Costumed convention-goers crowded downtown San Diego Thursday for the first day of this year’s Comic-Con event. About 125,000 pop culture enthusiasts will flock to the convention center throughout the weekend.
The event has come a long way since it started in 1970.
The first three-day Comic-Con drew 300 people to the basement of the U.S. Grant Hotel. Throughout its history, the event has been held at various venues including UC San Diego and the El Cortez Hotel in downtown.
Richard Alf is one of the founders of Comic-Con. He was 17 when he was approached with the idea of starting a comic book convention on the West Coast.
"When we started Comic-Con in San Diego, San Diego was a very small city, it wasn’t well known," he said. "But San Diego has grown with Comic-Con and I think the people that come to Comic-Con have come to love San Diego as well as Comic-Con."
The convention was originally named San Diego’s Golden State Comic-Con in an effort to draw people to California and boost San Diego’s popularity.
Since the start, Comic-Con has appealed to more than just comic book fans. The original event invited filmmakers, writers and science fiction enthusiasts.
Angelina Jolie is one of many celebrities making an appearance at this year's sold out convention.
