San Diego Comic-Con: What is happening and is it affected by Hollywood strikes?

The show goes on – just without big-name stars in attendance

Comic book fans often dress up as their favourite superheroes and villains for the event. EPA

San Diego Comic-Con has returned with a notably slimmed-down schedule owing to the ongoing Hollywood actors' and writers' strike.

The walkout by the Screen Actors Guild, also known as Sag-Aftra, has stopped many productions while the union negotiates better pay, royalties and protection for actors and writers.

With the strike in place, actors taking part in Hollywood’s largest film and television productions are prevented from attending the comic book convention in a promotional capacity.

The annual event typically features panels and appearances from some of the biggest film stars – with Dwayne Johnson, Chris Hemsworth and Halle Berry notable recent guests – but fans will now have to navigate a sparse schedule.

For the first time since 2011, no stars from the Marvel or DC universes will join a panel in the convention’s famed Hall H.

Some of the year’s biggest upcoming sci-fi and fantasy releases, including Dune: Part Two and Netflix’s One Piece, have had panels cancelled.

Other production companies, including Disney and HBO, are expected to miss the convention due to the strikes, leaving upcoming releases without promotion.

However, HBO’s streaming service Max, Paramount Pictures, NBC and Amazon will participate.

The San Diego Comic-Con started in 1970 with 300 visitors and has grown to become one of the biggest on the calendar, attracting more than 130,000 annually.

The strike and subsequent sparsity of presentations could be good news for some visitors, specifically comic book fans, as it does not affect artists, meaning shorter lines and ample opportunity to purchase merchandise.

Lego has set up a large booth at the convention modelled after the once mighty video rental shop Blockbuster. The booth is named Brickbuster Video and features some of the company's newest releases.

Speaking to CNBC, Robert Thompson, a professor at Syracuse University and a pop culture expert, said: “The show can still go on in San Diego. Comic-Con is so big that it’s even bigger than the biggest stars.”