Two updates in one week?! This could become a common occurrence around here until the show starts on June 3rd. Join our newsletter or follow us on Twitter or Facebook so you don’t miss any HeroesCon 2011 news! On with the show this is it…

Gabriel Hardman is an illustrator for comics and film. He’s currently drawing the Hulk for Marvel comics, but has also done storyboards for films such as Inception, Superman Returns, X-Men 2 and Tropic Thunder. He also drew Heathentown, an original graphic novel written by Corinna Bechko and published in 2009 by Image. His convention sketches are killer, so make sure you pay him a visit!

No stranger to anyone who has been to HeroesCon, Tony Shasteen is returning in 2011. Tony has done work for everyone. What’s that? You want a list? OK, you asked for it…Coca-Cola, BellSouth, IBM, Siemens, Nascar, Business Week, Hasbro, White Wolf, Shadowrun, Ten Speed Publishing, Picador Publishing, Realms of Fantasy, DC Comics, Boom Studios, Markosia, Devil’s Due, Dark Horse, Top Cow, Virgin and Image Comics. His work has been featured in the prestigious annual, Spectrum, The Best In Contemporary Fantastic Art.

Eric Skillman is making his first trip to HeroesCon this year. Eric is a Brooklyn-based writer, graphic designer, and art director best known for his design work on Criterion Collection DVDs and the design process blog Cozy Lummox.  His  comics work includes the self-published comic series EGG: Hard Boiled Stories, and his first graphic novel, Liar’s Kiss, drawn by Jhomar Soriano, is available in April from Top Shelf Productions.

Vito Delsante has written for DC, Marvel, Image, and Simon & Schuster, among others, and his stories have been reprinted the world over in a gajillion different languages. He is also a frequent contributor to the superhero redesign site, Project : Rooftop.

Five years ago Nolan Woodard gave up lucrative career in illustration to dive into comics, beginning at SCAD-Atlanta teaching digital coloring, conceptual illustration, and storyboarding in the Sequential Art department. Over the past year he has also cultivated a career as a colorist and completed work for Oni Press, BOOM! Studios, Dark Horse, Image, and Marvel. If two careers at the same time don’t keep him busy enough, he works on his own project “8th Day” when able, does sketch cards for TOPPS’ “Star Wars” trading card series, and is expecting his first child this summer! Congrats Nolan!

The first round of Savannah Collection Comics in the Signature Auction on Heritage starts and ends today. The regular online bidding is closed but you can place proxy bids online by going to Hertage Live beginning at 2 PM EST.  Please note that tons of books from this collection will be in every weekly auction starting this week. Thanks and happy bidding!

Click the image to be taken right to the current auction on Heritage Live!

1) Astonishing X-men #36

Marvel’s line of comics not tied to specific continuities offers up another interesting variation with this week’s Astonishing X-men issue.  This issue is also the first of an arc from the new creative team of Daniel Way, Jason Pearson, and Karl Story.  The fact that they are  helming a story focusing on Monster Island should be well worth a look, as Pearson and Story will undoubtedly do a great job illustrating giant monsters.

2) X-men Legacy #245/New Mutants #22

It’s a two-for-one spotlight selection as parts one and two of the Age of X storyline both see print this week.  Mike Carey writes both chapters of this alternate X-men tale, along with the rest of the chapters.  The X-men Legacy issue features art from recent HeroesCon guest addition Clay Mann, while Steve Kurth handles the art duties on the New Mutants chapter.

3) American Vampire #12

This book hasn’t made an appearance on the Spotlight in recent months, but is still worth another mention.  This week’s issue is a stand alone tale featuring vampire Skinner Sweet in the early ’20’s trying to find a place for himself in a modern world.  In addition to writer Scott Snyder, this issue features art from illustrator Danijel Zezelj, an artist who has worked on some of Vertigo’s best books in recent years, including Scalped, Hellblazer, DMZ, and the original graphic novel Luna Park.

4) Iron Man 2.0 #1

Continuing this week’s trend of new arcs orjumping on points, here’s Marvel’s latest attempt at making War Machine a successful solo act.  Strange then that they instead call it Iron Man 2.0.  The creative team of Nick Spencer and Barry Kitson usher in a new era for Jim Rhodes in this new ongoing series that looks to make the character more relevant in the Marvel universe, and move beyond the massive-firearm-toting persona he’s always had.

5) Detective Comics #874

Here’s a final stand alone issue for your reading pleasure this week.  This issue features art from regular series writer Scott Snyder and is illustrated by the regular artist of the back up stories, Francesco Francavilla, who some of you are familiar with for his current work on the Black Panther: Man Without Fear series.  The story follows Jim Gordon as he revisits an old unsolved case involving ‘The Peter Pan Killer.’  Snyder and Francavilla telling a one off crime story should be really hard to pass up.

> Bonus Picks of the Week: Fantastic Four #588, Muppet Sherlock Holmes TP, Captain America #615, Who is Jake Ellis? #2, Turf #4, and Metalocalypse/Dethklok #3.

We’re happy to welcome Clay Mann to his first HeroesCon! Clay is a testament to hard work and perseverance. After sending absurd-sized postcards to the Marvel office, he was given his first shot at the big time on X-Men Unlimited. From there he has gone on to work on titles such as Fantastic Four, Daredevil, Dark Reign: Elektra, X-Men Legecy, and AGE of X.

Returning for her second HeroesCon is Ming Doyle. Ming first caught our eye over at Project Rooftop, redesigning the heck out of several classic superhero costumes while staying true to the spirit of each character. Ming just completed work on Tantalize: Kieren’s Story, a 190 page graphic novel written by young adult author Cynthia Leitich-Smith that is scheduled to be published by Candelwick Press this August. You can also check out her work weekly on the webcomic The Loneliest Astronauts.

Professor Shawn Crystal drops science on his students while also maintaining a healthy output of comics. He not only teaches sequential art at SCAD Atlanta, but has drawn several titles for Marvel featuring everyone’s favorite “Merc with a Mouth,” Deadpool. His latest work can be seen on the Marvel Digital comic, Wolverine/Deadpool: The Decoy. All this while raising two adorable kids with his lovely wife.  Way to go Shawn!

Please give a warm welcome to our friend Tom Fowler making the trek to Charlotte all the way from the Great White North. Tom’s amazing art can be found in the pages of  Mysterius the Unfathomable, Deadpool Team-Up, and MAD Magazine. As if comics weren’t enough to keep him busy, he has banded together with several other ne’er-do-well artists to form Voltron…I mean, Comic TWART. Check out their weekly character sketches.  It’s some sweet eye-candy, just like Tom.

Lamar Abrams is the creator of Remake from AdHouse Books.  AdHouse head honcho Chris Pitzer gave me a scoop that Lamar’s all new Remake Special will be available at HeroesCon 2011! Fans of video games, anime, and funny comics will REJOICE!

1) Uncanny X-force #5

I’ve only read a few issues of this new series, but customers and co-workers alike swear it’s one of Marvel’s best.  The creative team of Rick Remender and Jerome Opena seem to be well-matched for this particular black ops title.  Storylines featuring a kid Apocalypse and killer Deathloks also add to the increasing appeal of this left of center X book.

2) Hawkeye: Blindspot #1

Writer Jim McCann did an admirable job of interpreting the character in both the Hawkeye and Mockingbird series and the recently completed Widowmaker miniseries.  This new miniseries features the legendary marksman facing his biggest threat to date: blindness.  That’s not a good thing for anyone to face, especially if you’re a very human Avenger known for your extraordinary eyesight.  Artist Paco Diaz is also on hand to bring this story to you.

3) Noche Roja HC

It’s no secret that we at Heroes enjoy supporting our local comics community.  This week we finally get to promote Noche Roja, the latest in Vertigo’s line of original crime graphic novels.  This one, written by Simon Oliver, features 180+ pages of art from local creator Jason Latour.  While he’s had a busy year with projects ranging from Wolverine and Daredevil, to Scalped and an upcoming Captain America story, Latour spent a solid year or more working on Noche Roja, and that work ethic is evident in the finished project.  Make sure to pick up a copy, not only to enjoy a solid crime book, but to support a great local talent who will undoubtedly be continuing his work on high profile jobs in the years to come.

4) Silver Surfer #1

Cosmic fans should take note of this first of five issues in a miniseries from Greg Pak and Stephen Segovia.  The famed herald of Galactus deals with the threat of the High Evolutionary in this new story, and it’s probably a safe bet that a few other cosmic characters might appear as well.

5) Uptight #4

On their blog, Fantagraphics describes this excellent series by Jordan Crane as a pairing of  “adult melancholia and all-ages adventure.”  Melancholy is indeed a large part of Crane’s cartooning, but the fact that the second half of this book features characters from his acclaimed all-ages book The Clouds Above should add some welcomed levity to the proceedings.

> Bonus Picks of the Week: Wonder Woman #607, Venom/Deadpool #1, DC Universe Online Legends #2, Darkwing Duck #9, Green Lantern #62, and SHIELD #6.

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. . .

Dark Horse Presents #1 – The awesome anthology, a defining if overlooked gem of the 90’s, returns with a creative roster from heaven: Howard Chaykin, Frank Miller, Neal Adams, Richard Corben, and a new Concrete story from Paul Chadwick.  This is the best kind of artist showcase and we should all be glad of its return.  Pg. 20

Hellboy: Buster Oakley Gets His Wish – Kevin Nowlan draws a Hellboy one-shot with arguably the best title of any comic this year.  Don’t forget that Nowlan will be attending HeroesCon this year along with the entire creative teams from Hellboy and B.P.R.D. Pg. 30 (more…)

HeroesCon staple and recent Charlotte MiniCon guest Sanford Greene always has many diverse projects in the works.  One of the most interesting is a Gallery exhibit of his art coming up later this month.  If you’re in or around the Columbia, SC area, make it a point to stop by and check out some of Sanford’s energetic originals.  The event takes place on Thursday, February 24 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. at Ponder Art Gallery at Benedict College in Columbia, SC.  In addition to seeing Sanford’s art, the event will also feature music from DayClean (www.daycleanduo.com) and soul singer Fayth Hope (www.faythhope.com).  The event is being hosted by Preach Jacobs (www.mobettasoul.com).  For more information about the event, check out Sanford’s website (www.sanfordgreene.com).  Don’t  miss this opportunity to support a  talented artist and longtime friend of Heroes.

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.