Everyone has a “thing” they love. Be it anime, comic books, movies, fantasy, science fiction, horror, literature, video games and anything or everything in between. No matter what your bias is, you’ll find something you love in the sprawl of “L.A. Comic Con.”

Operating out of the Los Angeles Convention Center, L.A. Comic Con was held from Oct. 4 to 6, leading into a full weekend of fandom revelry. For those unfamiliar with conventions like this one, the attractions are spread across multiple halls big and small filled to the brim with artists, writers, independent magazine publishers, visiting celebrities and actors, fandom experts, industry professionals, hundreds of vendors and hundreds of furries.

The visiting movie stars mostly stuck to their booths, occasionally leaving for on-stage panels and audience Q&As. I stood in line for an autograph from Lea Thompson, who played Lorraine Baines-McFly in “Back to the Future” trilogy (to sign my 4K Blu-ray of the 1986 cult classic “Howard the Duck”), a line which ran across the hall and around a corner.

Other stars like Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor had veritable armies lined up to see them, snaking across the room and condensed into giddy clusters of Jedi and Marty McFly costumes. I can only imagine how many man-hours were spent waiting, and how many more were spent by volunteers managing the crowds.

There’s something to be said for the “circus of celebrity.” But that doesn’t do justice to the spirit of Los Angeles Comic Con. A circus suggests ridicule and cheap thrills — the stars of the show floor here are revered and euphorically hailed. Yet as much as the fans love the guests, it’s a mutual feeling.

“I think (the best part of Comic Con is) that there’s so many funny, iconoclastic people who all kind of share this one thing, that they’re fans of these certain things,” said Thompson, returning my now-signed “Howard the Duck” Blu-ray with a smile. “I just love the people that I get to meet all over the place. It’s such a loving place, it’s always loving and kind. Everyone’s kind.”

This attitude was felt across the show floor. Slinking through the crowds of Artist Alley where all the big and small names of the comic book industry reside, cartoonists and authors were nothing but appreciative of their audience.

“I get to interact with people who read my work, get their feedback and hear how they connect to it. And you get to see how somebody new who might be introduced to my work might react to it, so I appreciate that,” said legendary comics artist David Mack, co-creator of Marvel Comics character Echo. “And you get to see other creators that you appreciate or that you work with and you can say hi.”

After we spoke, Mack dove into a long conversation with a fan who pored over a giant folder of his original sketch art. Bordering on reverential and casual, they discussed Mack’s multimedia approach with traditional pen-and-ink against expressionistic watercolors. A few tables over, an independent zine publisher was talking to a cosplaying couple about their tribulations and triumphs with online dating, friendly conversation while flipping through pages of retro pulp horror.

Across Artist Alley, multiple Eisner Award-winning artist Mitch Gerads (the Eisners are essentially the comic book equivalent of the Oscars) could attest to Mack’s perspective.

“Fan interaction (is the best part by far),” said Gerads. “As an artist or a comic professional, we spend most of our days alone in an office somewhere, so you do these things that you put your heart and soul into and then it's very fun to go to a convention and see that people actually buy them and read them.” 

While answering fan questions and striking up conversation, Gerads sat with frequent collaborator and godfather to his child Tom King, award-winning author of books like “The Vision,” “The Sheriff of Babylon” and “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.” Far from the lonesome nature of the work, the contrast of a bustling and energized convention crowd is stark to say the least.

Alongside rows upon rows of creators and cartoons ran the Main Stage, dividing the convention center’s South Hall between its Artist Alley and vendor stalls filled to the brim with collectibles and custom crafts. Walking through these is akin to a grand bazaar, each stall transporting you headfirst into dozens of fandom cultures — often at once. For sale, you’ll find out of production toys, rare and signed Funko Pops, thousands of comics, homemade jams, dice, cosplay gear and sets of armor, jewelry, T-shirts and so much more. I walked away with boatloads of posters, comics, sporty windbreaker and a Doctor Strange Eye of Agamotto pendant wishing more than anything that I could bring so much more home with me.

And to really put into perspective the grandeur of L.A. Comic Con, all of the aforementioned booths and guests occupied but one of two main halls.

The West Hall, just downstream of the convention center’s main concourse, lay a completely separate room filled to the brim with independent vendors, video game creators and tournaments, immersive horror experiences and another slew of special celebrity guests from Ming-Na Wen to Tara Strong to the voice cast of “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” Avenues and alleys stalked by cosplayers and eager guests, it becomes a symphony of fan culture.

It can be easy enough to dismiss these sorts of events as cash grabs capitalizing on nostalgia and overeager devotees, but it’s something much more meaningful.

Kyle Higgins, a 2008 Chapman film production alumni and prolific comic book writer of “Radiant Black,” “Power Rangers,” “Nightwing” and an ongoing shared universe at Image Comics, spoke to The Panther at his booth in Artist Alley. 

“I grew up loving comic books and cinema, and in a lot of ways found both through superhero movies,” said Higgins, referring to classics of the genre like Richar Donner’s 1978 “Superman” and Tim Burton’s Batman films. “So when it came time to do my thesis film at Chapman, I decided that I wanted to take a really big swing, and if I was going to do that I wanted to go back to the material that had inspired me, both as a creator as well as a fan — and that was superheroes.”

His senior thesis film, “The League,” is a noir about a superhero labor union in the 1960s, replete with greenscreen, stunt doubles, wire work, costumes and choreography. Putting the film online, it served as a stepping stone to meet with editors at various comic book publishers — landing Higgins his first gig at Marvel Comics.

Comic Con celebrates moments like these: how fandoms thrive and grow and inspire us to create art of our own. That, and exclusive merch.

Exiting L.A. Comic Con, attendees are greeted with a giant banner. “See you next year! September 26-28, 2025.” Below it, dozens of Deadpools, Wolverines, Jedi, Batmen, Wonder Women, Links, Zeldas and hundreds upon hundreds of other costumed and non-costumed fans alike took to dancing and getting photos together. It’s a true celebration. May it never end.