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First look at HeroesCon 2013 Exhibitors!

May 22, 2013 at 6:49 pm By: Karla Marsh

We all know that HeroesCon is known for its all-star Artist Alley each year, but let’s not overlook the AMAZING EXHIBITORS who make our show the can’t-miss event of the summer, and a destination for Gold and Silver-Age comics, comic-related apparel, art supplies, collectibles, DVD’s, toys and so much more! Take a look at our 2013 Exhibitors, and make your shopping lists in advance!

A. Pennyworth’s Comics 1412
AH Digital 2105, 2107
Almost Anything 206, 208, 210
Andrew Heath 419
Anomaly Productions 522
Anthony’s Comic Book Art 1719, 1721
Apocalypse Comics 718, 720, 722, 817, 819, 821
Autodesk Consumer Group / SketchBook Pro 822, 921
AwesomeCons.com 1610
Bear Butt Comics/Mischief Leather 320
Beyond Comics 808, 810
Big Lair’s 1620
Big Wow 1904, 2003
Bill Pappas 1707, 1709
Black Dog Collectibles 1606, 1608
Blue Juice Comics 520
BOOM!/KaBoom! 920, 922, 1019, 1021
Borderlands 1818, 1820, 1917, 1919
Cards, Comics and Collectibles 1318, 1320, 1322, 1417, 1419, 1421
Carolina Comic Book Club 204
Carolina Garrison – 501st Legion 108
Carolina Ghostbusters 105
CBLDF 812, 911
Cheap Joes Art Stuff 1522
CJ Draden 218
Columbia Comics 1821
Comic Central 1512, 1611
Comic Lock 1918, 1920, 2017, 2019
Comic Whiz 212
Comic Wise 318, 417
Comics & Gaming 1517, 1519
Comics Guarantee Corporation – CGC 207, 209
Comics to Astonish 304, 306
ComicMix 1222, 1321
Convention Exclusive 303
Cool Lines Artwork 721
Copic Markers 818, 917
Cosmic Times 1720
Crazy Ed’s Comics 1618
Creature Entertainment 1722
Cunningham’s Comics 407, 409
Dale Roberts Comics 518, 617
Dave’s Comics & Cards 1418, 1420, 1422, 1521
David Shankle 717
Dimension Decals 301
Dragon Song Forge 1906, 1908, 1910
Earl Shaw 408, 410, 412
Evie Tees 612
Frame Monkey 1619, 1621
GBM Collection 2112
Get Cash For Comics 606, 608
Grant Merrill 2119, 2121
Greg White 719
Harley Yee Rare Comics 907, 909
Harrison’s Comics 1806, 1808, 1810, 1812, 1905, 1907, 1909, 1911
Heroes and Dragons 705, 707
Heroes Are Here 411
Hey Kids, Comics! 203, 205
Hot Flips 622, 1622
Ian Leino 2118
Imperial Quartermaster 2008, 2010, 2012
imPhotoGraphics Design 820
Infinity Comics LLC 202
Ink Correct 511
Intergalactic Collectibles 610
Jason Hamlin 1705
Jason McAlister/William Pigg 2022
Jim Walls 217
Joe Todd 104
Klingon Assault Group 104
Leroy Harper Comics 2111
Mario’s Comics 712
Mark Scott 1408, 1507
Mark Sparacio 521
McFarland Publishing 2005, 2007, 2009
Mighty Fine Art 2020
New Force Comics 317, 319
New World Toys and Collectibles 201
North Coast Nostalgia 809, 811
Off World Designs Inc. 1922, 2021
Outer Rim Toys / Out of the Toy Box Jewelry 711
Painted Visions 1518, 1617
PaperCutz 919
Patrick Sullivan 2004, 2103
Planet Comics 1506, 1605
Poetic Earth 2122
Pop Culture Emporium 420
Premier Green Screens 112
Premiere Collectibles / Lightech Ltd. 2006
Pross Comics 1921
Purgatory Comics 2102, 2104
Reel Imports 1819
Reggie’s Comics and Collectibles 1410
Richard Fortenberry 311
Robert’s Comics and Collectibles 1718, 1817
Shark Robot 307, 309
Showcase Comics & Games 507, 509
Sideboard Games/El Cig’s Comics 619
Smoking Halo, LLC 1717
Soundtrack 620
Ssalefish Comics 418, 517
Static 519
Steve Smith 618
Stormcrow Comics 1612, 1711
Stylin Online 308, 310, 312; 1706-1712; 1805-1811
Supah! Comics 1508, 1510
Super Mecado Comics 621
SuperHeroStuff.com 506, 508, 510, 512, 605, 607, 609, 611
SuperWorldComics.com 403, 405
Tales of Wonder 219, 221, 220, 222
Tangled Web 1509, 1511
TC 211
Team Fox 102
Teeturtle 2018
The Toy Federation 709
TNT Comics 1822
Tomorrow Treasures 708, 807
TOYNK.com 2117
Triangle Cards 305
TwoMorrows Publishing 118, 120, 122
Ultimate Comics 404, 406, 503, 505
Unknown Comix 1520
Valiant Entertainment 1220, 1319
Warp 9 1912, 2011
Welcome Back Comics 1607, 1609
White Lightning Productions 321
Wyrlwind 422
XCON Comics 710
Zenescope Entertainment 322, 421

*Double click the map to bring it up on a new page, then double click again to bring it up on a page where you can enlarge it.

Filed Under: HeroesCon, HeroesCon News, NEWS, Uncategorized

Tags: Exhibitors, heroescon

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HEROESCON 2013 GUEST LIST UPDATE :: GLAPION! LEONARDI! TIERI! & MORE!

May 20, 2013 at 12:39 pm By: Rico Renzi

We’ve got another great guest list announcement for you today! Time is running out to purchase your discounted 3-day passes and to receive all the goodies that come along with that! We’ll see you soon!

Heroes Convention is in Charlotte, North Carolina, June 7-9 2013. Get your 3 day passes today! Our full guest list (so far) is here.

Please note: Several guests have had to cancel their appearances due to unforeseen circumstances. Cancellations are always listed at the right/bottom sidebar of the guest list page here.

NATALIE ANDREWSON – Writer/Artist: Meanwhile

CHRIS BRUNNER – Artist: Loose Ends, Batman: LOTDK, Boondock Saints

JARED CULLUM – Artist: Pea Green Coffee Cup

VITO DELSANTE – Writer: FCHS, Savage Dragon: Twisted Savage Dragon Funnies, Batman Adventures

MIKE FREIHEIT – Writer/Artist: District Comics, Monkey Chef

JONATHAN GLAPION – Inker: Batman, Green Lantern, Ultimate X-Men

SANDY JARRELL – Artist: Wasteland, Unfair

BRIAN KONG – Artist: Walking Dead AMC sketch cards, Star Wars Galaxy, Marvel Premiere

RICK LEONARDI – Artist: Cloak & Dagger, X-Men, Batgirl, Spider-Man 2099, Watson & Holmes

JASEN LEX – Writer/Artist: the Science Fair, Bottom Feeders, Project Superior

JOSEPH MICHAEL LINSNER – Creator/Writer/Artist: DAWN Artist: Wolverine & The Black Cat: Claws Cover Artist: Conan, Red Sonja, Vampirella, Witchblade

BILLY MARTIN – Artist: Vitriol: The Hunter

JEREMY ROCK – Artist: Narcopolis, Cold Space, The Eighth Seal

FRANK TIERI – Writer: Marvel Vs Capcom 3, Wolverine, Iron man, Space: Punisher

Filed Under: Guest List, HeroesCon

Tags: BILLY MARTIN, BRIAN KONG, chris brunner, FRANK TIERI, JARED CULLUM, JASEN LEX, JEREMY ROCK, JONATHAN GLAPION, JOSEPH MICHAEL LINSNER, MIKE FREIHEIT, NATALIE ANDREWSON, RICK LEONARDI, SANDY JARRELL, VITO DELSANTE

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STAFF PICKS :: LONE RANGER GOLDEN BOOK CLASSIC :: MAY 22, 2013

May 20, 2013 at 9:34 am By: Rico Renzi

ANDY’S PICK :: LONE RANGER GOLDEN BOOK CLASSIC: Wanna get the kids fired up to go see the new Lone Ranger movie with ya? Wanna see what we used to read before our parents let us read comic books? Wanna see a classic in a beautiful and affordable original-sized edition? If you answered yes to one or more of the questions above, then Lone Ranger Golden Book Classic is for you. In this delightful romp from 1956(!) our stylishly dressed vigilante and his Native American partner (you see what I did there?) fight bandits, bring justice to the untamed west and still find time to help a young boy find his missing brother. This is a book you won’t mind to reading and re-reading and re-reading to your young cow-hands aged 2-6. Hi-Yo!!

Filed Under: DISCUSS, Staff Picks

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STAFF STICKS: The Classic Comics Crepitation

May 15, 2013 at 9:00 am By: Andy Mansell

ANDY’S PICK :: BAZOOKA JOE AND HIS GANG HC: Quickie Quiz– what was the first mini-comic? If you said The Tijuana Bibles, then you sir or madam have entered the wrong site. If you said Bazooka Joe and his Gang, well then you are most likely suffering from the same dental issues and gingivitis that have plagued me for decades. For those of you who don’t know, Bazooka Joe comics were the inside wrapper of every twin(!) piece of Bazooka Bubble Gum. This was in the years before the Bubble Yum Revolution and, I swear, I still get residual TMJ pains just thinking about gnawing that rock hard 1 cent piece of “gum” into a soft enough mass to effectively blow bubbles. But it was the comics with the corny jokes along with the Foreboding Fortune (Don’t look behind you!!) located below each punch line panel that made each jaw dropping (ouch!) experience so memorable. BAZOOKA JOE AND HIS GANG HC is a beautiful new book that provides the history of both the Comic and the Gum and collects several hundred of the ‘best’ of the Bazooka Joe Oeuvre. Now I know comic folks who collect everything comic-related. In fact, I know one guy who saves and bags the entire run of Comic Shop News in MINT!; but I don’t know anyone who collected the Bazooka Joe comics. It was rather difficult to keep them for any length of time, since they were usually carried away by ants if left out in the open for any length of time. So this book is a true 20th Century artifact–a testament to taste over, well…taste. BAZOOKA JOE AND HIS GANG HC is a collector’s dream. The only thing missing is that glorious bright pink sweet smell.

Filed Under: DISCUSS, Staff Picks

Tags: BAZOOKA JOE AND HIS GANG

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STAFF PICKS :: THE DREAM MERCHANT #1 :: MAY 15, 2013

May 14, 2013 at 5:12 pm By: Rico Renzi

RICO’S PICK :: THE DREAM MERCHANT #1: I don’t know the premise of this new series by Nathan Edmondson and Konstantin Novosadov but the art stopped me cold. The drawing, composition, and color are inspired. This issue is double sized so it’s like getting the 1st 2 issues of a series for $3.50. Let’s check it out and let’s see where it goes!

Filed Under: DISCUSS, Staff Picks

Tags: image comics, Konstantin Novosadov, Nathan Edmondson, THE DREAM MERCHANT #1

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HEROES INTERVIEW :: ED PISKOR

May 14, 2013 at 9:40 am By: Seth Peagler

With HeroesCon less than one month away, I’m happy to bring our blog readers this interview with the talented Ed Piskor. Ed’s already had a notable career, including work on original graphic novels like Wizzywig and collaborations with Harvey Pekar on The Beats and Macedonia. You may have heard industry rumblings about Ed’s newest project, Hip Hop Family Tree. Aside from being one of the most comprehensive sequential studies of a genre that’s ever been undertaken, it’s a work that’s already receiving due respect and acclaim from both the comics and music communities. Make sure to stop by Ed’s table next month at HeroesCon and see why everyone’s talking about this book.

Seth Peagler (SP): Ed, I’ve known you for a few years now, and it seems like every time I’ve run into you, we’ve talked a little bit about this book-in-progress. Through those conversations and preparing for this interview, I realized that Hip Hop Family Tree is something you’ve been living with and building toward for a long time. How long do you think you’ve been consciously or subconsciously developing this book, and what made you want to collect it in this format now?

Ed Piskor (EP): I’ve been drawing comics incorporating classic Hip Hop imagery for as long as I’ve been drawing comics. I remember some of my earliest comic attempts in High School were like Hip Hop wannabe versions of Love and Rockets. Looking back at old interviews and stuff I found this interview from 2009 where I talk about wanting to do a Hip Hop comic. http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/ae/books/ed-piskors-graphic-novel-creates-sensation-among-genres-fans-346662/

“While working on “Wizzywig,” Piskor listens to old school hip-hop music for inspiration. When “Wizzywig” wraps, his next big project will be a history of hip-hop that focuses on the Boogie-Down Bronx and DJ Scott La Rock. He promises it will be exhaustive.”

Because it’s going to be an all encompassing and comprehensive work, it’s going to take forever to tell the entire story the way I want it to be told. In this day and age of the ADHD internet attention span, I felt it best to produce maybe one book a year to keep up a presence. Otherwise, I’d have to disappear for a decade and emerge with a doorstop of a comic, and that’s not quite sustainable or necessary. Some eras are more important to some people than others. A 100+ book per year feels right.

SP: A big part of the draw of the book for me is that you’re going back to the real roots of Hip Hop and tracing its progression over the years. Even though I know you’re a fan, did you consult many sources outside of the music? Are there many definitive histories of Hip Hop that you could even consult?

EP: There were some interesting things to look at while writing the book. It’s necessary to know the political/economic climate at the time. The fine art scene plays an integral role in the development of early Hip Hop as well, which many people might not know. If it wasn’t for the downtown scene gravitating toward graffiti culture it could have all died out in the early 80s.

There are several good books to reference out there, but, there are also 30 years of interviews with everybody who matters which are accessible either online, in magazines, or youtube. My goal is to take all the best stuff I can find from everywhere and distill it into a fun comix narrative. A tough goal, but, it’s what I’m shooting for, nonetheless.

SP: Along the way of writing and drawing the book, did you stumble across any lesser known artists whose stories you felt you needed to include? Since it’s essentially a history of the genre, did you feel compelled to tell it chronologically, or did you allow yourself to veer from that path at any point?

EP: Being a fan of Rap music already, this project gives me the chance to fill in the gaps of my knowledge. I’m not necessarily discovering new people to cover, but, I’m discovering what makes certain, more obscure people, important in the greater scheme of things.

This first book is fairly linear but we’re going to veer off and project things into the future here and there as the project moves forward, because I will be talking about certain people who may not have contributed much in, say 1982, but went on to do great things by 89 and if we handle it linearly, you’ll have forgotten their intro. Not sure if that makes sense. I guess the best example would be one of the newer strips I’ve done which will be in book 2, about the Jonzun Crew. http://boingboing.net/2013/04/23/brain-rot-hip-hop-family-tree-55.html

SP: As a musician and someone who is just starting to write comics that incorporate elements of music within my stories, I’ve run into some difficulty conveying the gravity of rhythm and melody on a page. I’ve seen several of your pages where you seem to not only capture the energy of specific artists and their charismatic stage performances, but also convey the communal aspects of an impacting live show. How did you go about capturing the specific musical identities of these performers through the art of comics?

EP: During such sequences the characters need to be larger than life and maybe even downright Kirbyesque if/when possible. The Hip Hop Family Tree, however, is more about the actual relationships that went into creating hip hop rather than just focusing on the music.

SP: I’d like to bring up one of your earlier books, The Beats. For those who aren’t familiar with it, in it you collaborated with the late, great Harvey Pekar, one of comics’ true innovators of journalism and memoir. Of course, the Beats chronicled historical and cultural figures within the Beat movement, but I’d imagine you learned a lot from working with Pekar on that specific book that might have been beneficial for you on this project. Were there any memories of collaborating with Pekar that resonated with you while you worked on Hip Hop Family Tree?

EP: I think working with Harv on The Beats gave me a strong clue into how to move the narrative along. Between each panel, days, months, or years can go by, and deconstructing Harv’s work gave me a roadmap for how to keep things tight. How to choose the correct moments to cover. Things like that.

SP: From what I’ve seen and read, Hip Hop Family Tree kind of stands alone as a unique chronicle of music in comics form. I’m excited that Fantagraphics is publishing the book, and I know you’re already receiving critical praise from comics journalists. Have you had much feedback from Hip Hop artists and journalists who cover the music?

EP: Yep, my phone number now seems to be within a network of rappers and journalists because I will randomly get calls from people at any hour of the day or night and it’s always a pleasant surprise. I don’t want to be a name dropper though. Everybody seems really into it and it’s creating a situation where I’m able to get some precious info that will enrich the story and that’s a cool bi-product that I wasn’t expecting. It’s cool too when different musicians tweet the strips. It helps propagate the material and spread the work.

Now that I have a handful of really cool people into the comic, whenever some random schmo has silly stuff to say, it gives me ammo to cut them down like “Oh that’s too bad you don’t like it, as long as “x” likes it, I guess I’ll just have to deal with that.”

SP: Finally, I’m wondering if you’ve allowed yourself to think about what kind of project you might want to work on next?

EP: Another thing about this project is that with the scope of the story I’m trying to tell, I know what I’m going to be working on for the foreseeable future.

SP: Thanks again to Ed for taking time out of his busy schedule for an interview. Make sure you make it a point to stop by his table next month at HeroesCon. His original art is something you’ll definitely want to see. Remember to pick up Hip Hop Family Tree when it hits the shelves. Rest assured, myself and other Heroes staffers will be talking about it when it does.

Filed Under: DISCUSS, Guest List, HeroesCon, Interviews

Tags: ED PISKOR, fantagraphics, Hip Hop Family Tree, Wizzywig

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HEROESCON 2013 GUEST LIST UPDATE :: ROY THOMAS! SKOTTIE YOUNG! & MANY MORE!

May 13, 2013 at 10:32 am By: Rico Renzi

It’s getting close! Just a little less than a month from now HeroesCon will be in full swing at the Charlotte Convention Center!

Heroes Convention is in Charlotte, North Carolina, June 7-9 2013. Get your 3 day passes today! Our full guest list (so far) is here.

We still need volunteers too!

PATY COCKRUM – Artist: The Cat, Nightcrawler

DEREC DONOVAN – Artist: Youngblood, Adventures of Superman, Bionic Bombshell, Connor Hawke

JOHN FLOYD – Inker: Batman: Mortality, Django Unchained and Dominique Laveau: Voodoo Child

MARCUS HAMILTON - Artist: Dennis the Menace

ANDY MACDONALD - Artist: Time Warp, Zoo, Terminator 2029-1984

MARK NELSON - Artist: Aliens, Feud, Blood and Shadows

JOEL PRIDDY – Writer/Artist: Pulpatoon: Pilgrimage, The Preposterous Voyages of IronHide Tom

AFUA RICHARDSON - Artist: Genius, Cyblade, Captain Marvel , Native American Classics, 24/7

TIM RICKARD – Writer / Artist: Brewster Rockit, Space Guy!

MARK SPARACIO - Artist: Heroes for Hire, Sgt. Rock: The Lost Battalion, Omega Paradox, Overstreet Price Guide

DOMINIKE STANTON - Artist: Deadpool, Fanboys vs Zombies

ROY THOMAS - Writer: Conan the Barbarian, The Mighty Thor, Uncanny X-Men - SATURDAY ONLY

DOUG WAGNER – Writer: Arrow, Witchblade/ Red Sonja, Thundercats, I.C.E., The Ride

SKOTTIE YOUNG - Artist: Ozma of Oz, Iron Man & The Armor Wars, Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Filed Under: Guest List, HeroesCon

Tags: AFUA RICHARDSON, ANDY MACDONALD, DEREC DONOVAN, DOMINIKE STANTON, DOUG WAGNER, JOEL PRIDDY, JOHN FLOYD, MARCUS HAMILTON, MARK NELSON, MARK SPARACIO, PATY COCKRUM, ROY THOMAS, skottie young, TIM RICKARD

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HEROESCON 2013 :: NEW HOTEL ADDED!

May 10, 2013 at 3:53 pm By: Rico Renzi

With our first two host hotels mostly booked, Courtyard Charlotte City Center has offered us a block of rooms at a lower rate than previously available!

Act fast for the HeroesCon group rate of $115/KING & $119/DOUBLE

Call to reserve: 1-888-839-1758 and request the HeroesCon 2013 rate for your dates.
OR
Book online at www.marriott.com/cltup, click on “Special Rates & Awards” then “Group code” and input in the group code section HCNHCNA Standard King Beds and HCNHCNB for Two Queen Beds.

Filed Under: HeroesCon

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STAFF PICKS :: REGULAR SHOW #1 :: MAY 15, 2013

May 9, 2013 at 4:09 pm By: Justin Crouse

JUSTIN’S PICK :: REGULAR SHOW #1: When the Adventure Time comic materialized, I couldn’t help but wonder, “Where’s my Regular Show comic?” Little did I know, my future self answered, “Right here, you crybaby!” Much like its aforementioned Cartoon Network cohort, Regular Show boasts a wildly colorful cast of characters sure to attract the best talent comics has to offer. Worth the price of admission just for the inevitable Rigby/Mordecai trash talk. OOOOOOOOOH!

Filed Under: DISCUSS, Staff Picks

Tags: regular show

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STAFF PICKS :: Classic Comics Cavalcade :: MAY 08, 2013

May 7, 2013 at 4:28 pm By: Andy Mansell

The Classic Comics Cavalcade reaches some kind of high-point this week:

JOHNNY HAZARD DAILIES HC VOL 02 1946-1948:

Johnny Hazard by Frank Robbins began its syndicated life as juest another WWII Fighter Pilot strip. Sure, there was solid storytelling with terrific Caniff-school art, but nothing that really set it apart; that is– until the title character returned to civilian life and tried to find himself a decent job. For the next 31 years, Johnny Hazard fell head first from one adventure to another. The transitions between stories– plane hijackings, mistaken identities, misplaced luggage, femme fatales in desperate straights– were as much fun as the actual adventures themselves. Hermes Press offers two years of dailies (1946-1948) and it is a non-stop roller-coaster ride of fun and excitement with page after page of fabulous art. Johnny Hazard is my all-time favorite comic strip. Find out why! You won’t be sorry!

HELLBLAZER TP VOL 05 DANGEROUS HABITS NEW ED:

Collects: Hellblazer #34-46. Still haven’t given old John Constantine a try? Here is the absolute perfect place to step in and sample a terrific horror comic as it hit one of its many artistic peaks. The writer who would go on to produce Preacher– Garth Ennis began his long tenure on Hellblazer with this justly famous story arc that featured our trench-coated anti-hero fighting off both Lung Cancer and the Devil. This story-line is a true classic. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, The Hellblazer Library is just chock full of great horror stories and exciting art. Try this book– you will become a JC fan for life and the chances are good this storyline will force you quit smoking as well! Chilling– and one of the single greatest endings to any comic story. For the hundreth time, I do not exaggerate.

Last, but not least…

WALT DISNEY DONALD DUCK HC VOL 01 THE OLD CASTLES SECRET:

Collects all the Donald Duck stories from 1948. Although these stories are a year or two away from his peak, the earliest Barks output is far superior to the work of almost any other comic artists. These 3 20-page stories, ten 10-pagers and numerous single-page gag strips are more that just exciting, funny Donald Duck comics, together under one cover, they create a veritable text book for budding cartoonists on design a page, how to tell a story and how to make the reader laugh. These are all must have volumes and if you’ve been sitting on the fence about the great Duck-Man, he is your chance to dive in.

Filed Under: DISCUSS, Staff Picks

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First look at HeroesCon 2013 Exhibitors!

HEROESCON 2013 GUEST LIST UPDATE :: GLAPION! LEONARDI! TIERI! & MORE!

STAFF PICKS :: LONE RANGER GOLDEN BOOK CLASSIC :: MAY 22, 2013

STAFF STICKS: The Classic Comics Crepitation

STAFF PICKS :: THE DREAM MERCHANT #1 :: MAY 15, 2013

HEROES INTERVIEW :: ED PISKOR

HEROESCON 2013 GUEST LIST UPDATE :: ROY THOMAS! SKOTTIE YOUNG! & MANY MORE!

HEROESCON 2013 :: NEW HOTEL ADDED!

STAFF PICKS :: REGULAR SHOW #1 :: MAY 15, 2013

STAFF PICKS :: Classic Comics Cavalcade :: MAY 08, 2013

HEROES AREN’T HARD TO FIND

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