Flickr Album

HeroesCon 2026 :: June 12-14 – FEATURING PHOTOS from YOU!!
https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCZfzE

2026 HeroesCon Playlist

Featuring Over 80 Videos from creators all across the globe!!
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK7p4FJnpez8&si=Sc_AJ1v97QuiBCiX

Featuring Videos from:

Still Only 35¢: I Travelled 24 HOURS for Heroes Con 2026! Simply the BEST Comic Event in the World!
https://youtu.be/VqPtU8L39bc?si=mxImCcgZqFIvCMc1

Todd Venture: HeroesCon 2026 Was Incredible! Full Convention Tour & Highlights
https://youtu.be/EUHz7ff3Yl4?si=q40CoFrpqJTGw0_4

Inside the Panel with Josh Greathouse: What makes Heroes Con, Heroes Con?
https://youtu.be/DMCxE0zsZvI?si=Wm4vkQYk5Wf9AFdC

Panels & Ink: HeroesCon 2026 Walkthrough
https://youtu.be/OJ2XydhrqaQ?si=mxWPV1v9ovmRcChq

Comics with IzzyVerseNYC: Inside HeroesCon 2026: Legends, CGC & Amazing Fantasy #15
https://youtu.be/kjOwk–Q4FU?si=RY9mK3rmHZSDeuKb

Comics are Dope with BJ Kicks: HEROES CON 2026: Recap, Comic Haul & Tons of Footage!
https://youtu.be/fk0l8R7zlsY?si=t4Gw8hREAiLB6iwm

RH Midwest Comics: HeroesCon 2026 – Is this truly the best Comic Con in the world?
https://youtu.be/Sh45DW2TAfs?si=YfNQh37qbtdSzw6t

The Brothers Boyd: Absolute DC Panel Heroescon 2026
https://youtu.be/I9naxRRdx6c?si=PGfVIDaiTnYvAnNV

Chris Covers Comics: Absolute Universe Panel – HeroesCon 2026
https://youtu.be/V1-lzkL79F4?si=oCJ2Z2riQBBvwFyX

Terence Dollard: Comic Culture Bonus Chris Claremont and John Romita, Jr X Men Panel at HeroesCon 2026
https://youtu.be/_KdPg_-OLj0?si=9eMVmgIiRl1czM5m

Mike Baron: “How to Make Comics” by Mike Baron | HeroesCon 2026 Panel
https://youtu.be/Y-C-6ZMe7oI?si=gQ9dAK23lFLW-dD9

West Coast Davengers: DON’T MISS THIS COMIC CONVENTION
https://youtu.be/LWBjt_6Mzs8?si=wazJC7iCcNVLYaYR

The Comic Vet: HEROES CONVENTION 2026 · Episode 1
https://youtu.be/vMKAz1xovC4?si=l6eW-0hcM1Xm792p

Sonny Boy Comics: Heroes Con 2026 Day 1 | We Came Looking for Grails
https://youtu.be/XWiS3PwoEuo?si=HarFqfyx53Z6pW0z

EJ The Collector: Buying RARE Comic Books at Heroes Con 2026 – Part 1
https://youtu.be/jc2KTJefmPM?si=jtfSeAaiKPP184uY

Marvelous Adventures Of T And G: Heroes Convention 2026
https://youtu.be/NnCpdyfMBWc?si=kOlSCEUPe81TSCd4

The Comics Den: Going to Heroes Con for Key Issue Comic Books and Discovering a Fortune in Absolute Batman Art
https://youtu.be/mK99l5Y0XDg?si=3-QOQtrBuAoFZ2ZS

Howlermouse: Heroes Con 2026 Eve The Night Before ! Comics To be Signed ! Heroes Con Past Remembered!!
https://www.youtube.com/live/KAmhsY0N_is?si=49kQTtC0eRNbW79j

NEO Cards & Comics: Hunting for Amazing Fantasy #15 at Heroes Con
https://youtu.be/yH-Kawarc1A?si=M5f3PF9awEMLsKMP

DJ LINX: HEROESCON 2026 MEGA HAUL | SHOPPING ON A $2000 BUDGET | DID I GO OVER? #comicbooks #heroescon #dc
https://youtu.be/0L4D23gJfhQ?si=oOIhsKftrqXMLAM8

SHUGGS Comics and Statues: Our First Heroes Con USA!
https://youtu.be/fzNLHv3vNNw?si=PESWNHRXNqc1uOme

Berkfamily54comics: Heroes Con 2026 Was INSANE! (Comic Book Collector’s Dream)
https://youtu.be/kzwNo_OirJg?si=C3kev8_Q9jxcDvN4

Cowboy Hat Comics: My HeroesCon 2026 Recap!
https://youtu.be/ECZP0mh7ZJY?si=WCXfIPU97amiImME

Geek Aficionado: Heroes Con 2026 – The “ALL BANGER” Recap Show!! with Mike from The Collective!!
https://www.youtube.com/live/BrC5uTRCInA?si=SvcCrXYoXg8uFcJP

Barson LIVE: HeroesCon 2026 Was AMAZING | GRAILS | Comic Haul
https://youtu.be/DvkZuZ-_Dr4?si=SBAchu8Ye7_Yxe4V

Legion of Comics: Legions Lair – HeroesCon Tour 2026
https://www.youtube.com/live/6ndosBsbmLM?si=16RiXHy4i8y2CAHU

Joe Schmoe: HeroesCon 2026 Original Art Haul
https://youtu.be/VjxGM3uVP6Q?si=LSXeutq7Q3vhzJ9m

Psychotronic Squirt Gun: Heroes Con 2026 — Was It Worth It? | My Thoughts
https://www.youtube.com/live/J9-yFWCXm9s?si=NUABUXKLpVHuIUcd

The Simply Incredible Podcast: 2026 Heroes Con Comic Book Haul #comics #heroescon
https://youtu.be/N40EiGHxGLw?si=NfZAXOkyh_ZOl13Q

CollectorAuctions: 2026 Heroes Con – Day 1 start to Finish: Creator Signings /CGC Drop–Off / Overall Thoughts
https://youtu.be/TZaeSJSUMd0?si=vI0n-RvSJcwtuvUn

Doc’s Comics: Heroes Con 2026 Recap! Fun Was Had!
https://youtu.be/oNWqkr3jUzQ?si=J5QtpogLaI1170Hn

Brian – LCS: Heroes Con 2026 Highlights from the Convention Floor
https://youtu.be/9JUme0fPEYU?si=8LX0PpzV1MVWyvYg

RBGPromotions: Heroes Con 2026 walk around
https://youtu.be/_WgJBwgmUQQ?si=BDPjM7zy0rPFv-h6

World of TecKe: Heroes Con 2026 in Charlotte NC. Super Kids and Comics Artists Friendly Comic Convention!
https://youtu.be/LV9uz1um1os?si=cfc4dCstq7mgyCxy

Mark on Comics: Mark on Comics – Heroes Con Day #1 – June 12th, 2026 – Ep 233
https://youtu.be/NgNmHK5YLTk?si=AJ9_gKfRjjyHnZF6

Mr Archive: Heroes Con 2026 | Day 3 | The CGC Results Are In!
https://youtu.be/dT7FR75jpWw?si=EyW3qC6MgF_PA9jK

Quinn Quill: Day 1 of Heroes Con 2026
https://www.youtube.com/live/AoBOEKnmMWY?si=M1U8Aad2XrAYTJhH

Comics Discourse: One-Shot Special: Heroes Con 2026 Recap
https://youtu.be/pJBNbQThL8k?si=O1__HnmOkaZKue62

Total Recall Show: MARVELS AND MONSTERS with TOM SCIOLI Panel at HeroesCon 2026
https://youtu.be/Id_8zMJgnJ0?si=875_oJEJyBuy45ac

TheLongestCosplays: Heroes Con 2026 – What Did I Get? | An UNEXPECTED Haul!
https://youtu.be/7bThfQD2OKo?si=1DTtb2LB7Etp1dtS

Talkin’ Comics: HeroesCon 2026 Haul! Meeting Stephanie Phillips & Skottie Young | Talkin’ Comics Ep. 124
https://youtu.be/egIS4AI1Z3M?si=iU1fnRoFdxNv7dRA

Nate’s Here and There: Hero con 2026
https://youtu.be/oZ7DBDLO9vE?si=mAm7YCeWWqCiiYyo

The comics life: Heroes Con 2026 Footage Day 1 Part 1!
https://youtu.be/iYMDuYIx9XU?si=xuYwjkeDD4NXtOT5

SHORTS:

 

Thousands flock to Uptown for annual HeroesCon: WCNC
https://youtube.com/shorts/miXBFvoDN3o?si=rzqpUff32Rq7JYP6

HeroesCon 2026 Day 1: HamboneIRL
https://youtube.com/shorts/v4bi8R3-z9s?si=e6vlpHe3FVoaetSM

HeroesCon Day 2!!!: 4thwallpros
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/NXrlZXt7qbY

HeroesCon Layout: Panels_and_Ink
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IvFAOuCyMIo

Come With Me To Heroescon 2026!: collectingwithderrz
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/T-DECnUjYko

Heroes Con Day 1 is off to a HOT start!: Sonnyboycomics
https://youtube.com/shorts/WU4VO_4EaOk?si=iouAKy0nT5dsOreR

Great Golden Age Picks from Heroes Con 2026!: Goldenagecomicbooks
https://youtube.com/shorts/ZcYuyWA5QBU?si=WmbfWaOc0QFDXcIr

 

HeroesCon Podcast Interviews:

Comic News Insider with Jimmy Aquino: Episode 1717 – Heroes Con Recap!
https://www.comicnewsinsider.com/episodes/cni-1717

Comic News Insider: Episode 1718 – Heroes Con: Pornsak Pichetshote!
https://www.comicnewsinsider.com/episodes/cni-1718

Comic News Insider: Episode 1719 – Heroes Con: Elliana Esquivel!
https://www.comicnewsinsider.com/episodes/cni-1719

Comic News Insider: Episode 1720 – Heroes Con: Mico Suayan!
https://www.comicnewsinsider.com/episodes/cni-1720

Comic News Insider: Episode 1721 – Heroes Con: Bobby Timony/Nicholas Doan!
https://www.comicnewsinsider.com/episodes/cni-1721

Comic News Insider: Episode 1722 – Heroes Con: Monica Gallagher!
https://www.comicnewsinsider.com/episodes/cni-1722

Comic News Insider: Episode 1723 – Heroes Con: Mike Maihack!
https://www.comicnewsinsider.com/episodes/cni-1723

Comic News Insider: Episode 1724 – Heroes Con: Bridgit Connell!
https://www.comicnewsinsider.com/episodes/cni-1724

Comic News Insider: Episode 1725 – Heroes Con: John Lucas!
https://www.comicnewsinsider.com/episodes/cni-1725

Comic News Insider: Episode 1726 – Heroes Con: Kamille Rodriguez!
https://www.comicnewsinsider.com/episodes/cni-1726

Comic News Insider: Episode 1727 – Heroes Con: Josh Greathouse!
https://www.comicnewsinsider.com/episodes/cni-1727

TikTok:

Lizzie Dillon: “Along for the Ride” @lizziedillonartwork
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTSBRM4fC/

 

Charlotte Observer:

A comic lover’s dream: We went to HeroesCon in Charlotte (Video)
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/charlottefive/c5-things-to-do/article316107515.html

ARTICLES:

Richard and Wendy Pini: An Elfquest Miracle: Matter of oPINIon – 68
https://mailchi.mp/elfquest/an-elfquest-miracle-matter-of-opinion-68

 

Instagram
Feeds:

 

 

Kata Kane @robokiss
https://www.instagram.com/p/DaQ3ka3m4na/

Ultimate Comics @ultimatecomicsofficial
https://www.instagram.com/p/DZnvGIogU8M/

Skottie Young @stupidfreshmess
https://www.instagram.com/p/DZgKmubEZKj/

Brett Bean @brett2dbean
https://www.instagram.com/p/DZlQa7UmPAe/

Lee Gatlin @neilaglet
https://www.instagram.com/p/DZ3v3vPAet3/

@vintagecomicsandtoys
https://www.instagram.com/p/DZdqBzcxabD/

@mootyvision
https://www.instagram.com/p/DZvv7JHIJPM/

@geekoutwithrosko
https://www.instagram.com/p/DZ0JpnxgJXD/

@fanholespodcast
https://www.instagram.com/p/DZicwnrvTTX/

Colleen Doran @doran.colleen
https://www.instagram.com/p/DZgBPZ9BFLK/

Faith and Fandom @faithandfandom
https://www.instagram.com/p/DZnE6YsA7dt/

@howlermouse
https://www.instagram.com/p/DZszqfmG5vU/

@zackindertattoos
https://www.instagram.com/p/DZjR5c6Dir2/

@samurye.swrd
https://www.instagram.com/p/DaiAnqoDpo4/

Mark Bagley @officialmarkbagleyart
https://www.instagram.com/p/DZkWJO0ldQE/

 

---

Do you have Videos, Photos, Podcasts, or Articles you would like us to share in our 2026 HeroesCon Rewind? 

Send your photos, or links to [email protected] and we’ll add them to the collection!

– THE HEROES CONVENTION TEAM

Got a video, photo album, podcast or other HeroesCon 2023 memory that you would like us to share?
Email Us At: [email protected]

Photo Albums:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/heroesonline/albums/72177720309380006
https://www.flickr.com/photos/heroesonline/albums/72177720309612536

Fablegraph 3-D Photos:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.734085212060001&type=3

Cardinal & Pine

PHOTOS: Heroes Comic Convention 2023 in Charlotte, North Carolina

Geno’s Comics:
https://genoscomics.com/2023/06/16/heroescon-2023-day-1-photo-gallery/
https://genoscomics.com/2023/06/17/heroescon-2023-day-2-photo-gallery/

HeroesCon 2023: Day 3 Photo Gallery

Audio Panel Recordings:

http://www.thecomicbooks.com/audio.html?fbclid=IwAR19M0dGc1GyAvy-eu35jzX1WoUc

https://www.firstcomicsnews.com/the-jamie-coville-experience-heroes-convention-2023-starreach-at-50/

Comic News Insider:

Comic News Insider

Cartoonist Kayfabe
@CartoonistKayfabe
https://www.youtube.com/live/TDpyzP4-UQA

On the NEWS!
@WBTVNews
Examining The Evolving Comic Book Market Ahead Of The Heroes Convention

Weekend Events Expected To Attract Thousands To Charlotte

@WCNC
HeroesCon brings comic and superhero fans to Charlotte, NC

ConventionScene.com
https://www.conventionscene.com/2023/06/30/heroes-con-2023-wrap-up/

Youtube Videos:

@MrNotchy444

Panel for John Romita Sr

@toddventure

HeroesCon 2023 | Complete Walkthrough | It’s truly about comic books, the artists, and the writers.

@ccgtvcaldwellcountygovernm4773

Heroes Convention 2023

@jamiecosley

HeroesCon 2023

@LegionofComics
Heroes Con 2023 Tour Recap | Review | Haul

Legion of Comics Community Hangout HeroesCon 2023 Recap and Chat

Daniel Warren Johnson GRAIL PIECE | Heroes Con 2023

@Stickygoose

CAR CRASH GOING TO HEROES COMIC CON 2023 VLOG

@ImproveCollectingComics

So I Went to Heroescon 2023 – Wow

@jbstoytrunk

TOY HUNT at Heroes Convention 2023 in Charlotte, NC #toys #youtuber #toyhunt #starwars #comiccon

@DestinationStone

The LARGEST Convention in Charlotte NC | Amazing Artists and Cosplay | Destination: Heroes Con 2023

@popculturesquad7896

HeroesCon 2023 Show Floor Walk Through

@lorendrummer

Episode 16 Heroes Con!

@Mephiof

Hometown Heroes, HeroesCon 2023

@ManCaveCollectibleReviews

Toy & Comic Book Hunting @ HEROESCON 2023 Charlotte NC

@JerryPittman

Heroes Convention 2023 “Heroes Con” – Charlotte, NC – What Deals Can You Find on Sunday?

@GENOSCOMICS

HeroesCon 2023: Exploring the Show Floor | GENO’S COMICS

HeroesCon 2023: Video Coverage [VIDEOS]

@GLStudios

Heroes Convention 2023 Cosplay Highlights in 4K!

@CollectorAuctions

Heroes Con 2023 Day 1 Recap – CGC unprepared for demand: Ep. 206

Heroes Con 2023 Day 2 Recap – Signatures and CGC: Ep. 207

Heroes Con 2023 Day 3 Recap – On the Hunt for Hulk 181: Ep. 209

@thebrothersboyd

Heroes Con 2023 Walkthrough!

HeroesCon 2023 Cosplay

@kspyoda

Heroes Con 2023 Brian Stelfreeze Storm Auction painting time lapse video
Brian Stelfreeze paints Roberto Clemente Heroes Con 2023

@fablegraph-photography

VR180 HeroesCon 2023

@KENTPOOLCollects Toy Hunt Heroes Con 23 Night One Four Horsemen Studios Mythic Legions Cosplay Comics Anime Funko

Toy Hunt Heroes Con 23 Day Two Comics Cosplay Anime YouTube Friends Mythic Legions Figure Score!

Toy Hunt Heroes Con Day 3 Mythic Legions Haul Legions Con Day 2 Exclusive information Ish Con 2023

@loliev4019

CHARLOTTE NC HEROES CONVENTION 2023 | VLOG

@EclecticScribbles

Heroes Con 2023 Artist Alley Recap | Best Convention So Far?

@thecomicvet
Live at Heroes Con! The Sites, The Sounds, The Great Comic Book Based Convention!

@UrinationNation

HeroesCon 2023 Comic Haul

@SuperRus9000

Heroes Con 2023!!

@RemyQStudios

Heroes Con 2023 – Lets Talk About It

@collectiblesdad

I Survived HeroesCon 2023. Show Recap.

@CupOComics

Heroes Con 2023 Haul w/ Bonus Content! #comics #comicbooks #comicconvention #spiderman #grail

@TheComicSlayer

Our Favorite Heroes Con 2023 Finds!

@AComicBookworm
Meet The Collectors from HeroesCON 2023 & Recap

@AndySmithComicArtist
https://www.youtube.com/live/4Sd1rlDpNIU

@PopCulturePhilosophers

https://www.youtube.com/live/b_jSzJyzTY8

@OmnidogsVault

https://www.youtube.com/live/2Y2C2wKa4-A

@EliAndFriends1

YouTube Shorts:

HEROESCON 2023 is a wrap! – YouTube

Heroes Con 2023! – YouTube

heroes con 2023 art auction part 1 – YouTube

How to set up at a comic book convention #HeroesCon #Aceblade – YouTube

HeroesCon Cosplay 2023, #shorts #comiccon #youtubeshorts – YouTube

Heroes Convention at the Charlotte Convention Center – YouTube

Burkey and Me from Heroes con #comicbookart #comicart #duelingdealersofcomicart – YouTube
Skottie Young Art Auction At Heroes Con #comiccon #skottieyoung #comics – YouTube

Fun short with Bill Cox from Heroes con #comicbookart #comiccon

Jim Steranko HeroesCon 2023 SCORE! King Size Hulk 1#hulk #incredibleHulk #marvel #comics #heroescon

Skottie Young Art Auction At Heroes Con #youtubeshorts #shorts #comiccon

Heroes Convention 2023 Pops straight chilling with comic legend Don Simpson

incredible hulk 5 cgc 2.5 #heroescon #hulk #marvel #cgc #cgccomics #comicbooks #incrediblehulk

HeroesCon Art Auction: Maihack #shorts

Heroes Con…on a Friday! #heroes #clt #heroescon #charlotte #charlottenc #comiccon #comics #podcast

HeroesCon Drink & Draw #shorts

Awesome Four Horsemen Mythic Legions Custom figures at Heroes Con 23

Come see us! #heroescon #heroescon2023 #artistalley #crochet #crochetplushies

Cosmic Update: Going to HeroesCon #Shorts

Comics, Comics, & Comics @ HeroesCon #shorts

Heroes con set up . See something you like let me know with interest See the website for new art

TikTok, Podcasts & Others!
Heroescon 2023! Whose gonna be there??

Artist’s Alley Aftermath: HeroesCon 2023 | Faith & Fandom

HeroesCon: The Ultimate Comic Convention Experience On Father’s Day Weekend – LRM

HeroesCon 2023 Recap: Artist Interactions, Convention Hauls, and Tips For Saving and Spending Money At A Comic Convention

Download the PDF with links:

To All Our Guests, Exhibitors, Attendees, Volunteers and Staff

The first ever Giant-Size Charlotte Mini-Con is over and a part of history!

HEROES IS ON INSTAGRAM!

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

We have so much #Batman in stock it’s hard to know what to show you!! Let us know which Batman collections or single issues you’re looking for!!! Email us at: [email protected] . . #underthewatertower #readmorecomics #BatmanTalesOfTheDemon @thenealadams #rasalghul #batmanblackandwhite #batmanga #jirokuwata

A post shared by Shelton Drum (@heroesonline) on Apr 14, 2020 at 2:06pm PDT

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Heroes has hundreds of DC Showcase, Marvel Essentials, Omnibuses and compilation volumes! Let us know if you see something you need! Call us between 10am-6pm or email us at [email protected] #underthewatertower #readmorecomics #shoplocal #dccomics #marvelcomics

A post shared by Shelton Drum (@heroesonline) on Apr 10, 2020 at 12:06pm PDT

A HEROES “PREVIEWS-REVIEW”
with SETH, March 14 & 16!

Are you a new reserve customer curious about some of the events and storylines coming to your favorite comics this summer?
Would you like to have a three month head start in seeing what you might want to buy before it sells out? 

Are you a longtime customer interested in seeing behind the scenes of how Heroes orders new comics?

Next week we aim to answer those questions and many more as we dive into the catalog of PREVIEWS!
Join Heroes’ Operations Manager Seth Peagler on Thursday, March 14th from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. or on Saturday, March 16 from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. around the beautiful showcases in the back of our store for a fun discussion about what’s coming up over the next few months.

These are two free opportunities to learn how to make sure you get the comics you really want, and designed to work around your busy schedules.
You never know, we might even talk about the upcoming HeroesCon and some of the fun things we have planned for this year!

Heroes welcomes Comic-Book Publishers
VALIANT
Wednesday, February 20: 1PM-3PM

Come celebrate the Valiant’s action-packed comic INCURSION #1 and get a SUPER TOP SECRET look at upcoming comic books from Valiant Entertainment!
Or get your portfolio reviewed by a pro?! Senior Editorial Director Robert Meyers, Sales & Social Media Manager Emily Hecht, and Sales & Live Events Manager Julia Walchuk will be at Heroes to offer their insight and advice!!
This is sure to be a fun and insightful look at the world of comics, so don’t miss it!

KARLA’S PICK :: HE-MAN: THE ETERNITY WAR #7: Yeah, yeah, yeah…I know, BIG SURPRISE! My pick for the week is He-Man: The Eternity War #7. That’s almost like me saying, “Hey guys, you know what I REALLY like? BREATHING!! Breathing is AWESOME!!” All obviousness aside, however, I AM picking this issue for a reason other than my true and undying love of all things Masters of the Universe. Issue #7 picks up with a new creative team. Rob David and Dan Abnett take the story-crafting reigns for this arc while Edgar Salazar’s pencils bring a slightly edgier look to the Masters. The changes in artistic style are bold, but not detrimental as the story picks up with Skeletor, She-Ra and Skeletor’s minions trying to find a way to best Hordak now that Evil-Lyn has betrayed them. The story is solid and offers more insight into the current incarnation of Skeletor! There’s also some good moments with Shadow Weaver which made me happy! (I want more Princess of Power characters in my Master’s of the Universe!) The cover by Jonboy Meyers is also worth mentioning because, if you look closely, you can see twisted versions of classic She-Ra characters Madame Razz, Kowl and Glimmer in the mix!

The most important aesthetic breakthrough in comics in the 21^st century is the increased attention (by both artists and critics) to the picture plane, the exploration of comics as a rapturous visual experience as well as a vehicle for narrative. The book most responsible for this shift is the anthology Kramers Ergot #4 (2003), which juxtaposed the deliberately crude, resolutely non-narrative aesthetics of Fort Thunder cartoonists like Mat Brinkman and Leif Goldberg with such story-based work as Jeffrey Brown’s autobio strips, Sammy Harkham’s Poor Sailor, and early excerpts from Frank M. Young and David Lasky’s Carter Family graphic novel. This mix of approaches made reading Kramers #4 a disorienting experience, a book that, in critic Bill Kartalopoulos’ words,

was clearly packed with a range of comics and art that included things I was comfortable with, things I was uncomfortable with, and things that I didn’t really know how to categorize. I bought it, without much equivocation. It seemed like I had to if I really wanted to know what was going on in comics.

Part of “what was going on” was a generation following Gary Panter’s example, dedicated to elaborate margins, psychedelic colors, ironic appropriations of mass cult logos and symbols, and mark-making independent of a line’s narrative function. It was suddenly OK to draw rough and be bold.

The Fort Thunder/Kramers paradigm shift has cross-pollinated comics culture in various ways. The newfound emphasis on design and decoration has snuck into some more mainstream direct-market books—I’m thinking of the Fort Thunder-meets-Heavy Metal success of Brandon Graham over at Image—even while Kramers #5 (2004) published my favorite narrative comic novella of the last decade, Kevin Huizenga’s “Jeepers Jacobs.” And then there’s Jim Rugg, an artist uncannily able to toggle between straight-forward storytelling and wild explorations of what Rugg himself, in the introduction to his new Supermag, calls “the narrative collapse.” (more…)

ALL HAIL (a FILM without) DOROTHY

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion,  and those opinions are valid, but let me be crystal clear here… in the case of OZ, the Great and Powerful, those great and powerful movie critics are (for the most part) wrong, wrong, wrong.  This is a film that delivers pure movie magic and provides some much needed myth-remaking for the next generation of film aficionados.

Now there is not a snowballs chance in the Impassable Desert that anyone over a certain age can watch the film without comparing it to the 1939 classic musical, The Wizard of Oz.  Instead of creating a pastiche or homage to that Technicolor treasure, director Sam Raimi and his writers take Victor Fleming’s vision of L. Frank Baum’s magical world and infuse it with a new vitality.  Apparently, there are many viewers out there who believe strongly that there are some things that should never be tampered with.

And here is where I disagree.  I grew up watching the WoO and loving it, but the older I got, the weirder the experience became.  The Munchkins made me extremely uncomfortable. The poppies/snow business was always more than a bit strange.  Dorothy was not a little girl no matter how hard MGM tried to corset the great Judy Garland down to size.  What gave Dorothy the right to the ruby slippers?  Did the Wicked witch of the East die intestate?  And Glinda—what was her deal—and the helium she used to float her bubble really affected her speaking voice.  A classic is a classic, but times change.  To younger eyes the MGM Oz looks old fashioned and really fake.  My daughter feigned any interest in the original and today, whenever I catch the film,  I see the tragic fate of Judy Garland unfold in front of our eyes.

I can’t help thinking that most critics did not give the new movie a fair shake for the following reasons… (more…)

I’ve always liked the X-Men as characters, but their comics always intimidated me. Between the dense continuity and the scope of the X-corner of the Marvel Universe, it’s hard to know where to start. What other major Marvel characters comprise so many story elements? From the political sphere to magic, time travel, intergalactic adventure, and alternate realities, mutantdom, truly, has it all.

Like many readers, I was caught in the net of Jason Aaron’s excellent new series Wolverine and the X-Men when it debuted. The real coup there is that even through the major upheavals brought on by Avengers vs. X-Men, Aaron managed to keep the book fun and accessible, which is a testament to the quality of his craft. It was the gateway I needed to crash the X-Men franchise. (more…)