Comic-Con '09: 18 Sneak Peeks

For the uninitiated, the convention started small and pure in 1970: Some 300 comic-book enthusiasts in San Diego gathered to celebrate the medium they loved. It wasn't until the late 1990s that Hollywood began to see the San Diego Comic-Con as a marketing gold mine, and began establishing the routine: Trot out your big names, answer fan questions, screen footage, and (hopefully) ignite a frenzy. For more on ''The Con,'' check out the latest issue of EW, including Josh Rottenberg's cover story on next summer's Iron Man 2, starring Robert Downey Jr. Enjoy our private tour of some of the coolest new movies and TV shows hitting Comic-Con, before the 125,000-strong legion descending on San Diego on July 23-26 get their first peek. —Adam B. Vary