If you’ve been a comic reader at any time in the past decade, you’ve undoubtedly come across the art of Ryan Benjamin at one point or another.  With work ranging from DC and Wildstorm to Marvel and advertising illustration, Benjamin is a fine example of an artist who has persevered and progressed through his work.  Recently we’ve been spotlighting HeroesCon guests on our blog, but today we’re happy to feature a talented artist whose work deserves some added attention.

Ryan Benjamin: I stay busy, busy ,busy… (more…)

The number one question we get at Heroes or when we set up at cons these days is: “What’s the deal with this Savannah Collection we keep hearing about?”  If you’d like to learn all about this once in a lifetime collection, here’s your chance to hear about it in detail from the man himself!  Our good friend Adam Daughhetee of the Dollar Bin Podcast recently sat down with Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find owner Shelton Drum to discuss comic collecting, the significance of the Savannah collection, what it actually takes to earn the rare CGC Pedigree status, and the upcoming Heritage Auctions.  It’s an informative talk and we’d like to thank Adam for helping out with the interview.  You can hear this interesting interview by clicking over to the Dollar Bin’s website here.  And while listening,  take a look at the books by clicking the image below of the. . .

We’d like to make a brief mention of this week’s Casanova: Gula #2. Not only will you get a story from the always entertaining team of Matt Fraction and Fabio Moon, but there’s a six page interview in the back of the book between Fraction and series letterer Dustin Harbin.  Most of you probably remember that both Fraction and Harbin spent time working for Heroes, and both made great contributions to the store and HeroesCon.  The interview kind of reads like a behind the scenes of our store, and is very typical of the way Matt and Dharb behaved in their Heroes days.  Be forewarned, we promote this interview with an expletive advisory, as the conversation is uncensored.  If you don’t mind salty language, check out this interview with two of our favorite alums!  Here’s a brief excerpt from our old friend Dharbin, in which he sheds some light on the life of comics retailing:

DH: If there’s anything working in a comics shop– and one of the great shops of North America at that– has taught me, it’s that you have to be bananas to run a comics shop.  Shelton (Drum) certainly is– I’ve worked with that dude through some highs and lows, whoa Nellie, and he is nothing if not slavishly devoted to comics.  I think most people who run comics shops, good or bad, have that hell-or-high-water approach to things.  In Shelton’s case, it makes his shop one of the best in the country, and HeroesCon one of the best-regarded comics conventions around.

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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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!

The Charlotte Minicon is THIS Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm at the Palmer Building! For the past several weeks building up to it we have been spotlighting our awesomely talented guests and here is the last batch for your enjoyment! Come see them live and in-person at the Minicon. In the meantime, for more information about the artists please visit their websites!

First up is Dustin Harbin who is no stranger to Heroes events. Up until recently he was helping to organize them! We welcome him as he sits on the other side of the table. For more images like the one on the right check out Harbin’s Ten Dollar Fourths Flickr set.

Heroes: Creatively, what are you most proud of from 2010?
Dustin Harbin: I guess I’m pretty proud of making a newspaper, which was a fun design challenge, and of getting to work with Anne Koyama, whose Koyama Press published my DIARY COMICS #1 in September. She let me design that book too, so 2010 was a year with a lot of successful design challenges met for me.

H: What can we look for from you in 2011?
DH: In 2011 I’ll have two more (small) volumes of DIARY COMICS, plus at least one full-color collection of the non-diary comics I publish on dharbin.com. I’m shooting for at least 3 different anthology stories this year, and will be pitching a couple of things to publishers, so we’ll see how that shakes out. But I bet those things wouldn’t show up until 2012 anyway, just in time for the Mayans to return and destroy us all.

H: Do you have any interesting or fond memories from a past Charlotte Minicon?
DH: Well, I used to work at these things! So most of the memories are work-related. Weirdly, all my favorite memories are of setting up the room in the morning, and wheedling free Bojangles out of Shelton for everyone. Last year was my first year exhibiting as an artist, so that was pretty great. Especially since I live right around the corner, so I just wheeled my little handtruck right over. It’s always nice to hang out with J. Chris Campbell, that guy’s the best. I am hopefully going to make a memory with him this year, or maybe Rich Barrett. Either one of those guys, pretty sure.

Next on the list is J. Chris Campbell who is simultaneously a super awesome artist and a super awesome guy! His mini comics are humorous, fun and occasionally a bit melancholy, but they are always worth the price! You should definitely stop by his table and take a gander. I heard a little rumor that Duane Ballenger might be appearing along with Campbell. Come to the Minicon to find out for yourself!

Heroes: Creatively, what are you most proud of from 2010?
J. Chris Campbell: I’m most proud of finally putting together a collection of my comics from a bunch of anthologies. Zig Zag: Mish Mash brings together stories that have been scattered all over the place for years. I released a small number of them at Heroes and it’s available thru the Comixology app for iPhone. I was also pretty proud to be among the few to beta test Comixology’s self authoring software that will help me release more digital comics.

H: What can we look for from you in 2011?
JCC: 2011 is a great year. It’s the 10th anniversary of Wide Awake Press! We aren’t planning anything huge but we’ve got a couple of projects in the works that should prove to be a lot of fun. Including the 2011 Free Comic Book Day download and an anthology edited by Pat Lewis called Our Broadcast Day.

H: Do you have any interesting or fond memories from a past Charlotte Minicon?
JCC: One year we crammed four guys behind our table including Rob Ullman, Duane Ballenger and Justin Gammon. It was a tight fit but a lot of fun and I think that was the same year that it started to snow. Last Charlotte Minicon we closed the place down by chatting it up with the Dollar Bin. I always love doodling robots for all the folks who drop by my table. Minicon is in a really nice venue with great local artists and quality dealers. A great mix for a super one day show!

Also we have Sanford Greene who is a regular guest at HeroesCon and for Free Comic Book Day so we are delighted to have him up for the Charlotte Minicon. Greene’s recent work includes Wonder Girl, Marvel Adventures Spider-Man and Deadpool Team-Up.

Heroes: Creatively, what are you most proud of from 2010?
Sanford Greene: In 2010, I did a lot of design work for games and animation that I am proud of. Some of which I can not mention. However,  one thing I am happy with the work I did for the new DC Comics MMO that just came out. I am also proud of to finally get one of my creator owned projects ( 1000) off the ground!

H: What can we look for from you in 2011?
SG: I am excited to be apart of the new Dark Horse Comics Presents launch! I am also excited about my new OGN 1000, coming soon to MTV.com! There’s several other things lined up with Marvel but really can’t announce yet.

H: Do you have any interesting or fond memories from a past Charlotte Minicon?
SG: This is my first Minicon,  and will not be my last! I am sure from here on , I will have fond memories!

Finally we get to Chris Brunner. All of us here at Heroes are super excited about the work his is putting out and we can’t wait for Loose Ends to hit stores!

Heroes: Creatively, what are you most proud of from 2010?
Chris Brunner: Can’t help but be a tease here, I’m happiest with the pages Rico Renzi, Jason Latour and I have stockpiled for our comic Loose Ends. We’ve been scheming on it for a while now, and I’m dead pleased with how it’s coming together. We have run amok.

H: What can we look for from you in 2011?
CB: A couple more Boondock Saints covers this spring from Rico and I, a heady dose of Loose Ends in 12 Gauge’s Free Comic Book Day release, and the full Loose Ends run for the summertime. There’s regular art shenanigans here too: http://kickstandkids.blogspot.com/

H: Do you have any interesting or fond memories from a past Charlotte Minicon?
CB: At last years Minicon I did a drawing for Brandon Padgett of the Dollar Bin podcast, which is now hanging in his son’s bedroom- can’t beat that. The show seems to grow every year, hopefully twice the guest list means twice the tomfoolery and general comic hijinx.

As the Charlotte Minicon closes in we want to take this time to spotlight some of the wonderful guests who will be in attendance. Most of the guests are Heroes event regulars but there are a few new names on the list. We asked each of them three simple questions and we got some awesome responses. Not only are these creators witty and charming but they are also incredibly talented. Just take a look at their artwork and you will see what I mean. I am sure that all of you are excited to get some convention sketches from these talented Charlotte Minicon guests!

The first person we are spotlighting today is someone you are certain to recognize, Andy Smith. Most recently he has been doing the art for WWE Heroes and X-Men Forever 2. You might also be familiar with his work on Stormwatch: PHD, Superman Confidential, 52 and/or WildCats.

Heroes: Creatively, what are you most proud of from 2010?
Andy Smith: I’d have to say that my X-Men Forever work is the high mark on the list! Just being able to work with a legend of the status of Chris Claremont was a thrill! And being able to draw some of my favorite characters from the X-Men when I was first starting my career was just awesome.

H: What can we look for from you in 2011?
AS: Now if I had that crystal ball I could win the lottery! I’m doing some work for Marvel right now for their licensing department. I can’t really say much more about it though. From there we’ll just have to see. I’m teaching at UNCC again this new semester as well.

H: Do you have any interesting or fond memories from a past Charlotte Minicon?
AS: Honestly it is one of the conventions I look forward to every year. I’m so glad Shelton brought it back. It’s right in my backyard I get to relax and not be too overwhelmed by people. It’s just a nice small hometown show where I always have a good time! And of course hanging out with Budd Root for the day is always a plus! We talk football non-stop!

Next up we have Chrissie Zullo who is an artist on the rise. Since her breakout success with Cinderella: From Fabletown With Love she has been gaining more fame and notoriety. She is a must have on anyone’s I-need-to-get-a-commission-by-this-person’s list!

Heroes: Creatively, what are you most proud of from 2010?
Chrissie Zullo: 2010 was a huge deal to me because it was my first year of interior work. I was able to do the covers for Cinderella: From Fabletown With Love, as well as interiors for the first time for Madame Xanadu and Fables #100.

H: What can we look for from you in 2011?
CZ: More Cinderella! She’s back and better than ever.

H: Do you have any interesting or fond memories from a past Charlotte Minicon?
CZ: I love this show because it’s a great size and you can get away with some great deals. I snagged Marko Djurdjevic‘s cover run issues of Daredevil a couple of years ago for a steal, as well as grabbing some free posters. It’s also great for getting to hang out and talk to some great artists. And it’s in an awesome building to boot.

This will be the first Charlotte Minicon for our Special Guest Chris Stevens who first burst onto the scene working for UDON Entertainment. His recent work includes cover work for Skullkickers and Thor. He also made a big splash at the 2010 HeroesCon Annual Art Auction.

Heroes: Creatively, what are you most proud of from 2010?
Chris Stevens: I did my first Marvel covers in 2010. My second cover was recently released as a t-shirt. Very cool stuff. That may be career and not creative, but I’m never proud of my work, so I can’t think of anything.

H: What can we look for from you in 2011?
CS: More Marvel covers I hope. I plan to keep providing covers for Skullkickers too. Hopefully catch up on my commission list.

H: Do you have any interesting or fond memories from a past Charlotte Minicon?
CS: Sorry to say this will be my first time at Minicon. Been going to HeroesCon since ’92 though. I get some points for that, right?

Our last spotlight for today is Bridgit Scheide. She is a relative new-comer to the comic’s scene with her self-published book Kindle and her webcomic Brother Nash. You can check out her deviantART page for more examples of her work!

Heroes: Creatively, what are you most proud of from 2010?
Bridgit Scheide: Early this past year I self-published a comic called Kindle, which is a single issue introduction to a graphic novel I’m working on. It’s been a huge learning experience for me, but a very exciting one as well. I’ve been hopping around comic conventions in NC, which has been a lot of fun. I’ve also been working on a webcomic called Brother Nash, which is a 30 page script I wrote as a sort of creative break from Kindle. After a year or so of working with graphite I really felt like I needed a project where I could ink and color something for a little while (and draw trucks, apparently?).

H: What can we look for from you in 2011?
BS: In 2011, I’ll shortly finish up Brother Nash #1: Roadkill and release it as a single issue.  I’ve also been scheming with Chrissie Zullo and we’ll be collaborating on something killer for HeroesCon 2011, so be on the lookout for that! It’ll be my third year at HeroesCon – it’s my favorite con for sure. I’m also continuing work on Kindle, though I’m actually changing its name to The Kindle Kind, with the intention to save from confusion with the popular electronic device and all of the lame jokes which accompany that. Haha!

H: Do you have any interesting or fond memories from a past Charlotte Minicon?
BS: This is actually my first time at the Charlotte Minicon. I’m pretty stoked! And seriously, pony rides?! How good does this get?!

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.

Jim McCann is primarily known for his work writing Marvel properties like Hawkeye and Mockingbird, Dazzler, the current Chaos War: Alpha Flight mini series, and the new miniseries Widowmaker.  November saw the publication of McCann’s debut original graphic novel Return of the Dapper Men, a collaboration with artist Janet Lee that’s been steadily building industry buzz at major conventions throughout year.  I spoke with Jim recently about his varied creative background, his past and future super  hero projects, and of course the acclaimed Dapper Men.

Seth Peagler (SP): First off Jim, thanks for taking time out of your busy week to answer a few questions.  I’d imagine you’re pretty excited about the public finally getting a chance to get a copy of Return of the Dapper Men.  Before we talk about that book I’d like to ask you a little bit about your history in comics.  Some people might not be aware that you worked for Marvel for several years in the publicity and PR arenas.  How and when did you decide to transition over to the creative side of things?

Jim McCann (JM):   Thanks, Seth.  I started at Marvel with a complete leap of faith.  It was literally on my 30th birthday when I packed everything up, moved, and sold the house.  I didn’t have a job, but within two months was working there.  I started three days after I submitted my resume, so it was definitely a quick turn around process.  Initially I wrote ad copy before they moved me over to PR and marketing.  That’s when I started doing publicity and moderating panels.  Two years into being over there I wrote my first eight page story in a Marvel Western book.

SP: As someone who was a big part of Marvel convention panels, what’s it like to be on the other side of the scene now?  Were there specific aspects of your publicity work that has influenced your approach to comic writing?

JM: I definitely made a number of friendships.  Marvel does a great job of marketing their books, and I learned from seeing that and reading every single interview that went through there. But it absolutely helped me on creator owned projects too.  It really helped me learn how to sell and market my books.  Ultimately, its up to the creators to market themselves.

SP: Many comic writers study screenwriting at one point or another, but I’m not immediately aware of many who have a background in theater.  You co-founded and were the artistic director for the Nashville Theatre Company.  How has your involvement in the theater informed your writing work in comics?  Are there certain similarities between the process of writing for comics and writing for theater that you’ve noticed?

JM: I think it’s important for writers to study all forms of writing as well as acting.  It teaches you how you can write a line of dialogue and the ways it can be interpreted.  Theater taught me how to write under pressure, and also about the economy of words.  Directing theater helped me check out what people were interested in and what types of stories people wanted to see.

SP: Switching gears to your mainstream super hero work, I’d like to ask you a little bit about your recent Marvel work.  There’s been an obvious proliferation of Avengers titles in the past few years; do you think that a book like Hawkeye and Mockingbird benefits from that, or can it get lost in the shuffle?

JM: There were a lot of great books that came out around the time of Hawkeye and Mockingbird. I think it’s funny because the same thing holds true for indie books as well.  People are afraid to try things because they’re not sure if a book matters in the whole comic universe.  It was a different culture when Marvel Knights started.  People started wanting a more cohesive universe and ended up following only the core Avengers books or X books.  Titles were a little shaky for solo books when the characters were on other books.

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