1) Bone: Quest for the Spark HC/SC

While this is actually a novel, the mere fact that it’s the first in a trilogy of new Bone stories should be enough to make fans of all ages take note.  And though creator Jeff Smith only contributes art to a few single page illustrations, even that should be enough to warrant a look.  Smith and writer Tom Sniegoski take Bone into a new era with new characters in this highly anticipated book.  Don’t miss a chance to read the next chapter in this always exciting epic.

2) Cinderella: Fables are Forever #1

The last miniseries, Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love, was one of the most popular Fables spinoffs to date, and the creative team of Chris Roberson and Shawn McManus return to tell yet another tale of Fabletown’s supreme secret agent.  Also returning is cover artist Chrissie Zullo, another talented local creator who has been making a name for herself in recent years with her unique contributions to books like Fables and Madame Xanadu.

3) Charismagic #0

Aspen takes advantage of the popularity of magic-based stories in this new miniseries from writer Vince Hernandez and artist Khary Randolph.  I’ve seen an advanced copy of the book, and it should appeal to longtime fans of Aspen books, as well as folks who enjoy magic stories.  If the recent Lady Mechanika is any indication, this book has the potential to move quickly.  Also worth noting, Khary Randolph was just announced as a guest at this year’s HeroesCon, and our own Rico Renzi interviewed him for a piece that appeared on our blog here!

4) Wolverine #5.1

Here on the Spotlight I’ve long discussed my respect for Jason Aaron’s writing.  That’s largely due to the fact that he makes me actually care about overly used and poorly used characters like Ghost Rider and Wolverine.  If you can get past the fact that there are still a few too many Wolverine titles, do yourself a favor and pick up this new offering from Marvel’s .1 initiative.  For those unaware of what the .1 books are, that essentially means you can pick up this issue without reading any other Wolverine books and have a good self-contained jumping on point.  Also worth noting is the contribution of artist Jefte Palo, most recently of the Doctor Voodoo and Taskmaster series.

5) Flash #9

Outside of teasers, there’s little DC has released regarding their upcoming Flashpoint storyline.  Anyone interested in finding out more about it might want to pick up this issue of Flash, as it’s apparently a prelude to the upcoming events.  If you’re a DC fan interested in their crossovers, this is your book to buy this week.  Flashpoint architect Geoff Johns writes this one that features art from regular series artist Francis Manapul.

> Bonus picks of the week: Power Man and Iron Fist #1, DC Universe Legacies #9, Onslaught Unleashed #1, Walking Dead #81, and Ultimate Avengers vs. New Ultimates #1

Khary Randolph is an artist who isn’t easy to pin down. With sequential art, editorial illustration, toy design, and animation work on his resume, Randolph has shown the type of versatility needed to succeed in today’s marketplace as a commercial artist. With two books hitting shelves this week, Starborn #3 from BOOM and Charismagic #0 from Aspen, his work will be more visible than ever to comic fans. We recently had an opportunity to talk with this talented artist about his career and upcoming work.

Rico Renzi: Your work has appeared all over the place from animation to illustrations for ESPN the Magazine. Would you say you are a full-time comic artist right now?

Khary Randolph: For the first time in my career, yes I can say. All I’m doing is drawing comics right now, all day every day. It’s a pretty crazy time in my life.

RR: Are you working on Starborn and Charismagic simultaneously?

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They say variety is the spice of life, and the old adage is proven true at HeroesCon 2011! Check out this guest list update!

We are happy to announce Strangers in Paradise and Echo creator Terry Moore will be joining us at HeroesCon 2011!  Terry has published his creations through his own imprint, Abstract Studios, for years. Besides writing and drawing his own characters’ adventures, he has recently done work on Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane, Runaways, and Strange Tales II.

Khary Randolph has had a career that runs the gamut from comics to animation to editorial illustration! His stylish art has graced the pages of Spawn, New Mutants, Sleepwalker, Spider-Man and many more!  Most recently Khary has provided art for Stan Lee’s Starborn and Charismagic from Aspen.

Cat Staggs is an in demand artist in the world of highly collectible artist’s sketch cards. She did over 130 illustrations for the Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith card set from TOPPS. She has also done cards for Rittenhouse Archives’ Complete Marvel Avengers, X-Men Archives and DC Legacy card sets, as well as The World’s Finest VS trading card game and Iron Man I and II trading cards for Upperdeck. Cat always does something gorgeous for our Annual Art Auction, don’t miss it!

Joe Staton is a North Carolina native and a longtime guest of HeroesCon.  He’s also an artist who has worked on everything from E-man and Green Lantern, to All Star Squadron and Scooby Doo.  Most recently Joe was announced as the new artist on the classic Dick Tracy comic strip, marking yet another timeless character he’ll leave his indelible mark upon.  Don’t miss a chance to stop by and say hello to one of the nicest folks in the industry.

Chris Stevens was such a big hit with fans and artists at last year’s show that we had to have him back! In 2010, Chris made a big splash in comics with his gorgeous covers for various Marvel titles and Image’s Skullkickers.

So, what exciting book should we tackle as a follow up to our last discussion of a 400 page adventure of a guy who works in a mail room and takes a plane trip to Michigan for Thanksgiving dinner? Well, how about a ten issue mini-series about a guy who writes obituaries for a South American newspaper?

No, really…

and get this… (it’s not even a SPOILER alert) the main character dies at the end of each issue! It’s Daytripper, the ten issue mini-series written and drawn by the team of Brazilian brothers Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba. Imagine the narrative arc of a film like Citizen Kane but told in serialized comic form. Here is the best thing about Daytripper;  it is clever, concise, easy to read, easy to digest and really fun to analyze! (more…)

The first books from our Savannah Collection are up for bid at Heritage Auctions! This is just the tip of the iceberg, more great books from this historic collection will be offered on HA.COM in the weeks to come! Come back for updates about future auctions right here.

Welcome to our first guest spotlight for HeroesCon 2011! This is where we’ll help you get to know our first time guests a little better and see what our returning guests have been up to. Today’s guest is David Antoine Williams. He was kind enough to answer a few of our questions and tell us a little bit about his career. Enjoy!

Heroes has been kind enough to let me moderate 28 Discussion Groups over the past 3 years. I have enjoyed myself immensely and I hope that those who have attended have found them worthwhile.

The most recent round table that focused on Chris Ware’s epic Jimmy Corrigan may very well have been my favorite discussion group to date.

A total of fifteen of us met on Saturday afternoon and the Charlotte weather was so agreeable we conducted our discussion outside across the street at the Philosopher’s Stone. In attendance were several of our Stalwart Discussion Group members (whom I want to take a moment and thank for their ardent support!): Shawn Daughhetee, Heather McKinney, Seth Peagler, Matt Knapik, Matt Plummer, Charles Skender, Mark Sullivan, Zack Kirchberg, Bobby Gemmell and Discussion Group Emeritus: Dustin Harbin.
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It’s an especially interesting week of new comics for folks whose reading habits extend beyond the heroic realm.  Here are a few noteworthy selections to consider in your comic book travels.

1) Daytripper TP

One of the highlights of 2010 finally gets collected in a nice trade paperback from Vertigo.  Twin creators Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba crafted a poetic book that garnered acclaim from a wide range of other comic pros and fans alike.  In addition to including the entire 10 issue series, this collection contains a one page illustrated intro from Blankets creator Craig Thompson, as well as a bonus section of sketches and afterthoughts from the creators.  Pick this up and see why so many of us continue to herald this book as one of last year’s best.

2) DC Universe Online Legends #1

I wasn’t planning on writing about this one because initially I thought it might only be an effort from DC to drum up more buzz for their video game of the same name.  However, customers have really been talking about it, so it’s worth reminding everyone about it here.  Adding to the buildup is the creative team consisting of pros like Marv Wolfman, Tony Bedard, Howard Porter, and Adriana Melo.

3) Witchfinder: Lost and Gone Forever #1

It’s true that Mike Mignola’s comic universe has been growing at an exponential rate in recent years.  Some argue that perhaps it’s growing too much, and something is lost when Mignola himself doesn’t illustrate his fascinating creations.  This first issue of the new Witchfinder mini series reminds us that even when he doesn’t draw his creations, Mignola always gets top notch creators to help out.  In the case of this series, legendary comic artist John Severin steps in to guide the Witchfinder as he ventures to the American West.  So you not only get another chapter in the life of an interesting character via writers Mignola and John Arcudi, but you have a supernatural western tale illustrated by Severin.  Do you really need any more cajoling to consider picking this one up?

4)  Cursed Pirate Girl TP

Some of you might’ve heard about this unique work from creator Jeremy Bastian.  A seafaring tale that blends the tiniest of detailed line work with elements of classic children’s literature, Bastian’s work is both hard to find and widely acclaimed.  This trade collects the first three issues along with a new epilogue.  Check it out to see some great textural art from a great up-and-coming comic creator.

5) Scenes from an Impending Marriage

A new book from Adrian Tomine is well worth a mention on the spotlight.  If you’ve followed Tomine’s work in books like Optic Nerve and Shortcomings, you know Tomine’s already solidified his spot among literary minded cartoonists like Daniel Clowes and Chris Ware.  While his cartooning is always clean and worth a look, this new book intrigues me because it seems to lack some of the pathos that one might typically associate with his work.  Originally used as a gift for guests at his wedding, Scenes of an Impending Marriage looks to be one of Tomine’s lightest and most humorous offerings to date.  Enjoy a sneak peak from the book below!

> Bonus Picks of the Week: Doctor Strange: From the Marvel Vault #1, Batman Beyond #2, Ultimate Comics Thor #4, Batman: Odyssey #6, Captain America: Patriot TP, and an Obama/Palin appearance in Archie #617.