That’s right! Perhapanauts and Tellos writer Todd Dezago, and “Joltin'” John Lucas, inker on titles including Civil War: Frontline, have just been added to the HeroesCon 2008 Guest List. These guys both can be filed in the “What? They’re not already on the list?” section of blog posts, as they’re perennial guests of the convention, and two of our very favorite guests. But this is not to minimalize their importance! Besides Perhapanauts (co-created and drawn by fellow guest Craig Rousseau) and Tellos (co-created and drawn by the late great Mike Wieringo), Todd’s also written some other books you might have heard of, including Sensational Spider-Man, Impulse, and Young Justice. Plus he’s a pretty sweet dude, although don’t tell him I said that. It would throw our love-hate relationship all out of skew.

“Joltin'” John, while perhaps more “joltin”, is no less a gentleman. I think this might be his fourth straight HeroesCon, and each year he’s a little more famous–I can’t for the life of me figure out why he’s not swimming in pencilling gigs. While he’s a pretty fantastic inker, his overall cartooning skills blow his inking away. If you miss the chance to pick up one of his gorgeous originals this summer, you can probably catch him in the hotel bar, if you really want to welcome him back to Charlotte!

As Neil Diamond would say, Holly Holy Night! Just added to our HeroesCon 2008 Guest List is power couple Greg Rucka and Jennifer Van Meter. Greg you may remember from a low-profile project at DC called 52, not to mention his own Queen & Country and Whiteout (which I hear is being or has been made into a movie) at Oni Press, or Wolverine at Marvel, among dozens of others. Seriously, go check out his website; I’d forgotten just how many titles he’s been involved with over the last few years. Crazy! Ms Van Meter is no slouch either, writing the upcoming Black Lightning: Year One (with art by our buddy Cully Hamner), as well as JSA Classified, and the popular Hopeless Savages series from Oni Press!

Not only are we excited to welcome these two writers–welcome back, in Greg’s case–but we’re moving steadily toward our goal of having every one of comics’ working couples in attendance at the show. Seriously, this is just from scanning the list:

Evan Dorkin/Sarah Dyer
Matt Fraction/Kelly Sue DeConnick
Jimmy Palmiotti/Amanda Connor
Steve Niles/Sarah Wilkinson
Adam Hughes/Allison Sohn
Stuart & Kathryn Immonen

That’s SEVEN couples! Love is in the air at Heroes this year–we should have a big dance or something. Hmm…

That’s right, sports fans! 2008 is here, and we’re kicking our inexorable march to HeroesCon 08 into high gear. Yesterday we put up the bare bones of our Event Schedule, on which we’ll be hanging the many panels, workshops, and special events as we announce them throughout the coming months.

Also up now, in response to the passionate requests of many of you, are the lists of people who have purchased Small Press space in Artists Alley, as well as Exhibitors. The Small Press list appears at the bottom of our Guest List and Indie Island pages, and the Exhibitor list is, well, on the Exhibitor page. While the line between getting your forms in and payment confirmed to actually being listed on our website is not the straightest line in the world, if your name is not on one of these lists as of RIGHT NOW, then you are not on our list. Once we get your form and payment, your name appearing on one of these lists will act as confirmation.

Also, let me point out now: space at HeroesCon 08 is going to be at an incredible premium this year: our guest list will be far larger than any of the over 25 years of HeroesCon’s, and dealer space is sure to sell out far sooner than usual. There are already over 30 dealers confirmed and paid in full, and it’s still over 5 months from the convention itself. Remember, the ONLY WAY to reserve space at HeroesCon 08 is to pay IN FULL! This goes double for Small Press spaces–Indie Island is already twice as big as it has ever been, and there will be far fewer spaces available for sale. If you’re planning on purchasing a space in Artists Alley, you can e-mail me directly or call us here at 704.375.7462. I’ll be seating persons on a first-come, first-served basis, starting at the edge of Indie Island and moving outward into the hall. So the earlier you get in, the closer to the center of the hall you’ll be!

GIANT announcements are in store for next week, so stay tuned! And Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everybody! In honor of the auspicious occasion of this first day of 2008, we’re unveiling a TON of new HeroesCon stuff, and kicking off our march toward June and HeroesCon 08!

So, first up, we’ve just added four new guests to our HeroesCon 08 Guest List! We’re stoked to welcome back HeroesCon stalwart supporters: Terry Cronin, head of 3 Boys Productions and publisher of the Students of the Unusual anthology book, has just signed on to appear in Indie Island, no doubt with a cadre of the artists he publishes. Returning to promote his own forthcoming BloodRed (from Oni Press) and run workshops in conjuntion with the Savannah College of Art & Design workshop program is Shawn Crystal. Joining them are Jubilee and Connor Hawke artist Derec Donovan, not to mention Alex Saviuk, longtime Marvel artist on books including Web of Spider-Man and the current Spider-Man newspaper strips.

Best of all, now that we’re actually into 2008, we’re sure to get a ton of confirmations–get ready for the biggest HeroesCon ever! More coming up later today, as we continue to roll out more HeroesCon news.

Still more pro’s throwing their hat in the ring for HeroesCon 2008! Just added to our Guest List are Jason Aaron, writer of Scalped and The Other Side, and future writer of Wolverine and Ghost Rider; Jason Latour, the artist behind The Expatriate and the forthcoming Loose Ends title from 12 Gauge; and Robbi Rodriguez, the artist of Maintenance, Tek Jansen, and the upcoming Hazed graphic novel from Image! The two Jason’s are both members of the Atomic Revolver virtual studio, which also includes fellow guests Jeremy Haun and Tony Moore. Robbi has worked with half of the guys in that studio, and is a returning guest at the show. Where in the world are we going to fit everyone next summer? I know we can fit all the pro’s in, but I’m starting to wonder how we’ll fit all the fans! Stay tuned for more!

Holy Mackerel! Just added to the HeroesCon 08 Guest List is cartoonist Richard Thompson, the creator of the strip Cul de Sac and Richard’s Poor Almanac newspaper strips, both for the Washington Post! “Cul de Sac”–which Todd and I have recently discovered here in the office and are APE over–is a shockingly well-crafted strip, the story of a suburban family and their, er, hijinks. While Cul de Sac is funny–and plenty funny at that–what makes it so fun to read is the mix of loose, energetic art with a spot-on sense of timing and all-around knowledge of what makes comics “work.” Todd insists he’s been telling me to read Cul de Sac for “like months”, but it took a profile by Comics Reporter scribe Tom Spurgeon to make me take the plunge. Who can trust Todd? You shouldn’t.

While Cul de Sac and its older brother, the acerbic editorial strip “Richard’s Poor Almanac”, are currently published in the Washington Post, next year it’ll be syndicated in a number of papers nationwide–including our own Charlotte Observer! So if you are an Observer reader and like what you see when it starts, be sure and be vocal about it so they keep it around! And don’t miss the chance to welcome Richard to his very first HeroesCon next summer!

I don’t like to play favorites, at least not where anyone can see, but this announcement has got me so jazzed I’m about to pee myself. Oops! It’s not so much that these 4 additions are any better than any other 4 additions, but I’ve been working hard on getting all of them, and they all sort of happened at the same time. Which reinforces my conviction that this year’s Indie Island–not to mention HeroesCon in general–is going to be the BEST CONVENTION OF ALL TIME EVER. And it’s going to be right here in sexy Charlotte, North Carolina! So, please join in the excitement:

SAMMY HARKHAM is an incredible cartoonist (Crickets, The Poor Sailor) in his own right, but he’s just as well-known as the editor of the Kramer’s Ergot anthology, which may be the most lauded comics anthology ever. He’s also one of my very favorite cartoonists, so you can imagine how stoked I am.

BUENAVENTURA PRESS, named presumably for its head honcho Alvin Buenaventura, is the publisher of the afore-mentioned Kramer’s Ergot, as well as the magazine Comic Art, which usually contains some of the best writing and most insightful dissertation on comics being done anywhere. I know that’s not saying a whole lot, but it’s SUPER smart stuff, trust me. Alvin also publishes a ton of incredibly well-made–often hand-made–books, prints, and posters, and his booth is usually the best-looking setup at any show he’s at.

KAZIMIR STRZEPEK is the author of the much-mentioned-by-me The Mourning Star, not to mention another of my favorite cartoonists–how did I get so lucky? I’ve said so much about him already, that instead of rehashing all that I’ll just redirect you to my Mourning Star review, which is long enough to choke Herman Melville. Enjoy!

BODEGA DISTRIBUTION, last but not least, is the publisher of not only the aforementioned Mourning Star, but also Brian Ralph’s Daybreak, and the distributor for a host minicomics and small press books, including most of what’s left of the now-defunct Highwater Books. They, like the other three, will be making their very first trip to HeroesCon, and hopefully will make so much money that they’ll be coming back every year afterward–but I leave that to you, dear reader!

What, are you kidding? I’m super-stoked to announce the addition to our HeroesCon Indie Island guest list of the following sweet peeps, half of whom I met at SPX and have been begging since, the other half of which I’ve never met ever! And all of which will be attending their very first HeroesCon next summer!

First of all, the ones I met: Liz Prince is another one of my favorite young cartoonists, and it was she who indirectly caused me to pick up Kaz Strzepek’s The Mourning Star, which I have missed no opportunity to mention. With a whole book under her belt (Will You Still Love Me If I Wet The Bed? from Top Shelf) and another on the way (Delayed Replays), plus a host of strips online through her many different web identities. Like Ziggy Stardust, this girl is the naz. Not long before I met her, I met Jim Ottaviani, the writer behind Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards, as well as a ton of others. Jim was chatting with veteran artist Doug Wheatley (Sandman, Star Wars) when I rudely elbowed my way into the conversation and started introducing myself left and right. Jim has chosen to overlook my lack of couth and attend the show anyway; we’ll have to see about Doug. He’s from Canada, and their manners are a lot better up there. I’ll let you know if he gets in touch.

Maris Wicks, pictured above at the right with Liz and their creation Duddits at SPX, I’ve never met. But sharp-eyed indie rack perusers will remember her from AdHouse Books‘ Project: Romantic anthology, as well as Superior Showcase. She also is someone with a large readership online, mainly through her excellent blog. I hope sincerely that when I meet her, she’s as longsuffering as Jim Ottaviani.

Another sweet artist I’ve never met, but who comes highly recommended by AdHouse Books: Jim Rugg is the artist behind Street Angel, as well as the monstrously funny and more than a little suggestive Afrodisiac. Chris Pitzer has been bugging me to invite Jim forever, and after reading Street Angel at the optometrist’s the other day, I was in complete agreement! Jim is known for drawing in a ton of different styles–all of them, I think–so he’s sure to be in high demand for sketches. You sketch jockeys are warned!

Not only that, but as I’m typing, I’m looking over at the minimum two more updates I need to get to for Indie Island, but couldn’t fit into this announcement. Seriously, next year’s Indie Island is going to be one of the biggest indie comics gatherings in the country, I think. Stay tuned!

As Elton John would say, Holy Moses! Paolo Rivera is only one of the most up-and-coming-est painters in the comics industry now, with a ton of covers under his belt, as well as interior art for titles like Mythos: X-Men, Mythos Spider-Man, and the Spectacular Spider-Man pictured above! In checking out his site, it’s plain to see that he brings his A-game to his con sketches and commissions, so you original art types out there be sure and bring plenty of cheddar next year!

And there are still more announcements waiting in the wings! Next up is a big Indie Island update, as well as some TOTALLY FREAKING AWESOME Indie Island news. But I can’t say anything yet…

As promised, here is the first in a series of HeroesCon 08 Guest List additions! We’re super-pleased to welcome back to HeroesCon Georges Jeanty, penciller on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8; plus Ex Machina alums JD Mettler and Jim Clark; and first-timer Kody Chamberlain, artist on 30 Days of Night: Bloodsucker Tales and Beowulf. Georges, JD, and Jim are old chums–hopefully they’ll be nice to Kody, and not razz him or give a lot of painful noogies and so forth. But they probably will–so much for Southern hospitality.

And that’s not all, remember–look for another big announcement later in the week, not to mention some big developments outside of the Guest List! Very exciting stuff–HeroesCon 08 is going to be the biggest one ever!