Well, it's happened: the so-called preview is now as wildly packed as the show used to be on Saturday. Just getting from one spot to another on the 12-acre exhibit floor was a challenge. IDW had a mini-press conference to announce that Darwyn Cooke is in the process of adapting the first four Parker novels (huzzah!) by "Richard Stark" (aka Donald E. Westlake), and I have video of the press conference. And Heidi MacDonald commented that it seemed to be the only COMICS press conference at the show. Dang! I think she's right!

Wrap-up of the evening was a meal at the LOUD Dick's Last Resort with Christine Valada, Len Wein (who had his own con announcement; he's editor in chief of the 10-year-old comics publisher BloodFire Studios), Melinda Snodgrass, and Peter David. Our conversation would have been worthy of the Algonquin Roundtable -- IF we'd been able to hear each other. As it was, it was lively and fun to be with them.

I may (or may not) be on CNBC tomorrow discussing the economics of the comics biz. I seem to have acquired a new tagline (picked up by my boothmates), based on the interviewer's repeated remark: "That was wonderful! Now say it again -- but make it shorter!"

Now it's late. Tomorrow, I hear, is another day. Zzzzzzz.