A cool, uncrammed Comic-Con in Long Beach!

Lots of folks can claim residency in Trekland. One of them is an old buddy and one of the crack Licensing team at Viacom/Paramount in the 1990s and later: Chip Carter, whose solo company now is on the team that just launched the Long Beach Comic Con. Everyone loves San Diego's breezy show on the coast with hotels and clubs adjacent the convention center, but many long for the smaller, simpler days—and that's the feel we got today. If you're in the area this weekend, it is NOT too late to check it out: Saturday and Sunday are full days with lots of celebs, premieres, exclusives... plus panels and dealers, of course.

Here's but a sample: We were tickled today to get a peek around on the very first day of the very first year ... even before doors opened ... as the first hundreds were streamed in and the lines began: