With San Diego Comic-Con 2014 only two weeks away now, the buzz is starting to get hot and heavy about who to see and what to talk about at this year’s Con.

One of the things everyone wants from a good Comic Con? Exclusives that you can get only at the convention.

San Diego Comic-Con. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Whether you’ve got a coveted badge to go yourself or know someone who does and you want to urge them to get you something fun (or you’re waiting patiently to see your favorites pop up on EBay), here’s some of the comic books, art work, toys and more that will only be available at vendor booths at Comic-Con.

This selection – there’s a couple freebies!– range from $5 all the way up to a whopping $250. For more, check out Comic-Con’s Toucan blog.

Comic-Con starts July 24 at the San Diego Convention Center.

Here’s some basic facts about how the Con has exploded in popularity since it’s 1970 launch – with just 100 people when it was called a “Mini-Con.” There’s nothing mini about it now – it attracts well over 100,000 fans annually and injects millions of dollars into San Diego’s economy.

  • The first convention was on March 21 way back in 1970 and was called San Diego Golden State Comic Mini-Con.
  • About five months later, the first non-mini Comic-Con happened in August, attracting legendary sci-fi author Ray Bradbury. Attendance tripled, to 300.
  • Comic-Con was known by one more name for one year, in 1972, San Diego’s West Coast Comics Convention, before settling on the moniker we all know and love.