I’m writing this from the lobby of the San Diego Convention Center, taking full advantage of the free wi-fi offered this year. Comic-Con International 2008 has been in full swing for four days now, and it’s massive to say the least. Another amazing year, with undoubtedly record attendance.

It’s Saturday morning, and so far we’ve have some great panels (the Modern Masters: Live and the BrickJournal/Lego were packed, with people being turned away from the Lego panel, due to overcrowding). All our new books are selling briskly, and we’re already making plans to add more booth space next year.

Food’s great, weather’s wonderful (back in the 70s, after two years of record heat waves), and everyone seems to be having a great time. I’ll report more fully after we return to the office on August 5, but if you didn’t make it this year, start making plans for 2009. It’s an unforgettable experience.

Here’s who we’ll have signing at our Booth #1215 at Comic-Con International:

MIKE W. BARR (author of numerous comics, including Camelot 3000 and Batman and the Outsiders, plus TwoMorrows’ Silver Age Sci-Fi Companion):
Saturday, 4:30-5:30pm (right after he moderates a Spotlight on Joe Staton panel in Room 4)

KEITH DALLAS (comics journalist, and author of TwoMorrows’ new Flash Companion book, which debuts at Comic-Con)
Thursday, 4-5pm (right after the TwoMorrows Publishing Panel in Room 10)
Friday, 3-4pm
Saturday, 11-12pm

JOE MENO (LEGO builder, and editor of TwoMorrows’ new BrickJournal magazine for LEGO enthusiasts)
Thursday, 2-3pm
Friday, Noon-1pm (right after the LEGO/BrickJournal Panel in Room 4)
Saturday, Noon-1pm

BENJAMIN HOLCOMB (author of TwoMorrows’ acclaimed book Mego 8″ Superheroes: World’s Greatest Toys!)
Thursday, Noon-1pm
Friday, 1-2pm
Saturday, 3-4pm

DANNY FINGEROTH (Spider-Man writer/editor, and editor of TwoMorrows’ Write Now! magazine)
Thursday, 5-6pm
Friday, 5-6pm
Saturday, 2-3pm (right after the TwoMorrows Academic Panel in Room 30AB)

In addition, Modern Masters editor Eric Nolen-Weathington and publisher John Morrow will be at the booth non-stop for most of the convention, and Rand Hoppe of the Jack Kirby Museum will be there scanning Kirby art for the Museum’s archives.

At Comic-Con, we’ll have a limited number of copies of four new books which will debut at booth #1215 next week:

The Flash Companion
Modern Masters Vol. 18: John Romita Jr.
Jack Kirby Checklist: Gold Edition
BrickJournal Compendium Vol. 1

However, our copies of those books didn’t arrive before we left for Comic-Con, so those will be mailed to customers when we return on August 5 (except BrickJournal Compendium Vol. 1, which won’t arrive here until later in August, and will be mailed then).

Here’s our Comic-Con panel schedule and descriptions; please tell everyone you know, and we’ll see you there!

Modern Masters: LIVE
Thursday, JULY 24
1:00-2:00pm
Modern Masters editor Eric Nolen-Weathington brings together three of the greatest artists in comics – Frank Cho (Liberty Meadows, Mighty Avengers), Michael Golden (Micronauts, The ‘Nam), and Mark Schultz (Xenozoic Tales, Superman: Man of Steel) – for a conversation about art, comics, and beyond!
Room 5AB

TwoMorrows Publishing Today
Thursday, JULY 24
3:00-4:00pm
Join the crew from TwoMorrows Publishing for a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into creating all their fan-favorite books and magazines on the art and history of comics! On hand will be publisher John Morrow, Modern Masters’ Eric Nolen-Weathington, Write Now!’s Danny Fingeroth, BrickJournal’s Joe Meno, and Keith Dallas, author of TwoMorrows’ new Flash Companion book, as they unveil new products and offer exclusive previews of upcoming items!
Room 10

LEGO and BrickJournal: Brave New World
Friday, JULY 25
11:00-12:00pm
Come see what grown-ups and “big kids” are doing with LEGO today, and what fuels them to never put the brick down! With notable guests including Joe Meno, editor & creator of BrickJournal, the magazine for adult fans of LEGO; expert builders Bryce McGlone and Brandon Griffith; and female builder Jessi Pastor; this panel showcases amazing examples of how they put their LEGO building talents to use! So dust off those old bricks in your basement and join the brave new world of LEGO builders!
Room 4

COMICS ARTS CONFERENCE SESSION #9: TWOMORROWS PUBLISHING AND THE ACADEMIC COMMUNITY
Saturday, JULY 26
1:00-2:00pm
TwoMorrows Publishing is known for celebrating the art and history of comics, and the company has been making inroads into the academic community with its line of “how-to” books, magazines, and DVDs. Now, you can have your chance to hear, and to participate in, a dialogue with TwoMorrows to find out how to strengthen the relationship between the publisher and the academic community. What TM publications do you feel speak to you and your students, and what educational niches do you see that TwoMorrows can fill for the academic world? Publisher John Morrow, Danny Fingeroth (Write Now!) represent Twomorrows in this freewheeling exchange of ideas. Peter Coogan (institute for comics studies) speaks from the academic viewpoint. And Durwin Talon (Panel Discussions, Savannah College of Art and Design), and John Lowe (Working Methods, Savannah College of Art and Design) have a foot in both worlds. Q&A to follow.
Room 30AB

The annual San Diego Comic-Con (or Comic-Con International: San Diego to be more exact) is next week, July 23-27. We’ll be at our usual booth (#1215, right across from the Golden & Silver Age Pavilion), and as I type this, we’re all scrambling to get everything ready for our trip next week.

NOTE: We’re officially closed from now until August 5, so any orders placed online from here-on will be processed the week of August 4. But you can still get Digital Editions automatically online, including the three issues we’re debuting at Comic-Con: Alter Ego #79, Rough Stuff #9, and Back Issue #29, all of which have already been mailed to subscribers.

If you’ll be there, please stop by, and meet & greet some of our editors and authors, more of which you’ll read about a couple of posts from now.

For the next two weeks only (through July 14), select books are 50% off cover price. This sale features books in our popular “how-to” category of books, offering invaluable information for anyone interested in the creation of comics. Included are:

BEST OF DRAW Volume 1-3 collections
and
BEST OF WRITE NOW trade paperback, which give tutorials and demonstrations of drawing and writing comics by top industry pros.

Two MODERN MASTERS DVDs, showcasing artists GEORGE PEREZ and MICHAEL GOLDEN at work in their studios, showing viewers how they produce their award-winning, fan favorite artwork.

COMICS INTROSPECTIVE: PETER BAGGE, which gets into the head of the indy artist, showcasing a groundbreaking interview and artwork.

G-FORCE: ANIMATED, a full-color history of the animated series Battle of the Planets.

This sale is only valid for orders placed at www.twomorrows.com through July 14, and does not include shipping costs. A banner atop the TwoMorrows’ home page links directly to the list of books offered at 50% off. So order soon!