The hits keep coming! Two guest list updates in one day! This one is Indie Island specific and filled with a plethora of great artists!

I was introduced to Paul Conrad many years ago by Mr. Adhouse, Chris Pitzer. Paul has resume with serious credentials! Some of his amazing designs can be seen in the film Up from Pixar Animation Studios. He has also worked for Walt Disney, Big Idea Productions, Scholastic & Little Golden Books.

By day Joel Carroll is training the next generation of video game designers. When he’s not doing that he’s working on his New Century Space Opera : TOPAZ. Joel has also had his comics published in the critically acclaimed FLIGHT anthology. Joel has a knack for great superhero costume design too, you can check out some of his great contributions over at Project: Rooftop. He’s also done some great sketchcards for Marvel, Star Wars, and Indian Jones card sets!

Graphic designer Ron Salas’ beautiful illustrations have recently graced the covers of Dracula: The Company of Monsters and the interiors of 28 Days Later, both from Boom Studios. His art can also be found in Existence 2.0 and Existence 3.0, written by Nick Spencer.

Maris Wicks illustrated my favorite book that I picked up at SPX this year. Maris and Galen Longstreth’s Yes Let’s from Tugboat Press is a great book for the whole family. Maris was also the glue on Adhouse’s Project: Romantic. Not only did she illustrate the cover, her Adventure Love Story is interwoven throughout the book as well.

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!

We are super excited to be able to announce some great additions to the HeroesCon 2011 Indie Island Guest List! 

Stephanie Buscema is a fantastic illustrator and cartoonist. Most recently, her painterly style can be seen in Girl Comics and Web of Spider-Man. She is also currently working on picture books for Dial and Disney/Hyperion. This will be Buscema’s first appearance at HeroesCon but hopefully it won’t be her last. Make sure you stop by her table and check out her amazing work!

Evan Dorkin is probably best known as the writer and artist for Milk & Cheese and Dork. He is also the writer on the critically acclaimed Beasts of Burden mini-series. Currently he and Sarah Dyer are working on a Super Martian Robot Girl story for a Yo Gabba Gabba! anthology for Oni Press. Check out his blog for news on his upcoming work!

Sarah Dyer got her start in the underground zine movement of the eighties and nineties and is famous for creating Action Girl Comics an all-female comics anthology. She frequently collaborates with her husband Evan Dorkin and is often his editor and colorist. She is a mulit-talented writer and artist who doesn’t confine herself to comics.  She also bakes, sews and knits! Check out some of the projects she has been working on over at her blog!

Dusty Higgins is most famous for being the artist and creator of Pinnochio Vampire Slayer, which is written by Indie Island guest Van Jensen. The first two volumes have been released and they are working on the third one. He also illustrated Pedestals, Parapets, and Pits and Where You Stand is Where You Sit.

Matt Kindt is the amazing writer/artist behind Pistolwhip, Super Spy and Two Sisters. His most recent work includes 3 Story, Revolver and a Black Widow story in Marvel‘s Strange Tales. He is currently working on The Tooth with Cullen Bunn and Shawn Lee.

Robbi Rodriguez made his comics debut in 2005 with Image Comic‘s Hero Camp. Since then he has been entertaining audiences with his art on such titles as Maintenance and Stephen Colbert’s Tek Jansen. He just completed work on Polly and the Pirates from Oni Press, so look for that soon!

Joel Watson is the creator of the webcomic HijiNKS ENSUE which focuses on geek culture. He recently started updating his webcomic 5 times a week! Watson has begun collecting HijiNKS ENSUE into handy trade paperbacks. Volume one is already out and it collects 2007-2008. Volume 2 is scheduled for early this year. For more information visit the HijiNKS ENSUE website.

We also have a small Indie Island Guest List addition to make today. You better believe that we have lots more announcements to make as the year winds down and as we gear up for HeroesCon 2011!

Paul Maybury is probably best known for his original graphic novel Aqua Leung. His forthcoming book DOGS of Mars, for which he did the art, will be released in 2011. He is also working on an original webcomic called Party Bear which you can read here. On stands now is Strange Tales 2 #2 which features a Spider-Man story by Maybury!

Tom Scioli is an award winning writer, artist and co-creating Godland, along with writer Joe Casey. He is also the writer and artist of the popular series The Myth of 8-Opus and American Barbarian. Currently he is working on Captain America: Hail Hydra which hits stores early next year.

Didn’t we just add names to the HeroesCon 2011 Indie Island Guest List a couple of days ago? Yet here we are, making another announcement! We are working ’round the clock to bring you the best convention ever and here are three more reasons why HeroesCon 2011 will be off the charts awesome!

Van Jensen is the writer of Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer and its sequel, Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer and the Great Puppet Theater, both of which are published though Slave Labor Graphics. The sequel is scheduled for release later this month so keep checking our New Releases page for it! You may also know him from his autobiographical mini-comic Nebraska. Nebraska #1 and #2 are available online on Jensen’s Flickr page.

GB Tran‘s new book, Vietnamerica, will be released this January through Villard. You can check out some of the amazing preview art on Tran’s website by clicking here. He also has self-published several books and mini-comics including Content, Mobile and Morning Emails. He also had a story in Awesome: The Indie Spinner Rack Anthology alongside some other incredibly talented creators. Be sure to make him feel extra welcome as this will be his first appearance at HeroesCon!

Drew Weing’s most recent book Set to Sea is a testament to his craft. Since its release it has garnered a lot of critical acclaim and I won’t be surprised to see it on several Top 10 of 2010 lists.  He also known for his mini-comics and webcomics including Blar, Pup and The Journal Comic. Also, he has collaborated with his awesome wife Eleanor Davis on books like Bugbear and Secret Science Alliance. He is an incredibly talented creator and we are thrilled to have him back in Indie Island for another year! Click here to read my review of Set to Sea.

We have a ton of announcements to make within the next couple of weeks and we are sorting through lists and going through emails so we can bring all those names to you. For right now though, we will give you just a little taste of things to come. It is our pleasure to add these incredibly talented creators to the HeroesCon Indie Island Guest List! HeroesCon 2011 is shaping up to be our biggest and best show ever!

Rich Barrett is a great guy and a long time customer of the store. Last year’s convention was his first time as a guest and we are happy to welcome him back for a second year.  He is currently working on his graphic novel Nathan Sorry and is posting a page at a time on his website. Click here to read the story of an investor who should have been in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

Jason Horn is best known for his creator-owned title Ninjasaur which is about a dinosaur who is also a ninja. You can also check out his humor and wit in Gruff which is a sequel to the Three Billy Goats Gruff and, like Ninjasaur, stars anthropomorphic characters. Tim O’Shea recently interviewed Horn over on the Robot 6 blog. It is a great interview and definitely worth your time.

David Mack hails from Athens, GA like a number of our Indie Island guests. You may know him from his mini-comics Wolf City, Otto and Some Things I’ve Dreamed or from his weekly comic in Athens’s Flagpole Magazine. In addition to the comic and illustration work on his website he also showcases some of his ceramics. Check out a few of his tiles here!

Dean Trippe is a writer, artist and colorist, a veritable powerhouse of talent! He is probably best known for his superhero parody strip Butterfly. He is also the founder and editor of Project: Rooftop. He also collaborated with Jason Horn on a story in the award-winning anthology Comic Book Tattoo that features stories inspired by Tori Amos songs.

I have the pleasure of adding several guests to the HeroesCon 2011 Indie Island guest list today! First up is Tyson Hesse who is a webcomic artist and Savanna College of Art and Design graduate. Both of which are having an increasing presence at HeroesCon. Hesse is the force behind the digital-animation-infused webcomic Boxer Hockey which updates every Sunday and Wednesday. He also has a new book out called Diesel which follows the futuristic adventures of a young girl as she travels on an airship garage.

I am pleased as punch to announce Roger Langridge as a guest to HeroesCon 2011! It is no secret that he is one of my favorite cartoonists and with his work on The Muppet Show Comic Book, Thor: The Mighty Avenger and Fred the Clown I know I am not alone! The Muppet Show Comic Book recently won a Harvey Award for Best Publication for Young Readers. Welcome him to the show by stopping by his table and checking out some of his mini-comics especially Mugwhump the Great and Frankenstein Meets Shirley Temple!

Next up is Ed Piskor who first made a name for himself with his collaboration on American Splendor: Our Movie Year with Harvey Pekar. He also worked with Pekar on Macedonia and The Beats: A Graphic History. Piskor is currently working on his webcomic, Wizzywig, which he has self-published into three volumes, so far. It is about Kevin “Boingthump” Phenicle who is a phone phreaker and computer hacker. He two updates his site twice a week on Sunday and Wednesday.

Newcomer Mitch Rogers is the writer and artist of the mini-series The Boger. Currently he is working on a new book called Raw Nerve which will debut around the time of HeroesCon. He has been steadily publishing new material since the release of The Boger #1 and I am excited to see what he will bring to the table with Raw Nerve!

It has been a few years now since Rich Tommaso was a guest at HeroesCon and we are happy to welcome him back! He has been in the industry for over 15 years and his recent work on Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow with James Sturm garnered him much acclaim. You may know him from his other work like 8 1/2 Ghosts, The Horror of Collier County or Clover Honey. His website is full of some amazing artwork so I can’t wait to see what he brings to HeroesCon!

I feel honored and privileged to be able to announce today that Dustin Harbin (sometimes known as Dustin K. Harbin) will be appearing in Indie Island at HeroesCon 2011. All of us at Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find are proud to have him on our guest list! He keeps churning out some great work. He does a (somewhat) daily web strip, the first six months were published through Koyama Press as Diary Comics #1 and is currently available at Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find. Or if you are headed to SPX this weekend you can pick one up directly from him! And in addition to that he is the letterer for Casanova. He is a busy, busy man! You should definitely check out his awesome work on his website and his Flickr page. While his new work is incredible, I think my favorite strip of his is still the three-part What Would Dharbin Do? The Skating Kazoo. Beautiful! Please stop by and welcome him to the other side of the table. I’m sure it will be a surreal experience to go from organizer to guest, so be sure and help make his transition a little easier!

That is a tough act to follow, but I think Mike Maihack has the chops! Maihack currently does a weekly webcomic called Cleopatra in Space. He is also the man responsible for Cow & Buffalo, which is another weekly webcomic but it is temporarily on hiatus. He is a super sweet guy and his commissions and convention sketches are fantastic! He has a great style and a wonderful sense of color. Just check out that print he did for this past HeroesCon! Wow! And it is for sale on his website! Go check that out and I’m sure you will get pumped for his appearance in Indie Island at HeroesCon 2011. Be sure you stop by his table and say hi! And maybe pick up a copy of Cleopatra in Space #1!

It is official! The HeroesCon 2011 Guest List is up! With OVER 50 guests already confirmed HeroesCon 2011 is going to be crazy awesome. While the Guest List is pretty impressive now you just wait for what we have in store. It is bound to be a gigantically long list by the time Spring of 2011 rolls around.

The initial guest list is chock full of some of the best the comics industry has to offer. Trust me on that. When I updated the website I checked all the links to the creator’s websites and I came across some of the most incredible comic art out there today. Just look at some of the names we’ve got, Mike Perkins, Steve Niles, Sean Chen, Phil Noto, Adam Hughes, Allison Sohn, Brian Stelfreeze, Stephane Roux, Tim Townsend, Jonboy Meyers, Sean “Cheeks” Galloway, Jason Latour, Chris Brunner, Andy Smith, Budd Root, Tony Harris, Bernard Chang, Eric Canete, Dave Johnson, Steve Scott, Dexter Vines, and Cully Hamner! Go check out the full list to see just how awesome it is. And while you are there click on some of the links to our guests’ websites and you too can marvel at how talented these creators are!

Plus, we are very excited to announce Butch Guice‘s return to HeroesCon! He is a North Carolina native and a HeroesCon alum from way back to the very first one in 1982. The last time time he was at the show was when he helped kill off Superman! We sure are glad he has decided to join us for next year’s show!

And, we are super pumped to add Jeff Lemire to our Indie Island Guest List! Lemire is the creator of the Essex County Trilogy and is currently writing Sweet Tooth and The Atom co-feature in Adventure Comics. If that weren’t enough, in this month’s issue of Previews it was just announced that he will be writing the new ongoing Superboy series.

Speaking of Indie Island, our Indie Island Guest List is up too! We’ve got an awesome guest list already but it is just a grain of sand compared to the beach that it will become! We are proud to announce Indie Island regulars (which is almost the whole list!) Shannon Smith, Chris Schweizer, Jim Rugg, Liz Baillie, Joey Weiser, Joe Lambert, Ben Towle, Andy Runton and Rob Ullman, publishers AdHouse Books and Top Shelf Productions, as well as internet sensation Becky and Frank from Tiny Kitten Teeth! That’s not even the full list! Check out the Indie Island page to view the whole list in all of its glory!

I think the only thing that remains to be said is, have you bought your tickets yet?

Are you ready for this? I’m super excited about this and I hope you’re about to be too:

Kate Beaton of the insanely popular Hark! A Vagrant webcomic did our Indie Island shirt this year, and it’s a doozy! These will be on sale at the convention itself, in both American Apparel and Gildan styles, men’s and ladies sizes! How about that! That aqua in the background is the shirt color itself, and let me tell you: you are going to look so good in it! All the pirates on your street are gonna be like NUH-UH!! They’re being printed by our friends at Contagious Graphics, who are pretty much the best screenprinters ever–if you are looking for quality screenprinting, it would be hard to over-recommend them.

IF we have any shirts left after the convention, we’ll sell them to you by mail order, but I have to say I really expect this thing to sell insanely well, so you’re best bet is to either come to HeroesCon and buy one, or send your cabin boy in your stead.

But what? You don’t wear t-shirts? You have too much CLASS for a t-shirt?? Well how about a fancy-dan, high quality, suitable for framing, signed and numbered limited edition PRINT of said image? Ahoy webmaster, load that image:

Looks fancy to me! Printed on heavy cardstock, this little gem will be signed by Kate herself and on sale at the show for $10 a pop. Or you can get one afterwards by “mail.” If you’re currently berthed on a pirate raider, or are a pirate ghost chained to the mast of the Queen Anne’s Revenge… well, you made your pirate bed. Now pillage in it.