Tens of thousands of people head to Comic-Con International in San Diego each year to experience moments just like this one.
Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

SAN DIEGO — Comic-Con International is nothing if not complete sensory overload. Down every hall and on every corner, some new nugget of nerdom awaits, from overheard conversations to super-sweet costumes.

From big movies to little moments of geek bliss, here are the 10 coolest things we saw at Comic-Con 2011. (Were you there? If so, head to the comments and let us know your highlights.)

Whip-smart Weeping Angel girl: During the Doctor Who panel, a little girl dressed as a Weeping Angel asked the show’s stars and creators if the Doctor could ever regenerate as a woman. (The answer: maybe!) It was super precious. –Adam Rogers

Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson share the stage in Hall H: Not only were the two powerhouse directors together in one place, they brought some footage of The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn with them. Spielberg also announced that he’s working on a fourth Jurassic Park film, effectively making everyone in the audience 10 years old again. –Angela Watercutter

New Ghost Rider roars in Nightmare-Vision: The cursed biker in upcoming movie Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance trades the previous incarnation’s silly CGI for a fire-and-brimstone-fueled vision from hell. Crank directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor and actor Nicolas Cage are gleefully embracing the horror aspects of the Marvel Comics character, bringing their nightmarish vision to life with death-defying camerawork. The flame-spewing preview footage screened in Hall H made Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance look like the most hellacious comic book movie ever. –Lewis Wallace

Twilight meets True Blood in the Wired Café: Comic-Con is almost always brimming with some kind of genre cross-pollination — from Star Wars fans talking with Trekkies to Spider-Men hanging out with Dark Knights. But of all the only-at-Comic-Con things I saw, catching Kellan Lutz, who plays sparkly vamp Emmett Cullen in the Twilight Saga films, milling around in the Wired Café’s True Blood-themed Fangtasia mini-bar was the most amusing. –Angela Watercutter

The Darth Maul bouncer: Nothing says “Comic-Con party” like having a Sith Lord checking IDs at the door on a Saturday night. It’s probably safe to say he wasn’t the only one doing it this year — just the only one we saw. –Annaliza Savage

Frank Frazetta’s fantasy masterpiece Death Dealer 1: Several of Frank Frazetta’s original oil paintings were on display at Robert Rodriguez’s slammin’ Comic-Con party. Frazetta, a prolific sci-fi and fantasy artist, died last year, and this was a rare chance to see his iconic works. –Lewis Wallace

Matt Smith’s infectious smile: Whether he’s being interviewed, greeting fans or up in front of thousands in Hall H, Matt Smith is consistently geeking out about how much he loves playing the Doctor on Doctor Who. Sometimes it’s nice to see that the people who play the characters nerds love are, indeed, as excited as we are about the whole thing. –Angela Watercutter

Francis Ford Coppola’s standing O: The director got a spontaneous standing ovation following his wonderful, weird presentation of Twixt, the gothic vampire thriller he said he’d present as a live show with on-the-fly editing. He was so heartfelt, and great. –Adam Rogers

A march for zombie civil rights: In the aftermath of 2011’s fifth-annual Zombie Walk on Saturday, one “walker” was spotted carrying a sign reading, in appropriately mangled English: “Legalize same zombie sex marriage Support ilegal zombie immigration Keep the FDA out off our brains.” Dead rights now! –Angela Watercutter

Jon Favreau screens Cowboys & Aliens for 2,000 of his closest friends: The King of Comic-Con kicks it up a notch by premiering his sci-fi Western at the San Diego Civic Theatre during the convention. Movie stars and filmmakers walk the red carpet before the Cowboys & Aliens screening, which is followed by a huge party for lucky fans. –Lewis Wallace