In the first part of my review of Heroes Con 2013, I focused on the fantastic job Shelton Drum and his staff/volunteers did with providing a family friendly environment and plenty of fun activities for the thousands of kids that attended this past weekend. However, Heroes Con is not called "America's Favorite Comic Convention" just for one reason! Once again this year, there was a massive and diverse guest list of comic book writers, artists, colorists, publishers and more!
Neal Adams is always a favorite with Heroes Con fans, and it was great to chat with him, as well as get some of my favorite silver/bronze age comics signed! Neal also had an impressive portfolio of art available for purchase, which kept his booth buzzing with activity throughout the weekend.
Charles Soule, the new writer of Swamp Thing, was a welcome addition to this year's guest list. With the upcoming Superman/Wonder Woman team-up book arriving later this year, plus his new writing assignment on Red Lanterns, he certainly stands to have a significant impact on DC's "New 52" Universe this year.
Dark Horse and IDW Publishing were also well represented at the convention this year. Several creators, including Georges Jeanty, the artist for Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9, had a very busy booth. It was also a pleasure to meet Joe Harris, the writer of The X-Files Season 10 ongoing series that is starting this month. Like Dark Horse's Buffy series, this book will begin where the popular television series left off, after completing its ninth and final season back in 2002. Joe's only regret at the convention was that the first issue was still a couple weeks away from release at the time of Heroes Con, so he could not sign copies for his fans.
Besides the large number of modern day creators, there were also many "classic" artists on hand, such as Marcus Hamilton (Dennis the Menace), and the great duck artist Don Rosa. Rosa always has a wonderful booth display, featuring classic silver age Marvel comics reimagined with Donald Duck, Uncle Scrooge and other iconic Disney characters.
Tom Heintjes is the editor of Hogan's Alley, also known as the "Magazine of the Cartoon Arts." It is an unique publication devoted to the cartoon arts and has been in publication since 1994. Tom had a large array of back issues available for sale, and it was a pleasure meeting him in person.
Perhaps the greatest thrill of the weekend, however, was meeting the legendary Jim Steranko, who was a last minute addition to the show. Jim was very gracious with all his fans, and having my wife locate a copy of Spyman #1 (Steranko's first professional work) for him to sign only made this experience even more special!
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| The legendary Jim Steranko (Photo by Bob Bailey) |
Besides signings and sketches, several guests also appeared in various panels throughout the weekend. Jonathan Hickman, Matt Fraction and Jason Aaron took part in a "Marvel Writers" panel, and there were also several publisher panels from DC, Image, Valiant and Dark Horse. In addition, Heroes Con also featured a variety of interesting subjects for panels, including Hip-Hop and Comics, young adult graphic novels and even a discussion about Kickstarter, the popular funding platform that so many indie comic creators have utilized to bring their dream to fruition.
My third and final part of the Heroes Con 2013 Review will be posted soon. Stay tuned!
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