In years past, a favorite place to dine while the Comic-Con International was in progress was a "dive" called the Kansas City Barbecue Company. You didn't go there for the decor. You went for the great ribs and chicken, and maybe for the friendly atmosphere and servers.

The use of the past tense in the above paragraph is because, as reported here, the place had a fire that closed them down, just in time for this year's con. But I am pleased to post the above photograph which promises that they will soon be back in biz. And even as I was taking it, a construction crew was working on the building to make that happen.

More random bits about the Comic-Con…

• My favorite moment at the Quick Draw! game was when I asked the three cartoonists to each do a sketch called "Someone in the audience who deserves a standing ovation." I knew the answer I'd get when I asked it: Al Jaffee. One of the many joys of the weekend was hanging around with the guy who invented "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions" and the MAD Fold-In, and seeing how mobbed he was by fans and admirers. He was a little stunned when he got that standing ovation — a couple thousand people on their feet and cheering — but if he thought he didn't merit it, he was the only one.
• The rumor was again circulating that since the con has obviously gotten too big for the San Diego Convention Center and surrounding hotels, it will soon be relocated to Las Vegas. As far as I can determine, absolutely no one currently involved in the operation of the con believes this or wants this.
• Mike Peters hugged me more in one weekend than my Aunt Dot did in her entire life.
• There was a guy staggering around the room in one of those costumes where you can tell that an awful lot of time and money went into the effort but you have no idea who or what he was supposed to be. Actually, there were a couple of those but the one I'm thinking of had seriously impaired vision. I think the eyeholes were in his navel or something…and he kept bumping into people. Maybe that was the point of it.
• We did something called "That 70s Panel" with eight comic folks, myself included, who began writing and/or drawing funnybooks in that era. It went well for what it was, and also as a preview of a Golden Age Panel in the not-as-distant-as-I-wish future.
• Every con since I had my Gastric Bypass Surgery, a few folks come up to me and inquire about it, and I answer questions and tell them what I tell everyone, which is that it worked great for me but that their mileage may vary. One fellow who inquired this year easily weighed over 400 pounds…but he said he was asking because his sister was considering it.
• I only got down to Artists' Alley once during the con. I really like that part of the floor and always forget that there's a route that doesn't involve plowing through the videogame/toy section. If they had a little tram that took you down to that part of the convention hall, I'd be there whenever I wasn't hosting panels.

More of these as they come to mind.

Hard to believe, considering what a good time I had, that I have so little to write about this year's Comic-Con International. What with panels, meetings and books to sign, I barely had five minutes in which to be bored. I'd have liked a few more moments when I didn't have to be somewhere so I could have prowled the hall in search of all those friends I never ran into. I know some of you were there and I'm sorry our paths didn't cross. I did enjoy meeting any number of e-mail correspondents…even a guy who sends me political tirades about how we must immediately drop nuclear bombs on any nation where the "wrong" religions fllourish. In person, he didn't seem too insane. I was expecting Jack Nicholson in The Shining crossed with Mothra.

Yeah, there were a lot of people there, including some not dressed as The Joker. I've decided that going to the Comic-Con International and moaning about crowds is like going to a strip joint and complaining that there are fake breasts on the premises. On the other hand, could we institute a rule that no exhibitor may distribute carry-around bags that are more than twice the width of the person who'll be carrying them around?

I also don't think you should be allowed to set up in the autograph area unless you have proof that somewhere, at some time, somebody has actually asked you for an autograph.

A few of my friends seemed bothered by the many costumed folks in the place…as if this is something new at fan conventions. The only thing that bothers me is that they are drastically (though understandably) over-represented in the news coverage. When I call my mother from the con to check on her, I always have to reassure her that I'm not at that moment dressed as Catwoman. Which is usually true.

Occasionally, you start a panel even though one or more guests has yet to arrive for it. Today, as I was about to begin one of those, an absent guest called my cellphone to tell me that he was driving around outside the convention center…and since he was unable to find a place to park, he was going home.

One dining tip which may be good for next year: I always complain about the food at these things because…well, because it's usually three notches below atrocious. But out in the back on the top level, there was a little outdoor setup where hot dogs and hamburgers were being barbecued and sold for about double what you'd pay in a real restaurant. They were pretty decent if you knew the secret, which was to ask for one that hadn't been cooked for some previous convention.

Almost lastly: A kid who was maybe eleven years old came up and asked me if I'd ever written The Hulk in some comic or cartoon. I told him no, I hadn't. He reacted as if I'd told him I'd never tasted chocolate or smelled a flower or listened to jazz. His eyes went wide in amazement, he stammered a bit then asked in a loud, mystified voice, "Is there some good reason why not?"

Can't believe it all went so fast. At the first San Diego Con I attended, which was the first one ever, time moved much more slowly. There was less to see and hear at the con but the hours lasted a full sixty minutes back then, so there was time enough to do most of what you wanted. Some people have suggested adding another day or even two to the convention. I don't think they need that. I think they need to get rid of these hours that only last about eleven minutes each, and get back to the era when an hour was an hour. Good night.

Still having a great time. Still don't have any hot gossip or juicy anecdotes. I have now completed twelve of my seventeen panels and am readying myself to hike to the convention center and do the remaining five. I hope someone else will post how hilarious Chuck McCann was…how funny all the participants were, actually, on yesterday's Cartoon Voices panel. If I tell you, it will just seem like Moderator Bias. We have another panel of such actors today at 1:15 (Room 6B, I think) and today's assemblage is going to have a pretty high bar over which they must vault.

I enjoy the heck out of this convention. Yes, I know there are long lines and crowded aisles. That's because it's a great place to be and everyone knows it. It's often hard to get a table at the best restaurant, too. One of the things I enjoy about Comic-Con International is that I can't take five steps in any direction without running into a friend…including some I hadn't known before. I'm sure the pace would grow maddening in longer stretches but to function in it for four or five days at a time is quite exhilarating. So much to do, so much to see.

Sundays are always a little bittersweet at these things. There's as much to enjoy as there ever is but there's also the underscore that things are winding down, that it's all coming to an end. People are thinking about return trips and packing and making that last purchase that may not fit into their suitcases. Later this afternoon, for those who stick around for it, there will come that amazing (to me) moment when the convention ends and if you linger in the exhibit hall, you can watch the ritual of implosion. You can see exhibitors start breaking down their booths and watch as this vast room goes into retreat…and the mighty convention slowly disappears before your eyes. (Those of you who think dealers overcharge for their wares ought to see this once and also witness the set-up. The sheer physical labor involved in getting in and getting out…well, I didn't mind as much, paying what I was paying for old comics, once I'd witnessed the merchants hauling their boxes around.)

Okay, I have to get over to the Convention Center, where there are fascinating people, wonderful things to see and hear, and $8.00 mini-pizzas made of a harder substance than Wolverine's claws. I'll try to write something here tonight when it's all sadly over…but only, we remind ourselves, 'til next year.

I've decided not to do a day-by-day Convention Report this year. I'd love to give you hot gossip and juicy anecdotes from the floor but those postings never seem to be much more than me telling you how well my panels are going and how crowded the con is, and then I list a lot of people with whom I chatted. This is a much more exciting event than that.

So whatever I have to report will have to wait 'til I return and have time to reflect and think of other things to write about. Those of you who love it when I'm pissed off at some business, like an airline or restaurant, will enjoy what I have to say about the hotel in which these words are being written.

I have so far counted fifteen people dressed as The Joker — twelve men and three women. These are not the greatest villains represented in the hall. So far, the greatest villain is whatever exhibitor thought it would be a great idea to pass out large inflatable swords to small children. I'm going to find that guy and make him try to get from one end of the room to the other with kids stabbing at his lower extremities.

Goodbye 'til later.

As you may (emphasis on the "may") have heard, the Enquirer claims to have nailed down proof that John Edwards…well, it's a bit arguable as to what they've proved. They claim it's that Edwards really did have an affair (previously and quite convincingly denied) with this woman named Rielle Hunter and fathered a "love child" with her. The Enquirer reportage suggests what they've proved is that he visited her in the wee small hours of the morning at the Beverly Hilton and ran like a craven jackrabbit when he found that there was an Enquirer correspondent shadowing him.

Jack Shafer asks if there's a double-standard at work in that the mainstream media has yet to report this. I don't think so. For one thing, there's a big difference between getting caught by an Enquirer reporter and being caught, as Larry Craig was, by an officer of the law. True, the Enquirer has been steadily raising its level of credibility as the so-called "real press" has been lowering its own…but they haven't quite crossed yet. Craig was arrested, which makes it more of a public issue and takes it out of the "none of anybody's business" category. Also, the Edwards story is new and there's a lot going on in the world.

I don't think there's a danger it won't get plenty of attention. Edwards's political opponents will see to that. If he's not Obama's running mate, we may now know the reason why.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned in this story is the question of why, if you were a nationally-known political figure and you wanted to meet with your mistress, you'd do it at the Beverly Hilton, of all places. Under normal circumstances, the place is swarming with famous folks — and therefore, reporters. But this week, all the TV critics in the land are in L.A. for a big press junket and every good hotel is filled with press folks. The Edwards encounter allegedly happened on Monday. That same day, I had a meeting at the Four Seasons and I saw half the cable news business lounging poolside. The Beverly Hilton is the hotel where you stay when you can't get into the Four Seasons.

I'm not saying it's proof of anything…but if you were a famous guy, especially a famous guy who's being mentioned as a running mate for Barack Obama, it would be braindead stupid to think you could get in and out of the Hilton without being spotted. In my book, that would disqualify the guy to be Vice-President, just as much as the moral hypocrisy and lying.

But I promised to link to the latest Fred Kaplan column.

My late father, who was one of the gentlest and kindest men who ever lived, used to watch Crossfire on CNN, hoping someone would finally haul off and belt Robert Novak. Dad called him the perfect example of a guy who thinks that the world should revolve around him and his friends making as much money as possible, and that there is no concern that even comes in even a close second. He was also amazed that Novak could be regarded as a reporter and pundit when he continued to get so much so wrong so often. I have seen nothing to suggest my father was wrong.

Take a look at this. Novak is driving along in a black Corvette. He hits a pedestrian and keeps on going. A man on a bicycle sees this, chases Novak down and tells him he hit someone. Only then does Novak stop. He says, "I didn't see him there."

The bicyclist apparently had to stand in traffic to block Novak from leaving the scene. Later, describing the accident, he says he watched as a, "black Corvette convertible with top closed plowed into the guy. The guy is sort of splayed onto the windshield."

Police came and gave Novak a citation. One does suspect that if it had been you or I or anyone who wasn't a well-connected, famous media celeb, we'd be taken to a little room and told that we had one phone call. Gee, I wonder what Keith Olbermann and Jon Stewart are going to say on their shows tonight.

And it's off to San Diego with me. Those of you who fret for the well-being of Lydia, the cat I feed on my back porch, needn't fret. The housesitter will make sure she is well-fed, and I have an array of plumbers and tile guys rebuilding a bathroom and portions of my kitchen whilst I'm down in S.D. hosting panel after panel. So she will not starve for food or attention. (And remind me when I get back to tell you all about Max, a new feline who's joined the throng at the backyard supper dishes. Max is obviously aware that I write the Garfield cartoons and thinks, wrongly, that if he hangs around and gets morbidly obese on the Friskies I put out, he too will enjoy such stardom.)

I have no idea how much, if at all, I'll be posting at the con. Friday, I have three business meetings, an hour of book-signing, four panels to host and one I've promised to visit, plus I have a dinner date and then I'm presenting an award at the big awards gala, dashing out to do a video-type interview, then dashing back to the awards show. Saturday is busier than Friday. I will however try to get a link up here whenever Fred Kaplan posts whatever he's going to post on the current doings with Iraq. Read back on this guy's old articles, people. He's called just about everything exactly right. Wouldn't be nice if we could say that about anyone in our government?

If you see me down there, say hello…and forgive me if I seem distracted at the moment. That's my natural condition, even when I'm not at a Comic-Con International. Each year, it seems, I come back to find one person on the Internet who thinks I snubbed him or her because they said howdy and didn't get what they felt was courteous attention. That is so unlike me and it bothers me that it ever happens. Let's see if I can get through this con without it happening again.

Mark is facing reality: I have too much to get done before the convention…so posting will be light to non-existent the next few days.

If I owe you an e-mail and it can wait 'til after the Comic-Con, it will have to wait 'til after the Comic-Con.

Also, please: Do not write to ask if I can get you into the con and/or get you a hotel room and/or arrange for you to meet Sergio. I can't do the first two…and you can manage the third on your own.

I shall return.