Comic con 2014 Has Finally Arrived, Get Excited!

The following is an excerpt from Comic-Con 2014: Cumberbatch, Radcliffe sightings and more in San Diego.

This year’s Comic-Con lineup has no shortage of big names — fan-beloved actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Daniel Radcliffe will journey to the convention for the first time. And the casts of some of the most popular series on television, including HBO’s lavish “Game of Thrones” and AMC’s grisly “The Walking Dead,” will appear.

Both those shows will hold panel presentations in Hall H, Comic-Con’s 6,500-seat marquee arena, joining a TV-heavy lineup that will also include sessions devoted to a raft of other established series: “True Blood,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “The Following,” “Sons of Anarchy,” “Arrow” and more. Among the anticipated newcomers are Fox’s Batman-prequel “Gotham,” Starz’s time-travel drama “Outlander” and the CW’s new comic book-based outing, “The Flash.”

The following is an excerpt from “Avengers,” TV and the selfie: What’s big at 2014 Comic-Con.

Now in its 45th year, the convention is bigger than ever with some 130,000 people expected to attend the annual event, which runs from July 24-27. Celebrities will be plentiful, as will previews from upcoming movies and TV series as thousands of people take over the San Diego Convention Center.

Another thing attendees will see a lot of is the year’s biggest photo trend: the selfie.

Variety senior editor Marc Graser, who’s attended the last 11 conventions in San Diego, told CBS News many of the major players at Comic-Con will have installations featuring selfie opportunities.

“They want everybody to feel like they’re part of Comic-Con this year,” he said, noting how 2014 is more focused on big events; organizers and participants are increasingly doing away with “velvet rope” and opening up Comic-Con to the masses.