From Marvel superheroes to anime favourites: Comic Con comes to Portsmouth

  • Watch: Thousands came dressed to impress at this year's Comic Con in Portsmouth

Thousands of people dressed up as their fantasy heroes descended on Portsmouth this weekend for an event celebrating comics.

Since Comic Con launched here four years ago, it's doubled in size with over 8000 people at Guildhall square.

This year's theme was villains and the multiverse.

A special celebration too for Doctor Who with an exhibition honouring 60 years of the cult classic, complete with daleks and figures of previous actors who've played the doctor including David Tennant and Colin Baker.

Ironman and the Mandalorian were hits with children and adults alike

It's a convention with a strong ethical pulse, keen to celebrate the talents and knowledge of talents in the TV/film/comic industries as well as creating healthy debates around all the major relevant topics that the modern-day pop culture touches upon, like inclusivity and representation.

One of the biggest spectacles at the Con is the cosplay parade, which features hundreds of people of all different ages and backgrounds dressed as their favourite characters, coming together to celebrate and showcase what cosplaying is.

  • What is a Comic Con?

It's a Comic (book) Con(vention).

Comic book conventions have been around for many decades, with the first one ever taking place in New York City in 1964, as a way to gather fans and industry professionals in one place and strenghten the community.

The most popular con to this day remains the San Diego Comic Con, which has been around since 1970 and continues to set the standard for all geeky conventions around the globe.