Heroes Con 2009 Report - Conclusion

Sunday at the show, about 2 in the afternoon, I finally took some time to walk the show floor, talk to some folks, and buy some art. I tend to get into meaty conversations with fellow creators at their table and before I know it I've spent an hour on the floor and only been to 5 or 6 tables. There was so much incredible work to see. I could have gone to this show as an attendee and spent all three days in it's fabulous Artist Alley. Mainstream, Indie, whatever, it's all there. I nabbed a funky print from Evan Dahm of a character from his webcomic Rice Boy. I haven't read the strip yet but from the look of things I definitely will be checking it out. I got a beautiful print of Tarzan and Jane from Chris Samnee. Brian Hurtt let me have a print for the new book he and Cullen Bunn are working on for Oni. It's a supernatural Western. (Hmmm, that's a pretty good idea.) I bought a charming print illustration of a dragon serenading a dancing girl by Kei Acedera of Imaginism Studios. And I picked up a gorgeous little print from illustrator Kim Feigenbaum. She does some remarkable illustration work and it was hard to choose from her selection of prints. I don't have much money to spend, luckily there was a great deal of quality art there for very reasonable prices. If I had more time I would have dropped much more cash, whether I could afford it or not. I'm well on my way to covering every square inch of every wall in my apartment. This was an art lover's kind of show.

Oh yeah, here's something I thought was kind of cool. Anyone who knows me might also be aware that I think 30 Rock is currently the funniest show on television. First seen at the Westin, then at the show, was 30 Rock star Scott Adsit. If you know thew show, he plays the show's producer and trusted friend to Tina Fey's character. And he's hilarious. While I was working on a sketch of Captain Cold, he stopped by and said some nice words about my work. If I was any good at being a fan I would have mentioned that I like his work, maybe even gotten a picture with him. But I never think that fast on such matters, so I sincerely thanked him instead. Anyway, a little geek moment for me.

Another thing: The Guns of Shadow Valley convention preview book sold out once again. Just thought I'd mention it. ;)

Sunday after the show some of us go back to Mert's. It's just that good. This time I'm with Zack, Pat Loika, and Mike Woods. I decide on the Red Beans and Rice with turkey sausage with a side of slaw. With it not being so crowded this time, I'm able to greater appreciate the ambiance of the place. Very layed back, not pretentious, but not crappy either. Just comfortable, with some of my favorite old r&b and soul music from bygone decades playing lightly in the background. I recommend Mert's to anyone who visit's Charlotte. You can even follow them on twitter! We say goodbye to Mike and Pat. Zack and I head for one last night at the Westin. Sunday is always straggler's night at a show, where whomever may be left hangs out before leaving the next day. It was very laid back chilling with the folks there. A nice way to decompress and try to hang on to the event before we finally have to admit that it's actually over. Artist Buzz was doing sketches and out of the blue he does a quick ink brush head sketch of Frankenstein's Monster for me. How cool is that? Very cool, my friends. Very cool.

The next day Zack and I pack it up, check out and get on the road back home. The weather had cooled a little. It had been stiflingly hot and muggy pretty much all weekend. Like breathing in soup. But Monday was perfect driving weather. A good thing to because we started the trip by getting lost and ended up adding an extra hour and a half to the trip. Not a big deal though as I don't mind that trip. Zack and I were a little quieter this time, both pretty worn out. We still had some time for some silliness, though. Finally back at my place, Zack transfers his stuff to his car and sets out for home in Indiana. He's a good guy, that Zack Kruse. I drive up the highway to my folks place to get some dinner, and recount some of the events that they eagerly want to hear. They were taking care of my cat Rusty, so I retrieve him and finally head home.

This is one of the best shows I have ever been to. I know I say that after every show as I reminisce like a kid who has just come home from Summer camp, but it's true. Heroes Con has a strong sense of community. It's a big medium sized show, maybe a little larger than my last show, the Emerald City Comicon. It was busy and yet organized. The folks around Charlotte love their comics and love the art and they really go out of their way to show their appreciation of the medium. I definitely want to come back next year. If it could just be about 20 degrees cooler out next time...

This concludes my Heroes Con 2009 report. I hope you received some modicum of enjoyment or at least killed some time by reading it. Here's a few more pics from the flickr set: