Guests: Creator Tim Kring and cast / Co-creators Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof and star Matthew Fox

I’ve already mentioned several times that Paramount’s decision to not bring anything to Comic-Con this year left many fanboys upset, but if there’s any good that came out of it, it’s that, for the first time ever, Hall H campers were treated to panels for two of the geekiest shows on television: NBC’s “Heroes” and ABC’s “Lost.” Though my colleague Will Harris already blogged about Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof’s visit to the annual TCA event last week, they still disclosed a few nuggets about the new season that I figured were worth mentioning here.

* The island didnt’ travel when the hatch imploded in season two.

* Fans will definitely see more of Rousseau’s story in the coming years, but not necessarily in flashback form.

* Kate will see Sawyer again, and while Cuse would prefer that Kate end up with Jack when all is said and done, he admits that the love triangle is far more dynamic.

* Faraday’s notebook will play a big part in the new season.

Unfortunately, the “Heroes” panel wasn’t quite as enlightening, but that’s more to do with them running out of time than the cast members being willing to speak. In fact, unlike Matthew Fox’s solo appearance with Cuse and Lindelof, every single series regular from “Heroes” made the trip down to San Diego, and the occasion was made even more special with a screening of the entire first episode of the third season. I’d like to talk more about what I saw, but I simply don’t want to ruin the experience. All I’ll say for now is that it is mind-blowing, and it’s exactly what the series needs after season two was interrupted by the strike. Some cliffhangers are explained and others aren’t. New characters with powers are introduced, while older characters reveal new powers of their own. And perhaps most importantly, it’s all done with a comic flair that was sorely missing from last year’s mini-season.