HEATHER’S PICK :: WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN #1: Marvel only made me wait a week to jump into the new Wolverine and the X-Men! Jason Latour takes the helm this week to guide some of my favorite mutants to graduation and beyond.  I’m especially curious to see what lies in store for Quentin Quire, who unexpectedly graduated in the WATXM #42.  Latour has shown that he has a good handle on Quire when he was the writer on the Captain America/Quentin Quire team up in A+X #4.  It also looks like both Doop and the bamfs will have some entertaining roles.

Mahmud Asrar is the artist on the new WATXM and what I have seen so far looks amazing.  I think the students of the Jean Grey School are in good hands.

ANDY’S PICK :: OZ HC: EMERALD CITY OF OZ: Have you been reading the adaptations of the L. Frank Baum OZ books from writer Eric Shanower and artist Skottie Young?  They are a genuine delight and they are also a textbook for successful comic adaptations.  Shanower and Young maintain the integrity and spirit of the source material but still manage to put their personal stamp on Baum’s enduring creations.  All 6 of their OZ collaborations are worth your time and money, but I have to say,I find this final story (at least for the foreseeable future) to be the best of the bunch.  The Emerald City of OZ focuses on Dorothy;s family.  Because of financial problems in the real world, she brings her parents/guardians Aunt Em and Uncle Henry to live in OZ.  The enchanted and overwhelmed Kansas couple take a grand tour of OZ with Dorothy and the Wizard while unbeknownst to all, the nefarious Nome King plots to have his army invade  the Emerald City. Can the Scarecrow, Glinda the Good and OZMA the really GOOD save the day?  You’ll just have to read this marvelous story to find out.  This HC edition collects EMERALD CITY OF OZ #1-5.  You will read it over and over!

SETH’S PICK :: MOON KNIGHT #1: Moon Knight has often been treated as a multiple-personality-laden Batman of sorts.  While the jumbled nature of the guy under the mask is intriguing, I’ve always been partial to the character’s horror elements.  With this new relaunch, the creative team of Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey, and Jordie Bellaire seem poised to integrate both elements of the odd character for new readers.  Though you might not initially recognize the character’s new look (white business suit sans the cape), you’ll no doubt remember that Ellis does still occasionally write solid comics for Marvel.  The fantastic Nextwave series jumps to mind.  And it’s worth noting that Shalvey and Bellaire, though they’ve already made names for themselves in their respective areas of comic making, do seem to have an opportunity to take their storytelling to interesting new places with this character.  I should also mention that this book has been building advanced buzz in recent weeks.  Don’t be surprised if this one sells out quickly.

Bonus Pick: Muppets Omnibus: Over the years on this blog I’ve written at length about the genius of Roger Langridge.  While his Fred the Clown will always be my favorite, his work on the Muppets is downright joyous.  Aside from being genuinely funny throughout, Langridge’s art is impeccable.  This summer he’ll be returning to HeroesCon, so do yourself a favor and stop by his table to bask in the awe of his original art pages.  Like me, you’ll probably wind up spending your money on several of his incredible pages.  

Today’s update is full of first-time HeroesCon guests who we are sure you will want to meet! Along with today’s new guests, you can see our entire list of attending creators here!

COMIC FANS! Tickets for Heroes Convention 2014 are on sale now!

CREATORS! Artists Alley tables are still available but they are going fast! Reserve your space today!

KRIS ANKA :: Artist: X-Men, X-Force, Sideshow Collectibles

VANESA DEL REY :: Artist: Hit, ZERO

CHRISTOPHER SEBELA :: Writer: High Crimes, Ghost, Dead Letters, Alien Vs. Predator

JEFF STOKELY :: Artist: Six-Gun Gorilla, The Reason for Dragons

CHRIS VISIONS :: Artist: Dead Letters, Devils on the Levee

KEVIN WADA :: Artist:  She Hulk, X-Men, Adventure Time

JAKE WYATT :: Artist: Hulk, Regular Show Writer/Artist: Necropolis

CHIP ZDARSKY :: Artist: Sex Criminals  Writer/Artist: Prison Funnies, Monster Cops

Heroes Convention is in Charlotte, North Carolina, June 20-22 2014. Get your 3 day passes today! The full guest list (so far) is here.

Free Comic Book Day 2014 @ Heroes is going to be our best yet! Come out on May 3rd to meet great comic artists, get free comics and have a great time with your pals at Heroes Aren’t Hard To Find! Check out our awesome guest list below and please save the date!

• CHRIS BRUNNER – Artist: Loose Ends, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, The Ride

• SHAWN CRYSTAL – Artist: Deadpool, Fantomex, Archer & Armstrong

• JEREMY DALE – Writer/Artist: Skyward

• SANFORD GREENE – Artist: Rotten Apple, Deadpool, Wonder Girl, Methodman GN

• JOHN HAIRSTON JR – Painter: Native Tongues, 1962 :: The Age of Marvels

• JASON LATOUR – Writer: Wolverine & The X-Men, Winter Soldier, Loose Ends Artist: Southern Bastards, B.P.R.D., Django Unchained

• JACKIE LEWIS – Artist: Play Ball

• JAY POTTS – Writer/Artist: World of Hurt, Atomech

• BUDD ROOT – Writer/Artist: Cavewoman

• ANDY RUNTON – Writer/Artist: Owly

• HOYT SILVA – Artist: Quatermain: Ghosts of the Nzadi

• BRIAN STELFREEZE – Artist: Day Men, Domino, Matador, Batman: Shadow of the Bat

RICO’S PICK :: MEGAGOGO VOLUME 1:  This week’s Megagogo by Wook Jin Clark is the first in a series of original graphic novels set in a world populated by giant robots, aliens and ATLiens, super-powered martial artists and more. You’ll be asking yourself questions like, “Could Voltron defeat the KKK?” Hop on board with this OGN and find out!

HEATHER’S PICK :: WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN #42: When I first read that Wolverine and the X-Men was ending at issue #42, I had a moment of panic.  Was Marvel really cancelling my favorite book (again*)? WATXM has been my gateway into the X-Men.  Prior to, I had only read Joss Whedon’s run on Astonishing X-Men and quit reading when he quit writing.  WATXM was originally in Seth’s stack of comics, but by the second issue in it was now firmly in my stack each month.

I’m also happy to know that the story of the Jean Grey School doesn’t end here and WATXM will return with a new number one issue next month with a new Jason at the helm.  Latour, you have big beard to fill!

*I loved Thor the Mighty Avenger by Roger Langridge and Chris Samnee so very much.

Have you seen all the Trailers for The Great Muppet Heist?  It looks like it will be one of the funniest movies of the year. To celebrate this event– in the tradition of The Handbook of the Marvel Universe (but less dry and much more fun!), Disney/Muppets/Lucas/ESPN in association with every subsidiary that has slipped my mind,  proudly presents The Muppets Character Encyclopedia.  From the pages I’ve seen in preview, this book guarantees to be a reading riot and offers some fun backstory for many of the secondary (but still beloved) characters like the Swedish Chef and Gonzo’s girlfriend Camilla the Chicken.  This is a must-have for any fans of the Muppets.

Jason’s Pick :: Superior Foes of Spider-Man TP Vol. 1: Getting the Band Back Together: Say hello to the best book you haven’t been reading. It’s easy to dismiss Superior Foes as a cash grab to capitalize on the popularity of Dan Slott’s Superior Spider-Man title, but this book really has nothing to do with its parent title outside of the name. Nick Spencer and Steve Lieber have taken a handful of Spider-Man’s C-list foes and crafted a dark comic look into the lives of those on the wrong side of the law. This is Marvel’s answer to the Flash’s Rogues – they’re not out to take over the world…they just want to get paid. Take the criminal’s insider narrative of “Goodfellas,” the capers and twists of the “Ocean’s 11” series, and the humor and visual storytelling of Matt Fraction and David Aja’s Hawkeye, mix them together, and you’ve gotSuperior Foes. This book really seems to be flying under the radar, so grab this first trade paperback and see what you’ve been missing.

After each day of HeroesCon comes to an end, the place to be is the Westin. Whether you just want to hang out in the lobby bar or you’re attending our Annual Art Auction the Westin is where it’s at.

Reservations at the Westin Charlotte are now open at the special HeroesCon rate of $129/night! We strongly suggest you reserve your rooms as soon as you can because although we have access to nearly the entire hotel, we sellout and fill the place every year. If you’ve never stayed at the Westin before, get ready for luxury, the place is NICE!

You can go to our Hotels page to see a complete list of area hotels we recommend, including the Westin; or just click right here to go right to the reservation page. If you have any problems, or if particular nights are listed as sold-out, please let us know so we can address that. They group the rooms in blocks so sometimes they’ll show up on the computer as sold-out, but Shelton has a magic wand to wave at that stuff.

Buy your tickets and book your room today!