SAN DIEGO — Sci-fi fans tend to eat, sleep, breathe and bleed the things they’re passionate about. And, yep, they dress like them too.
Some get-ups at this year’s Comic-Con International skewed a little toward the obscure end of the spectrum — the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers were minor supporting characters in the Halo franchise.
Other costumes, like Watchmen‘s Rorschach and Sally Jupiter, are very of-the-moment. And then there was the poor guy who just got bitten in the leg by some random zombie. Good luck in the zombie apocalypse, sir!
But seriously, this is the best part about Comic-Con. Everyone here is completely driven by their passions for science fiction, fantasy and comic books. It’s rare to find a trade show of any kind where people are in this good of mood and dressed this weirdly: CES is typically filled with pleated-pants tech trolls like Walt Mossberg. Where else can you find Batman and a Cylon walking down the street together in complete harmony?
The other overwhelming thing at Comic-Con 2009: the lines. James Taylor, 34, from Springfield, Illinois (pictured top), stopped to admire a living exhibit at the Star Wars: The Clone Wars booth while taking a break from the crush of fanboys waiting to get into the jam-packed panels for Avatar and Iron Man. His experience this year was a mix of long wait times and killer content.
“The Avatar panel was really good,” he said. “Some friends waited in line for 2.5 hours to get in.”
See video of Comic-Con’s costumed crusaders and more images from the San Diego pop-culture convention below.
Twilight stuff, " she says. " width="670" height="447"> Jessica Diaz, 11, came from Franklin, Tennessee, for her second Comic-Con visit. "I'm excited to see the Twilight stuff, " she says.
This Comic-Con attendee, who walks around the show floor with a kick-me sign on his back, seems to have been made the brunt of a cruel joke.
DC Universe Online, an unreleased game due out next year, on the show floor. He calls the gameplay "really fun, really tactile." On his fifth trip to Comic-Con, he says he comes for the videogames, which have an increasingly big presence at the annual San Diego show." width="670" height="447"> Frank Deloach, 23, from Orange County, California, plays DC Universe Online, an unreleased game due out next year, on the show floor. He calls the gameplay "really fun, really tactile." On his fifth trip to Comic-Con, he says he comes for the videogames, which have an increasingly big presence at the annual San Diego show.
The Comic-Con exhibit hall teems with people Saturday, with fans packed elbow to elbow the entire length of the floor.
Avatar panel was really good," says Thomas David, 45, from La Crescenta, California. He's been to Comic-Con every year since 1995 and says of this year's experience: "Crowded! I've spent more time in lines than panels." Photos: Jon Snyder/Wired.com" width="670" height="447">"The Avatar panel was really good," says Thomas David, 45, from La Crescenta, California. He Additional reporting by Jon Snyder.
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