PLANO – Six-year-old twins Addison and Cameron Carter of Arlington have no idea why they're standing in line.

They look exasperated. They smirk. They twirl. They collapse to the ground, knees tucked under their bodies, hands on their heads.

MONA REEDER/DMN

Katie Eakins and her mother, Bridget Eakins, of Grapevine, posed next to R2 D2 on Saturday.

Both show off their Darth Vader-inspired T-shirts. Cameron's proclaims: "I belong to the dark side." Addison's T-shirt warns: "Don't push my buttons."

The boys and their father were just a few of the thousands who showed up this weekend at Dallas Comic Con, which features movie and television stars, wrestlers, comic book artists and pop culture merchandise for sale.

The twins and their father, Mark Carter, reach the front of an autograph line. The boys have no idea that the 17-year-old with scruffy facial hair is the baby-faced Jake Lloyd from one of their favorite movies: Star Wars: Episode I ­ The Phantom Menace.

"That's Anakin," Mr. Carter, 34, tells his sons, cluing them in to what everyone else in the Plano Centre already knows. He played the kid who grew up to be the Darth on their T-shirts.

Their eyes light up as Mr. Lloyd signs Mr. Carter's movie poster.

"I want a poster like that," Cameron announces in a sing-song voice.

"Well, we'll put it in your room," Mr. Carter says.

Then, the boys fall to the ground again, rising only for a family photo with Mr. Lloyd.

Despite its name, this convention and others like it around the country have expanded beyond Superman and Batman comic books.

Now, the fans of cult television shows and movies flock to Comic Con to meet actors, wrestlers, comic book writers and artists. Some dress up like favorite characters and listen in on Q&A sessions with the stars.

With more and more comic books turned into movies like Spider-Man and X-Men, the conventions are attracting people of all ages and descriptions.

"Mom may be into wrestling or the kids are, and the dad can go see the good-looking girl from Lost," said Mark Walters, the event manager for Dallas Comic Con.

Maggie Grace, who signed autographs on Saturday, played the spoiled Shannon on Lost. She was killed off the show last season but resurrected at Comic Con.

Ron Glass displays an easygoing manner when signing autographs. He laughs a lot, gives a fan bunny ears while posing for a photo and remarks on the mementos he's asked to sign.

Still, he's befuddled when Suzanne Lee asks him to sign her chest. She has a cute pixie haircut and an ample bosom.

"Hmmm," responds Mr. Glass, his eyes widening. This is a first for him.

Ms. Lee, 35, says she enjoys Mr. Glass' television show Firefly, a space western canceled after only a few episodes. It became the movie Serenity thanks to a devoted cult following.

Mr. Glass postpones the chest-signing to autograph an 8-by-10 photo of himself for a man behind Ms. Lee.

"Let me do this so I can gather myself," he quips.

Moments later, Mr. Glass stands next to Ms. Lee with a black Sharpie poised over her chest as though he's not sure where to begin.

"I will never forget this," Ms. Lee murmurs.

Lane Garrison, who is from Dallas, was in the television show Prison Break. But his character was killed off the show, which seems to guarantee a spot at Comic Con.

Mr. Garrison is conducting a Q&A session for 20 fans. Questions are slow in coming.

"Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?" he asks the crowd, referencing a famous scene from the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

Suddenly a 13-year-old girl raises her hand. "Do you want a Pixy Stick?" she asks.

"I would love a Pixy Stick," he answers, saying he'll save it for later when he needs an energy boost.

The girl scampers up the aisle and hands over two sticks.

Then a cellphone rings in the audience. It belongs to Mr. Garrison's aunt.

"My own aunt. What are you doing?" he cries out in mock anger.

Follow the trail of green glitter and cloth leaves through the convention and you'll find Aeslyn Kent of Wylie. She's dressed up as Poison Ivy from the Batman comics.

She's supposed to be evil, but this version of a bad girl only looks angelic on a 15-month-old with strawberry blond hair. Leaves and glitter cover her clothes, including her white shoes and a few leaves in her tiny pigtails.

Aeslyn is No. 5 in the children's costume contest, but she couldn't care less. She's more interested in keeping a watchful eye on the man dressed in full Darth Vader regalia complete with heavy breathing.

She wins the contest, but she also has fallen asleep in her mother's arms. She is unaware of her award – a photo signed by Peter Mayhew, the man who played Chewbacca in Star Wars.

Cameras flash to capture her innovative costume, but Aeslyn doesn't stir.

Musetta Vander and Claudia Christian made careers out of playing warriors, monsters and sirens.

Comic Con has dispatched a volunteer to shuttle them from the airport to the Radisson in Richardson, where most of the stars are staying.

Before leaving the parking lot of Terminal B at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, they've realized they're both filming movies in Bucharest, Romania, later this year.

"Get out," squeals Ms. Christian.

"Really," replies Ms. Vander.

The excitement dies when they discover their time in Romania won't overlap.

Ms. Christian, 41, has racked up an impressive array of film credits. She stars in Babylon 5 and once played a stripper possessed by an alien serial killer in The Hidden.

Ms. Vander, 37, appeared in Stargate SG-1 and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. She also played a hot teacher who preyed on virgin boys in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

As the red Ford Windstar van whisking them to the hotel speeds along Interstate 635, Ms. Christian launches into a story about a yellow jacket stinging her left foot.

She says her foot swelled and forced her to wear athletic shoes on the airplane. Sheepishly, she points to her white New Balance sneakers. Nothing else would fit.

With her foot puffing up moments after the sting, she called her veterinarian brother to get advice.

Soak it in Windex, he told her.

"Because of the ammonia," she explains to anyone in the van who's listening.

"It's the same thing as peeing on it," Ms. Christian deadpans.

"Huh?" says Ms. Vander.

E-mail jemily@dallasnews.com