Hey Phantomaniacs! It is
once again that time of year where I pack the rest of the family up
in the Troublemobile and travel the trail from Atlanta to Charlotte
to Wilmington. In Charlotte we will spend two days at the for-real,
actual comic book convention known as HeroesCon and then in
Wilmington we will visit the senior Troublemakers and spend some time
at the beach. The next two weeks should be a great time and hopefully
a relaxing break for all of us.
The first major
difference was how pleasant everybody was – all of the artists,
guests, and vendors had time to talk and were glad to do so. It
wasn’t packed elbow-to-elbow and we could easily maneuver around
the floor. This made for a much more relaxed experience than the
frantic “I have to keep going or I’m going to miss whatever I’m
headed for” atmosphere that permeates Dragon*Con.
Also – and it took me
longer to notice this – the Guest list was very different. While my
beloved Dragon*Con is packed with celebrities from lists B, C, and Z
with a smattering of creators from the world of comics; Heroes offers
a top-notch selection of some of the very best talent working in the
medium today. And they are all there to interact with the fans. I
have spoken to more than one grumpy-ass, sour puss creator at
Dragon*Con, but every single person we talked to at Heroes was
delightful and thrilled to be there.
This is because HeroesCon
is a comic
book convention.
And now I understand what that means.
This year at HeroesCon I
am going in almost as blind as I did the first year, but in a
different way. I plan to represent Needless Things and I hope to be
able to chat with some of the creators and put a podcast episode
together. But I dunno. We’ll see how that goes. I am going to have
to overcome my desire to not bug people and chances are if I do I
will end up breaking a few rules of con etiquette. Right now the list
of people I hope to get a few minutes to chat with are Jamie Cosley,
DJ Spider, Chris Sims, the folks at Handmade Stuffs, Francesco
Francavilla, Tom Fowler, and Mike Norton. Like I said, we’ll see.
The 2013 Guest List is
absolutely massive. Even with two days this year I doubt very much
we’ll be able to see all of the people we’d like to. But as I
always do for these sorts of things I’ve made a priority list of
the people I absolutely have to check out. I doubt very much I’ll
be getting sketches from anybody, as this year’s con budget is
pretty restricted. I’m doing my best to not go nuts and blow all of
our disposable income on cons. We’re even trying to avoid the mass
purchasing of prints that we usually do, as we’ve got a stack three
years in the making awaiting frames. At the very least we’re going
to avoid non-standard sizes. Those are the ones that are just on the
shelf gathering dust.
Artists – please stop
making non-standard size prints. I understand that your 6 3/16” x
27 1/8” print makes you feel all special, but it will probably
never make it to my wall.
Okay, anyway – here’s
my Priority List of Folks to See:
Jason Aaron
– I know he’s got a much longer resume than this, but his work on
Wolverine
and the X-Men
has absolutely endeared this guy to me. I’ll be bringing along a
copy of issue #1 for him to sign.
Becky Cloonan
– I feel like I know her work mostly from sketches I’ve seen
online. But her work of note for me was the fantastic Batman
#12 that introduced Harper Row and presented a welcome break from Greg
Capullo’s work, which had become a bit too… something…
for me as “Night of the Owls” went on. I’d love to see Ms.
Cloonan on her own title for one of the big companies.
Amanda Conner
– I’ll admit that it’s only been in the past few years that
I’ve become a fan of Ms. Conner’s work. Her facial expressions
are absolutely the best in the business, and I’ll fight anyone that
says otherwise. Okay, not really. But damn
is she good. I purchased DC’s collection of some of her work and
I’ll be bringing that to get signed and maybe
sketched in if it isn‘t insanely pricey. Which it certainly should
be.
Side
Note: I am very cheap about what I want to pay for sketches, but I
don’t think that the artists should be charging less. Those folks
have a skill that nobody else has and they should definitely charge
top dollar for that skill. I often don’t even ask about sketches
because I don’t want anybody to think it’s a reflection of my
opinion of their work if I decline. So if you happen to be an artist
and read this and a dude in a wrestling mask decides not to get a
sketch from you - it’s because he’s a cheapskate, not because he
undervalues your talent. And if anybody overhears me clumsily
explaining this to an artist, please
kick me in the shin.
Jamie Cosley
– Mr. Cosley is my favorite artist on the planet ever. He was the
first guy we got a sketch from back in 2010 and I am absolutely
thrilled that we get to see him again this year. He drew some of my
favorite pictures of all time for Lil’ Troublemaker – Finn and
Jake with Batman and an amazing Scooby-Doo. I don’t know that I’ve
ever met anybody nicer at a convention. I will absolutely be getting
more work from him this year.
Michael Dooney
– Mr. Dooney is one of my comic book heroes. He is one of the
original Mirage Ninja Turtles artists and brought a bright, clear new
style of storytelling to the books. I would love to get a sketch from
him, but I bet he charges a lot. As he should.
Tommy Lee Edwards
– I mostly know Mr. Edwards from his work on Batman
comics. His work ended up in the midst of a bunch of visually sub-par
issues. I had been thoroughly enjoying the story, so I just kept
slogging through a bunch of rotten art. Then, all of a sudden, there
was awesome art. The first page he illustrated in that huge story arc
hit me in the face like a brick. I hadn’t expected the art to ever
improve – it rarely does as a story goes on – quite the opposite,
usually. But I certainly didn’t expect to suddenly get a face full
of something that was right up my alley.
Tom Feister
– Feister is a local favorite of mine. His work on GI Joe covers is
an awesome blend of modern sensibilities with 80s designs. His stuff
is exactly as stylized as I like things to be. Not so realistic as to
be boring, but not so cartoony as to be distracting. The lack of “G”
and “I” in the prints I lost in the flood will always be a
reminder to me that I need to act when somebody offers something and
not be such a dork about imposing on people’s personal time.
Tom Fowler
– I really want to have another conversation with this man. When I
talked to him at HeroesCon in 2010 it was one of the most
enlightening conversations I have ever had. While I don’t
necessarily agree with his viewpoint on Dragon*Con, I certainly
understand it. I would love to have a segment on the podcast with Mr.
Fowler. Also, his art is great and fucking wacky. His run on Venom
was amazing.
Francesco
Francavilla
– Francavilla is one of my favorite artists working today. Not only
is he putting out one of the most fun titles I’ve read in years
with his Black
Beetle
from Dark Horse; he has also lent his considerable talents to both
Marvel and DC for some of the best of their recent offerings. On top
of that, the man is constantly posting new artwork across all forms
of social media. I love his style and cannot get enough of his takes
on existing franchises. The covers he has been producing for IDW’s
Doctor
Who: Prisoners in Time
have been beautiful.
SL Gallant
– Gallant is the absolute perfect companion to Larry Hama for IDW’s
continuation of Marvel’s GI
Joe: A Real American Hero.
His art in that book is modern, but fits in perfectly with the style
of the original comic. It’s more advanced, but still clean and
simple with just the right amount of realism. I’ve got a couple of
issues I’d like to have signed.
Tony Harris
– I have only recently started reading Tony Harris and James
Robinson’s Starman
and it is one of the best things I have ever read. Right up there
with Saga.
I also picked up his recent book, Chin Music (written by Steve Niles), and the first issue
already has me hooked. Part of the reason Starman
is such a fascinating book is watching Harris’ abilities evolve as
the narrative goes on. I’ll be bringing the first Starman
omnibus and issue #1 of Chin Music for a signature.
Steve Niles
– I’m just a huge fan of Niles’ work. He writes compelling,
badass horror and is just one of the nicest guys ever. We’ll spend
some money with him.
Jimmy Palmiotti
– I’ve read bits and pieces of Palmiotti’s work here and there
over the years and I dig him. But right now he’s part of the best
title DC is publishing – All-Star
Western.
Every single issue still amazes me with how good it is. I never
imagined that my favorite book from DC would be a Western. I’m
probably going to say “awesome” a lot while talking to him.
Paolo Rivera
– I am not a fan of Daredevil. But between Mark Waid’s fun,
exciting storylines and Rivera’s fantastic art I am addicted to the
new book.
Don Rosa
– I would love to have some original art from the Founding Father
of Duckberg, but I’ll probably end up settling for a print.
Greg Rucka
– I really need to check out some of his independent work. His runs
on Batwoman
and Punisher
are outstanding and I’m curious to see what he does without
editorial restraint.
Bill Sienkiewicz
– I’ve been a fan of his ever since I bought some crazy Daredevil
graphic novel in a dollar bin years ago. The wild art on the cover is
what sold me on it. I have a Venture Bros. poster he did that I need
to get signed. It already has Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick’s
signatures, so Sienkiewicz’s would complete it. And me.
Chris Sims
– I didn’t realize Sims was actually a Guest here. I hate to
sound all Marc Maron-y (Mrs. Troublemaker recently informed me that I
am very much like Maron and I have no idea how to feel about that)
but this makes me feel old and unaccomplished.
Dean Trippe
– This guy produced what is one of my favorite prints ever – a
meeting between Silver Age Batman and Robin and the Doctor. But I
didn’t actually get to meet him when we bought it.
Christopher Uminga
– Uminga regularly produces some of my favorite pieces of art in
the world of social media.
Chris Walker
– The inimitable Mr. Walker is an old pal of mine and always a hoot
to chat with at the cons. I used to get to talk to him on a regular
basis, but life is very different from what it once was. It’ll be
good to see Chris again.
Skottie Young
– Mr. Young is one of the best cartoonists working right now. His
work on the Oz
books from Marvel is what sold me on them. He has a frenetic but
family-friendly style that we all enjoy.
Obviously there are a
lot
more Guests than that. And there are even some that I am a fan of but
didn’t mention. Mostly that’s because I already have stuff from
them or will see them at other cons. But definitely check out the
full Guest List:
Of course, like any good
con, HeroesCon has panels scheduled. Since I’m with the family I
doubt I’ll be attending any of them, but I might as well point out
a few that I‘d be interested in:
Friday
2:30 PM – Dark
Horse Panel
– Eric
Powell,
Francesco
Francavilla, Becky Cloonan,
Matt
Kindt,
and
Sanford
Greene
should make for an interesting panel. I’d like to have a little
more insight as to how things are run over at Dark Horse.
4:00 PM – CBLDF:
History of Censorship
– Obviously it will depend on who is doing the talking, but this
has the potential to be a fascinating panel. The Comic Book Legal
Defense Fund is such an important part of the comic book industry and
I would be very interested in hearing their take on the complicated
issue of freedom of speech in comics.
5:00 PM – Eyevis:
The Animation of Dave Johnson
– This is probably the thing I would most want to see. It’s a
screening of Johnson’s weirdo, Lovecraft-inspired cartoon along
with a Q&A.
7:00 PM – 3rd
Annual Drink & Draw at the Hilton City Center Bar
– I’m much better at drinking than I am at drawing, but I’d
still like to check this out. It is exactly what it sounds like.
Saturday
12:00 PM – Cover
Design
– I
can’t remember what sparked this in me, but I’ve been thinking a
lot about comic book covers lately. I’m one of those guys that gets
infuriated when the cover is not representative of what is going on
inside the book. To me, the Marvel covers I grew up with in the 80s
were the best – GI
Joe
and Uncanny
X-Men
almost always had covers inspired by the action in the pages. I think
it’s pretty lame that we seem to have lost that particular aspect
of the art form. Joe Quinones,
Reverend
Dave Johnson,
Phil
Noto,
and
Francesco Francavilla will be discussing the art of the cover.
3:00 PM – Jimmy
Palmiotti and Amanda Conner
– I’d love to see these two just sit down and talk about making
great comics.
4:30 PM – Cosplay
– I’m never gonna be a costuming guy. I don’t have the skill or
patience to make or wear costumes. But I love costumes and am
fascinated by what goes into them. Wait – maybe I should rephrase
that. I am fascinated by the
work
that goes into them. But this panel features some of the people that
go into them (and make them) - DJ
Spider,
Chris
Donio,
Sean
Patton, Yaya
Han,
and
Ryan Hicks.
There seems to be an awful lot of strife in the costuming community
these days and I’m curious to see if these folks address that at
all. I’m only familiar with two of the names on the panel and from
what I’ve seen in the social media they are both too classy to get
into all of that. This one should be interesting.
There are panels schedule
on Sunday as well, but I’m not going to be there. I didn’t even
look at the schedule because I don’t want to be tortured by the
possibility of a “Francesco Francavilla Gives Away Luchador
Paintings For An Hour” panel.
To see the full schedule,
check this out:
In addition to the Guests
and panels listed above, HeroesCon also has a number of independent
artists and publishers and a MASSIVE selection of exhibitors and
vendors. For the full list of all of these things, check out the
Heroes Conwebsite.
And that does it for me,
Phantomaniacs. As of right now I am off duty for Needless Things.
Keep checking in over the next two weeks for fresh new posts from
some great guests. And of course you should be following me on
Facebook,
Twitter,
and as Phantom Troublemaker on Instagram for up-to-the-minute
goofballery from the convention floor.
See you in two weeks!
-Phantom
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