Cartoon Network let fans meet the folks behind Space Ghost: Coast to Coast! and get sneak peeks of Samurai Jack and The Justice League.

More often then not, there were two or even three simultaneous events I wanted to attend. Even the geek/pro rule of thumb wasn't always useful in determining what I would go to. Sometimes it was as simple as deciding that if a hotshot I wanted to meet was holding a panel and 3,000 people were in attendance, it was unlikely I was going to meet him or her in that context, so I'd be better off hitting a medium-shot's more sparsely attended panel. Often, if there was someone I thought I could meet home in NY, I'd go instead to see someone more L.A. or wherever based.

The Con, while the most heavily attended ever, seemed less crowded than in years past. I think they rented more space, and left wider aisles. It became less of an ordeal to traverse the convention floor. There seemed to be fewer kids than in previous years, which I find distressing, since they are the future of comics. Ya gotta hook 'em young.

Comic-Con is where professionals in a wide variety of entertainment media come face-to-face with their public, and vice versa. With its proximity to Los Angeles, plenty of Hollywood folks make their way down to the Con. Hollywood people come looking for the Next Big Thing. They are forever in search of talent and ideas. Which is why, fan or pro, it's a good idea to strike up conversations with people next to you at events or on a line. They might be someone whose work you've admired for years. Or they might be a fan of yours. They might be a source for your next gig, or your next date. For me, this was the highlight, meeting up with old friends and colleagues, meeting new people, catching up on gossip and news. Fan or pro, you feel like you're somehow part of this Great American pop Culture Machine.

Will you get to meet Steven Spielberg there? Probably not. Will you get face time with some of your favorite artists as they sit in Artists' Alley? Yup. Will you hear stories of the old days from people who may have been just names on a credits box or in a history book before? Definitely. Will you get a better deal from a retailer on the Con floor than you will on the Internet? There's a good chance, especially if you shop the last hour of the last day of the show, when dealers are packing up and eager to unload stuff.

And, of course, there are parties, awards shows, gaming sessions, and informal gabathons at bars and restaurants. Or if people aren't your thing and you want to just spend all day and night watching movies, that's there, too.

My biggest disappointment? I went to the autograph booth where Edd "Kookie" Byrnes was supposed to be signing (if you don't know who he is, there's no point asking). But Kookie wasn't there. People said they saw him, but he wasn't around when I was! There were plenty of other folks giving out their John Hancocks, though, including Kevin Smith, Joss Whedon, Julie Schwartz, John Romita (Jr. & Sr.), Greg Rucka, Michael Chabon and Brian Bendis. And these are just some of the official signers. Anyone you bump into at the ATM is a bonus. (Generally, however, it's considered bad form to ask for an autograph in the restroom.)

San Diego is a great city. There are beaches and restaurants and clubs. There's Coronado Island. There's the Zoo. I've been to these places. They're very nice. But the real reason to come to Comic-Con is the people and the hoopla. You meet old friends, make new ones, find original art and back issues of comics. You essentially get to spend time in an atmosphere where comics and anime and science fiction are not just tolerated, but extolled and admired, where you are not the oddball but one of a community that loves many of the same things you do. You come home exhausted but energized, whether your aim is to create the next X-Men or to read the next X-Men.