SDCC '13

I've been informed that despite 2013 Comic-Con professional badge registration being shut down yesterday that was only a logistical consideration, and you can in fact apply for you pro badge right now. There is not an infinite supply, but there are many available. So get in there.

First it was hotels, then it was badges...now it's pro badges. Comic-Con International: San Diego professional badge registration went live at 1 pm Pacific time yesterday and free guest badges for attending professionals—once a little perk that everyone enjoyed—were gone in minutes, apparently. It isn't exactly clear when pro badges actually became unavailable because there was a site meltdown, a "come back later" and then...there was only this:

LA's well-known children's book gallery Every Picture Tells a Story has launched an art-sales websiteArtKandy and if you're looking for a last minute gift...

Oh while you're checking out all the Eisner nominees over at the CCI page, you probably noticed that they have a brand new website....

How times change. Whereas in past years, San Diego city fathers and mothers were indifferent at best to the pop culture behemoth running through their streets, the battle for the con in 2010 seems to have permanently changed attitudes. After a protracted negotation over where to hold the show in 2013 and beyond, Comic-Con and the city agreed to a three-year contract, running through 2015. However, perhaps fearful of another battle for the con, SD mayor Jerry Sanders has preemptively announced Comic-Con has signed a one year extension for 2016.

The San Diego City council officially approved the $520 million convention center expansion project yesterday, clearing the way for a Bigger Bang Theory panel,...

A very special comics "experience" -- the new xkcd: Click and Drag is an actually a vast, draggable world of in-jokes and wonder. There's even a guide to the comic strip. It's immersive and amazing.

The second mad scramble of the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con has begun, as registration for professional status has opened. (Pre-reg registration for returning attendees...