J Chris Campbell

I had a lot of fun playing at Heroes Convention. Big thanks to everyone for coming and making this year’s convention legendary!

#1 Comics

The number one reason to go to a comic book show is for the comics! Big surprise right? There are millions of comic books at Heroes Convention. For a newbie getting that first glimpse at all the booths as you come into the room is pretty overwhelming. To this day I still get excited as I enter the convention center.

Dealers come from all over the country to sell their fine collections. Some booths are like you’ve just walked into a museum with ultra rare collectable comics lined up across the back of their booth like wallpaper. Other booths have stacks of long boxes bursting with books for just a buck! Sometimes you can find them for 50 cents. That’s really bargain considering comics cost $3.00 dollars a book now.

For the past few years I’ve been hooked pretty hard on old humor comics. Just about anything with yellow pages with a Walter Lance character I’m all over. It’s all Duane’s fault for bringing back a stack that he found for a dollar each. So now I sit a $20 back just for buying as many as cheap as I can get them. I never read them as a kid so I love to flip thru copies of Woody Woodpecker, Andy Panda, Hot Stuff, Spooky, Casper, Looney Toons or Disney comics.

Sometimes I’ll make a list of back issues I’m looking for but usually there is enough new things that my money is allocated before I enter the room. Here’s a couple of things I’m for sure picking up.

Sky Scrappers of the Midwest Hardback signed by Josh Cotter
Freddie and Me signed by Mike Dawson
Muppets mini & Fred The Clown mini by Roger Landgridge
The Claws Come out by Pat Lewis
Crustacean Frustration by Rob Ullman
Owly a time to be brave signed by Andy Runton
Superior Showcase #3 signed by all 3 creators (with a little help from Pitzer)
Sundays antho #1 #2
Afrodisiac #1 mini-comic by Jim Rugg

And a few other things that I can’t think of right now but I’ll know when I see them.

The convention starts tomorrow and I hope I talked a few of you into going. Call a buddy and ask them to do a day trip with you. Come by my booth and repeat the 8 reason list to me and I’ll give you something special.

I’ll be at Booth 510 in Indie Island on Saturday and Sunday. Hope I see you there.

#2 Creators

I just took another look at the guest list and it is still huge! There are almost 400 creators and comic professionals at this show. From silly cartoonists to realistic painters from web strip artists to the guy who writes Iron Man comics the range of talent is pretty mind boggling.

The majority of these folks are really open to answering questions, signing books or doing a sketch for you. Bring a sketch book with you and collect drawings from artists you’ve met. Most people even request just pictures of Batman or Monkeys in space suits. Artists don’t charge much and some even do it for free! But don’t plan on filling it up in one weekend especially if you’re hitting up some of the more popular artists. Luckily at Heroes Convention the lines for artists don’t get very long. Maybe this year I’ll start that Bizarro themed sketchbook I’ve always wanted.

You can commission artists for more detailed work but be prepared to come back later to pick it up. They’ve usually got a list of things they are working on for people at the show. So make sure to get on their list as early as you can.

Go around and look at each of the artist’s tables. Even if you’re familiar with the artist they may have something you didn’t know was available. The real fun for me is discovering a new creator I’ve never seen before. Each year I meet one or two new artists and it’s actually the place where I’ve met some of my best buddies. That’s one of the greatest things you can find!

#3 Indie Island

Unless you’re into Indie comics you have no clue how amazing Indie Island is. It’s a section of the convention with people that are pushing the limits of what comic books can be. The majority of these people don’t make a living and may never make back what they have invested. So that’s not what motivates them. It liberates them and allows them to think of comic books differently. The eagle of freedom soars thru their hearts and lays eggs of enlightenment in their brain cavities. You should count yourself lucky to feast on the omelet of their creativeness.

But seriously, you’d have to waste a ton of money on gas just to see this group of people. You’d have to go to a specialty convention and those things are pretty far away from Charlotte NC. So Indie Island is a unique opportunity to see some artsy stuff. There is no other major convention in the country that gives this much emphasis to Indie Comics.

This group was hand picked to be guests at the convention. You can’t pay to be a part of Indie Island and that makes this unlike any other Small Press show in the US. It’s like if you went to SPX, APE or MoCCA but only the best people were there.

I love Indie Island and every year it only gets better and better. I’m incredibly lucky to be a part of it. Check out the guest list and make sure to click on the artist links to see some really great work.

#4 Events

You’re the participation type, aren’t you? Well there are loads of events that go down at Heroes Convention every year.

Why not show off your most excellent drawing skills in the Quickdraw Contest? It’s a neat way to throw down with other con goers. Just knock out a spectacular drawing in 20 minutes with just 2 pencils, 2 pieces of paper and your own drawing might! Some previous participants have actually gone on to be professional comic artists.

One of the most exciting interactive events is for sure the Heroes Convention Art Auction. It’s a pretty neat thing to witness as a huge crowd of people throw money at amazing works of art. All the art is donated by the artists to help fund the enormous cost of throwing Heroes Convention. Last year I was so jazzed that I might actually grab an awesome drawing by Paul Hornschmier but it jumped way beyond my price range within seconds. It was pretty unbelievable. Heck, Jim Mafood doodled on a table cloth and that went for a couple of hundred dollars! This year they’ve moved it to The Alley Cat club so it should have a different vibe but I’m sure it’s going to be the same great spectacle it’s been in the past.

There’s an new event this year that I’m sure will be neat to watch unfold. They received so much fantastic artwork that they are holding a Silent Auction all weekend long. It will be located at the back of the hall where another cool event takes place: Live Art! All weekend long you can catch artists creating works that will be later auctioned off. You can watch a painting happen from sketch to final art right there on the convention floor. While you’re making your laps looking for a copy of Project:Superior be sure to swing by that area thru-out the weekend.

There are lots of things happening all the time on the floor of the show. Scheduled creative signings, interviews for online comic news sites and even video and audio recordings for a slew of comic centric pod casts. Events are happening everywhere all day long so lift your head up some from the half price graphic novels and take it all in.

5. After Hours

You may not know this but when Heroes Convention closes they kick everyone out of the convention center. Yep, all those creators you’ve been waiting in line to talk with don’t actually stay in the convention center all night long. They leave and go out into the city where you might run into them at some swank hotel bar.

It’s a pretty cool part of the convention that not many people think about. Even me, with my almost infinite knowledge of the intricacies of convention life, just found out about this millinium. Here’s the deal, the convention center is located in a part of the city with a deficit of bars so everyone eventually ends up at the Westin’s bar. Giving you a nice boiling pot of comic profesionals and fans mingling amongst one another as equals. It’s up to you to figure out how to infiltrate the crowd and what your opening line will be for when you meet Eric Larson or Evan Dorkin.

You absolutely have to take advantage of this networking opportunity. At the very least it gives you something to talk about the next day at the convention. “Heh, aren’t you that guy who drank that bottle of wine and then ate some guys cigar butt” asks Josh Cotter? “Yes I am,” you reply proudly with no recollection of anything you did after the 4 margaritas you had with Brad McGinty. Ah, living the night life!

The big green guy is out this weekend. Don’t let the commercial fool you, Tony Stark is only in the movie for about as long as he is in the ad.

For some real Iron Man and Hulk action catch this killer Marvel produced animation.

6. Paraphernalia

From reproduction Klingon Bat’leths to little stuffed owls to pac-man t-shirts you can find it at Heroes Convention. Yes there are a lot of comics but there are booths of other merchandise, swag, buttons, knickknacks, dohickies and every pop culture collectible imaginable. They hand you a bag at the door and you can have it slam full of free stuff before you even get into the convention.

One of the coolest free things has to be the Heroes Convention program. A program is cool? Heck yeah it’s cool. You can use the program book to collect creator signatures. For free! That’s what I did back before I became the bazillionaire artist you know and love today. Hey, when you are low on cash looking at stuff you can’t buy gets old super fast. So it’s the perfect way to go around and meet your favorite artists and even meet artists you’ve never heard of or soon wished you never had. Some people make it their goal to get all the listed guests to sign their book. Youngster Tip: Moms love the challenge and it’s the perfect way to keep them off your back while you’re out searching for that ultra rare Charizard card for your base Pokemon set.

A poster from the movie Krull, robot buttons, a Strawberry Shortcake key chain, a drinking glass with Hot Stuff on it, a Clash of the Titans lunch box and miniature bust of your favorite Decepticon are all waiting for you. Basically for super geekoids like myself, there is a plethora of paraphernalia ready to satiate your hunger for all things pop culture related and especially anything having to do with comic books.

Oh, Heroes offers a new t-shirt each year to commemorate the convention. This year they’re even doing super awesome ones for the Indie Island area of the convention. You can buy those online now!

A few paraphernalia items I’d like to find and purchase if my bazillionaire funds hadn’t recently been frozen.

• Bootleg DVD of the Freakazoid Series
• Jim Henson’s City Creatures
• Loose C3PO from the Droids Cartoon
• A super cool robot belt buckle
• New Popidiot t-shirt for my son
• One of those killer Indie Island t-shirts (but they didn’t make fatty sizes)
• And more things I’m embarrassed to list but not including an ultra sweet Star Team Spacebelt that I’m picking up from a recovering collectaholic.

Update:

• Good pal Rob Ullman has the scoop on the convention exclusive poster by Darwin Cook!
• Holy fudge muscles! Check out the Evan Dorkin Indie Island exclusive T-shirt!!

 7. Costumes

Yes, I actually dig seeing all the costumes people wear to conventions. Unlike other shows, Heroes Convention has the perfect amount of costumed fans walking around. You’re at the show checking out some back issues when BLAM Mr. Fantastic comes strolling by with added bonus of long stretch arms! You’re like “cool” and move along. Just when you kind of slip back into your zone WAP Zantana walks up in fishnet stockings! It’s kind of like running across a celebrity that happens to be wearing the cloths from their last film. That’s not really a good example but you get the idea.

Heroes Convention doesn’t hold a costume contests so those who show up are just in it for fun. So there isn’t a large saturation of caped crusaders and wacky wall crawlers. Just enough to throw you a little when you see some guy in green body paint and purple pants thumbing through long boxes.

I’ve been going to Heroes Convention since the late 80’s and I still get excited every time it roles around. I try to encourage all sorts of people regardless of there level of comic book enthusiasm. It’s a really great show and there are all sorts of things to enjoy about it.

I’ve decided to break it down into 8 main reasons for someone to attend Heroes Convention. I’ll post them everyday until I get to #1! (hopefully everyday, with a new baby who knows if I’ll make it to #1:)

 8. Panels

I’ve always enjoyed catching panels at conventions. You’ll get first hand information from creators and professionals with knowledge about everything in the industry. This year Heroes Convention has got a pretty amazing line-up of panels and events that cover a large spectrum of topics. A little something for all types of comic fans plus it’s FREE and a great way to slow down your spending spree.

Thanks to my daughter Lily’s early arrival I will be attending Heroes Convention 2008! Small chance that I’ll be there for 2 days, but I will totally be there on Saturday!

JUNE 20-22
Charlotte, NC
Heroes Convention
Indie Island

Previously announced addition to Campbell Clan Industries has been produced. Final assembly completed on 5.30.08. Visual conformation of parts confirms previous test results and designation of Lilly has been assigned. Unit is now entering cocoon stage.