At this years Heroes Convention, over three hundred guests awaited eager fans in the Queen City of the Carolina's Charlotte Convention Center. With so many pros on hand, it was challenging to decide where to focus your attention or where to begin.
Several top industry professionals made their first appearance in Charlotte (or at least this was the case as far as I can remember). Being a silver age & bronze age kinda guy, Brian Bolland, Jim Starlin, Gary Kwapisz, Pat Broderick, Gary Friedrich, Roy Thomas, Herb Trimpe, Joe Jusko, June Brigman, Rod Whigham and Bernie Wrightson all appealed to me; and that was just the starters. Frank Cho, Rob Liefeld, Mark Brooks, Adam Hughes, Kevin Maguire, Mark Bagley, Billy Tucci, Joe Linsner, J. Scott Campbell, Mike Mignola, Guy Davis, and many, many more creative talents were also there to sign piles of comics or books or to knock off a few sketches for desperate fans.
Many of the guests produces artwork - live - onstage to contribute to the annual charity art auction, which is used to benefit select outlets and to underwrite the next years show. Emceed by the lovely Alison Sohn and actor Scott Adsit (30 Rock), the evening saw paintings by Mark Brooks (The Black Cat) and Adam Hughes (Zatanna) tied for the top spot fetching "$8,000" apiece, and this one event manages to bring together fans, retailers, guests and industry folks who all hobnob on Saturday evening to the accompaniment of large quantities of alcohol. A quartet of luscious ladies all dressed as DC Comics heroine, Zatanna carried each piece of artwork around the room for bidders to eyeball up close and personal. I was mostly staring at everything else, and you know what I mean (nudge, nudge - wink, wink). At least that's what I can remember!
More details to follow, because I've gotta go sleep off the rest of this hangover. Sheesh!
Wow! That J. Scott Campbell pic of Sydney Savage is AWESOME!
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