What, already? Things aren’t slowing down, and the number of e-mails in my box each morning concerning the show seems to double every week. New today on the HeroesCon 2008 Guest List are returning guests Christian Beranek–co-founder of Silent Devil Studios and writer behind Se7en: Lust and Willow Creek from Zenescope–and Clay & Susan Griffith, the husband-and-wife writing team behind It Came From Beneath The Sea… Again and issues of The Tick.

And attending his very first HeroesCon this summer is Jason Howard, artist behind The Astounding Wolf-Man, written by fellow guest Robert Kirkman! Be sure and make all of these creators welcome this June–and stay tuned for ANOTHER big announcement late this week for Indie Island! I don’t want to go into details yet, but let’s just say that fans of Canada will be excited…

Just added to our HeroesCon 2008 Event Schedule is the Avengers Assembled! panel. Assembled! is the Van Plexico-edited book examing the history and mythos of the Avengers. Rare for a non-Marvel book, the book has received high accolades from Avengers alums including inker Bob Almond and editor Tom Brevoort–it doesn’t hurt that all proceeds from the sale of the book go to the Hero Initiative, the charity devoted to supporting aging comics professionals.

The panel will feature a number of celebrity guests (to be announced) and their discussion of the book, the Avengers themselves, and more. Plus it will culminate in the live presentation of the books’ proceeds to date to the Hero Initiative, which is sure to be exciting. For more info check our Schedule page! Also be sure to check out Van’s Avengers fan site, and of course the Hero Initiative!

REQUIRED READING for anyone who is planning to purchase space in Artists Alley for this year’s Heroes Convention: we are about to sell totally out, an unprecedented 4 months before the convention itself. There are a teeny tiny few tables left, near the back corners and side walls of the convention center, but at the rate they’re selling, these will likely be gone by the weekend. So consider this an eleventh-hour warning of the sellout, just to give you a last-minute chance to get in on the biggest convention we’ve ever put together.

There is a contingency overflow plan being discussed, but nothing I can announce yet, and nothing you should depend upon actually coalescing. Smart money says buy now–no table space is reserved without FULL payment!

You can find all the pricing and forms at our Small Press page. The easiest way to get confirmed is to call us with a charge card at 704.375.7462; otherwise you can download the form and mail it in with a check.

by Duncan Rouleau
reviewed by Daniel Von Egidy

As DC’s Infinite Crisis was coming to an end, Grant Morrison took on a job as a creative editor at the publisher, to outline concepts and ideas for several series including All-New Atom, Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters, and following their role in 52: the Metal Men. Writer/artist Duncan Rouleau took Morrison’s ideas and really ran with them, resulting in one of the most fun and most dense reads around.

There are pretty much two plots going on here. The first plot takes place in the present, following the events of 52, as several opposing forces seek to enlist the Metal Men to destroy humanity; or destroy the Metal Men so they can’t destroy humanity. At the same time Professor Magnus and his older brother David are trying to fix time in order to prevent an apocalyptic future. The second story is essentially “Metal Men: Year One” as we see Professor Magnus develop the Metal Men, the responso-meters, and as they all become famous as superheroes at the cost of Magnus’ relationship with his girlfriend Helen. Magnus is also at the same time being stalked by a bunch of time traveling medieval alchemists. The storylines eventually intersect but explaining how would take a couple of long paragraphs, some aspirin, and a nap on my part so I’m gonna skip it.

This book is the antithesis of the “five-minute read”. There’s a squillion things going on plot-wise mixed in with all the little scientific fun facts and character bits, and this book really merits re-reading to catch everything that’s going on. But it all looks incredibly beautiful. Duncan has a style similar to Chris Bachalo or Skottie Young resulting in some beautiful design work and dazzling page layouts. The art is just as packed as the story, so some of the storytelling gets lost but that’s almost appropriate in this case. It has almost reached its end so you can pick it all up and read it straight through to this point, or wait for the eventual hardcover due in the summer. Whatever is your preference: just don’t miss this engaging story.

In our never-ending quest to enhance your comics-buying experience and, more importantly, to increase the degree of ease with which you give us your money, we are now dividing our comics into genres, identifiable by the nifty signs you might have already seen on our racks and shelves. Hopefully, this will make it easier for you comic-book aficionados to find new books that provide an appeal similar to that of your tried-and-true favorites. Too, this will provide a universal starting point for those dipping their toe into comics for the first time. To our way of thinking, anything that encourages a non-reader to try out a comic is reason to celebrate. To that end: three cheers for the tireless staff at Heroes Aren’t Hard To Find!

We’ve been busy in the store for the couple of weeks with a big reorganization project, which I think Todd is going to say more about elsewhere–BUT the announcements have been backing up, so forgive me if I jam a bunch of blog posts into one many-headed mammoth monster post.

So, Heroes Convention continues to swell its already giant guest list, with a big addition of 7 names today. I’ll divide them into two groups; first the mainstream guests, and then the indie guys. On the mainstream side:

WILL ALLRED is the writer of the upcoming Diary of Night from Bloodfire Studios, with artist and fellow guest Gene Gonzales. This is his first HeroesCon, although he assures me he’s enjoyed the convention before as a fan.

RYAN BODENHEIM is the artist on the upcoming A Red Mass For Mars from Image, with writer and fellow guest Jonathan Hickman. You may have seen Ryan’s work elsewhere in Wolverine and Black Panther. This is also his first HeroesCon.

MICHAEL EURY, on the other hand, is no stranger to HeroesCon. As the editor of Back Issue Magazine, he’s a regular guest, buddy of ours, and North Carolina resident. Trifecta!

On the Indie Island side of things, today saw the addition of DEREK M. BALLARD, the super popular illustrator and designer behind a multitude of t-shirts for companies including Threadless and Royal Stock, sexy comics in magazines like Screw and Giant Robot, and his very own comic, BURN!

MIKE BERTINO is the L.A. based cartoonist behind the recent Pinwheel book, as well as a prolific painter and designer.

MIKE HUDDLESTON has been on the scene forever, but has somehow never been to HeroesCon before. Consider your Mike Huddleston drought ended: the artist behind The Coffin, Deep Sleeper, and Mnemovore will make his first Charlotte appearance this summer.

And lastly, new to the Indie Island list is TENDER LOVING EMPIRE, the Portland, Oregon based screenprinter, music maker, and comics publisher! Whew! That’s a lot of peeps! I’d say more, but I have to make another few posts right after this one, AND get that dad-blamed Heroes Hotline all done! See you in just a second!

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22!
7:00 PM
Attention, singles! Apparently our recent spate of events and parties has gone to our heads, because we’re now announcing our first ever Singles Night at Heroes Aren’t Hard To Find! Co-sponsored by Sweet On Geeks and Geek Monthly magazine, this will be a relaxed meet-and-greet style get-together–there’ll be [non-alcoholic] beverages and snacks a-plenty. Everyone who attends will get a free 3-month membership to Sweet On Geeks, “a dating space where Gray Matters,” as well as tons of other swag, including some free subscriptions (while supplies last, of course) to Geek Monthly, t-shirts, and more.

Not only that, but apparently Sweet On Geeks is very much in the public eye lately: it sounds like the event may be covered by local print and radio media. AND if anyone who is currently a Sweet On Geeks member, or becomes one between now and then, would like to be interviewed on camera, it sounds like the TV news will be on hand as well! All at our little ole store? Well, shucks!

So: if you’re a real brainiac, or just someone who identifies with the more esoteric or technological side of pop culture (read: comics?), AND you’re looking to meet people of a similar stripe, bring it on. The event is totally FREE, there’s no signup or pressure, and you may feel free to spend as much money as you like while you’re in our store! See you on Friday, February 22!

Hooray! I am very excited to announce the first 2 of a series of 6 Indie Island promotional t-shirts, which we will be printing soon and selling in our store! This is something we’ve been planning and working on behind the scenes for months now, and it’s really awesome to see it nearing fruition.

The first two shirts feature art by Alec Longstreth and Jim Mahfood, two of the indie scene’s leading lights. The shirts will be printed on American Apparel t-shirts, for that hip fit that’s so “in” these days, and are part of a limited run. Each shirt will be $20 apiece from us; you can add $5 to have your shirt mailed to you within the continental US. Feel free to e-mail me directly at dharbin[at]heroesonline[dot]com to reserve your place in line–once they’re printed, they’ll be sure to sell out in a trice! Sizes will be limited to Medium, Large, and Girls Medium.

We’ll be announcing the next 2 of the series in a couple of weeks, so stay tuned!

by Nicolas De Crecy
reviewed by Eraklis Petmezas

The first time I saw Nicolas De Crecy’s work was when one of my best friends came back from a European trip in the early 90’s with sketch books he had purchased of a new young French cartoonist. Flipping through them I was mesmerized by such a strong vision. De Crecy’s characters were both realistic and stylized in the same line. This was an artist that was closer to Egon Schiele than his contemporary brethren. The way he drew figures really showed you a glimpse of who they were. Most artists search years to find what De Crecy had found in his early twenties.

It was shortly after that an issue of Heavy Metal (March 1992) translated “Foligatto”. I was finally able to read a Nicolas De Crecy story. His art translated amazingly well into the sequential form. His colors were beautiful. They created the mood of the story and dragged you into it. He put as much detail into the backgrounds as he did his people. He gave you a sense of the world around them. In turn it drew you deeper into his art. It’s no wonder that years later his work would inspire the wonderfully unique animated film Triplets of Belleville.

When I found out that the Parisian museum The Louvre picked four cartoonists to create comics based on the museum and its work I was impressed. I thought it was nice to see such an esteemed establishment recognize comics as an art form that could elevate awareness of the museum itself. I was elated to read that Nicolas De Crecy was one of those artists chosen.

Glacial Period takes place thousands of years into the future. The earth is covered in snow and ice. This is a future where dogs have been bioengineered to have thoughts and emotions that parallel humans. A group of archeologists are trying to uncover any thing that can give them some insight into the past. Even here on a barren earth we still find the males in the expedition arguing over whose name will go first in what ever discoveries they may find.

When a shift in the ice uncovers the hidden Louvre we get to see the expedition turn from an expedition into the past to a psychological journey. As they look at the centuries old paintings it’s comical to watch them try to decipher what is depicted on the canvas. Most of them are nudes and the men in the group automatically think that the women of the past must have had loose morals to constantly be without clothes. They conclude that humanity must not have had a written language since all they find are paintings. In another part of the museum the statues come to life to tell the story of what happened to our civilization.

Glacial Period is at times satire, and other times a biting commentary of our world. Nicolas De Crecy has crafted a story worthy of the respect of The Louvre, as well as any lover of the sequential form. This painted story creates a world that stays with you long after you put the book down. I applaud NBM for translating this work. I hope it won’t be another decade before we can read more work by Nicolas De Crecy. I highly recommend this book.

Very exciting! Just up on our Event Schedule page, the first of numerous planned additions to our HeroesCon 08 schedule! This may be very exciting to you, but it’s got me ready to pee my pants with excitement–this is a really great side-effect of being so far ahead of the game this year (the schedule, not the peeing). Being able to list and talk about our schedule all year means a higher quality of panel and I hope much higher attendance for each panel, which is just more fun for everybody.

But enough about how excited I am–two big announcements today, first that once again this year we’re partnering with the Savannah College of Art and Design‘s Sequential Art department for a series of workshops free to HeroesCon attendees! There will be two each day, approximately two hours each, each focusing on a different facet of sequential art. These workshops were a big hit last year, and it looks like this year will be even bigger! More information to be announced on specific workshops.

Also new today is the addition of “Drawing Green Lantern Then & Now: A Back Issue Live Pro2Pro Interview“; as it says, this is a three-way interview between past and present Green Lantern artists including Alex Saviuk, Joe Staton, and Ethan Van Sciver, moderated by Back Issue editor Michael Eury. Even cooler is that this interview will run in the magazine in their November issue!

Stay tuned for more updates on the schedule–we’re putting together some pretty exciting panels this week, which we’ll be announcing as soon as we have all the details squared away!