Comic book enthusiasts from all corners of the universe convened for the final comic book convention of the year this past weekend in Long Beach. In its second year, the LB Con featured a worthy amount of merchants hawking discounted comics, clothing and specialty merchandise, as well as special appearances by Costas Mandylor (Saw 3D), original TRON hero Bruce Boxleitner (TRON:Legacy), directorLouis Leterrier (Transporter, Clash of the Titans) and the one and only Stan Lee. 
On Friday, a small but enthusiastic crowd were treated to a screening of Dark Country 3D, which featured stars Thomas Jane (Hung) and Ron Perlman (Hellboy). Saturday saw an energetic group of cosplayers walking the floor in costumes ranging from Star Wars and Batman characters to Super Mario and a very detailed Predator outfit (more pics of the characters here). Signings included appearances by Mandylor and Michael McMillan from HBO's vampire hit "True Blood." Leterrier anchored a panel where he discussed the challenges he's faced in filmmaking (including his widely-panned, last-minute 3D conversion of Clash of the Titans) and how he got into the directing business.
On the final day, the most well-known name in comic book history, Mr. Stan Lee, spent the day greeting attendees, signing autographs and talking with the crowd. The 87-year-old legend discussed his artwork with passionate fans, and graciously entertained questions on all things superhero.
Overall, the LB Con has a ways to go to rival its older brothers the SDCC and NYCC and San Francisco's WonderCon, but for hardcore comic book/genre fans, it's worth a look. If you were there, what did you think? And if not, would you be interested in checking out this up-and-comer next year?
