The Comic-Con post game show

Putting the wraps on another year of Comic-Con:

Geek Nation thanks you for your support

Never underestimate the marketing power of Comic-Con. Producers, writers, and the studios know this all too well, and to reach their loyal fans, they came to San Diego in droves to show off their wares.

Lost and Heroes panels played to crowds larger than you find at most Padres games nowadays. People were camped out overnight to get the best seats. It's that big. Even non Sci-fi shows like 24 and The Office were represented at the Con.

And positive buzz about a project, such as the season three premiere of Heroes, and the new Star Wars: The Clone Wars can carry you a long way (then again, this happened to The New Bionic Woman last year and look where that ended up.)

Many believe Comic-Con is replacing those old standbys, NATPE and TCA as the big media thing of the year. Maybe. But all three can co-exist. While NATPE attracts television execs to Vegas every January and TCA brings TV critics to Beverly Hills twice a year, Comic-Con is the only venue that let fans interact with the people behind the television shows they watch, the movies they go to, and the comic books they read.

Even the TV trade magazines had special sections devoted space on their websites to Comic-Con, as TV Week, Hollywood Reporter, and Variety had people blogging right from the floor.

But yours truly fears Comic-Con may be in for a shark jump as the festival continues to grow in popularity. The Gossip Girl crowd was in attendance for a Twilight screening. And yours truly knows gossip mongers TMZ, E!, Entertainment Tonight and its evil sister The Insider are now lurking around every corner.

But Comic-Con is still a blast. Who ever thought a comic book festival started in a hotel basement in 1970 would become a force to be reckoned with in the entertainment world. With over 100,000 in attendance last week for four days of fun, this festival of geek is here to stay.

Now if yours truly can get to go... it would be better than going to the Super Bowl (except on the rare occasion the Bears are in the big game.)

What was hot at Comic-Con

Lost, Heroes, Joss Whedon, Family Guy, The Cleveland Show, Dr. Horrible, Firefly (still?), Joss Whedon, Battlestar Galactica, Stargate, Dollhouse, The Dark Knight, Joss Whedon, The Simpsons, Futurama, Chuck, Fringe, Clone Wars (can't wait for that), and especially Eliza Dushku. Did I mention Joss Whedon?

What was not

X-Files' I Want To Believe. I believe I want my money back for this tripe... speaking of which, isn't money the reason these two has-been "stars" did this movie to begin with?

Adult Swim. What happened? Where was the buzz? Guess you can't get far with talking fast-food characters and a talking behind.

The Twilight. OMG! Screaming teenage girls at Comic-Con? This isn't Miley Cyrus fest.