It's time for another convention, and this is one of my new favorites, Heroes, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Last year, I rather crazily drove down in the wee hours of Saturday morning, napped a bit and did the show all day Saturday. After crashing on my bed, I drove all day home Sunday and went to work the next day.
Insane? Yup. But totally worth it.
This time around, Heroes is part of a longer vacation, and I'm looking forward to being a bit more relaxed for this visit. I know there are bigger shows, but what I like about Heroes (and Baltimore) is that they do a good job of serving the interests of all Western comics fans. You get everyone from Neal Adams to Joey Wieser at a show like this, and I really appreciate that variety.
The major guest list is a murder's row of talent this year, starting with Stan Lee and working across the comics spectrum from there. You can see the complete guest list here, and I bet you'll find plenty of people to stop by and thank for all the great comics they've made over the years. (Just please don't be that jerk who carries around a longbox and asks Jerry Ordway to sign everything he ever drew, ok?) There are also plenty of people who will have just about every trade paperback ever made and singles, too, if that's your thing. Lovers of sketches will find plenty of artists willing to add to your collection.
If panels are your thing, Heroes does a great job of finding interesting guests and topics. I could easily have spent a lot of my weekend there last year going to panels. (This time around, I may skip on panels, as I like to prioritize time on the floor and I wouldn't mind seeing some of Charlotte proper.)
All in all, it's an amazing show that's worth driving several hours for, so if you are a comics fan and anywhere near this jewel of a show, please make sure you take the trip. It's a relaxed atmosphere with a minimum of obnoxiousness that caters to a wide audience and strives hard to be friendly to the entire family.
Tomorrow, I'll have a list of the people you should see at Heroes. If you're looking for me, I'll be in purple Justice League shirt. No press pass (missed the deadline again!), but always looking to talk to folks about their comics, so don't hesitate to stop me, if I don't stop you! Heroes is June 22-24th this year, and I hope to see you there on Friday!
