Hey if you haven’t already seen it, I did an interview with Tim O’Shea of the Robot 6 team over at Comic Book Resources. Although Tim didn’t ask me any questions at all about a) whether I was single; b) my top 5 desert island CD’s; or c) if I could spell Bill Sienkiewicz’s name without having to look it up, it was a fun interview and Tim is a nice guy. Check it out right here and drop a comment about how excited about HeroesCon you are!

Whoa Nellie! Did you see that headline? DC Comics is returning this summer to HeroesCon! For the first time in some years, DC will be setting up in force at HeroesCon, with editors, panels, and probably lots of swag and glimpses at the upcoming shape of the DC Universe! We’re super-DUPER excited about this, and have been trying to make it happen for awhile now–the stars have aligned! Be sure you let DC know that you want them to stay at HeroesCon in coming years!

And on the DC tip, fan-favorite artist Ethan Van Sciver will be appearing at HeroesCon as well this summer–Ethan has become a popular guest at the show over the last few years, and will know doubt have long lines once more this year with his work on Flash Rebirth and the big DC event, Blackest Night!

Oh, and there’s still another big publisher announcement to make, but I think I’ll save that one for next week when I have a few more details locked down. Let’s just say that it’s going to be a banner year this year!

New to the HeroesCon 09 Guest List today are six more awesome names–as we move into the last month before the show, the announcements are going to turn from new guests to new pieces of schedule, hotel announcements, and more, so keep your digital eyeballs glued to this site and the Heroes Hotline for all the updates.

But for now, check out these sweet peeps:

CULLEN BUNN returns to HeroesCon this year along with fellow guest Brian Hurtt. The two have collaborated on two The Damned series so far, with a third “Daughter’s Danse” on the way. Look for Cullen in Immortal Weapons, coming up from Marvel!

MICHAEL KRONENBERG is a writer and designer who has written for a ton of books including The Batcave Companion, Spies, Vixens, and Masters of Kung Fu, and designed books like the recent EC Archives and more. He’s a regular contributor to TwoMorrows magazines including Rough Stuff and Back Issue.

BRIAN REBER is a colorist who’s worked for most of the big companies, most regularly for Marvel and DC on books like Captain Britain and MI-13, X-Men Legacy, Outsiders, and Runaways.

DURWIN TALON is an artist, editor, and professor. His comics work includes Beautiful Scars and Bonds, and he also edited the excellent Panel Discussion book focusing on a number of iconic comics creators and their approaches to their art.

GREG “DARK ONE” WILLIAMS is best known for his creation Animal Mystic. These days he’s behind Paleo Pirate, published by the new company Void Comics.

MATTHEW WILSON‘s color work has appeared in The End League, Gigantic, and Phonogram. Please help us welcome him to his very first HeroesCon!

Okay, more on the way! Stay tuned!

A quick post while working on a longer post for later this morning: we’re getting a lot of e-mails about the HeroesCon host hotel announcement. We are right on the cusp of making an official announcement, just crossing all the t’s and dotting all the i’s.

We will make that announcement first through a special edition of the Heroes Hotline, our weekly newsletter. If you’re not already receiving it, you can sign up here. If you’re already getting it, then you’re good to go.

Once we’ve announced it through the newsletter, about a day later we’ll announce it here on our blog. Note that I’m subtly hinting that you should totally be getting our newsletter. It’s the nazz. Okay back to the impending Guest List update! And the schedule is coming together–I’ll be posting the first parts of it tomorrow, including the much asked-about SCAD workshops!

Huzzah, huzzah! A new addition to the HeroesCon 09 Guest List to celebrate the week’s end–we’re what? about 5 weeks away now, so things are starting to get crazy around here. But we think we’ve got something extra special cooked up for you… in the meantime, feast your Internet eyes on these new guests:

PAUL AZACETA has had art in a bajillion different things lately, including BPRD 1946, Foolkiller, Potter’s Field, and Daredevil. This will be his very first appearance at HeroesCon!

JONATHAN HICKMAN returns to HeroesCon this year, having added a number of Marvel titles (Secret Warriors, Dark Reign: Fantastic Four) to his already fan-favorite list of credits (Pax Romana, Nightly News).

JAMES “DOODLE” LYLE is an old buddy of ours, and no stranger to HeroesCon. His donations to the annual Art Auction are often among the top bids of the night! Doodle has had work in Negative Burn, Doorman, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, and many more.

Another chum is smilin’ RICO RENZI, one half of the Kickstand Kids (along with fellow guest Chris Brunner), and a totally studly color artist. You’ve almost certainly seen Rico on Perhapanauts or Killing Girl, and you should certainly check him out in the upcoming Loose Ends and Talisman.

ROBBI RODRIGUEZ also returns this summer. His sweet brush stylings are all over Stephen Colbert’s Tek Jansen, Maintenance, Hazed, and less recently on Hero Camp from Image.

And bringing up the alphabetical rear this week is legendary letterer JOHN WORKMAN, whose career in comics goes back over 40 years, and whose credits include Wolverine, Howling Commandoes, Heavy Liquid, Thor–pretty much everything. He’s often associated with his buddies in the Boulevard Studio. Welcome back!

Okay, more to come early next week, and soon we’ll be seeing the schedule come into focus! Have a great weekend!

Oh yes! New to the HeroesCon 09 Guest List today are Rantz Hoseley, the editor of the recent hit Comic Book Tattoo book from Image, AND Jason Levesque, the cover artist! While I believe Jason was at the show last year (although in stealth mode due to a last-minute appearance), this is he and Rantz’s FIRST “official” appearance at HeroesCon, and I hope you’ll welcome them with all the pomp and foofah that HeroesCon is known for.

Also new today is our man Andy Kuhn, who has worked all over the place during his career, most recently on the hit book Firebreather. He’s also been penciller on Marvel Team-Up and IDW’s The Easy Way. Welcome back, Andy!

Oh, and last thing–check out the image Roger Langridge did for our Art Auction! Fans of Doctor Who and The Muppets will go into paroxysms when they see this badboy–I’ve already had one request from a fan in the U.K. to be able to lodge a proxy bid at the auction!

Yes! We’ve been trying for years to get him, and at long last we can announce that JASON LUTES will be attending his first HeroesCon this summer! I sound pretty excited, huh? If you don’t already know, Jason Lutes is the critically acclaimed graphic novels Berlin and Jar of Fools, and a professor at Vermont’s Center For Cartoon Studies. He’ll be appearing with CCS alums Joe Lambert and Chuck McBuck in Indie Island, so be sure and welcome him!

Speaking of cartoon colleges, today we’re also adding a coterie of students from Georgia’s Savannah College of Art and Design, who are appearing together as “The Temple of Cartoon Mojo.” Their name, not mine, I promise. I KID, I KID!

And, while I haven’t quite decided whether he would fit best in Indie Island or with the superhero guys, today we also added first-time guest SCOTT WEGENER, artist of Atomic Robo! I have a feeling Scott is going to get mobbed by original art collectors for sketches, so if I were you I would race to his table Adam-Hughes-style first thing that morning!

Okay! More to come–don’t forget that Free Comic Book Day is going on ALL DAY tomorrow, with our 13 magical guests signing and sketching from 1-5! More info right here, yo!

With Free Comic Book Day just three days away, we continue our steady march towards HeroesCon 2009 today with another update to our Guest List!

Joining the list first of all today is STEVE EPTING, the incredibly popular artist behind books like Captain America, Avengers, El Cazador, and scores more–not to mention a prolific illustrator and digital painter. Steve is also a regular collaborator with fellow-guest Ed Brubaker–look for their upcoming series The Marvels Project this summer, redefining the early years of the House of Ideas!

Also new today is our old buddy SCOTT HAMPTON, who is as comfortable working in ink (Simon Dark, Batman: Gotham County Line) as he is in paint (The Life Eaters, Spookhouse). Scott’s an old buddy of ours and a great guy, so it’s always fun to have him back.

ALSO fun to have back this year will be ANDREW ROBINSON, the muscley writer-artist behind Dusty Star. Andrew’s also worked on Gen 13 and recently done a ton of high-profile covers for DC, including their “Faces of Evil” event, Superman, and Detective Comics!

Attending his very first HeroesCon this year is writer KEITH R.A. DECANDIDO, who’s currently writing Farscape for BOOM! Studios, as well as recent Star Trek: Alien Spotlight, and tons of novels set in the worlds of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural, and more.

And returning this year from NC-based Tsunami Studios are GARRY MCKEE and JASON WALKER. Both have worked on numerous RPG and CCG games, including Warhammer 40K CCG and Legend of the Five Rings (Garry) and City State of the Invincible Overlord and Scarred Lands (Walker).

Okay, more to come–and don’t forget Free Comic Book Day on Saturday!

We’re starting off the week with a bang–just added to our HeroesCon 09 Guest List is an impressive group of creators from the Silver through the Bronze Ages… and of course they’re all still working today! Check it:

NICK CARDY is our best buddy; kind of like the “favorite uncle” of HeroesCon. He’s as popular with fellow guests as he is with his many fans, and why not? Nick’s career goes all the way back to the beginning of the Silver Age itself, with work on DC titles including Aquaman, Bat Lash, and Fight Comics–and most notably on Teen Titans. Nick’s covers and interiors have influenced entire generations of cartoonists, and he’s as sweet as pumpkin pie in person!

GARY FRIEDRICH, the creator of Ghost Rider, returns to HeroesCon this year. Besides his work on Ghost Rider, Gary was a Marvel bullpen writer and editor from the mid-60’s through 1978, and worked on pretty much everything, including X-Men, Iron Man, Captain America, and Sgt Fury and Nick Fury: Agent of Shield!

Another popular guest at HeroesCon for years and years now is another notable formal Marvel bullpenner–ROY THOMAS was Marvel’s first Editor-In-Chief after Smilin’ Stan, and had popular runs as writer on books like Avengers and Conan the Barbarian. And besides his Marvel work, he also worked on DC books including All-Star Squadron. These days Roy is writing most of the Marvel Illustrated series of books, as well as editing Alter Ego at TwoMorrows! Note that Roy is only able to attend the convention on Saturday, June 20.

WAYNE VANSANT is probably best known for his work on The Nam, one of the most offbeat and well-loved books of its time. He’s also contributed to Dark Horse’s Two Fisted Tales and Medal of Honor, as well as Semper Fi.

Last this week is ROD WHIGHAM, whose career began in the 80’s on GI Joe. He’s also worked on Justice League, Doc Savage, The Shadow, The Punisher, and dozens more!

Okay–more updates on the way. Welcome to the working week!

Well heckfire–after last week’s hurly-burly update-per-day pace, it seems downright sedentary to only make two updates to the HeroesCon 09 Guest List this week. On the other hand, between the two of them, they total 18 people! I’m going to make this quick, as I still have to get the Heroes Hotline sent AND print up a bunch of Free Comic Book Day flyers to take around town over the weekend. It IS, after all, a week from tomorrow!

But for now, CHECK OUT these SWEET PEEPS:

ERIC CANETE is the artist behind books like the hit End League, Iron Man: Enter the Mandarin, and a ton of others, including design and storyboard work on the Ben 10 Cartoon Network show. Be sure and welcome Eric to his first HeroesCon!

OTIS FRAMPTON is the creator of the Oddly Normal series of graphic novels, as well as the non-Marc-Deering half of a podcasting team!

CHRIS GIARRUSSO is no stranger to HeroesCon attendees, attending I think his 3rd or 4th this year. You probably know Chris from his several Mini Marvels books for Marvel Comics, as well as his own G-Man!

JASON LATOUR lives in our very neighborhood–when you’re not catching him browsing the rack on Wednesday afternoons, you can catch him as the artist on The Expatriate, as well as the writer of the upcoming Loose Ends!

BUDD ROOT is practically in our neighborhood, and another frequent Wednesday visitor to the shop. He’s also the creator of the cult-favorite Cavewoman series!

GREGG SCHIGIEL is also returning to HeroesCon this year. Besides working on What If? and Disney Adventures Magazine, Gregg is also the writer and artist of the Spongebob Squarepants comic in Nickelodeon Magazine!

Also joining the list today are our buddies in Tsunami Studios–there are a few more Tsunami-ers still to confirm, but I thought I’d point out these guys. And they’re located right here in good ole North Carolina to boot! Ah, my home state… Oh! Anyway:

STEVE BIRD has worked on a ton of books, including Robin, Resurrection of Ra’s Al Ghul, Blue Beetle, and Hard Time.

RICK KETCHAM is a name synonymous with quality, inking all over the place for all the major publishers. Recent work includes Runaways, GI Joe, Robin, and The Dresden Files!

ERIC LAYTON, a force to be reckoned with, has worked on Hexen Hammers, GI Joe, Kyle XY, Ex Machina, and more!

Last but not least, JOHN “WAKI” WYCOUGH is known for his work on GI Joe, Transformers, Dr Who, and a ton of others. Be sure and welcome Tsunami back to HeroesCon!

And have a great weekend!