Comic Con 101

The star studded cast of the Avengers made their debut at Comic Con in 2010.

MANILA, Philippines - The Con has been a San Diego staple since the ’70s, but its significance reached wider audiences with the Superhero movie boom. Here’s a guide to the past highlights:

2001

The real star in 2001’s convention belonged to the Oscar winning trilogy Lord of the Rings where Elijah Wood who plays hobbit Frodo Baggins in the film, makes a guest appearance and even stays for dinner with the fans.

2004

The Comic Con’s attendance barrier surpasses the capacity of their convention hall, Hall H. The usual maximum of 6,500 people was immediately surpassed by a total of 100,000 convention fanatics.

2007

Con fans were surprised to discover an odd dollar bill in their pockets. George Washington had been defaced. The dead president who graces the dollar bill sported an exaggerated red grin with the tagline “Why So Serious?” Dark Knight’s promotion started with these dollar bills and directed fans to a secret downtown location. The elaborate movie stint is arguably the most fun fans have ever had at a Con.

2009

It’s been about 12 years since the epic Titanic debut and fans have been patiently awaiting director James Cameron’s next venture. In 2009, the secretive director finally revealed a 20 minute footage of his film Avatar. As the mastermind of two highest grossing films, fans were more than honored when the busy director made an appearance as he showed a snippet of his new film for the first time.

2010

When 2010 hit, superhero movies had already been expected in every calendar year. From Spider Man, The Fantastic Four and Batman, movie-goers are garnering either feelings of excited anticipation or praying that the next superhero film won’t be a car wreck (The Hulk with Eric Bana, anyone?). But when Robert Downey Jr. in 2008’s Iron Man swaggered his way into the hearts of the comic book geeks and non-geeks alike, people were more than ready for a full on avengers film. The all star cast of The Avengers were finally announced at 2010’s Con.