SDCC '13

As the lamentwitterations filter over the land, the results of this year's Hoteloween are being discovered. And while the lucky ones who got their first hotel choice smile to themselves, the tweets of the homeless fill the air.

That's right, even if you weren't on the internet at 12:00:00 pm pst ON THE DOT, there are still excellent hotels available right now. Many are on the shuttle root, many are name brand resorts.

If you're into writers of the past and present or cartoonists of the future, here's your chance to help honor someone in either category. Both the Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing -- which recognizes comics writers past and present -- and the Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award -- which recognizes a new artist who is, uh, promising -- are open for nominations. Both awards and finalists are chosen by juries, but they accept nominees.

The technical causes of the heartache and frustration experienced by those hoping to register for this year's CCI: San Diego were enough for the CCI folks to issue the following statement:

Everyone hit go, complain, spinning wheel, white room, waiting list, unfair, people got in ahead of me, don't refresh!, crying, spinning wheel, oh god you hit refresh no why oh god no, why isn't there a lottery, Comic-Con sucks, hooray this is going to be the best week of my life, etc etc etc.

This Saturday at February 16, 2013 at 9:00 AM Pacific Time (PT), badges for the 2013 Comic-Con International San Diego will go on sale. There will be joy, there will be despair, there will be tweets, there will be a video.

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 and have a bit of dough to spend, this could...

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. We're told it will encompass more original material and is...

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, and the 502nd Legion at the Nerd Prom. BUT many...