New Yorkers get their nerd on at Comic Con

Story highlights

Now in its eighth year, tickets for New York Comic Con sell out

116,000 fans attended in 2012; this year's attendance should exceed that

Stars mingle with costume players as big comic book and TV announcements are made

CNN  — 

It was the annual gathering of the geeks in the city that never sleeps.

After an attendance of 116,000 in 2012, New York Comic Con tickets were sold out this year, as crowds lined up to attend panels, meet their favorite sci-fi/fantasy celebrities and comic book creators and show off their latest cosplay (or costume play) creations.

Despite a controversy on the first day of the convention on Thursday – in which the Con tweeted on behalf of attendees on their own Twitter accounts – it appeared that the enthusiasm of fans did not let up with long lines over the rest of the weekend. The convention ceased that particular Twitter practice on Friday.

“It’s a little more intimate than some of the larger Cons,” said veteran convention attendee and iReporter Rene Carson.

“I just got out of a panel for David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, and it was really easy to get into. With the others [conventions], you can’t get into those [kind of panels] without waiting for hours and hours.”

Aside from Duchovny and Anderson’s 20th anniversary reunion, there were many other big events.

The smash hit TV series “The Walking Dead” announced two new actors joining their cast, Michael Cudlitz (in attendance) and Josh McDermitt, both playing characters from the popular comic book.

A “10th season” of the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” comic book was confirmed with a new creative team, and a fourth season of MTV’s “Teen Wolf” series was announced.

DC Comics talked up their 2014 weekly series, “Batman: Eternal.”

And Marvel Comics finally confirmed that it would reprint the classic 1980s series “Miraclemen,” alongside announcing new series starring “Silver Surfer,” “Punisher” and “Ghost Rider.”

But for many fans, “NYCC” is about the costume play and the chance to meet their favorite stars.