One of the events that I look forward to every year is America’s favorite comic convention HeroesCon in Charlotte, NC! It is always one of the biggest comic conventions on the East Coast and it’s focus is always on comics! This year was no exception; Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find doubled the size of the show floor and packed with all sorts of illustrations, comics, and toys based on my favorite media.
As my husband and I made our way into the convention hall we were amazed about how much bigger it was than the previous year. All of the aisles were neatly arranged and there was plenty of room for the crowd to move around comfortably. The increase in space could trick you into thinking that the convention was slow, but trust me – there were plenty of people travelling through the flow of traffic. This also helped to disperse the crowd through the convention center and keep meet-and-greet lines a reasonable length. There was enough room they were able to move vehicle displays inside of the convention center so attendees could visit the Ghostbusters’ Ecto-1 and the Back to The Future DeLorean in the cool air conditioned air.
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There was plenty available for comic fans of all ages as Heroes Con strives to be family friendly. Near the front of the convention center, there was a Children’s Library setup so kids could sit down and read some of the all-ages graphic novels provided by the convention. I saw many parents taking pictures of their costumed kids with comic creators and cosplayers alike. Later I saw most of the same people leaving the convention with plushies of their favorite characters, original artwork sketches, and comics signed by their favorite creators.
With many industry giants and tons of talent attending the convention, the discussion panels had no shortage of fascinating topics for fans to enjoy. The Big Two were well represented in the schedule but Heroes did a great job of throwing independent and creator-owned topics into the mix. There were a few panels dedicated to self-publishing, crowdfunding, and individual series such as “CHEW THOROUGHLY” mediated by Bridgit Scheide as she spoke with artist Rob Guillory and writer John Layman about their comic CHEW. The Sequential Art program of SCAD was well-represented as usual with art instruction classes and signing events with some of their alumni. Other fun events included “Quick Draw” contests, the “3rd Annual HeroesCon Drink & Draw” gathering, and the “HeroesCon Art Auction.” Although we focus on the independent and creator-owned titles on here, I have to say that the Carol Corps panel was awesome and filled with lots of fantastic new con friends.
The main draw for me and many people is visiting the convention floor to see all of the creators at their tables. This year was full of so many creators that I did not get to talk to all of the ones that I wanted but had a blast anyway!
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I made sure to bring my hard copy of Womanthology so I could collect signatures from a few more creators in the book. I collected a few the previous year but still nowhere near complete. Luckily I was able to snag some signatures and goodies from Beck Seahols, Danielle Gransull, and Rachel Deering. Rachel Pandich had signed my book last year but I had to come stop by her table to pick up the last two issues of her book Aspire, which tells the story of a young girl who does everything in her power to obtain super-powers so she can arrest her father’s killer. Rachel introduced me to the artist for Aspire Ashley Lanni. Both Rachel and Ashley are a part of Skin Crawling Comics which is an upcoming horror anthology that includes my own work as well as the work of other convention attendees including Adam Wollet, Nick Valente, Thomas Pandich, Danielle Gransull, Kate Carleton, and Josh Dykstra. I was so excited to pick up my Facebeast comics from Josh and Kate. This story about a man who fights crime with his beard is awesome and hilarious!
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While I was at Rachel Pandich’s table she introduced me to one of my favorite webcomic makers Jennie Breeden who creates the daily journal comic Devil’s Panties (not porn) and ID for Filthy Figments (porn). I am a long-time fan of Devil’s Panties and had not attended a convention where she was exhibiting until this past weekend. Jennie is a fantastic and charming individual and I was happy to take the first printed volume home with me.
Another few creators that I have never been lucky enough to attend a convention at the same time as them was Rich Bernatovech and Jamie Fay of Drumfish Productions. I discovered their work through deviantART and never met them until this convention. Their comic Neverminds tells the story of a secret organization of super powered individuals that handle various threats throughout the world and it does an excellent job of taking the powered group genre and blending it with elements from fantasy, horror, and other genres. I came there with the mission of picking up the third issue and ended up purchasing the complete run of Rich’s super hero book Sentinels, created with Luciano Vecchio.
Further down the aisles I ran into Jay Potts creator of the “Internet’s #1 Blaxploitation Webcomic” World of Hurt. I have met Jay at previous conventions and always enjoy his company and work. At his table he introduced me to Anthony Summey who creates The Daring Comic which follows Suzy Samson, the world’s greatest heroine, as she rebuilds her life after finding herself forty years old, divorced, and overweight.
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In the corner I found the booth of Paul Choate who had his artwork and issues of his sci-fi webcomic Project Alpha at his table. The first chapter is collected in this book and he is currently working on finishing up the second one so he can start updating it online again.
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While making the rounds I had to stop by the table of Matthew D. Smith to check out his recently completed nine issue Simon Says series, for which I colored the issue seven cover. The plot tells us about Simon Williams as he hangs with his friends, works at a comic shop, and finds his world changed as he tries to get tickets to his town’s biggest concert of the year. There are over 20 artists that have helped him bring this book to life and I am honored to be one of them.
Some of the other people that I visited includes Chuck Brown (Rotten Apple), Sanford Greene (Rotten Apple), Dan Nokes (Adam and Eve Bizarre Love Triangle in the Zombie Apocalpyse), Jeremy Dale (Skyward), Mike Maihack (Cleopatra in Space), Kelly Sue DeConnick (Pretty Deadly), Joel Carroll (Technical Difficulties), Laura Truxillo (Ladybird), Skottie Young (Oz), John Hariston, Jr., Shawn McCauley (Shadows of Oblivion), Seth Talley (Dalrak the Mighty), Shigeharu Kobeyashi (Frank Comics), John Pading (Frank Comics), Mike Sudduth (Frank Comics), and Jimmy Aquino (Comic News Insider). There were quite a few artists that I did not get to visit this time but look forward to visiting them at future conventions.
If I had to choose a favorite find from this weekend, it would have to be My Velociraptor Boyfriend from SCAD student Em Erdman who has a wonderfully quirky art style that shows a lot of potential. Hilarity ensues when a young lady brings her boyfriend to meet her family and to their dismay he is a Velociraptor. I can honestly say that my life is complete now that I have this book.
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These people I mentioned are just a few of the many, many talented people showing off their work at the convention. If you are a comic fan or creator, you have to go to this convention at least once in your life! It is a fantastic place to meet creators, make new friends, learn about the comic industry, and improve your own art skills.
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