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Comics come alive at WonderCon

By James Martin

April 3, 2011 / 11:36 PM EDT / CBS News

WonderCon, with its incredible cast of comics' greatest characters, celebrates its 25th anniversary this week in San Francisco.

With dozens of guest artists and writers attending WonderCon, including the industry's biggest publishers like DC and Marvel,you can wander the expo hall and revel in a pop culture paradise.

Star Wars R2-D2

"Star Wars" fans crowd around a fully working, remote-controlled R2-D2 droid.

'Game of Thrones'

Amber, 11, poses in the Gothic throne from the science fiction book "Game of Thrones," which is soon to be made into an HBO series.

Joe Quesada

Joe Quesada, chief creative officer for "The Amazing Spider-Man" and "Daredevil," signs copies of his books for fans who waited in an hour-long line.

Shirt shopping

A daunting array of choices greet those looking for souvenirs, with figurines and hundreds of t-shirts depicting just about any comic and game character you can imagine.

Art supplier Deleter

Art supplier Deleter hosted a booth to show off its Manga pen-and-ink materials. Here, an artist creates on-the-spot art.

A detained rebel

A lone rebel is happily detained by imperial forces at WonderCon on Friday in San Francisco.

Wondercon in San Francisco

WonderCon, with its incredible cast of comics' greatest characters, celebrates its 25th anniversary this week.

'Savage Dragon' author Erik Larson

"Savage Dragon" author Erik Larson stacks books as fans wait for autographs at WonderCon on Friday in San Francisco.

Costumed fans

Costumed fans pose on the floor at WonderCon.

Three day festival

Friday is typically a slow day at WonderCon, but soon after the doors opened at noon, the show floor was packed.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of what has become one of the country's best comics and popular arts conventions.

Stormtroopers

Zach Fester of Concord, Calif., is detained by two stormtroopers Friday afternoon at WonderCon.

Capcom video games

Capcom's presence at WonderCon this year was popular with the gamers.

Plush Uglies

A pile of cuddly Ugly Dolls dominates a busy corner inside Moscone Center in San Francisco.

Sifting through cases of comics

Alongside the writers and artists, fans flock to WonderCon in search of comics missing from their collections.

'Star Wars' figurines

Fans bustle by a wall of "Star Wars" figurines.

'Star Wars' clones

Clones search the floor of WonderCon for separatist rebels Friday afternoon in San Francisco.

Make your own Leia

Sarah, wearing a homemade Princess Leia costume, chats with other "Star Wars" characters on the floor of WonderCon.

Flying in from Portland for the convention, Sarah is part of a group of women who are Princess Leia costume makers.

Butterfly on the floor

A butterfly roams Artists Alley at WonderCon Friday afternoon.

'Triangle Head'

"Triangle Head," a monster from the survival-horror Silent Hill video game series, roams the WonderCon floor with his Great Sword.

Hyperbooster Studio

A Hyperbooster Studio artist keeps his head down as he works on his bold anime designs.

A female take on Captain America

A female version of Marvel Comics' Captain America.

'The Walking Dead' and 'Invincible' author Robert Kirkham

"The Walking Dead" and "Invincible" author Robert Kirkham autographs copies of his books for fans Friday.

Hundreds of fans lined up for the chance to chat with their favorite artists.

Hours-long wait

The author and artist signings attract hundreds of people who wait in sometimes hours-long lines for autographs.

A fan digs for his favorites

Shopping for a few new pieces of comic art, Jason talks with a vendor Friday afternoon.

Send in the clones

A few clones are interviewed Friday.

Marvel's Greg Horn

Marvel artist Greg Horn poses amid his realistic painted characters and expressive lighting effects.

Jester costume

The popular Harley Quinn character was originally created for a Batman cartoon series in the '90s but eventually got her own comic book because of her high popularity.

Shopping for vintage prints

While there are many contemporary artists and comics on display at WonderCon, a few attendees are shopping for vintage prints.

James Martin

James Martin is the staff photographer at CNET News, covering the geeks and gadgets of Silicon Valley. When he's not live-blogging the latest product launches from Apple, Google, or Facebook, James can be found exploring NASA, probing robotics labs, and getting behind-the-scenes with some of the Bay Area's most innovative thinkers.

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