Comic book fans fill convention center

ORLANDO, Fla., March 27 (UPI) -- Thousands of people, many dressed as their favorite comic book heroes, attended the annual MegaCon festival in Orlando, Fla., officials said.

One attendee, 39-year-old Orlando resident Jay Leckie, spent nine months preparing his costume as superhero Thor and he said he gained 25 pounds of muscle so he could more closely resemble his superhero, the Orlando Sentinel reported Sunday.

He was among dozens of people in full costume who attended the weekend show at the Orange County Convention Center. There, they were able to mingle with like-minded folks who enjoy comic books and animated cinema.

Organizers also gave attendees a chance to get signatures by comic book artists such as Stan Lee or former "Star Trek" hero William Shatner.

"It's a blast," said Leckie. "I've had so many people respond so well. That always makes it worthwhile."

Twenty-year-old Stormy Vipperman said she spent about a month making her costume. She was dressed as Poison Ivy, a female enemy of Batman. She traveled to the convention from Columbia, S.C.

"If there's costumes everywhere here, why not have one?" she wondered.

Shatner spent part of his time discussing his recent hip replacement surgery.

"I could fall off this stage now and die," he told the crowd. "Wouldn't that be amazing?"