This year’s “Lost” Comic Con panel offered up few secrets of the show’s fifth season, but there were some surprises, including a visit from actor Matthew Fox.

Executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse fielded questions about the show’s extensive mythology from a packed 6,500-person audience.

According to the two producers, viewers will see a different story progression in season five than in seasons past, which relied heavily on flashbacks and flash-forwards. They didn’t elaborate much on the progression, saying they wanted to do something different for the fifth year.

Fans who asked questions received show-specific swag, including a T-shirt that read, "I Asked a Richard Alpert-related Question and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt," a season-one boxed set of "Heroes" (which Mr. Lindelof said was a better show than "Lost") and a massive jar of Dharma Initiative-branded ranch dressing.

Speaking of the Initiative, a man calling himself Hans Von Egan announced a sponsorship of the panel, with Mr. Lindelof and Mr. Cuse sporting large "Dharma Initiative" cups.

All of this led up to a "bootleg" video of a Dharma Initiative indoctrination video, as nothing has been shot for season five yet.

Some other things discussed:

--Vincent the dog will make a reappearance at some point in season five.

--Mr. Cuse’s favorite episode is "The Constant," while Mr. Lindelof enjoyed the season-one finale the most.

--The fifth season premiere will be similar to past season premieres, which dropped the viewer into the story without much explanation of time or setting.