The guide has been a great resource in year’s past, and this year is no different. You can select a specific company from a drop down and get the lowdown on all of their exclusive merchandise, including price and limited run.

It doesn’t look like it’s complete yet – for example, no HasbroToyShop or MattyCollector as selectable companies – which means they’re probably holding back until as more exclusives are announced. Keep this bookmarked, and make your checklists now!

As to what’s going to be inside the pages of this special issue?  Click past the jump to read the press release and view the covers.

In addition to the sections on the four cover shows, the 88-page issue is packed with features and photos dedicated to the following programs:

• WBTV’s returning favorites “Nikita,”“Supernatural” and “Childrens Hospital”

• Previews of new WBTV series “Alcatraz,”“Person of Interest” and “The Secret Circle”

• An appreciation of WBTV’s “Smallville,” which recently concluded its 10^th season

• Warner Bros. Animation’s current hit series “Batman: The Brave and the Bold,”“The Looney Tunes Show,”“MAD,”“Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated” and “Young Justice,” as well as the upcoming “Green Lantern: The Animated Series” and “ThunderCats”

• The upcoming WBA/Warner Home Video/Warner Premiere release of “Batman: Year One” on Blu-ray™ and DVD

For more information on what’s going to be inside the pages, check here: http://www.thewb.com/blog/tvguidemagazinecovers2011

As for how the covers will look, check them out below.

Any of those appeal to you?  Let us know your favorites in the comments!

Let me tell you, it’s kinda like how Hal Jordan felt when Abin Sur handed him his ring. Or when Optimus Prime held the Matrix of Leadership in his steel hands for the first time. Or countless other geeky clichés I could bore you with.

Instead, let me get right to the good stuff: Warner Bros. is once again providing area hotels with five different collectible, limited-edition key cards to celebrate Comic-Con. Nearly 40,000 of these will be produced to promote popular Warner Bros. properties across television, video games and new media.

And of course, this will be one key card you won’t want to turn in when you check out. Click past the jump to read the press release and see the other four key-card designs for this year’s Comic-Con.

Lord of the Rings: War in the North video game from EA:

Mortal Kombat: Legacy live-action, new media series:

Person of Interest, airing on CBS this fall:

J.J. Abrams’ new series, Alcatraz, airing on FOX this fall:

WARNER BROS. TO THROW “KEY PARTY” AT COMIC-CON 2011
Studio Creating Nearly 40,000 Limited-Edition Collectible Hotel Keycards for TV
Series Alcatraz and Person of Interest, DVD Release of Smallville: The Complete
Series, Original New Media Series Mortal Kombat: Legacy and More

Keycard for The Lord of the Rings: War in the North Video Game
Provides Registration Details for a Special Comic-Con Event
Where Fans Can Experience the Darkness of Middle-earth

Twitter Pitch: Warner Bros. throws “key party” at Comic-Con 2011, unveils limited-edition hotel room keycards: http://bit.ly/mKco85 #WBSDCC #SDCC

BURBANK, Calif. (June 29, 2011) — Warner Bros. Entertainment is throwing a key party at Comic-Con! The Studio has once again created a set of limited-edition collectible hotel keycards, which will be in use at top hotels throughout the San Diego area during the ’Con. This marks the fourth consecutive year for the popular room key program.

Nearly 40,000 branded room keys will be available to fans at 36 participating hotels, courtesy of Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Marketing.

For Comic-Con 2011, Warner Bros. has created all-new keycards for five of the Studio’s series, video games and home entertainment releases, including:

• The upcoming new Warner Bros. Television series Alcatraz and Person of Interest
• Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group’s DVD release of Smallville: The Complete Series
• The original live-action new media series Mortal Kombat: Legacy, from Warner Premiere and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution
• Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s The Lord of the Rings: War in the North video game, with instructions on how fans can register to experience a special event at 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 23, at 5^th Avenue and J Street in the heart of San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter

To download artwork of the room keys, please click here:

www.thewb.com/comiccon/2011WBSDCCHotelKeycards

• Alcatraz: Executive producers J.J. Abrams (Super 8, Fringe) and Elizabeth Sarnoff (Lost) deliver a chilling new midseason drama for FOX revolving around America’s most infamous prison, the one-time home to the nation’s worst murderers, rapists, kidnappers, thieves and arsonists. The series stars Sarah Jones (Sons of Anarchy), Jorge Garcia (Lost) and Sam Neill (Jurassic Park). Alcatraz will debut in midseason, airing Mondays 9/8c on FOX.

• Person of Interest: Jim Caviezel (The Thin Red Line), Michael Emerson (Lost) and Taraji P. Henson (Hustle & Flow) team up in this crime action-drama from The Dark Knight’s Jonathan Nolan and J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions (Super 8, Fringe). Set in New York City, with all of its multifaceted elements of justice (cops, criminals, corruption), this procedural centers on an ex-CIA agent, presumed dead, who partners with a mysterious billionaire to prevent violent crimes. The series will air Thursdays at 9/8c on CBS this fall.

• Smallville: Warner Bros. Television’s hit series Smallville recently concluded its 10^th and final season on The CW, but fans can soon have all 218 episodes — plus five hours of newly added special features, including an all-new 90-minute retrospective — in their collection as Warner Home Video releases Smallville: The Complete Series on DVD this fall.

• Mortal Kombat: Legacy: This original live-action new media series from Warner Premiere and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution is directed by Kevin Tancharoen (Fame); stars Jeri Ryan (Star Trek: Voyager) as Sonya Blade, Michael Jai White (The Dark Knight) as Major Jackson “Jax” Briggs and Darren Shahlavi (300) as Kano; is based on the video game Mortal Kombat, created by Ed Boon; and takes gamers deep into the history of the warriors they know and love. Mortal Kombat: Legacy can be viewed on Machinima.com and will be available for download via iTunes, Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network starting July 18.

• The Lord of the Rings: War in the North: This is an intense, Action RPG video game for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC with an original story based on the renowned works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Up to three gamers can play together or perish as they form their own fellowship to defeat Sauron’s forces in the North of Middle-earth. Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment invites Comic-Con fans to a special event at 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 23, at 5^th Avenue and J Street in the heart of San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter. Fans can experience Middle-earth like never before and play the new The Lord of the Rings game months before its official release. Beginning on Wednesday, July 20, fans can text WITN to 82257 or log on to warinthenorth.com/comic-con for more details about the event.

For additional information about Warner Bros. Television activities at Comic-Con, follow us on Twitter @TheWBdotcom (hashtag #WBSDCC) and visit www.thewb.com/comiccon.

For more information about The Lord of the Rings: War in the North and Comic-Con activities, follow @WarInTheNorth and register at www.WarInTheNorth.com. Don’t forget to “like” us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/lotrwitn and register to win a trip for two to New Zealand to visit Hobbiton.

If you’ve ever been to Comic-Con before, you’ve undoubtedly spent too much energy A) rushing to and/or waiting in line for the HasbroToyShop booth; B) ogling others walking around the show with all of those cool toys from said booth; or C) all of the above.

Well, if you are lucky enough to be attending this year’s con, and if you’re reading this blog it’s most likely you are, then prepare your drool cups because Hasbro is starting to trickle out news on their 2011 SDCC exclusives.

USA Today’s Popcandy blog posted details on Hasbro’s Special Edition My Little Pony for all the little girls in your household, unless you are a little girl at heart, which means this is for you. This cutie will set you back $14.99.

And for the little boys in attendance, of which I am firmly in that camp, Marvel unveiled the Avengers Special Edition Mini Muggs Collector’s Pack. The set includes Hulk, Thor, Iron Man and Captain America Mini Muggs and a “giant-sized” Giant Man in Mighty Muggs form, all in awesome collectible packaging (check out Giant Man’s head sticking out of the Mini Muggs box!). The set will run $34.99.

As usual, availability of these exclusives are limited and could sell out early, but most likely Hasbro will have enough on hand to sell to everyone who wants one. They’ll also make limited quantities available after the con via the HasbroToyShop.com online store.

Marvel also said the rest of the exclusives will be announced closer to the July 20 start of SDCC, so I would imagine that also pertains to Hasbro’s other licenses as well, such as Transformers, G.I. Joe, Star Wars and Littlest Pet Shop. Stay tuned for more info as it is announced!

I’m not a Comic-Con shopper. Outside of a few shirts and posters I don’t go around the con hunting for exclusives and collectibles. Still, I love free stuff and getting to try out video games and the chance to get my picture taken with awesome stuff makes Preview Night a must for me. So this year I braved the exhibit hall for a full hour and fought babies, wheelchairs, and annoying booth employees to bring you my thoughts.

The exhibit hall can easily melt your brain to goo so even though I’ve been out of there for a bit, I’m still a bit blurry on all the details. Thus I’ve made a bulleted lists of the best and worst stuff in this year’s hall that popped out to me. Also, I was so overwhelmed by all the awesomeness I only took a few pictures so I recommend Joblo’s awesome posts to get your picture fix. Part 1 is here and Part 2 is here. Let’s get down to it:

Cheers

• Lots of Free Stuff – Even though I didn’t stand in line for a long time to get a great spot, I still left the convention center with enough free stuff to satisfy just about everyone. Three bags, 4 posters, a poster tube, and much more. Booths seemed to have more of everything this year and few were left empty handed.
• Lots of Collector Stuff – If you’re the spending type there was a ton of great stuff to spend your money on. Everything from giant posters to limited comics to really random figurines lined the hall. Even though the hottest shops had huge lines, you know that Giant Galactus figure was worth it.
• Video Games – Almost every major game studio had a booth with many of the hottest upcoming games. Wait lines weren’t too long and the Playstation Move was surprisingly awesome. Plus they had Kids Bop the Game and some crazy dancing thing at the Ubisoft booth. Attendees + Dancing = Success.
• Marvel’s Booth – They recreated the freaking throne from Thor. It was gold and amazing. See video of it here. It was freaking shiny and epic. DC had a ton of free comics, but none of them were gold or shiny.
• Tons of Props – Thor’s Hammer. Cap’s Shield. The Iron Monger. Lego Hagrid. Etc. There are a ton of awesome things to get your picture with this year. If only there was no such thing as no touching rules.
• Variation – Booths like Fox’s Alien Anthology helped vary up the exhibit hall and give attendees a chance to do something different then sweating and being pushed places.

Jeers

• The Crowds – I know this is always a complaint but in some areas it was really unbearable. I couldn’t tell if people were waiting in line or trying to move. It’s pretty obvious how that could be a problem.
• The CBS Booth – CBS actually had a booth this year. They also hired the most obnoxious lady in the world to be its spokesperson. Then they made people wait in line 30 minutes for a lea. Really?
• The Kids – I’m a very tall person so to look down and see little ones crawling around my legs like insects was a bit disconcerting. If you avoid the more kid-centered booths this might not be problem but I love my Fanboy and Chum Chum.
• The Lines – Some things had very small lines. Some had lines that took 2 minutes to find the end. As expected, much of the awesome stuff was in that second category.
• Too Many Bags – It felt like every single booth wanted to give me a bag. Oversize bags. Plastic Bags. Leather Bags. I don’t need this many freaking bags. I sense giveaways in the future. Also, what was up with 70% of the giant bags being Batman: Brave and the Bold themed?
• Where Are the Shirts? – Walking through the hall multiple times didn’t yield a single free shirt. Hopefully they’ll be a lot more given out during panels since the shirts are my favorite free thing at the con. Speaking of awesome free things, full size posters please?

Thursday is an almighty slog through Hall H so remember to follow me on Twitter for instant reactions and I’ll make sure to update the site with the latest SDCC news and wrap-ups.

Fox Home Entertainment just unveiled the DVD and Blu-Ray sets for Dollhouse Season Two on their Twitter page. Though it suffered horrible ratings and a recent cancellation, Dollhouse has kept a dedicated fan base who have been eagerly anticipating this set.

Attendees will only be able to pre-order the set at Comic-Con (not purchase it), but all the SDCC pre-orders come with a limited edition lithograph that has not yet been unveiled. Sure, most people would be fine skipping Comic-Con lines and pre-ordering it normally, but this lithograph is a cool treat for fans that are attending the con. Kudos to Fox for pleasing the Dollhouse fans at-Con even though the set isn’t released until October.

Will you be picking either of these sets up or are you going to skip the lines and order them after the con?

Here are pics of the DVD and Blu-Ray boxes:

Lost: Lost was one of the best panels of the con for many reasons. Heres my rundown from twitter:
New logo w/ every charaters evr! Marketing for “lost unviersity online”. New trailer w/ old clips. Fan appreciation day. Great montage o Fan videos. Many characters from 1 season will be in new season. Unpredictablily is key to new season! Theme song winner shown, was great. Kates stepfather isn’t dead! Jorge/Hurley was there w/ Emerson. Were really funny! Everythin important answered. Alpert was there and funny. Holloway surprise appearence! Tribute to all dead characters!Dominic/Charlie surprise apperaence. Great, funny panel. Fans love it!

Extract: Extract looks look a quite funny movie from Mike Judge. They showed a couple clips and they got funnier and funnier as the panel went on. The panle had Judge, Kunis, and Jason Bateman and each was really funny. Overall it was a good panel for a good looking comedy!

Sony:
-Zombieland – A big hit at the con, this movie looks really good. A quirky hybrid of horror and comedy it seems like it will be a great movie. The cast was in attendence and Harrelson, thjough wierd, was pretty entertaining! A new trailer and clips were shown and the audience loved it! A big hit at the con!
-2012 – This movie is all about effects. End of story. Though the effects loook great the plot is so stupid and everything is so propesterous the movie just looks really bad. A pretty big dissapointment.

Iron Man 2 – The final panel of the day was a big hit. They showed off an impressive clip/trailer full of great stuff. Though it didnt appear as though they had much done what they did have made the movie look great. They had almost the whole cast an though many of them didnt say much, Downey realy stole the show and it still was a great panel.

Winner: Clearly Iron Man 2

Stay tuned later today for more SDCC wrap-up!