Comics and costumed guests draw crowds By SANDY COHEN, AP Entertainment Writer

Comics and costumed guests draw crowds By SANDY COHEN, AP Entertainment Writer
1 hour, 3 minutes ago



SAN DIEGO - Only a superhero could see all there is to see at Comic-Con.

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The four-day pop-culture celebration, which wrapped up Sunday at the San Diego Convention Center, featured more than 350 hours of programs and lectures, presentations by nearly every major movie studio and TV network, hundreds of booths selling books, clothing and collectibles, plus parties, screenings, celebrity appearances and a masquerade ball.

"For a comic lover, it's the best thing in the world," said 13-year-old Jared Rosenfeld of Los Angeles.

The event is so popular that, for the first time in its history, tickets sold out on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

That meant the convention floor and the streets of downtown San Diego were crammed with visitors. Crosswalks looked like mini marches. Lines for some events stretched around the convention center.

"I'm a little disappointed with the crowds. We haven't been able to get into some of the more popular sessions," said Chris Whitten, 53, a five-time Comic-Con veteran who was dressed as Hawk Girl, "a member of the Justice League here on earth to protect you from bad guys."

She and her husband weren't able to attend the annual costume ball either. The line for free tickets was hours long, she said, and there were more long lines at the ballroom's entrance.

Still, she happily posed for photos in her homemade outfit: a hawk mask and black feather wings with a yellow shirt, red shorts, green tights and a sparkly silver scepter.

Colorful costumes are a common sight throughout the festival. There were superheroes of all kinds, including Captain America and Wonder Woman, plus pirates, witches, warlocks and various lesser-known characters from video games and anime.

Celebrities in attendance included Gwyneth Paltrow, Robert Downey Jr., and Terrence Howard, stars of next summer's Marvel Comics-based "Iron Man."

Sergio Lopez was drawn to the festival by cotumes and collectibles. The four-time attendee spent the weekend checking out all the outfits while searching for exclusive action figures and original comic art.

"There's some wild costumes out there," said the 40-year-old. "This is only once a year, so people come out and show their fun side."

Nineteen-year-old Adam Schweiber and his friend, Allen Palmatir, 18, said they come to Comic-Con every year for "the people, the costumes, the anime and the freebies." But their top draw is the chance to play new video, card and board games.

"Most of the games they have here don't even come out for another year," Schweiber said.

There's something for everyone at Comic-Con, said spokesman David Glanzer.

"There are over 100,000 people here and their interests are as diverse as they are," he said.

What began as a comic-book event has grown to include toys, video games, anime and movies. The event practically no longer fits in the San Diego Convention Center, its home through 2012.

"We'd love to be able to have more space," Glanzer said, adding that Comic-Con events were also held at adjacent hotels this year.

But expansion is good, he said. It reflects the country's growing interest in comic books.

"Comics are beginning to be regarded as a viable art form," Glanzer said. "It truly is an American art form. It's more widely regarded in Europe, the Pacific Rim countries and even South America, but slowly it's starting to catch on in the United States.

"As comics have been discovered, they're being made into movies and being made into video games. It's expanding, so Comic-Con is as well."

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On the Net:

http://www.comic-con.org