Comic-Con 2014 is underway, and with it come long lines, dense crowds, and frustration — frustration that attendees say is worth it, CBS is reporting .
The annual festival of geek culture attracts 130,000 visitors, many in full costume regalia, to San Diego, reports the New York Times . These days, it’s less about comics and more about geek culture at large: videos, movies, toys and collectibles, and — this year especially — TV.
A giant castle dominates the trade show floor, erected by Starz to promote its new series Outlander , about a combat nurse who travels through time. A smaller castle, deeper in the building, promotes ABC’s The Quest , a new reality show that places ordinary people in some sort of competition involving medieval weapons and costumes (details are sketchy as of this post). A&E has installed a mock-up of the Terminus set from The Walking Dead . And of course, all things Game of Thrones are going to be big this year, according to Fox News .
Noticeably absent from Comic-Con this year are the cast of The Big Bang Theory , who have hosted a panel at the last few Comic-Cons. The main cast members are currently mired in contract negotiations, and uncertainty persists as to when — or even if — the show will return (See this Inquisitr article for more).
With TV being so dominant at this year’s Comic-Con, there’s little room left for movies. As a New York Times headline puts it, “ TV Is Muscling Out Movies .” Still, there’s plenty for movie lovers to enjoy. According to the Telegraph , Marvel is expected to make a big announcement about the upcoming Dr. Strange franchise this year. Benedict Cumberbatch, who voices Smaug in The Hobbit franchise, will be hosting a panel, as will the co-creators of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles .
Toys — or “collectibles” if you prefer — are always huge. Long lines for limited-edition collectibles released just for the convention are par for the course. However, they’re worth the wait. As attendee Chris Schulz tells CBS :
“You buy it here, you sell it on eBay and it pays for your whole trip.”
And attendee Lionel Torres tells Fox News :
“You can’t get this stuff anywhere else. People are fighting for a place in line, but there’s camaraderie out there.”
As usual, the attendees themselves are attractions in their own way. Many fans use Comic-Con as a vehicle for showing off their full-body fan art; elaborate (and sometimes, expensive) costumes of fan-favorite characters can be seen every year.
Have you ever been to Comic-Con? Was it worth it? Let us know in the comments.
[Feature image courtesy of: UPenn ]
[In-line image courtesy of: WPTV ]