Hot item at the show is the Harry Potter totebag given away at the Scholastic booth. One retailer told me he'd ended up with two and sold them the same day for $25 each. The Smallville bags are everywhere, in better supply than the Potter bags. Bud Plant is giving away Spider rings -- in connection with the pulp character. Anthony Tollin says it's the first true pulp premium (as opposed to media premium) in decades.

Sitting in the lobby, I'm waiting for Brent to help with the haul to the convention hall, seeing that I'm wrangling a suitcase there: to be shipped to Iola on the displays pallet, while I head up the coast with Mark Evanier and Carolyn Kelly.

I'm anoyed to find that my earliest forays into CBG blogging have devolved into the sort of con report I loathe: discussions of what I'm doing, rather than what news I've learned. Dang. Well, I did get an advance copy of Max Allan Collins' new Ms. Tree novel (text, not comics). And a fascinating preliminary view of a Jordanian comic book that's a first step to bringing comic books to that country.

Steve Saffel showed me pages of his upcoming Titan book on Spider-Man, to be released Oct. 16. Called Spider-Man: The Icon, it looks terrific! And it looks as if Joss Whedon's Ripper could be a BBC production.

So I'm sure you're wildly impressed by the detailed reports I've posted. In part the length has been affected by fatigue (4 hours sleep last night). And there's been two trips to Horton Plaza so far from my phone going dead. It's apparently my fault, but that doesn't make it any easier. My apologies; I know this is boring. Let's see if this posts well.

And I'm exhausted -- but a great day.

Comic-Con Thursday was staggeringly packed with crowds and events. The exhibit floor (all 12 acres of it) -- especially in the "media area" -- could hardly be moved through at times, and booths were busy.

Some of the news I picked up was not yet for public release; there's IDW news, for example, which is dear to my heart -- but it's embargoed for a bit. I did learn that the yet-to-air-in-the-U.S. Torchwood BBC series is shooting a second season. And I got a tremendous interview with participants in the Torchwood panel I'll be transcribing when I get back.

Speaking of IDW, it should be noted that what its purchase by the IDT Corp. Primarily means is that the company now has a huge infusion of cash. Which is something of a vote of confidence. Overheard in the conversation of a long-time con volunteer: "The job of Floor Manager is thankless. You walk the entire floor for 4 days telling exhibitors, 'You're breaking the rules.'"