Wizard Conventions has announced that the recent Wizard World Los Angeles pop culture convention surpassed all expectations with attendance at the inaugural event exceeding 19,500.  The convention covered the worlds of comic books, toys, anime, movies, and manga, and featured a host of celebrities including Kevin Smith, Alex Ross, Michael Turner, Stan Lee, Marc Silvestri, Thomas Jane, Ron Perlman, Guillermo del Toro, and James Franco.  The show was so popular that publishers ran short of giveaway items and the line to enter the Long Beach Convention Center stretched for a reported half mile.  Given the recent convergence between comic books and Hollywood, the first Wizard World Los Angeles couldn't have come at a better time -- and the show certainly got off to a great start.

Wizard Conventions sponsors three other events, Wizard World Philadelphia, Wizard World Chicago, and Wizard World Texas.  Combined attendance at all four Wizard shows this year is expected to exceed 100,000.