If you happened to go to San Diego on the final weekend of July, you may have seen Wookies, vampires, ninjas and other pop culture icons roaming the streets and waiting for their turn to get onto the trolley, trying to get to the convention center. There could only be one reason for the sudden swarm of pop culture enthusiasts: Comic Con was in town.

The event, which began in 1990 as a small gathering of comic book lovers in a hotel basement in San Diego, has exploded into a huge event. It gets national coverage, and draws more than 120,000 people a year to America’s Finest City. It sells out early in the year, and leaves those who want to go to the event Advertisement

[ Berry-Bell and Hall Mortuary ] looking through the convention center’s doors. Even San Diego’s Gaslamp District was transformed with different shops and restaurants being renovated with comic or movie themes as a way to draw in visitors. It was humorous watching the usual partiers in downtown do double takes on costumed visitors.

For those who have never been to the event, and aren’t really sure what the appeal is, the highlights are celebrity sightings and first views at new movies, costumes and hard-to-find collectibles and comics, swag and being surrounded by like-minded people.

If for some reason you weren’t able to attend the 41st Annual Comic-Con, don’t worry; you can buy the 42nd Annual Comic-Con tickets online soon.

For more information on Comic-Con, go to www.Comic-Con.org.