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SAN DIEGO — Comic-Con made its triumphant — if scaled-down — return to the San Diego Convention Center Friday after two years missed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Comic-Con Special edition is a more “intimate” gathering of an estimated 40 to 50,000 super fans, running from Friday to Sunday downtown. Doors open Friday at noon and a gathering of some of the event’s most enthusiastic participants had already formed around 7 a.m.

This year’s event is considered a return to the convention’s “roots” in some ways, with more of an emphasis on comic book hobbyists and vendors, and less major names from Hollywood productions expected to appear. An event more on the scale San Diegans have come to expect from SDCC will come to the convention center in July 2022.

FOX 5 is your guide to everything you need to know about Special Edition weekend, whether you’re an attendee or just trying to make your way through downtown (that will be easier this year, by the way).

Keep up with the convention through the weekend on our event page, and check out the following guides for more information: