The Charlotte Minicon is only a few weeks away! We want to take the coming weeks and introduce you to our guests (or perhaps re-introduce you to our guests). We asked each of them three simple questions and got some awesome responses. Not only are they funny and charming guys but they are also super talented artists! Just look at those examples of their work (please check out their websites to see more examples)! We hope you still have some Christmas money burning a hole in your pocket cause you are going to want to get some convention sketches from these talented comic creators!

First up we have Budd Root who is well known for his work on Cavewoman. He is one of the premiere “good girl” artists working in the industry today.

Heroes: Creatively, what are you most proud of from 2010?
Budd Root: I’m most proud of taking a HUGE chunk out of the commissions I owe. And they’re not half bad, either!

H: What can we look for from you in 2011?
BR: You can look forward to the best HeroesCon book I’ve ever done (full of finished commissions), wrapping up a Cavewoman storyline and a creepy WEREWOLF story I’m doing with Buddy Prince!

H: Do you have any interesting or fond memories from a past Charlotte Minicon?
BR: Fond Memories are simply hanging out with great friends and getting a crapload of Chris Bachalo books from a “dollar-box”! The most interesting thing was a guy wanted to move into my driveway & be my apprentice. I gave him Andy’s address!!!

Next on the list is Jason Latour. He is definitely a name you will need to know for 2011. If you aren’t familiar with his work on Daredevil: Black and White #1 or Scalped #43, you may recognize his Daredevil from our HeroesCon postcards.

Heroes: Creatively, what are you most proud of from 2010?
Jason Latour: The stories I drew in DAREDEVIL: BLACK & WHITE #1 and SCALPED #43.

I went into those projects with immense hopes and seemingly well laid plans, but in the end when the sun was rising over the horizon line, it was the last scene in Jaws. It all boiled down to  throwing something in the monster’s mouth and hoping it explodes. A much messier business than I’d hoped for… but hey, I killed a couple of sharks. That’s somethin’.  I measure manhood in sharks killed.

H: What can we look for from you in 2011?
JL: Coming in the immediate future is the back up I drew for WOLVERINE #5, which is the conclusion to the Wolverine Goes to Hell storyline. It also re-teams Jason Aaron, Rico Renzi and I. Whatever you do, don’t read that comic backwards.

In February NOCHE ROJA the 180-page Vertigo Crime OGN I did with Simon Oliver, is released. It’s basically the bulk of my printed work to date.  I’m eager to see that reach the world.

LOOSE ENDS, the  four issue crime series I wrote, with art by Chris Brunner and color by Rico Renzi, is shaping up well. Fans of good bbq, beautiful girls and pop art should like that one equally. I’m sure those guys will expound upon that but I couldn’t be more proud of it.

Beyond that I’ll do my best to remain mysterious for now. You may see me pop up in an expanded role at some places I’m familiar with.  I can say that 2010 ended up being a big year for me publishing wise and I’m going to work hard to better that in 2011.

H: Do you have any interesting or fond memories from a past Charlotte Minicon?
JL: There was a time when the Dollar Bin guys asked us if Luke Cage could be cut by a Light Saber. My brain still hasn’t reconstituted from that one.

My fondest convention memories in general always revolve around stuff like that, riffing about absurd things.  The intimacy of the show really provides that opportunity. It’s a place I feel comfortable and at ease. It’s definitely a  Shelton Drum run show in that respect. Fans and creators first. I’m looking forward to it.

The last guest left to spotlight (for today at least) is Rich Barrett. He is currently working on his creator-owned graphic novel Nathan Sorry which he is serializing on his website. You can read it a page at a time as he finishes and posts it.

Heroes: Creatively, what are you most proud of from 2010?
Rich Barrett: This was my second year of publishing my graphic novel Nathan Sorry online as a weekly webcomic. I’ve received a lot of encouraging reviews for it and have grown my readership a lot in 2010. I appeared at HeroesCon this summer which was my first major comics convention and I’ve made the transition into digital publishing by releasing installments of Nathan Sorry on the Graphic.ly iPhone and iPad apps.

H: What can we look for from you in 2011?
RB: I’m only about a third of the way through my graphic novel so I’ll continue to focus on it in 2011 and put up at least a page a week online. Plus I’ll be releasing more installments in print, digital and potentially even eBook.

H: Do you have any interesting or fond memories from a past Charlotte Minicon?
RB: Last year’s Minicon was my first convention and I learned a lot from it while also just having a lot of fun. I think my favorite memory was when my wife brought my 2 year old daughter who thought the stage was for her rather than for Francesco Francavilla and proceeded to do a series of dances in front of his table.