Comic-Con, the annual celebration of fandom and genre entertainment, is right around the corner, kicking off its 40th convention in San Diego on Wednesday "preview" night and running through Sunday.

Last year for the first time, all Comic-Con passes sold out well before the event— a feat accomplished for 2009 as well. Attendance should top last year's 126,000, stretching the capacity of the San Diego Convention Center.

Joss Whedon will have a major presence, with events and panels featuring Whedon and his associates' works going on throughout the days. The celebrated Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog will be screened, and the con will be closed with an audience participation screening of Buffy the Vampire Slayer's musical episode "Once More With Feeling."

We've compiled a handy guide to Whedon-related activities during the Con for the reference of fans. These are sure to be packed events with long queues forming, so those attending may have to be picky!

Wednesday Night Previews (6-9PM) - Ballroom 20
7:00-8:00PM (approx) — SCREENING: V Pilot
The reimagining of the 80s miniseries features Morena Baccarin (Firefly) as "Anna" leader of the Visitors, and includes Jeffrey Bell (Angel) as an executive producer.

Thursday:
6:00-7:00PM — PANEL: "Mad Science: The Science Behind Science Fiction" - Room 6DE
—  Discussion on science used for good vs. evil. Q&A with panelists include Jane Espenson (executive producer, Dollhouse, Battlestar Galactica, Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

8:00-10:00PM — SCREENING: Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog - Room 6A
—  The California Browncoats host a screening of the original three acts, followed immediately by "Commentary! The Musical."

Friday:
12:45-1:45PM — PANEL: Spartacus: Blood and Sand - Room 6BCF
—  Preview the gladiator series debuting on Starz in January 2010, with panel discussion introduced by Lucy Lawless, including Steven S. DeKnight (Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) one of the executive producers.

1:00–2:00PM — SIGNING: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Dark Horse Comics – Booth #2615
— Jane Espenson (writer) & Georges Jeanty (artist)

4:00-5:15PM — SCREENING/Q&A: Dollhouse  - Ballroom 20 - HOT!
—  Special screening of the never-before-seen "Epitaph One" followed by Q&A with Joss Whedon and Eliza Dushku

5:15-6:00PM — Q&A: Joss Whedon - Ballroom 20
— Q&A with Joss Whedon about his upcoming Dark Horse Comics projects.

Saturday:
10:00-11:00AM — PANEL: "IDW: Angel on the Rise" - Room 7AB
—  IDW's ANGEL comic explores what happened after the TV series ended. Panel features Juliet Landau (Angel writer/actress), Brian Lynch (Angel: After the Fall), Peter David (Fallen Angel)

11:00AM–12:00PM — SIGNING: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Dark Horse Comics – Booth #2615
— Jane Espenson (writer) & Georges Jeanty (artist)

1:30-2:30PM — PANEL: Bram Stoker: The Joss Whedon of His Day? - Room 5AB
— No Joss in sight, but a panel discussing Stoker's influence on vampire tales.

2:45-3:45PM — SCREENING/Q&A: V Pilot - Ballroom 20 - HOT!
— Special screening of the pilot episode of V, a re-imagining of the groundbreaking miniseries, followed by a Q&A with stars Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost), Morris Chestnut (The Cave), Joel Gretsch (The 4400), Morena Baccarin(Firefly), and Scott Wolf (Go), along with executive producers Scott Peters (The 4400), Jeffrey Bell (Alias), Steve Pearlman (Related) and Jace Hall (Chadam).

5:30–7:00PM — SIGNING: Dark Horse Presents: Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog - HOT!
— Joss Whedon, Zack Whedon, Jed Whedon, Maurissa Tancharoen, Joelle Jones (Ticketed event: See Dark Horse for details, Booth #2615)

Sunday:
4:00-5:00PM — SCREENING: Buffy the Musical: "Once More With Feeling" - Ballroom 20 - HOT!
Con final event. Audience participation: it isn't just for Rocky Horror and mob riots anymore.

For more info, check out the Comic-Con site: http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_prog.shtml