Take one step forward. Wait. Take another step. Wait longer.
Comic-Con flexed its muscles Saturday with its largest celebrity turnout yet, and its loyal costumed followers came out just as strong — even if that meant standing in the longest lines of the four-day convention.
Jessica Gould, 17, was one of thousands mastering the “Comic-Con Shuffle” in lines on a day that featured such celebrities as Sigourney Weaver, Seth Rogen, Harrison Ford, Ryan Reynolds, Jon Favreau, Hugo Weaving and Joshua Jackson.
Gould, a Miami resident who came to Comic-Con as a high school graduation present, spent her early afternoon waiting for a “Vampire Diaries” cast autograph session.
”It’s kind of chaotic,” said Gould, who was also at Comic-Con on Thursday and Friday. “There are a lot more people today. A lot more people.”
The waiting was worthwhile for those who made it to the tabled celebrities. At the Marvel booth, Mae Catt, 19, and Ali Woodruff, 20, had “Thor” movie posters autographed by director Kenneth Brannagh and actors Chris Hensworth (Thor) and Tom Hiddleston (Loki).
Afterward, Catt and Woodruff described the celebrities as “very nice,” but were too concerned with the future to fully celebrate their autograph conquests.
“We are going to try to get these home safely,” Woodruff said. “That’s the first step.”
“I’m so excited to see Hugo Weaving later,” Catt said. “I’ve been telling everyone I’m going to vomit out of excitement. I’ll aim away (from him).”
Rather than shuffle in line, many Comic-Con visitors went with the shoot-and-go approach. They stood in a crowd outside the security-guarded ropes and snapped photographs with their personal cameras.
About 20 feet away, hundreds of people chose to be in front of cameras instead of behind them. The G4 cable television channel was filming “Comic-Con Live ‘10” from a stilted stage, intermittently cueing the pool of on-lookers below to scream for its audience feeds. Repeatedly, they obliged.
Away from the main floor, forum rooms provided a more contained version of excitement, but often at the price of longer lines.
Some fans camped overnight for a “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” forum that offered only actor Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) from its multifaceted cast.
Saturday’s other notable Comic-Con attendees included Matt Groening, Seth Macfarlane, Daniel Craig, Bill Hader, Kristen Wigg, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Vanessa Hudgens, Blake Lively, Wesley Snipes and LL Cool J.
Check out all of our Comic-Con 2010 coverage including video, images and articles.
