Whedon, Pope Among The Cool Surprises at San Diego

Just as I feared, that first sneak peek of The Dark Knight will happen at Wizard World: Chicago, not Comic-Con International: San Diego, according to Batman-on-Film.com.

While unfortunate for me and many others heading west in three weeks, the announcement makes great sense and is rather convenient to fans in the very city where shooting on The Dark Knight continues through the summer. No worries, however, as the San Diego show has countless charms of its own that no other comics/pop culture show could replicate...

On the spendy side, for example, you can bid for one of five spots at a private dinner with Buffy the Vampire Slayer muse Joss Whedon via eBay, benefiting Equality Now, an international human rights organization that works to eliminate discrimination against women young and old around the world.

For those on a tighter budget -- bids for seats at the Whedon dinner as of today as going for as high as $4,100 -- you can support Equality Now by bidding on a limited, signed hardcover of Serenity: Those Left Behind, Swiss Army engraved Buffy watch (given to crew members during the final season) and other things, sponsored in part by Dark Horse Comics.

Hit the more button below for another cool surprise for Comic-Con fans of the far less spendy kind...

Be on the lookout for an all-new issue of Paul Pope's THB: Comics From Mars from AdHouse Books.