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Costumed Characters Hit New York City For 2014 Comic Con

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Don't be surprised if you see people wandering the streets in strange costumes—Comic Con has hit Manhattan and it's a wild scene.

Whether you love super heroes of villains, you'll find them at the Javits Center.

"People travel from all over the world to come to this show. It's the epicenter of the geek universe," Comic Con Show Manager Lance Fensterman told CBS 2's Cindy Hsu.

More than 150,000 tickets sold out within days. But what draws such a large crowd?

"I really have a thing for comics, I'm an artist. I got to art school so art is everything to me," one Comic Con attendee told 1010 WINS' Roger Stern.

Comic Con is also one place people are proud to say they are a geek.

Costumed Characters Hit New York For 2014 Comic Con

For many, it's all about the costumes. Jocelyn Apreza came as the Pokemon character Ninetales; she and her dad made the costume.

"My father, he kind of took all the metal bars, he melted it into the metal tape," Apreza said.

WEB EXTRA: Photos From 2014 New York Comic Con

People of all ages packed the event, including 12-year-old Peter Wenger in his Ewok outfit made from faux fur and lots of hot glue-- which took him five weeks to make.

"I chose an Ewok because I'm on the shorter end of the scale," he said, "so I thought it was a logical choice to choose a small creature."

This is Jenna Fisk's first year at Comic Con.

"It's just all these cool shows and characters and booths and stands—it's just awesome," she said.

Amir Soliman has loved Spider-Man since he was a kid.

"As it carries on from comics to cars to action figures to TV shows, it comes to the point where you know, I have to be Spider-Man. It's over and I have to do it the best I possibly can," he said.

Others went with characters not so recognizable, like 11-year-old Sabrina Russo, dressed as Slenderman.

"I am Slenderman from Urban Legends and the internet. He likes children," she said. "He eats their souls when they are sleeping."

George Clooney Makes Surprise Appearance At Comic Con

Even newly married George Clooney joined in on the fun, surprising fans with an appearance at New York Comic-Con on Thursday.

Fresh off his Sept. 27 wedding to human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin in Venice, Italy, Clooney made a cameo on the Javits Center stage during a panel discussion for the upcoming Disney fantasy film, "Tomorrowland.''

To thunderous applause, Clooney told fans that it wasn't lost on him "that I'm spending my honeymoon at Comic-Con.'' He joked that after his widely panned "Batman & Robin,'' he had been "de-invited'' from Comic-Con: "Sorry about the nipples on the suit,'' he said.

Disney premiered a teaser trailer at the event, a smaller, east coast edition of the sprawling Comic-Con in San Diego. Directed by Brad Bird and starring Britt Robertson, "Tomorrowland'' is due out May 22, 2015.

You'll never know what you'll find at Comic Con, but veterans say keep an open mind and open eyes because you'll see something amazing.

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(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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