizzard Entertainment. As chief development officer and co-founder at Second Dinner, Brode leads game development and has helped grow the studio from two folks in his garage to over 150. He is also a common fixture on Commander YouTube shows, so maybe that’s where you recognize his goofy mug.
Jasmine Guillory
Jasmine Guillory is a New York Times bestselling author; her novels include The Wedding Date, the Reese’s Book Club selection The Proposal, and By the Book. Her work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Cosmopolitan, Bon Appetit, and Time, and she is a frequent book contributor on The Today Show. She lives in Oakland, California.
Liana Kangas
Liana Kangas is a comics creator and illustrator specializing in neon noir storytelling across such genres as sci-fi, horror, music, and film. They’ve worked with major publishers including BOOM! Studios, Image, IDW Publishing, Dark Horse, and Vault, co-creating such acclaimed series as Know Your Station, TRVE KVLT, and She Said Destroy. Their portfolio includes contributions to iconic franchises Star Trek, Stranger Things, Star Wars, and Archie Comics. Passionate about inclusion and accessibility, Liana is also dedicated to helping communities of aspiring creators.
Spenser Starke
Spenser Starke is a WGA screenwriter and the senior game designer at Darrington Press. He is best known for Daggerheart, Alice Is Missing, Candela Obscura, and Kids on Brooms. Additionally, he has worked on video games like Sunderfolk and is currently adapting a number of tabletop games for TV and film.