More than 100,000 fans, many in costume, swarm San Diego for 41st annual Comic-Con

Fans swarm San Diego as Comic-Con gets under way

SAN DIEGO — Movie buffs, comic-book collectors, sci-fi fans and nerds and geeks of all stripes have taken over San Diego for Comic-Con, the city’s annual pop culture convention.

Now in its 41st year, the four-day festival draws more than 120,000 fans to the San Diego Convention Center and its oceanfront surroundings.

A lineup of fans waiting to claim their Comic-Con passes stretched around the convention center hours before the festival began Thursday. Weekend pass holders got a sneak peek at the convention floor Wednesday night. Within minutes of its opening, thousands of fans crowded the giant space, collecting freebies and checking out larger-than-life displays from movie studios, comic-book publishers, video game companies and toy manufacturers.