Comic-Con Shows Off Superheroes, Sci-Fi, And Steampunk

Comic-Con is the place to go to see a Star Wars stormtrooper pushing a baby stroller, a furry bear-creature drinking an iced Starbucks Frappuccino, and babes (of both genders) wearing scanty Spandex.

Comic-Con is an annual celebration of comics, superheroes, science-fiction movies and TV shows, computer games, and all other forms of cult entertainment, held four days in late July in San Diego. It started out twenty years ago focused on (as the name suggests) comic books, but since then it's broadened to become a sort of Super Bowl for nerds west of the Mississippi, attracting 125,000 people to this year's event, July 24-27. Big movie and TV stars make the two-hour trek down from Los Angeles to promote their wares for hungry fans.

I've been going pretty much every year since we moved to San Diego in 1997. I love the spectacle, it's the biggest and best people-watching event in the world.

This year, there seemed to be a lot of steampunk around. Steampunk seems to be the successor to Goth culture, only much more whimsical and optimistic. Steampunk costumes and toys are built to look as if Victorian engineers had managed to build ray-guns and spaceships powered by steam, you see lots of 19th Century suits and dresses, and ornate gear made of brass (or plastic spray-painted to look like brass). It's just wonderfully crazy and beautiful, and I took lots of pictures.

Comic-Con is always a big photography event for me. Before I go, I make sure my camera's battery is charged and memory card is empty. Check out our image gallery for my best pics this year.