4-day Comic Con festival kicks off in San Diego

Like Batman responding to a beaming Bat signal in the sky, pop-culture fans are streaming to San Diego for the 45th annual Comic-Con pop culture extravaganza.

The four-day festival celebrating film, TV, video games, comic books, costumes and other popular arts kicked off with a preview on Wednesday night and goes full force on Thursday at the San Diego Convention Centre.

More than 150,000 fans are expected to attend the sold-out event, where studios will offer exclusive previews of their latest properties.

Television is making a greater splash than in previous years, edging into the 6,500-seat exhibition hall that’s traditionally been the main home for movies.