SAN DIEGO (AP) – The hordes of zombies, legions of Stormtroopers, leagues of superheroes and crews of Starfleet officers are crawling, marching, flying and beaming into San Diego for that other big convention this week: Comic-Con International.

The pop-culture celebration kicked off Wednesday evening with the festival’s preview night, where con-goers with four-day passes have first crack at the collectibles, free swag and photo opportunities on the San Diego Convention Center floor.