The Comic Con event this weekend in New York was the second largest comic book and pop culture gathering in the country (after San Diego’s Comic Con), and representatives from the worlds of video games, comic books, anime, fantasy, and science fiction were on hand in the Big Apple to satisfy every American geek's fantasy – and, of course, boost profits. 
The sci fi entrainment industry hasn’t been hit hard by the recession — in fact, many companies continue to see record-breaking numbers. The comic book movie “The Avengers” grossed over $1.5 billion at box offices worldwide this past summer — the best-performing film this year — and the Batman movie “Dark Knight Rises” was close behind, grossing over $1 billion to date. In online games, the World of Warcraft, has become the highest-grossing video game in history, with over $10 billion in profits since its launch in 2001.
Of course, many Comic Con fans also spend big bucks to attend: Passes range from $35/day to $100 for the entire weekend, and many attendants reported spending hundreds of dollars on their costumes and merchandise (buying everything from Jedi bathrobes to custom vampire fangs) at the event.
PHOTO GALLERY: Click here to see some of the wackiest and most expensive costumes from Comic Con this year.