You smell that? It’s another great guest list update!

MICHAEL EURY – Writer/Editor: Back Issue, The Batcave Companion, Captain Action: The Original Super-Hero Figure

GARY FRIEDRICH – Writer: Ghost Rider, X-Men, Iron Man, Sgt. Fury, Not Brand Echh

RON GARNEY – Artist: Fantastic Four, Wolverine, Captain America, JLA, Amazing Spider-Man

JERRY GAYLORD – Artist: Zombies VS Fanboys, The Brotherhood of Fighters

BRYAN JL GLASS – Writer: Mice Templar, Quixote, Ship of Fools, Thor & Valkyrie

CHRIS MORENO – Artist: Sidekick, Toy Story, The Minions of Ka

TIM RICKARD – Cartoonist: Brewster Rockit, Space Guy!

VAL STAPLES – Colorist: Suicide Squad, Venom, Criminal

ROY THOMAS – Writer: Conan the Barbarian, The Mighty Thor, Uncanny X-Men

Get your 3-day passes today! Stan Lee VIP tickets are now available!

Last week we announced that Stan Lee would be attending HeroesCon 2012, June 22-24, 2012. Please note that anyone who attends the show will be able to meet Stan and purchase an autograph or a photograph with Stan the Man. Stan will also be featured on a panel one of the days that he is here which all convention guests are welcome to attend. But, if you want to guarantee you get an autograph, photo and more from Stan and you don’t want to wait in what we’re sure will be long lines for this living legend we are making two levels of VIP access available to you!

You can purchase “True Believer” and “Excelsior” passes now by clicking here.

• The “True Believer” pass will allow the holder to one photo with Stan, one certified autograph, express lane for photos and autographs and priority seating at Stan’s panel.

• The “Excelsior!” pass will provide all of the above as well as admission to an intimate “meet and greet” cocktail party with Stan Lee.

• In addition to the guaranteed access, one lucky “True Believer” or”EXCELSIOR” pass holder will be chosen at random to be in Stan’s entourage all day Saturday. That lucky winner will be with Mr. Lee all day as he signs autographs, poses with fans for photos, walks with Stan to his panel discussion and will be included in a very exclusive lunch with Stan on Saturday!

We’re so excited Stan Lee is coming back to Charlotte to help us celebrate our 30th Anniversary and we know you are too! Don’t miss your opportunity to meet this legendary creator!

Please note: There are 2 different versions of the Stan Lee ticket on the site. One pair is an upgrade if you already have already purchased your 3-day pass and the others include 3-day admission plus the Stan related upgrades!

It’s guest list update time again and HeroesCon is just a little more than one month away!

Ed McGuinness will be back again this June! Just look for the line wrapped around the aisles and you’ll find Ed at his table signing comics and drawing sketches for fans. If you need a reminder, Ed is known for illustrating titles like Avengers: X-Sanction, Deadpool, Hulk and Superman/Batman among others.  He’s truly one of the nicest guys in the biz so make sure you stop by his table and say hello!

Also returning this year is Fables writer Bill Willingham! Maybe you’ve been a fan of Bill since his Elementals days, or maybe you liked Ironwood. Bill also did some great art for TSR’s Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, look it up! Bill went on to write several things for DC Comics like Robin and Shadowpact before Fables really took off for him. Writing Fables and its various spin offs seem to take up most of his time these days. We’re happy to welcome him back for our 30th Anniversary!

The CreatureBox guys, Greg Baldwin and Dave Guertin will be joining us again this year. Last year’s 9 Lives, Spider Island tie-in was off-the-charts awesome! They’ll be doing some cool digital art demos with the folks from Autodesk, makers of Sketchbook Pro so be sure to check that out.
Also added in today’s update:

Tom Fleming – Painter: KULL, Elektra, Vampirella, Heavy Metal, Magic: The Gathering
Karl Kesel – Writer & Artist: Captain America: The 1940s Newspaper Strips, Writer: Captain America:Patriot, Inker: Spider-Man: Season One
Tula Lotay – Organizer of Thought Bubble Comic Art Festival
Andy Price – Artist: Word Girl, sketch cards
Nei Ruffino – Artist: Grimm Fairy Tales Covers, Colorist: Green Lantern: New Guardians, Blackest Night: Batman
Louis Small Jr. – Artist: Vampirella, Lady Death, Codename: Knockout
JK Woodward – Artist: Doctor Who/Star Trek, Fallen Angel, X-Men: Origins

Heroes Convention 2012 Welcomes Stan Lee!

Shelton Drum is honored and excited to welcome comics legend Stan Lee back to Charlotte as a featured guest of Heroes Convention’s 30th anniversary. Stan last attended HeroesCon in 1984 and his return this summer will be the crown jewel in the show’s 30th Anniversary celebrations.
Stan will be on hand signing autographs and posing for photographs during HeroesCon. He will also be featured on a panel discussion. All attendees of the convention will be welcomed to Stan’s panel, photo opportunities and autograph sessions. Details of our VIP ticket packages will be announced next Friday, May 10th! Sign up for our mailing list to get the news first!

Stan Lee is known to millions as the man whose superheroes propelled Marvel to its preeminent position in the comic book industry, Stan’s co-creations include Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, X-Men, The Fantastic Four, IronMan, as well as hundreds of others. He introduced Spider-Man as a syndicated newspaper strip that became the most successful of all syndicated adventure strips and has appeared in more than 500 newspapers worldwide.Stan currently remains Chairman Emeritus of Marvel, as well as a member ofthe Editorial Board of Marvel Comics. Stan is currently the Chairman & Chief Creative Officer of POW!

“Stan Lee has been the face and the voice of Marvel Comics since the debut of The Fantastic Four in 1961 and has in recent years become the same for comics and superheroes in general to most fans. I’m very excited and proud that Stan will be helping Heroes celebrate HeroesCon’s 30th anniversary!” said convention organizer and comics retailer Shelton Drum.

This year’s Heroes Convention takes place June 22-24, 2012 at the Charlotte Convention Center.

Kalman Andrasofszky got his start doing illustration for roleplaying games. In 2003 Kalman co-created and illustrated the comic book series iCandy for DC. From there he has gone on to freelance extensively for Marvel, DC, Image Comics, Top Cow and BOOM! Studios. He’s produced art and covers for such titles as Spider-man, Action Comics, X-Men, Captain America, Dazzler, NYX, Tomb of Dracula, Checkmate, and GI Joe. He just finished a great run as cover artist on X-23 for Marvel.

Paul Azaceta has lent his gorgeous artwork to titles such as Amazing Spider-man, B.P.R.D.: 1946, and Daredevil. He’s currently illustrating the genre-bending Graveyard of Empires with his Grounded collaborator, Mark Sable. Pick up that Grounded trade paperback if you see it, it’s good comics!

We’d like to welcome back our pal Ivan Brandon to HeroesCon, it’s been a while since he’s been able to attend the show and we’re happy to have him back! Ivan is a writer with a resume to be reckoned with! You know him from his work on NYC Mech, his 24Seven anthologies, Viking, and his recently completed run on Men of War. Look for his work on Wolverine #309 in July featuring art by our friend and HeroesCon guest Jason Latour!

Becky Cloonan had such a great time at her 1st HeroesCon last year (thanks to all you great fans!) that she had to come back! It’s pretty amazing how many comics she’s made since last year! Becky is currently working on Conan the Barbarian with Brian Wood, and just finished up some great B.P.R.D. covers.  Hopefully she’ll have copies of her new comic The Mire (a follow-up to last year’s Wolves) at the show, get to her table early!

Patrick Dean and Robert Newsome are the organizers of Fluke, a mini-comic and zine show down in Athens Georgia. They’ll be here promoting that awesome show and selling their own minis and zines, so make sure you pay them a visit in Indie Island.

Josh Latta and Brad McGinty will also be hanging out in Indie Island. These are two of the funniest and most creative guys you will meet at our show. Make sure you stop by their tables and check out their great variety of hilarious and beautifully illustrated mini-comics. Non-Comics Bonus- Behold the genius of Brad McGinty!

Did you happen to see the most beautiful book of 2011, Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand? Well the guy who adapted Tale of Sand into a lush treat for the eyes is Ramón Pérez and we’re happy to say he is coming to Charlotte for his first HeroesCon! Ramón is no rookie though, he’s been making great comic for years. Check out his webcomics, Kukuburi and ButternutSquash.

Drew Weing’s Set to Sea continues to attract new readers.  He is also known for his mini-comics and webcomics including Blar, Pup and The Journal Comic. He is an incredibly talented creator and we are thrilled to have him back in Indie Island for another year!

Happy Thursday! We just added 10 names to our HeroesCon 2012 Guest List. Did anyone have this awesome Marvel poster by Michael Golden? Do you still have it? Is it signed by Michael Golden? No? Bring it to HeroesCon because Mr. Golden will be there! Click here to see the rest of today’s update.

Get your tickets here!

It’s a Mega-Monday HeroesCon Guest List Update! Here are some of the recent additions to our ever-growing list of guests who will join us for our 30th Anniversary!

Roger Langridge has been an anchor of Indie Island for years now, and we’re happy he’ll be back again with us this year!  Roger’s probably best known for his work on books like The Muppet Show and Fred the Clown, but he’s also garnered acclaim for his writing on the all ages Thor: The Mighty Avenger and John Carter: A Princess of Mars, Marvel’s adaptation of the classic novel.  Currently, he’s writing and illustrating the popular all ages title, Snarked, and is writing IDW’s brand new Popeye series.  Make sure to stop by and welcome back one of our industry’s nicest folks.

We’re also happy to have the entire creative team from IDW’s brand new magic-based title, Smoke and Mirrors!  Co-writer Jon Armstrong brings a bevy of magic experience to the book, as he’s a respected magician and a consulting imagineer for Disney.  Stay tuned to the Heroes Blog as we get closer to HeroesCon.  Mr. Armstrong may indeed be a part of a magic panel at the show!  Co-creator/artist Ryan Browne will also be with us this year.  In addition to Smoke and Mirrors, you might’ve seen Browne’s work on other titles like Image’s Monstro-City, and God Hates Astronauts and Blast Furnace, both of which he wrote and illustrated.  Rounding out our Smoke and Mirrors attendees is co-creator/co-writer Mike Costa.  Along with work on Monstro-City, Mike’s also been working on high profile books like G.I. Joe, Blackhawks and Transformers.

Writer/artist Colleen Coover also returns to HeroesCon this year!  With work on titles like Tails of the Pet Avengers, X-men: First Class, Power Pack and Jim Henson’s Storyteller, she has become one of the industry’s best when it comes to all ages books.  She’s also done work on books like Creepy Quarterly and Gingerbread Girl, the latter of which was co-created by fellow guest Paul Tobin.  Paul has also garnered attention for his writing on numerous Marvel Adventures titles, as well as Spider-man & the Secret Wars, Spider-girl, and the recent Bionic Woman series.

In addition to being our guest at Free Comic Book Day this year, writer/artist Jay Potts will also be with us for HeroesCon!  Jay’s the creative force behind World of Hurt, the internet’s #1 blaxploitation webcomic.  World of Hurt is a really great webcomic, and you should definitely check it out if you haven’t already.  Jay’s a spot-on writer and a really talented illustrator, too.  Make sure to stop by and see him at FCBD and HeroesCon!

If you’re a regular customer at Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find, you probably know Bridgit Scheide as one of our retail staffers.  In addition to that, she’s also been gaining a lot of attention in recent years for her comics!  Along with earlier works like Kindle, Bridgit is the writer/artist of Brother Nash, and a contributer to anthologies like Death Curse.   She’s also provided design work for some upcoming Atomic Robo stories.

Matthew Southworth is probably best known the artist of the popular crime noir series Stumptown, but he also illustrated the popular Spider-Man: The Grim Hunt storyline, along with books like Thunderbolts, Spider-girl and Infinity, Inc.  It’s Matthew’s first time coming to HeroesCon, so make sure to welcome him this year.

Indie Island regular Shannon Smith also makes a return to HeroesCon this year.  He’s the creator of books like #RockingSoHard, mini comics like Brush & Pen, Small Bible and Spaghetti Junktion.  Shannon’s just one of our many great Indie Island guests this year, and we’ll have more guests to announce soon, so keep checking the Heroes Blog for weekly updates!

DISCOUNTED 3-DAY PASSES ON SALE HERE!

TOGETHER AGAIN!

Romeo Tanghal Sr. joins the growing list of guests for HeroesCon 2012 that attended that very first show in 1982. Romeo inked Georege Pérez on the seminal New Teen Titans series. Meet this legendary comic-making team at HeroesCon!

Also joining the ever-growing guest list today are:

GREG ADAMS – Lone Pine, Hercules, Teen Titans, X-Men Forever, Spider-Man
BRIAN CLEVINGER – Atomic Robo
SHANE DAVIS – Batman:Bruce Wayne:The Road Home, Green Lantern, Superman:Earth One
KERON GRANT – Transformers, Son of Vulcan, Gazillion
LEO LEIBERMAN – Heavy Metal
HEIDI MACDONALD – The Beat
BEN MCCOOL – Pigs, Choker, Memoir, Captain America: Korvac Saga
ALEX SAVIUK – Spider-Man newspaper strip, Web of Spider-Man, Stan Lee’s Mighty Seven
BILLY TUCCI – A Child is Born, Shi, Sgt.Rock: The Lost Batallion

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE!

Wow, it’s hard to believe I’m already writing about June books!  Not only does June bring lots of great new books, it brings us HeroesCon June 22-24.  Advance passes are still available for the 30th HeroesCon at a bargain price of $30 for three full days of comic awesomeness, plus cool incentives.  The guest list is growing every week and I can’t wait to greet all of you from the Information Booth and maybe sell you a t-shirt or three.   Now to the books!

Before Watchmen: The highly debated prequel to Alan Moore’s comic classic Watchmen debuts this month with first issues of Minutemen, Silk Spectre, Comedian, and Nite Owl.  While controversial, it’s hard to argue that DC hasn’t assembled a team of great talent to tackle such a monumental task.  The Minutemen cover by Darwyn Cooke and the Silk Spectre cover by Amanda Conner are both extremely beautiful.  It will be interesting to see where these characters are taken in the years before their appearances in the classic story.  Don’t forget, Amanda will be at HeroesCon with even more of her lovely art. (pages 74-77)

Infernal Man-Thing #1: Marvel is also reaching into the past this month with the first issue of a three part series by the late, great Steve Gerber and Kevin Nowlan. This new series brings readers Gerber’s lost Man-Thing story, which is brought to life by Nowlan’s amazing art.  The first issue also includes a cover by Art Adams, no ads and bonus content. (page 43 Marvel Previews)

Sergio Aragones’ Groo the Wanderer: Artist’s Edition: There have been several great Artist’s editions over the past few months.  June brings another must-have for any art fan, as Groo finally gets his own place in IDW’s Artist’s Edition series.  Even better, you can meet Sergio himself at HeroesCon and finally answer the question: Is his moustache as amazing in person as it is in pictures? (page 155)

Dark Horse Presents #13 : This month’s Dark Horse Presents brings readers a reboot of Ghost by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Phil Noto.  For those unfamiliar, Ghost follows departed reporter, Elisa Cameron, in her afterlife as she seeks knowledge as to her death.  The lovely Ms. Cameron battles various demons and works with other paranormal women.  Issue #13 also includes contributions from other HeroesCon guests: Steve Niles, John Arcudi, Francesco Francavilla, and Geof Darrow. We’re excited to have all these talented creators joining us at this year’s HeroesCon! (page 35)

American Vampire: Lord of Nightmares #1:  Vertigo digs deeper into the American Vampire universe with a new mini-series placed in postwar Europe and focused on a vampire hunting agency, the Vassals of the Morning Star.  The story spotlights the life of Agent Felicia Book, who has stepped away from the hunt to raise her son,  but is asked to return to the Vassals to assist in tracking the most powerful vampire of all time.  In addition to writing from regular series creator Scott Snyder, this mini-series features art from Dustin Nguyen.  HeroesCon is a great chance to meet writer Scott Snyder, who is making his first trip to our show. (page 138)

Creator Owned Heroes #1: The first 40 page issue of Creator Owned Heroes includes two stories. Steve Niles teams with Kevin Mellon on American Muscle. Part one is set in Post-Apocalypse America following a gang of rebels as the explore the wasteland left behind in the wake of the end of the world.  Jimmy Palmiotti teams with Justin Gray and Phil Noto on Triggergirl 6 a sci-fi story about a the sixth member in a series of genetically modified assassins bred in a secret lab.  The twist is the latest assassin pays special attention to her target which leads her to uncover a conspiracy that has the potential to affect all of the human race.  Kevin and Jimmy will also be guests at HeroesCon! (page 186-189)

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century #3:  From Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill, the latest League series concludes in London 2009, with the magical child whose birth was foretold in prior centuries, grown and ready to claim his frightening birthright while the world sits at the edge of a Holy War.  With the League absent, only an asylum patient who claims to have all the answers seems to stand in his way.  (p.318)

Bonus Picks: Dave Stevens: Stories & Covers: This beautiful hardcover collects all of Stevens’ non-Rocketeer comic work. (page 152), Liberty Meadows Sunday Collection Book 1 Hardcover (page 196) Iron: Or, The War After (page 239), Everybody Loves Tank Girl #1 (page 318) , The Massive (page 30-31 ), Fatale Vol 1 TP (page 195) and Ultimate Spider-men #1 (Marvel Previews page 19).

Are you starting to notice a theme? There’s a lot of great books out in June and many of those wonderful creators will be at HeroesCon this year.  HeroesCon is a great opportunity to meet them.  There’s a lot of chances for quality interaction between fans and creators from Artists Alley and panels to the Art stage.  Get your previews order in to the store the store by April 18 and get yourself to HeroesCon, June 22-24.  We hope to see you there!

At last year’s HeroesCon, a small group of people got together and organized a little Saturday morning 3 mile “fun run”. It was just a word-of-mouth thing, but it was open to anyone who wanted to participate. It ended up being a group of about 15 people. Some were comic pros, some were comic enthusiasts. Everyone went at their own pace and just had a good time.

We wanted to open it up to everyone this year and see if anyone would be interested in doing it as an official Heroes Con activity. It’s not a race. There are no prizes. It’ll just be a bunch of people running and walking for the fun of it.  If there are enough people who say they are interested, we might even look at doing a special t-shirt for the participants featuring art by some of the top comic artists coming to Heroes Con this year.

So what do you say? Would you want to sign up for a Heroes Con fun run? Let us know in the comments section, on Facebook and Twitter. Spread the word!