{"id":3160,"date":"2011-05-26T22:27:26","date_gmt":"2011-05-27T02:27:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.benzilla.com\/?p=3160"},"modified":"2011-05-29T10:44:20","modified_gmt":"2011-05-29T14:44:20","slug":"heroes-con-2011-here-i-come","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.benzilla.com\/?p=3160","title":{"rendered":"Heroes Con 2011, Here I Come!"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>\"\"<\/a>If you’ve ever talked comics cons with me, you know that Heroes Con in Charlotte<\/a> is one of my absolute favorites. Partially this is because I’ve been going there so long–maybe ten years or so, either as an attendee or an invited guest–and of course it’s right down the road from me in Charlotte. Another part of the show’s appeal to me though is that it’s not a dedicated “indie” show. As much as I love events like SPX and TCAF (and those are both fantastic<\/em> shows), I really enjoy mixing it up with folks who are doing things in other areas of comics. (It’s probably also worth noting that indie shows are largely attended by indie-type people–and twenty-something-ish hipsters are not known for having barrels of cash on-hand to throw around.) The social scene at Heroes is among my favorites as well. There’s a “usual gang” of regional folks who’ve been attending the show for years and Heroes is one of the few places that we all get to see each other. I also maintain that the late night hoopla in the Westin bar is hands-down the best party in comics.<\/p>\n

In short: Heroes is a tons of fun, there’re great guests that are actually approachable and will chat with you, it’s always really really well-run, it’s dirt cheap ($30 for a three day pass), and it’s focused pretty much entirely on comics<\/strong>. If you’re anywhere near Charlotte this weekend, you should come check it out.<\/p>\n

Where will I be?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Seating has not yet been announced. Whenever it has, I’ll update this post with a floor chart and my table number. I’ll for sure be somewhere in “Indie Island.”<\/del><\/p>\n

Edit<\/strong>: Seating chart is now posted. I’ll be at table AA-544<\/strong>. Come say Hi!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What books will I have for sale?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Sadly, I don’t have anything brand spanking new to debut at Heroes Con this year. This always makes me feel like I’ve been terribly unproductive during the previous year… but, hey, it happens sometimes. Not a full-blown graphic novel, but here’s some new stuff I will<\/em> have on-hand, though:<\/p>\n

Favorites<\/em> – The Team Cul De Sac ‘zine<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>This is a great collection of comics essays for a great cause. You can read all about it here<\/a>, but basically editor Craig Fischer has asked a stellar lineup of folks–among others: Noah Berlatsky, Johanna Draper Carlson, Isaac Cates, Rob Clough, Shaenon Garrity, Dustin Harbin, Charles Hatfield, Jeet Heer, Gene Kannenberg Jr., Andrew Mansell, Ana Merino, Mike Rhode, Jim Rugg, Frank Santoro, Chris Schweizer, Tom Spurgeon, and me!–to each write a short essay about one of our favorite comics and then he’s collected them all into this great ‘zine that debuts at Heroes Con this year. And, oh yeah, that’s cover art by Richard “Cul De Sac” Thompson<\/a> himself… and did I mention that proceeds from the book go straight to Team Cul de Sac and research into a cure for Parkinson’s Disease? Yeah.<\/p>\n

Oyster War<\/em> bookmarks<\/strong><\/p>\n

I still have a decent-sized stack of my freebie OysterWar<\/em> bookmarks. I’ll leave some on the “free stuff” table, but those’ll probably go fast, so come by my table to be sure to get one!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Comics and graphic novels<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sadly, as mentioned, I don’t have anything new to hawk this year at Heroes. The most recent thing I’ll have at my table will be Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean<\/em>. On the other hand, this<\/em> year it’s the EISNER NOMINATED Amelia Earhart – This Broad Ocean<\/em>. I don’t know that that’s necessarily going to generate any additional interest in the book… but it is<\/em> kinda cool!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>I will also have the last few remaining copies of Midnight Sun<\/em> for sale. I have maybe three or four left; the book is currently out of print.<\/p>\n

Am I bringing original art?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Heck, yeah, I am! In fact, I’ve done so well with original art at the last few Heroes Cons (yet another great, unique feature of Heroes!) that I’m “doubling down” a bit this year and bringing a lot of stuff for sale in a lot of different price ranges:<\/p>\n

Original pages<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/strong>I’ll have original pages from Oyster War<\/em>, Midnight Sun<\/em>, Amelia Earhart<\/em> and more–and at conventions I price things to move.\u00a0 Oyster War<\/em> pages are $125-$150 each… and they’re huge<\/em> pages, people–13″ x 18″. Amelia<\/em> pages are $80-$100, and Midnight Sun<\/em> pages are $60-$80. I’m bringing a few pages from each book, selecting what I think are the most appealing ones. BUT, if you have a particular page you’re interested in–even if you’re just curious to have a look at it–please just email me at the email address up top and I’ll be sure to bring it.<\/p>\n

Animal Alphabet<\/em> watercolors<\/strong><\/p>\n

I’ll be bringing any unsold original Animal Alphabet watercolor paintings<\/a> I have. I sell these online for $12.00 plus shipping. At Heroes, I’ll be selling them for $10.00.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Superhero mini-pinups<\/strong><\/p>\n

I’ll of course have my superhero mini-pinups<\/a> for sale as well. Again, these are regularly $12.00 plus shipping at my store, but I’ll be selling them for $10.00 each at the convention.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>I’ll also be doing mini-pinups at my table, so you can commission one for the same rate of $10.00. If you can, though, please bring reference! I’m usually able to find costume reference on my phone, but if I’m remembering correctly the 3G in the Charlotte Convention Center is terrible-to-nonexistent.<\/p>\n

Do I do commissions?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Absolutely. If you buy a book from me and just want a quick sketch in it or in a sketchbook, I’m happy to do those for free as long as I’m not completely bogged down with paying commissions. Just ask!<\/p>\n

As mentioned above, I’ll do those small mini-pinups for $10.00. I’ll also do pretty much any small-ish two color drawing like that for about the same rate. Be sure to bring reference, though, if it’s needed.<\/p>\n

I’m happy to do more complex commissions, but I’ll likely need to do it before<\/em> the convention. Again, email me at the address up top with details and I’ll get back to you. Be forewarned though: Heroes is a week away at this point, and I already have several advance commissions I need to do before the show.<\/p>\n

What about Craig’s and my “mega panel” we do every year?<\/span><\/h3>\n

It’s ON, people! This year, here’s what we’ve got going on:<\/p>\n

The Master of Screaming Metal: A Tribute to Moebius<\/strong><\/p>\n

Saturday, 3:15pm – Room 209<\/p>\n

He\u2019s one of the greatest comics\u2019 artists of all time, a man who\u2019s given us vistas of the Old West and of science-fiction planets unsurpassed in their beauty and elegance. He\u2019s Jean Giraud\u2014pseudonym \u201cMoebius\u201d\u2014and for this year\u2019s Heroes Con, cartoonist Ben Towle and blogger Craig Fischer have teamed up to celebrate Moebius\u2019 art and 50-year career. This \u201cmega-panel\u201d will include a number of events. First is a screening of Moebius Redux<\/em> (Hasko Baumann, 2007, 70 minutes), a documentary chronicle of Moebius\u2019 life that covers his role in Les Humano\u00efdes Associ\u00e9s and the radical revitalization of French comics in the 1970s and his contributions to such films as Alie<\/em>n (1979), Tron<\/em> (1982), and Alejandro Jodorowsky\u2019s unproduced adaptation of Dune<\/em>. The panel will continue with Craig\u2019s playful analysis of a scene from Moebius and Jean-Michel Charlier\u2019s Blueberry\u2014simply the best comic-book Western ever\u2014and conclude with Ben interviewing stellar writer and artist Geof Darrow(Hard Boiled, Shaolin Cowboy<\/em>), himself a friend and admirer of Moebius. Join us for a wild ride on an alien pterodactyl, won\u2019t you?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There may even be cake!<\/del> EDIT<\/strong>: My lovely wife will be preparing a blueberry cake.\u00a0 Get it?–a blueberry<\/em> cake!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Will I be contributing anything to the art auction?<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes! I’m putting this illustration I did for the “Covered” blog up for sale. It’s my riff on an issue of the Marvel Machine Man <\/em>miniseries from the 80s. I’m hoping it will be offered for the Saturday night auction, but it could also wind up part of the Sunday silent auction. Proceeds from the auction help fund the convention, keeping ticket prices low and covering other costs. Happy bidding!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>That’s about it, y’all!<\/span><\/h3>\n

Phew! I actually feel better about my offerings at Heroes, now that I’ve written all this stuff out. What more can I say? Go to Heroes. Come and see me! Join me for a cold (but expensive) beer in the Westin bar! See you there!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you’ve ever talked comics cons with me, you know that Heroes Con in Charlotte is one of my absolute favorites. Partially this is because I’ve been going there so long–maybe ten years or so, either as an attendee or an invited guest–and of course it’s right down the road from me in Charlotte. Another … <\/p>\n

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