Comic Con lets you get your ‘Walking Dead’ on in Vegas — PHOTOS

Marsha Cooper credits her husband, Bill, for getting her addicted to the television show, “The Walking Dead.”

The Sacramento, Calif., couple joined thousands of others who flocked to the Las Vegas Convention Center on Saturday to delve into their favorite movies, television shows and comic books at Wizard World Comic Con.

Lucky for the Coopers, several celebrities, including “Walking Dead” cast members David Morrissey, Steven Yeun, Emily Kinney, Michael Cudlitz and Seth Gilliam, were on hand for autographs and photos. Which they charge for.

“It’s a chance for us to see people we’d never normally get to see,” Cooper said.

Fans who attend Comic Con are encouraged to dress up like their favorite character.

Inspired by the video game “Legends of Zelda,” Jessica Woodland of Las Vegas dressed up as Skull Kid and her friend Mike Griego of Las Vegas, N.M., dressed as Link from the same game.

“I’ve never been to one and I’ve really, really wanted to go,” Woodland said. “I love getting dressed up and being the nerdy me.”

The convention offers a ton of celebrity guest appearances and merchandise, Woodland said.

“It’s like everything geeky came to life,” she said.

Griego added, “It brings out everyone’s inner child.”

Kim R. of Las Vegas declined to give her last name in fear that her boss may think she’s a “dork.”

“During the week you have to go to work and act like a grown-up and on the weekend you can experience the fun stuff,” she said.

According to Kim, part of the fun of Comic Con is getting together with others who share the same passion as she does such as “The Walking Dead,” “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Star Wars.”

“I hope they continue to do this and more people come to it,” she said.

Chris Schroader of Phoenix made the nearly 300-mile journey to Las Vegas for Comic Con but was disappointed when he showed up.

“I’ve been to countless Comic Cons and I wish this one had a bigger turnout,” he said. “I’ve come a long way.”

According to Schroader, people go to Comic Con for a variety of reasons.

“Many people want to be around celebrities and comic book reading is at an all-time high,” he said. “It’s become a phenomenon.”

Las Vegas resident Christine Jahn said she, like Schroader, was looking forward to something more.

“It’s fun but because it’s Vegas I expected it to be showier,” she said. “It has a swap meet feel, which is fine, but they should have lowered the price to get in because of that.”

Despite her enthusiasm about the environment, Jahn said she’s still going to take advantage of the hundreds of vendors offering merchandise such as jewelry, T-shirts, housewares and costumes for sale.

“There are things here that you can’t get anywhere else,” she said. “You could go crazy here if you’re a collector; you have to control yourself.”

Mike West brought his wife, Kristie, and their two children to check out artists as he’s recently taken up drawing comics.

“There are a lot of really good artists here,” he said. “It’s fun to get together with people who have similar interests.”

Wizard World Comic Con runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. today at the convention center, 3150 Paradise Road at Desert Inn Road.

For more information, visit www.wizardworld.com/home-lasvegas.html.

Contact Ann Friedman at afriedman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4588. Find her on Twitter: @AnnFriedmanRJ