Comic-Con International: San Diego

Chances are you've heard of the annual event that brings the world's most dedicated nerds to San Diego. But it's always packed to the brim and tickets are a nightmare to procure, so why not find some alternative venues to cosplay as your favorite character? (Photo by: Corbis)

WonderCon

Starting in the Bay Area, WonderCon moved to Anaheim (a 90-minute drive from San Diego) in 2012. WonderCon offers a bevy of events for fans. The Artist Alley gives guests a chance to buy signed comic books and autographs from celebrities. The masquerade competition is a must-see. (Photo by: Corbis)

Wizard World

The Wizard World convention travels to 27 cities each year. Where else can you see Darth Vader, Jeremy Renner (Avengers) and The Undertaker all in one place? Trust us, it's magical. (Photo by: Corbis)

Anime Expo

With an attendance of 80,000 fans in 2014, the Anime Expo in Los Angeles is the biggest convention for fans of the genre in North America. Make sure to warm up those vocal cords for the event's Anime Music Video. (Photo by: Corbis)

PAX Prime

If comics aren't exactly your cup of tea, try PAX Prime in Seattle. The convention is dedicated to fans of gaming and music. Its popularity has grown so much since its 2004 birth that it has expanded to Boston, San Antonio and Australia. (Photo by: Corbis)

London Film and Comic Con

The London Film and Comic Con was such a big summertime success that it spawned a winter celebration. July's LFCC featured Sigourney Weaver (Alien, Ghostbusters), Michael J. Fox (Back to the Future) among other esteemed celebrities. (Photo by: Corbis)

Dragon Con

Since its inaugural convention of 1,400 fans in 1987, the annual Dragon Con has grown to nearly 60,000 attendees. The Atlanta-based expo contains more than 3,000 hours of workshops, seminars and panels. The event even has its own short film festival. (Photo by: Corbis)

D23 Expo

If you really want to experience the magic of Disney, there's no better place than the D23 Expo in Anaheim. The convention is chock-full of trailers and surprise announcements. This year Disney/Pixar promises to unveil footage of highly anticipated films "Finding Dory" and "The Good Dinosaur." (Photo by: Corbis)

Heroes Convention

With the soaring popularity of conventions, some fans miss old-school events dedicated solely to comic books. Have no fear: The Heroes Convention in North Carolina shines a spotlight on the art form. Watch for the Quickdraw Contest, where artists duel for prizes. (Photo by: Corbis)

MegaCon

MegaCon allow you to not only interact with your favorite sci fi characters, but also play games with the 80,000 other attendees. With the option to participate in Dungeons & Dragons live campaigns, Magic: The Gathering and more, MegaCon is a perfect place for all your geeky dreams to come to life. (Photo by: Corbis)

The Comic-Con dress code

The world's most famous pop culture fan convention descends upon San Diego July 8. Hall H will be mobbed. The sun will beat down upon the nerd hordes without pity. But there's one part of Comic-Con that never gets old: The fan costumes. Here's someone dressed as an anthroporphized Pinkie Pie from My Little Pony. (Photo by: Corbis)

Surely you Jecht

Minor factors such as gender do not stop hardcore fans from paying tribute to their favorite games. This Final Fantasy 10 fan showed up at last year's con dressed as male NPC Jecht. (Photo by: Corbis)

Twi, twi again

Every Star Wars fan knows that Twi'leks are underrated in the galaxies far, far away. This con attendee told a photographer that she was dressed as a Twi'lek named Kri'nahi. (Photo by: Corbis)

Living art

This Sacrament-based con attendee got literal with her love for comic books. (Photo by: Corbis)

Fans attack!

A fan dressed as the Martian Girl from the movie Mars Attacks strutted down the street during the 2014 con. (Photo by: Corbis)

Watch your head

A Transformers fan mounted a pair of stilts to complete his homage to Optimus Prime. (Photo by: Corbis)

Everything but the horses

A California-based couple dressed as Game of Thrones characters Daenerys Targaryen and doomed Dothraki husband Khal Drogo during last year's convention. (Photo by: Corbis)

Prowling around

Plenty of Catwomen are seen padding along the streets outside of the convention every year. (Photo by: Corbis)

It's only logical

Star Trek is a huge franchise at every Comic-Con, regardless of whether there's any Trekkie fare in theaters that year. Bonus: Federation uniforms are a lot easier to find and wear compared with, say, any other franchise. (Photo by: Corbis)

Layers of fandom

Why wear one costume when you can honor two favorite franchises at once? (Photo by: Corbis)

No velvet ropes on Asgard

The great thing about Comic-Con: No barriers between fans. A denizen of Asgard can rub shoulders with a ... whatever she is. (Photo by: Corbis)

No joke

Here's a fan dressed as Harley Quinn, a relatively late addition to the DC universe. (Photo by: Corbis)

Blue in the face

Ever heard of Andorians? If you're a true fan–the only kind at Comic-Con, of course–you sure do. For the uninitiated, Andorians are a race in the Star Trek universe. (Photo by: Corbis)

But can you run in that?

Not every Comic-Con attendee worships the mega-franchises. Take this woman, whose costume honors the 1976 sci-fi classic Logan's Run. (Photo by: Corbis)

Hellgirl!

Traditionally, the comic book superhero Hellboy is just that: A boy. But at Comic-Con, imagination trumps all the rules. (Photo by: Corbis)