In the 43 years since its inception, Comic-Con has gone from a small gathering of diehard comic book fans to an event that draws more than 100,000 proud geeks – and the A-list celebrities they adore – each year to San Diego.
The four-day convention begins Thursday and, among other festivities, will honor the anniversaries of James Bond (50), the Power Rangers (20) and Prince Valiant (75).
Rory Carroll, previously the Guardian's correspondent in Latin America, Africa and Iraq, is now based in Los Angeles as the Guardian's west coast correspondent. He landed in San Diego this week covering his first-ever Comic-Con, possibly his strangest, most exotic assignment yet. He's blogging, taking photos and using Twitter to share what he's seeing:
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(9am PST) So, official day one of the Con dawns and it's already Twilight. Not quite literally – a grey, misty morning hovering over the convention centre – but fans of the vampire saga are set to dominate Thursday's kick-off.
Hundreds have camped outside the convention centre for half the week with sleeping bags, mattresses and foldable chairs to claim prime spots in the first panel discussion in Hall H, which opens with Twilight.
"Being in the line is 90% of the experience. I've come here with my closest friends and we've been making new friends all week. They're the most awesome people," said Gina Jasinksi, 41, a radio station worker from Atlanta.
"The waiting is the most fun. The panel itself is the icing on the cake."
She used to come to Comic-Con primarily for Star Trek but for the past four years the draw has been the hope of seeing Robert Pattinson and other cast members. "I read all the books before the movies. I like a story that takes me away from real life. I'm a mother and this story lets me take a vacation without taking a vacation."
Many in the queue wore black ribbons in honour of a 53-year-old New York fan who on Tuesday morning tripped crossing the street and was fatally run over. Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment said in a statement the entire Twilight community was saddened.
Twihard passion convinced convention organisers to make the show the first panel – in the cavernous Hall H starting 12.45pm – because otherwise they would have had vampire-lovers fidgeting through discussions on The Dark Knight, or Tim Burton's Frankenweenie – while awaiting the main event.
There will be excerpts from Breaking Dawn Part 2 and questions and answers with cast and filmmakers. The line-up remains secret but expect fangs if the big hitters don't show up.
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The Guardian's Comic-Con page
Pictures from Comic-Con 2011
Make way for the female comic geeks
