The Con Is On! Posted on Wednesday July 22, 2009, 03:04 by James Dyer
	Yes, team Empire has finally touched down in sunny San Diego, having braved all manner of trials and tribulations to arrive in time for this year's Comic-Con International. Those of you who have been following our epic journey at #empiremagazine on Twitter will know that we've overcome obstacles that would have made Odysseus blanche and turn Phileas Fogg into a housebound agoraphobic. We struggled through traffic on the 405, braved a convenience store that only sold Pepsi (what's that about?) and have (so far) survived a nasty case of (probable) swine flu I managed to pick up on the plane. Of course Nick's not quite made it yet, having missed one flight, had a second delayed and had his baggage stolen, but there are always a few who fall by the wayside and what's one film critic's life when compared to the sacred duty of bringing up-to-the-minute Con coverage to the Empire readership. James Cameron’s Avatar is looking to be the heavy hitter this year but there’s lots more to get excited about at the 2009 CCI. 2012, Legion, Zombieland, The Book Of Eli, District 9, Where The Wild Things Are, Tron 2, Nightmare On Elm Street, Jonah Hex, Sherlock Holmes, Iron Man 2, Toy Story 3, Alice In Wonderland and many, many more will be present at the various panels. And that’s not even mentioning the array of other geek-friendly fare on offer, including all the top US TV shows from Dollhouse to Warehouse 13 and utterly bizarre offerings like Bram Stoker: The Joss Whedon Of His Day? Of course, the conundrum with every Comic-Con is which panels to attend, since all the good stuff seems to clash with each other, or at least take place less than two minutes apart while being situated at completely opposite ends of the Convention Centre - a building scientists have estimated is at least 6.3 light years in length. Even though the Con doesn't kick off until Thursday, Empire has already infiltrated the Convention Centre to bring you a sneak peek at what's in store. Click below for the first gallery of many, showcasing some of the stalls setting up at the Con as well as some exclusive banners and posters that are even now being hoisted onto walls up and down the building. If any Empire readers are planning to attend, do let us know and feel free to pop by the Empire stall at booth 4118 where we'll have Comic-Con exclusive subscription offers as well as some very special giveaways. And if you see Helen and Nina slacking off on the stand, feel free to rat them out.