The first Salt Lake Comic Con FanXperience, a spinoff of last fall's Salt Lake Comic Con, attracted more than 100,000 attendees over the weekend, organizers say, making it the third-largest comics convention in the United States, behind Comic-Con International and New York Comic Con.

“I’ve said all along that we have the best fans in the world right here in the western United States, and they proved it again with their support and attendance at Salt Lake Comic Con FanX,” Salt Lake Comic Con founder Dan Farr said in a statement. ”We set our sights high with a goal of 100,000 attendees and because of the tremendous backing and encouragement from the fans we knew that we could achieve this lofty achievement.”

Announced in November following the sold-out inaugural Salt Lake Comic Con, which drew a reported 72,000 attendees to Salt Lake City, Utah, FanX was billed as a larger event with double the floor space and a greater focus on celebrity guests, cosplay and entertainment for families and children. The three-day convention kicked off on Thursday with Utah Gov. Gary Herbert declaring April 17 as Comic Con Heroes Day.

Guests ranged from comics creators like Neal Adams, Ed McGuinness and Michael Golden to actors like Patrick Stewart, Nathan Fillion and Karl Urban.

Salt Lake Comic Con will return Sept. 4-6.