Thousands Attend Russia?€™s First Comic-Con

Thousands of comic-book, video-game and science-fiction enthusiasts swarmed Moscow's Crocus Expo center over the weekend for Russia's first-ever Comic-Con, an international convention aimed at fantasy lovers.



Many participants in the event came dressed as their favorite characters. Everyone from the world-famous Tinker Bell and Darth Vader to a slew of obscure alien-like creatures were in attendance. Comic-Con Russia was hosted as part of the ninth IgroMir, the country's annual large-scale gaming exhibition.



Crocus Expo was filled with giant screens advertising the newest computer games and a multitude of comic-book stands. The exposition even had separate Nintendo and Star Wars pavilions.



Misha Collins, an American actor who stars in a sci-fi television called "Supernatural," took part in the convention, signing autographs for his admirers. British comic-book artist David Lloyd, known for illustrating the graphic novel "V for Vendetta," also spent some time with his Moscow fan base.



Comic-Con was first held in San Diego in 1970. Since then, the initiative has spread around the world to countries as far from the shores of southern California as Romania and India.



Read the Story: The Red Fury: Comic Books Finally Taking Root in Russia