My first impression of Comic-Con 2009? Holy crap, what a lot of people.

Such a range of people, too. Which makes sense given that people who love comics and superheroes and anime and Star Wars and games and science fiction and robots and ray guns come in such a variety themselves.

People who are Comic-con veterans told me that part of the experience was to be in lines just for the privilege of getting in another line.

I thought they were joking. They weren't.

As I waited for about ninety minutes to enter the exhibit halls for Wednesday night's preview, people were poring over the show guide, plotting what to see and do.

Comic-Con is an annual pilgrimage for many people, a regular journey to a place they can celebrate the creative spirit, the escapist beacon, the fantastic voyage.

There are people here buying stuff, others are acquiring for collections, some are scrounging for anything free.

There are parents with their kids, some much too young for a crowd of this size. There are geeks and nerds and gamers and cosplayers and fetishists and gawkers.

There are comic lovers, movie fans, and TV aficionados.

Together they emit a postive, albeit manic, energy into the hallways and the vast, 650,000 square feet of exhibit hall space. They may be the unwashed masses, but the people are what make Comic-Con something special.