Top Ten Reasons to Attend HeroesCon’s Drink and Draw
This year marks the fourth annual HeroesCon/Team Cul de Sac Drink and Draw. This event has grown each year as has the amount of money you wonderful people contribute in the fight against Parkinson’s. If you’ve never attended or it’s been awhile since you’ve made it, here are my Top Ten Reasons to Attend!
10. What’s more relaxing after a first day on the con floor than having a few drinks in the swanky Hilton lobby? The staff at the Hilton was amazing last year. They featured super hero drinks on special last year, and may have some new ones this year!
9. Not only can you kick back with some delicious drinks, you can do so while enjoying some free live music by Raleigh, NC based Jack the Radio. The guys were great addition last year and I can’t wait to hear what their acoustic sets have to offer this year. You can get a preview of the guys here.
Jack the Radio at the 2013 Drink and Draw
8. Swag!! This year not only will you be able to purchase fabulous original art, but Limited Edition Drink and Draw prints with art by Alexis Ziritt and special Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find t-shirts will be available. Team Cul de Sac’s Chris Sparks also has too many great auction items to list!
7. It’s quite impressive for a group of people to put in a long day of work at the con and then extend that day into the late night in the name of a good cause. Give your HeroesCon Drink and Draw crew a hand, and maybe a drink or two to thank them for all their hard work. Seth will once again be emceeing this event and I will also be joining him on the mic this year! This is a cause that is near and dear to both of our hearts, and the Heroes family as well.
Seth and Justin at the 2013 Drink and Draw
6. Not only will there be Drink and Draw art created live while you watch in the Hilton, but artists from all over have sent in pieces for you to bid on! Some of these artists don’t normally sell sketches outside of their books so this is a great opportunity to own some amazing original art you will not be able to find anywhere else. Not to drop names, but comics greats like Art Spiegelman and Stephan Pastis are sending art this year!
5. All of the proceeds of the Drink and Draw go to Team Cul de Sac which raises money for Parkinson’s research. TCDS was founded by Chris Sparks with Richard Thompson after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s and Chris wanted to do something to help his friend. This is an amazing cause and we are so happy to be a part of the fundraising efforts.
2013 Drink and Draw
4. You may have seen the article in the New York Post or the Press Release on this very blog, but in case you missed it, we will have on display the original Pearls Before Swine strips that Bill Watterson of Calvin and Hobbes fame did with Stephan Pastis this month. The original art will also be on display behind the Art Stage all weekend during convention hours.
3. Do you collect original art? The Drink and Draw presents the opportunity to pick up some very unique pieces at great prices. Didn’t have a chance to chat with some of your favorite artists on the con floor? A growing number of the pros at HeroesCon are attending the Drink and Draw. If your personal favorite isn’t there, maybe you’ll find a new one or two.
A sampling of original art!
2. The Drink and Draw is a much smaller venue than the con floor and it is a wonderful time to spend time with friends and make new ones. The community and support that has grown around this event has been amazing. What started as a small crowd at Fuel Pizza has expanded to the Hilton hotel bar featuring live music in just a few years time.
1. I mentioned above that all the proceeds raised go to Parkinson’s research, but the number one reason to attend the Drink and Draw is to honor Richard Thompson. Richard was actually in attendance at our very first Drink and Draw in 2011. He has not been able to join us physically since, but we know he’s here with us in spirit and happy to see such a great art community of both artists and fans honor his contribution to comics.
Richard and Roger Langridge at the 2011 Drink and Draw.
Want to see more of past Drink and Draws? Here are photos from 2011, 2012, and 2013.
The HeroesCon Drink and Draw event takes place on Friday, June 20 at 7:30 p.m. in the Hilton Center City atrium located at 222 E 3rd St, Charlotte, NC 28202. HeroesCon’s first Drink and Draw event was in 2011, modeled after the Drink and Draw Social Club founded by comic artists Dave Johnson, Dan Panosian and Jeff Johnson. That event and every one since has raised money for Team Cul de Sac, the organization founded in honor of Cul de Sac cartoonist Richard Thompson that raises money and awareness for Parkinson’s Research.
Early Saturday morning we announced that HeroesCon will exhibit Bill Watterson and Stephan Pastis‘ three collaborative strips in Pearls Before Swine. While we knew that this would be huge news, we are thrilled that several national outlets covered the story. From the 
JOEY ELLIS (Sunday Only) :: Leaky Timbers
ANDY FISH :: Dracula’s Army, Werewolves of Wisconsin, Warner Bros Licensing Artist
VERONICA FISH :: Pirates of Mars, Dracula’s Army, Frankenstein 1921
GEORGES JEANTY :: Serenity, Buffy, Green Lantern
NATHAN MASSENGIL :: Deadpool Classics, Buffy, Batman, Spider-Man
ERIC POWELL :: The Goon, Big Trouble In Little China
ANDY’S PICK :: DISNEY JUNIOR ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ANIMATED CHARACTERS: Where was this book when I was a kid. As a Disney obsessed youth (I blame the classic Gold Key published, Walt Disney Comics Digest) I used to make lists of every character I could. These were the years before the internet so I had to go off memory and comic books. What I wouldn’t have done for a book like this! There are over 150 entries with illustrations and character info starting with Ariel (I imagine) and ends (I’m pretty certain) with Zurg. And the inside of the book jacket is a giant poster. All for only $13.00!!! Any pre-teen will love it!
PAUL AZACETA – Artist: Outcast, X-Men, Graveyard of Empires
ALEAH BAKER – Colorist, Letterer, Concept Designer: Sonic the Hedgehog & Mega Man
BERNARD CHANG – Artist: Green Lantern Corps, Demon Knights, Wonder Woman
LEWIS LAROSA – Artist: Bloodshot, Harbinger, Shadowman, X-Men, JLA, Punisher MAX
NORM RAPMUND – Inker: The Flash, Booster Gold, Teen Titans, Nightwing, Batman/Superman
ANDY SMITH – Artist: Thanos, X-Men, Wolverine, Superman, Batman
BOB WIACEK – Inker: X-Men, Star Wars, X-Factor, Brave and the Bold
JARRETT WILLIAMS – Cartoonist: Super Pro KO, Regular Show, Yo Gabba Gabba!
WALDEN WONG – Inker: Guardians of the Galaxy, Wolverine and the X-Men, Justice League Dark
