I am getting seriously excited about going to Comic-Con next week. As I’ve said, it’s my first time. I’ll be participating in TheOneRing.net’s Hobbit project panel at 10:00 am on Friday, July 25. We’ll be in Room 32AB. This is TORN’s first participation at Comic-Con since five years ago. Back in 2003, The Return of the King hadn’t come out yet. Indeed, at the time of the Con, stars like Ian McKellen were back in New Zealand for pick-ups, and the third film was still in frantic, behind-schedule production. I was patiently waiting for pickups to be over so I could go down to Wellington in the hope that some of the filmmakers would have time to talk with me for my book.

Yesterday’s email brought my confirmation number and even a personal bar code so that I can pick up my registration badge. I discovered that being on a panel entitles me to a “Professional” badge. I’m not sure what that involves beyond the regular visitors’ four-day passes, but it certainly sounds neat—like a great way to enjoy my first Comic-Con.

As I’ve mentioned, TORN will be selling copies of The Frodo Franchise. They are headquartered at the Slave Boy Films booth. That’s #5424. After a bit of a search through the online map of the giant exhibition hall, I spotted #5424 above the prominent Sideshow Collectibles space and a nearby lounge, about one third of the way across from the left edge of the map.

There are quite a few events that I want to attend, but I’ve come up with three one-hour time-slots when I’ll be at the booth to sign your copies of The Frodo Franchise. (If you’ve got others of my books you want signed, feel free to bring ‘em along.) I imagine I’ll have time to chat, too, if you just want to drop by. And don’t forget to buy one or two of the T-shirts designed by Weta Workshop’s Daniel Falconer. All profits from the shirts and books go to support TORN, so it’s all in a good cause.

Here are the times when I’ll be at the booth:

Thursday 1:30 to 2:30

Friday 11:30 to 12:30 (That’s shortly after the TORN panel)

Sunday 1:00 to 2:00

I’ll also be wandering around the exhibitions, especially checking out the LOTR-franchise-related booths like Sideshow Collectibles, Weta Workshop (housed by Dark Horse Comics), Electronic Arts, Gentle Giant, and New Line Cinema. I’d be delighted to meet any of you who’ll be attending. [July 16: There's a pic of me over on the "About Kristin Thompson" page, so if you spot me, please introduce yourself.]  For those who aren’t, I’ll try to blog as much as possible.

[July 16: Publishers Weekly has an interesting online story about Comic-Con's growth.]