Comic book culture is embedded in our collective imaginations like never before, inspiring a slew of Hollywood blockbusters like

Batman and Superman (for starters), as well as a number of gritty independent films, such as American Splendor, Ghost World and Road to Perdition. In fact, comic books have moved from geeky back rooms to mainstream pop culture. They are cities by annual Comic Cons or Comic Book Expos. For those who dont know, a comic-book convention (or comic con) is an event where fans, vendors and stars gather to discuss, buy, trade, lecture, workshop and salute their heroes, both real and imaginary. Another popular activity around comic con is cosplay. Short for costume play, fans don the outfits and accessories of their favorite characters, including superheroes, video game character. The 2011 Cincinnati Comic Expo took place on the 17th of September from10:00 AM to 5:30 PM (ET) and was a great success. One of the highlights of this year is an appearance by Jim Steranko who worked on comics such as Captain America, X-Men and S.H.I.E.L.D., as well as cover work on Batman. His work has been shown at more than 200 exhibitions worldwide, including The Louvre in Paris and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.