FACES & PLACES: The Best Street Cosplay of Comic-Con 2022

Downtown San Diego is filled with pop-culture iconography, including fans who come dressed to impress

By Ron Donoho ● Photo Essays ● July 23, 2022

Mr. Spock. Catwoman. Minions. Young or old, iconic or niche, nearly any pop culture character imaginable is ready for their closeup this year at Comic-Con International 2022 in San Diego.

Under postcard-perfect, sunny blue skies, the San Diego Convention Center has been peacefully invaded by 130,000 attendees.

The Con is back, holding court from July 21-24. And sure:

William Shatner is here, audaciously sharing his opinions (on everything)–even more than his iconic Captain Kirk alter-ego ever did.
Chris Pine, Regé-Jean Page and Hugh Grant have been introduced as stars of the new movie Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
Severance, The Gray Man and House of the Dragon brought interactive, pop-up experiences to the streets of downtown San Diego.

Still, the most endearing part of Comic-Con comes in the form of fans who dress up as their favorite fantasy characters.

Cosplay has outlasted COVID. Selfie power has returned to the Gaslamp Quarter.

Here are some of the most colorful and creative characters captured at Comic-Con 2022 by San Diego Sun contributing photographer Salvatore Giametta:

All photos by Salvatore Giametta.

Author

Ron Donoho

Ron Donoho lives and breathes the content on the San Diego Sun. He has more than two decades of local, regional and national media experience, built on a foundation of strong research, writing and editing, and crafting reported features. His broad background is hyper-locally channeled into the reporting done here on his own downtown San Diego neighborhood.