Lisbon, Dec 6 (IANS): The first edition of the Comic-Con convention, a meeting of fans of comic books, science fiction and fantasy literature amongst other popular arts, has kicked off in Portugal.

The convention is taking place in Matosinhos city's Exponor conference centre from Dec 5-7, Xinhua reported Saturday.

Comic-Con will feature actors and other personalities from popular science fiction and fantasy genres of film and literature.

Some of the highlights of the conference include appearances by Clive Standen, the actor who plays Rollo in the television show 'Vikings', actor Natalie Dormer from 'Game of Thrones', as well as Seth Gilliam, known for playing Father Gabriel in 'The Walking Dead'.

Originally started in California's San Diego city in the US, in 1970, the Comic-Con conference has since spread to many other cities across the globe.

Being held for the first time, the Portuguese convention is "to make this event a national and international benchmark and to position itself as the biggest pop culture show in Portugal", the event's organisers said.