Superheroes, villains and fans of the comic world paid tribute to the late Marvel Comic creator, Stan Lee at the 11th annual Bakersfield Comic-Con.
“A lot of this wouldn’t exist without him," said Steve Wyatt, promoter of Bakersfield Comic-Con. "I mean you look at some of the animations, some of the art, some of the toys that are out [here], well he started a lot of it.”
"He also inspired the next generation of writers, artists by reading that stuff and going, ‘ I want to do that too,’ and keep it going," added Wyatt.
Lee also inspired Wyatt to bring the Comic-Con to Bakersfield.
“I’m a comic geek, I was collecting comics since I was seven and the reality is there’s a lot of people who love it, they’re just closet geeks and nerds, and it just brings out fun," said Wyatt.
There were comic creators, cosplays, costume contests and meet and greet with many celebrities from the comic world. Most importantly, the comics that started it all.
“This is the stuff from the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s. This is the stuff that started the Guardians of the Galaxy. You can find a first copy of Marvel Hero and go that’s where it appeared," said Wyatt.
And as fans looked back on the start of it all, they lit a candle and said good-bye to the man who made their fantasies a reality.
“There’s just so much that he brought to our world. That made all of this possible," said Wyatt.
The Bakersfield Comic-Con will continue until Sunday at 5 p.m. They will also have a kids costume contest.
