For those who haven't been, San Diego Comic-Con is a massive pop culture behemoth that can intimidate even those who dare to brave its wilds (pro tip: SDCC for the experienced), but for those who do venture in, it offers some excellent rewards. Those include access to the stars, sneak peeks at the future of entertainment and the opportunity to be part of a community where at least someone else will love the thing that you love.

I present to you but a few of the highlights of the convention:

• Campers catch fire: Some fans are so eager to see the stars of their favorite thing that they're willing to camp out in line in order to assure their place in the room, and hopefully a decent spot after fighting the crowds of fellow enthusiasts to get inside. The Twilight fans set the standard for that for years, with Comic-Con taking note of it and usually making the Twilight panel the first big panel every year so the Twilight fans can see their heroes and get out of the way, but there seemed to be even bigger camping crowds this year. Beyond Twilight, big crowds of campers came out for "The Hobbit," "Iron Man 3," "Doctor Who" and the Firefly 10th anniversary panel.

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Director Joss Whedon, best known so far for TV cult classics like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Firefly," soon to be known for directing "The Avengers," just shot another film. In secret. In 12 days.

It's a modern adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing," filmed in less than two weeks, in black and white, all in Santa Monica. Members of the cast started tweeting about it after principal photography wrapped.

A press release was issued giving details on the project, which is looking at being completed by early spring before moving to the festival circuit. That press release includes some of Whedon's signature deadpan self-deprecating humor, noting that the cast is committed to the idea that "the joy of working on a passion project surrounded by dear friends, admired colleagues and an atmosphere of unabashed rapture far outweighs their hilariously miniature paychecks."

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