JUSTIN’S PICK :: GOD HATES ASTRONAUTS #1: Ryan Browne sent me some VERY inappropriate pictures. However, they were not sent via cellphone, and they were not unsolicited. Rather, they were contained in his delightfully grotesque book (OGN, as the kids say these days) God Hates Astronauts. Lucky for us mere mortals, Browne has come back down the mountain, and deigned to grace us with an ongoing follow-up from Image Comics. A glorious misappropriation of the superhero genre, I LOL’d more at GHA than I have at 1,000 cat memes. That’s kind of GHA in a nutshell: cat memes, with more punching. And violence. And potty humor. And cool drawings instead of stupid cat pictures. I don’t know, just buy the darn thing! Twice, because it has two covers.

Happy Friday and welcome to another HUGE HeroesCon 2014 Guest List update! We hope you can join us for 3 days of everything we love about comic books along with the people who make them at the Charlotte Convention Center June 20-22, 2014. Tickets for Heroes Convention 2014 are on sale now!

CREATORS! Artists Alley tables are still available but they are going fast! Reserve your space today!

John Beatty –  Inker: Secret Wars, Punisher, Batman, Thanos Quest
Ryan Browne – Artist/Writer: God Hates Astronauts Artist: Manhattan Projects, Bedlam
Rachel Deering – Writer: Anathema, Creepy, In The Dark, Diablo III
Michael Dooney – Artist: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Grimm Fairy Tales, Gizmo
Jeremy Haun – Artist: Batwoman, Bad Karma, The Darkness
Brian Hurtt – Artist: The Sixth Gun, Cowboys, The Damned, Hard Time, Queen & Country
Justin Jordan – Writer: Luther Strode, Green Lantern: New Guardians 
Matt Kindt – Artist/Writer: Mind MGMT, Star Wars, RAI
Tradd Moore – Artist: Luther Strode, Ghost Rider
Matthew Roberts – Artist: Manifest Destiny, Battle Pope: Mayhem
John Rose – Artist: Snuffy Smith
Matthew Wilson – Colorist: Wonder Woman, Young Avengers, The Wicked + The Divine

Heroes Convention takes place in Charlotte, North Carolina, June 20-22 2014. Get your 3 day passes today! The full guest list (so far) is here.

JUSTIN’S PICK :: GOD HATES ASTRONAUTS : This is comics. Unbridled imagination and compulsion. [adult swim] without the brackets. I can’t really tell you exactly what Ryan Browne‘s God Hates Astronauts is “about”; I can tell you it is one of the most wildly entertaining (and therefore endearing) books I’ve read in some time. This is the comic that that Axe Cop kid would make if he had access to an unsecured Internet connection and a time machine. GHA falls vaguely under the “superhero” umbrella, and while it may have a parodic tone, it’s not taking the piss. Rather, it’s a love letter to a vilified sub-sub-genre, much like Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca‘s exemplary Afrodisiac. This will not please readers of extreme indie or mainstream bias, as it’s a Frankenstein’s Monster of the two, but fans of humor and creativity will be delighted. I mean, the cast includes a character called King Tiger Eating a Cheeseburger. If that doesn’t entice you, I’d suggest you stop reading comics altogether and take up a more meditative hobby, such as soap making, or maybe carp farming.

Happy Tuesday HeroesCon faithful! We’ve got another great guest list update for our 2013 show. Get your tickets today, it’s going to be out best convention yet! Our full guest list (so far) is here. See you June 7-9, 2013!

MARK BROOKS – Artist: Fearless Defenders, Dark Reign: Young Avengers, Ultimate X-Men

RYAN BROWNE – Artist/Writer: God Hates Astronauts, Manhattan Projects, Blast Furnace

MITCH GERADS – Artist: The ACTIVITY, Doctor WHO, Planet of the Apes

SUNNY LEE – Artist: Gen 13, Wolverine, Superboy

JAMES LYLE – Artist: Grimm Fairy Tales, Game of Horror, Abraham’s Journey SECNCS

TED NAIFEH – Artist/Writer: Courtney Crumrin, Polly and the Pirates, Ame-Comi Duela Dent

JOE STATON – Artist: Green Lantern, E-Man, Dick Tracy, Scooby Doo

JAMES TYNION IV – Writer: Talon, Red Hood and the Outlaws

MATTHEW WILSON – Colorist: Wonder Woman, Young Avengers, Phonogram

ALEXIS ZIRITT – Artist: The Package, Rudo, Mekano Turbo, Fistful Apparel