Whenever those four geeky scientists on “The Big Bang Theory” ramble on about how awesome comic-cons are, I always feel the need to go to one myself.

No, I’m not a huge comic book fan. I do enjoy hopping on fandom ships such as “Lord of the Rings,” and I do love science fiction books and TV shows, but I don’t think I could ever be obsessed enough as the stars of “The Big Bang Theory,” who drive to a comic-con in Bakersfield after making a pit stop in the middle of the desert to take action photos in Star Trek costumes. 

I recently heard of WonderCon 2013 that happened March 29-31 in Anaheim, Calif., and of the upcoming [San Diego Comic-Con](http://www.comic-con.org) in July, the grand daddy of all comic-cons. I know I could never go full out with cosplay, intense autographic collections and heated discussions about the latest “Star Trek” movie, but I nonetheless would attend a comic-con, just to get my inner nerd out. There is something about comic-cons that just make the whole comic-gaming-fandom-geek thing very magical.  

Started in 1970 by movie/comic/science-fiction nerds Shel Dorf, Ken Krueger and Richard Alf, the annual Comic-Con International: San Diego grew from a single day “minicon” to a full-out four-day convention featuring panels, programs, games, models, autograph opportunities and film screenings, with enough room to hold more than 100,000 attendees. 

Called the Super Bowl of Pop Culture, the San Diego Comic-Con is now chock-full of not only comics, but popular movies, video games, TV shows and A-list celebrities. It’s like a comic book store coated with a Hollywood sheen. Weird, but the idea’s working. This year’s tickets were sold out within 93 minutes. 

So why the big buzz around comic-cons? What’s the big deal about getting to meet Stan Lee, the creator of many Marvel comic superheroes or dressing up as Edward Scissorhands to the point of extreme creepiness? 

First of all, it’s probably the only huge, public event to showcase and celebrate America’s geekiness. It’s a chance for fans to meet their heroes, whether it be the scriptwriter of a popular science-fiction show, the artist behind a comic series, or the leading actor of the latest Marvel movie. 

I recently read [an article about Wil Wheaton)(http://wilwheaton.net/), who played Wesley Crusher in “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” and how he met a young lady at MegaCon in Orlando. She told him that she battled Lupus when she as a young girl and the doctors told her she couldn’t walk again. But her therapist had a photo of Wheaton and encouraged her to walk to it everyday. She made a promise that she would “walk” to him if he was in town, and she did just that. This touching story, and I’m sure many others, show just how important these figures are to their fans. 

Comic-cons are also about the imagination. I mean, just look at the amazing cosplay that people create and wear. And there are many programs and activities for people to do, such as light saber fights and LEGO building stations. It’s like watching your fandom come to life and allowing yourself to be immersed in it for a couple of hours.  

There are the downsides. I heard that the San Diego one gets more crowded every year, with people waiting in mile-long lines for hours just to see a display. A lot of people complain that the San Diego Comic-Con has strayed from celebrating comics to Hollywood glamour, focusing on profit rather than what the fans want. But there are always smaller conventions such as Wonder Con that provide the treasure chest of geeky pop culture without the huge crowds.

All in all, comic-cons have something for every fan, whether it is the hard-core Halo gamers, the purely fixated Marvel comic book readers or the crazy Game of Thrones viewers. There are always little bubbles of happiness for everyone’s inner geek.