Long Beach Comic Con starts today, the Birmingham International Comics Show starts tomorrow and I am going to neither. I may well be flying in a hot air balloon across London with Gail Porter and Bear Grylls on Sunday, courtesy of Pixar’s UP, but that’s another story.

Long Beach Comic Conventioneers can expect to pick up a special Amazing Spider-Man #606 variant where they have removed some but not all the colour of J Scott Campbell’s standard cover. Blimey variant covers are cheap these days. Jeph Loeb talks Marvel on Saturday, while there are two premiere episodes of the Marvel Super Hero Squad Show being shown on Sunday. Congratulate Amanda Conner on joining the Wizard Top Ten Hot Artists List at 5pm tonight, in conversation with hubby Jimmy Palmiotti. Archaia have got a Mouse Guard panel on the Saturday and are leading a digital comics distribution panel on Sunday. Stan Lee is hanging around meeting and greeting. Berke Breathed makes his convention debut to promote the IDW collection of his strips (I’ve seen it, it’s lush!) Today at 5pm the Hero Initiative are displaying the 100 Wolverine: Weapon X #1 covers created by the best artists in the business in Room 204. $5 admission, $3 is you’re dressed as an X-Man, free if you’re dressed as Wolverine. Incarnate #2 from Radical will debut at the show and Nick Simmons will be on site to sign copies. Thomas Jane will host a premiere screening of Dark Country in 3D at 7pm tonight.

My hottest tip? Bob Wayne running the DC Nation panel at noon tomorrow with Ian Satler and Jim Lee. No idea if they’ll have any kind of announcement to make, but expect Bob to have a few things to say about Marvel and Disney if pushed…

Com.X are doing a big splash at Long Beach which means they’ll have to miss out their natural stomping ground over the pond in Birmingham. As will Bob Wayne, it just won’t be the same without him. They may not have Marvel in residence, so they have the Geek Syndicate pair talking about Marvel instead, the launch of Bryan Talbot’s Grandville. Still at least DC’s Michael Wright will be there talking Batman and hopefully breaking into song at some point. And Marvelman’s Garry Leach will be painting a cover live… along with Howard Chaykin, David Lloyd, Tony Lee, Charlie Adlard, Alan Davis, Paul Cornell and more, I’m sure the Brits will cope!

And naturally, feel free to email Bleeding Cool about anything fun you see and hear…

[CRIME UPDATE] On the DC Blog The Source, editor Ian Sattler posts a photo taken with his phone while driving. In the UK, that sort of thing would be illegal. What’s the rule in California?