And I got to see it! The Heroes [1] panel here at Comic-Con [2] started off with executive producer Jeph Loeb profusely thanking all the loyal fans and all the Comic-Con attendees from a couple years ago for getting the word out about Heroes. The whole cast came onstage, followed by Tim Kring whose wrist was handcuffed to a metal briefcase, which he referred to as "a big giant thank you to all of you." The cheering was deafening (I should add that there were some die-hard fans who had camped out overnight to be first in the convention center for this panel; the crowd was enthusiastic, to put it mildly) as Kring pulled out a DVD which he said contained the whole first episode of the next season.

And I don't think I was too influenced by all the intense excitement generated by thousands of Heroes fans when I say that I was really impressed with the season premiere. The writing is just better, the pacing is exciting without being way too much stuff at a time, and there aren't like, 64 new heroes. I was sometimes frustrated with the last season, for various reasons, and this episode totally wiped the slate clean. In fact, I have a newly bolstered respect for Heroes. I really think they'll deliver an awesome season, if the premiere is any indication.

I won't reveal anything specific about the plot but if you want a tiny taste of what we got to see this morning, .

• The episode is way funnier than I remember the show being, though it hasn't totally devolved into camp. There's also a ton of horror movie moments that are both gruesome and satisfying.
• We find out who shot Nathan pretty early on.
• Mohinder makes a groundbreaking scientific discovery that changes everything in his life. He mentions Molly briefly (just to explain where she is), but his story right now is mostly intertwined with Maya's (you know, black eyes when angry, etc.).
• Hiro is feeling a little lost at the beginning, like he is a man without a quest. He grapples with the issue of what his destiny is now. Soon, however, his becomes one of the most exciting stories of them all. We also meet a new hero through his story.
• Several characters that were presumed gone for good make reappearances, of some sort.
• One of the characters has a major spiritual awakening.
• Old characters (yeah — plural!) who didn't have powers now do.
• There's a new twist on the "save the cheerleader, save the world" mantra.

It was awesome. It was like a spectator sport, but the sport was just watching Heroes. There was even wild cheering for Mr. Muggles, which made me happy. Suffice to say, I look forward to September.