San Diego Comic-Con Málaga welcomes the first of its 120,000 'heroes', in photos and video

"Welcome heroes," says the entrance arch at San Diego Comic-Con Málaga's first edition outside the US. Over the next four days, everyone at the Palacio de Ferias y Congresos (Fycma) will be treated like a hero. By everybody, we mean not only the special guest stars, but also the 120,000 attendees who come from 20 countries to witness the legendary event in Europe.

The opening gala at 7.30pm this Thursday will welcome two famous names - actors Dafne Keen (Wolverine's heir in Logan) and Taz Skylar (One Piece), both with Spanish roots. The activities on Thursday start much earlier, however - at 11am this morning, thanks to the hard work put on Wednesday in order to get the venue ready for the geek world. The show begins.

A total of 82,000 square metres of show space is dedicated to comics, cinema, series, video games, animation, role-playing games and music await the heroes. In addition to the 60,000 square metres of the Fycma's interior, the organisers have added another 22,000 metres outside to create the so-called 'Village' area, after realising the potential and scale of the event. The 'Village' is where attendees can grab something to eat, enjoy outdoor activities and even see the Comic-Con from the edge of a hot air balloon's basket.

San Diego Comic-Con Málaga's (SDCCM) main stage is Hall M, with a capacity of 3,000 people. It emulates the iconic Hall H in San Diego. The 'M' stands for Malaga, of course.

It will be there that the godfather of this inaugural edition - Arnold Schwarzenegger - will meet fans, who can ask him any questions through a special channel, set up by the organisers. The 'Terminator' arrives to SDCCM on Sunday, but there are plenty of other celebrities to boost the excitement on the previous days: Luke Evans (The Hobbit), Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), Pedro Alonso (Money Heist), Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones), Brian Austin Green (Beverly Hills, 90210), Natalia Dyer (Stranger Things), Ashley Eckstein (voice of Ahsoka Tano in the Star Wars animation saga), Nicholas Denton (Talamasca: The Secret Order) and Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Eduardo Noriega and Óscar Jaenada (The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon).

A last-minute announcement surprised attendees with the news that Hollywood star and musician Jared Leto will also join the star-studded list of guests at San Diego Comic-Con Málaga on Friday. For Leto, this stop at Hall M is part of his tour to promote Tron: Ares - the third instalment of the Disney saga. Other special guests from the world of cinema include J.A. Bayona (Jurassic World: The Fallen Kingdom and The Snow Society), Pablo Berger (Robot Dreams) and Oscar-winning VFX specialist John Gaeta, who will talk about the revolution that The Matrix.

For the fans of comic books, the first edition of SDCCM includes president and creative director of DC Comics Jim Lee, Marvel's editor-in-chief C.B. Cebulski, Marvel illustrator Peach Momoko, legendary scriptwriter and producer Jeph Loeb and Spanish artists of international prestige - Paco Roca, Belén Ortega, Pepo Pérez and winner of the Eisner Award Álvaro Martínez Bueno.

Those attending the first day of the convention, will be able to meet Aaron Paul, Luke Evans and Pedro Alonso, who are scheduled to appear at the 'Héroes y villanos' ('Heroes and Villains') panel at 2.30pm, followed by Natalia Dyer, Dafne Keen and Gwendoline Christie, who are part of the 'Mujeres guerreras' ('Women Warriors') panel at 5.30pm. The day closes with a few words from the main sponsor of the event - president of the regional government of Andalucía Juanma Moreno - and Malaga mayor Francisco de la Torre. They will be joined by SDCCM executive director Javier Barberá and president of San Diego Comic-Con International Robin Dolan.

Video game demonstrations, role-playing games, an international K-Dance competition and another ambitious cosplay costume competition are among the numerous activities planned for attendees.

The event, however, has already received some criticism. Many fans were disappointed after hearing that they will have to pay extra to get an autograph or a photo with some of the celebrities. The price tag seems high: 90.75 euros for a photo, which is almost double the price of the SDCCM ticket, and 66.55 euros for an autograph. Such souvenirs will require digging deep into one's pocket.

San Diego Comic-Con Málaga is also going to put the city's transport network to the test. Hotels are at 90% occupancy, with thousands of attendees from all over Spain and Europe who arrive by plane and train. Even the BlaBlaCar application has provided data that shows that approximately 5,600 car-sharing trips to Malaga have been booked for the next few days. The EMT bus network has extended its service by creating a line that takes people directly to the Fycma. The shuttle bus leaves from the city centre, between Calle Larios and Puerta del Mar, then only stops at the bus station near María Zambrano and goes to Fycma via Camino de San Rafael.

Those who prefer their own vehicle will not be able to park in the usual Fycma car park, as that space has been occupied by the 'Village'. Alternative parking will be available in two areas: on Avenida de las Malagueñas and next to El Corte Inglés Bahía Málaga (Calle Hamlet 5).

Everything is ready for the first European Comic-Con. The activities start at 11am, but if you can't wait, the doors open at 9.45am. Welcome, heroes!