HEROESCON :: Pre-Convention News Smorgasbord!

Whew! Man we are running around like crazy, but I wanted to update you on a couple of things before I get away from easy internet access. I'm super rushed though, and as I type in my air conditioned office, Seth and Shawn and our staff are sweating through load-in, so my guilt commands that I hurry up so I can join them. ??? Uh, guilt, that basically sounds like a terrible idea, but okay...

ITEM! All locations are up on our site, and are just as up-to-date as I could make them. You can find Guest, Small Press, and Exhibitor locations up there, including an updated list of the few cancellations we've had, in the sidebar at the right of the Guest List page.

ITEM! Just a reminder to all advance ticket holders: we will be allowing you on the floor 30 minutes in advance of the show opening times, as a thank you for your early patronage. This is ALSO a reminder to exhibitors, small press, and guests, who should definitely be sure to be ready for the crush 30 minutes early this year! We will be adjusting the time these people can get in as well.

ITEM! Ben Towle and Craig Fischer host an awesome in-depth look at the career of Steve Ditko. Check it:



You can read all about it on our Event Schedule page, which is ALSO updated!

ITEM! Ben and Craig are not the only ones who are BRINGING IT to HeroesCon. Our man Brian Pulido is bringing a special HeroesCon edition of Lady Death #1 and a new Lady Death print! Brian will be selling these at his booth in Artists Alley, which I do believe is booth #832.

Be sure you go by and say hi to Brian, AND/OR catch him moderating the Hero Initiative panel at 3.30 on Friday, which will feature fellow Hero Initiative board member George Perez!

ITEM! But what about BOOM!, who is also bringing it? They'll have like 40 billion exclusive HeroesCon covers this weekend, including an Irredeemable #3, a Muppets foil cover by HeroesCon guest Roger Langridge, and a Farscape cover as well! And I feel kinda sure that I forgot one or two, too, so you'll have to visit them at Booth 514/613 to get the full rundown!

Okay, hopefully I'll be able to make another update before things get even crazier... but we'll see. Any latebreaking news will be in the Heroes Hotline, which will go out first thing in the morning, bright and early!

HEROESCON :: Arthur Suydam, More Studio Revolvers!

Time is ticking and we're all working dawn to dawn getting ready for the convention which is just THREE DAYS AWAY, but I thought I'd announce a late-breaking addition to our Guest List today:

ARTHUR SUYDAM is the award-winning artist behind a veritable undead army of "zombie" reinterpretations of classic Marvel covers over the last few years, most related in some way to the Marvel Zombies comic. He's been a high profile painter for years, as well as creating strips like Cholly & Flytrap and others. These days he's working on Deadpool, and I believe there's some recently announced work upcoming on Moon Knight!

OOPS UPDATE: Apparently Arthur can't make it after all? Shortest time on Guest List ever! Okay sorry to get you excited, but there's still all these cool peeps below from Studio Revolver! Okay resume blog post:

Also new to the list these days are a whole bevy of Studio Revolver members, which includes luminaries like Dexter Vines and Sanford Greene among others. New from Studio Revolver today are:

JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER: Upcoming Witchblade covers, Wizards of the Coast
CASEY EDWARDS: White Wolf, 10 Worlds Studio
TARIQ HASSAN: Upper Deck, DC cards, Star Wars Mini toy line
KEVIN STOKES: Splitsville, Smallville

Okay hard at work on getting pro and exhibitor locations up, so stay tuned!

QUICK UPDATES :: Updated Small Press Locations, Schedule Additions, More!

Okay, super fast and dirty because WHOA NELLIE me and Shelton are working hard to get everything squared away in time for the big program book deadline tomorrow morning. But here are a couple of things I've just updated:

1) SMALL PRESS TABLES: I moved some around again. I'm sorry! But pretty much everybody that got moved (only a half-dozen or so), got moved to better spots. We're going to squeeze the Blood Drive in that corner so you guys aren't stuck in the dark corner trying to flag down fans. Also, everyone who's purchased space over the last week or so should now be listed, and the many of you who have been patiently waiting for me to remember to make the corrections you asked me for, those should now be made as well.

2) SCHEDULE: I've added a bunch of new panels, plus full details on all the Marvel panels (special guests galore!), the Steve Ditko focus panel (A+!), and a bunch more. I think my two favorite new things are the Jeff Smith documentary screening and the George Perez/Mark Waid Brave & The Bold panel-by-panel panel that Andy "Heroes Discussion Group" will be running.

3) GUEST LIST: has been tweaked a little, but not so's you noticed. There are some recent cancellations though, today including Jason Pearson and Sarah Wilkinson. That complete list is down under the con diagrams and so forth on the right side of the page.

I feel like there's something else but I can't remember. Either way, gotta get back to work! Wish me and Shelton luck!

HEROESCON :: Sean Chen, Steve Skeates, Drew Weing, More!

No sleep til HeroesCon! We're burning the midnight oil tonight, trying to get this here program book put to bed, and I've been trying to grab up any stragglers who aren't already on the list--especially Sean Chen, who I thought was already up there. My bad, Sean! Again, I'd prefer to lavish praise and attention of all of these people, but I'm looking at a pretty late night so pardon me if I go the short route of welcoming first-time guests Steve Skeates, Drew Weing, and Evan Bryce, and returning guests Sean Chen, John Gallagher, Jason Horn, and Dean Trippe. Okay, the list all formal-like:

New to HeroesCon 09 Guest List!

EVAN BRYCE: Popgun, Project: Rooftop
SEAN CHEN: Nova, Iron Man, Wolverine
JOHN GALLAGHER: Buzzboy, Nascar Heroes
JASON HORN: Ninjasaur, Comic Book Tattoo
STEVE SKEATES: Crazy, Creepy, Peter Porker
DEAN TRIPPE: Butterfly, Comic Book Tattoo
DREW WEING: Blar, Nickelodeon Magazine

Okay! More to come, in my wee-hours marathon! See you tomorrow/today!

HEROESCON :: Silver Age, Kids Love Comics, More!

Okay! We're closing in on the homestretch here, but super swamped for time--and good gravy it's past-time for dinner, so forgive me if this blog post sounds rushed--not to mention packed!

Joining the HeroesCon 09 Guest List today are a bevy of Silver Age Legends, including:

PAT BASTIENNE, former Talent and Editorial Coordinator at DC Comics and then Continuity Comics with Dick Giordano and Neal Adams.

DICK GIORDANO, former Managing Editor at DC and legendary artist and inker, especially on characters like Batman.

IRWIN HASEN, who's really more of Golden Age talent, but talent like Irwin's is timeless anyway. Besides creating Dondi and co-creating Wildcat, Irwin is famous for his work on Green Lantern Comics and All Star Comics!

HERB TRIMPE, whose work you may recognize on the image at right, the first ever appearance of Wolverine! Herb is closely associated with The Hulk, but has worked on pretty much everything else, including Fantastic Four, The Nam, and Shogun Warriors!

But wait there's more! Also new to the list today, representing the Kids Love Comics! collective, are all-ages superstars:

RAY FRIESEN, author/illustrator of the graphic novels Cupcakes of Doom!, Another Dirt Sandwich, and Yarg!

JIMMY GOWNLEY, the creator of the hit Amelia Rules series!

SCOTT CHRISTIAN SAVA is the cartoonist and animator behind The Dreamland Chronicles, Pet Robots, Ed's Terrestrials, and many more besides!

And while not part of Kids Love Comics! or a Silver Age legend, our buddy TOMMY SMITH will be appearing this year at the 12 Gauge booth, promoting his upcoming book U.D.R.!

Okay--time for dinner! More to come tomorrow, including more panels, news, and more!

HEROESCON :: Joe Jusko, Nat Jones, Desperado & More!

What? Two posts on a Sunday? One so late it's practically Monday morning? Truly these are the end times we're in... or at least the convention is super close and we're burning the midnight oil. So what could be so amazing that it couldn't wait until tomorrow?

Brand new to the HeroesCon 09 Guest List is legendary pinup and cover painter JOE JUSKO. Joe's behind a bajillion high-end paintings over his 30+year career, most notably his work on characters like Vampirella and the Marvel Masterpieces trading card set.

Joe's coming to the convention this year courtesy of another Joe, our buddy JOE PRUETT over at DESPERADO PUBLISHING, which is publishing the new Art of Joe Jusko art book! Desperado also publishes comics like Negative Burn and The Atheist, among many others!

Speaking of studly painters, also new today is good ol' NAT JONES, whose macabre style is most recently in Frank Frazetta's Death Dealer and the upcoming Frank Frazetta's Silver Warrior; not to mention Spawn, The Nail, and a ton of others besides. If you didn't get enough of Nat as a guest at our Free Comic Book Day shindig, we invite you to feast on him for a full three days next weekend!

Also also new today are REBECCA BUCHMAN, attending her first HeroesCon as a guest. She's worked with Dexter Vines and Studio Revolver, and has been seen in the pages of Green Lantern, the upcoming Blackest Night, as well as JSA, Huntress: Year One, and others.

And whoever the dummy is who handles the Guest List just noticed this week that he had never added the glamorous KELLY SUE DECONNICK, who returns this year for her fourth HeroesCon in a row. Kelly Sue has collaborated as a writer with Steve Niles on 30 Days of Night: Eben & Stella, as well as worked adapting manga for US readers, including Black Cat and the hit Slam Dunk.

Let's see what else? Tomorrow (actually "today" now, as it's crossed midnight) we'll be doing another update, maybe even two! See you back here in a few hours!

HEROESCON :: Sienkiewicz & More Join Guest List!

Last minute announcement at the end of this week--just added to the HeroesCon 09 Guest List is legendary painter, illustrator, and cartoonist BILL SIENKIEWICZ, who will be returning to Charlotte in a couple of weeks for HeroesCon! If you're not familiar with Bill's work, he's the super-duper high profile artist of big books like Elektra: Assassin, Stray Toasters, and the never completed Big Numbers, among many many others. Aaaand while we'll have an official announcement probably over the weekend or early next week, I have heard that this year's incentive print for advanced-ticket buyers will be by a guy whose name rhymes with "Phil Blim Blevitch", so if I were you I'd go ahead and grab your advance tickets now! More on that soon!

Also joining the Guest List today:

MATT HERMS you may have met at our ginormous Free Comic Book Day wing-ding, where his art chores on Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic Universe made his table a high-traffic area.

JOSH LATTA is an acerbic four-eyes and a master of the minicomic, who hails from Georgia and who has just recently released the umpteenth issue of his own Rashy Rabbit series.

BRAD MCGINTY is even more acerbic than Josh, and posts regular comics at his site. He's the creator of Wysteria and by day is an animator. You go, Brad!

HEROESCON :: Sunday Guest List Update!

Guest List updates on a Sunday? Well, we're in that time of year when we're working pretty much nonstop on the convention. In fact, we're so swamped, I don't have the time I'd like to spend talking about each one of these awesome creators like I normally do, so I hope none of them will feel slighted. Half of them are old buddies (Keron, pictured above, Randy Green, J. Chris Campbell and Rob Ullman), and some are brand new (Ian Sattler, Jonathan Gray). But I'm in crunch time, so for the full rundown visit the HeroesCon 09 Guest List where you can find links to their individual sites and sate your curiosity like crazy!

New today are:

DUANE BALLENGER (EATS, Wide Awake 666)
J. CHRIS CAMPBELL (Ancient Age, Wide Awake 666, Zigzag)
BRIAN CUNNINGHAM (DC Comics editor)
KERON GRANT (Son of Vulcan, Iron Man)
JONATHAN GRAY (Sonic the Hedgehog, Walt Disney's Comics & Stories)
RANDY GREEN (Fathom, Teen Titans, Tomb Raider)
NATE LOVETT (Xombie: Reanimated, Sketch Magazine)
BILL NEVILLE (Explorers, The Tick)
IAN SATTLER (DC Comics Senior Story Editor)
ROB ULLMAN (Traffic & Weather, Atom Bomb Bikini)

Good gravy! Okay, more to come, plus a couple of big announcements for tomorrow!

HEROESCON :: Chris Claremont, David Mack & More!

I told you we had a bunch of big news this week! Brand new to the HeroesCon Guest List as of a few minutes ago is a guy you may have heard of once or twice if you like comics... a guy I like to call CHRIS CLAREMONT! Holy mackerel, right? I'm not sure, but I think the last time Chris was at HeroesCon was back in the 80's, but Shelton will know better than I would.

Chris will be promoting his new book X-Men Forever, which more or less picks up from where he left off with X-Men #3 way back when! Not only that, the book is bi-weekly, with the first issue by amazing Tom Grummett! I'd explain further, but I'm pretty sure Chris can explain it better himself when you meet him at HeroesCon in just a few weeks!

Oh, but that's not all--also new this week is Kabuki creator DAVID MACK, who'll be appearing with his buddy Brian Michael Bendis. I'm still puzzling over where to put THOSE lines, but we'll figure something out. Besides his work on Kabuki, David is also adapting Philip K. Dick's Electric Ant into comics this summer with Marvel Comics.

But wait I'm STILL not done! Also new today are:

AL BIGLEY, an artist and educator who's worked on Sonic, Batman Animated, Geminar, and the upcoming Tao Boy, not to mention a how-to book, Drawing Comics Like A Pro. AND Al's a Charlottean!

RYAN BODENHEIM is returning this year--you may have seen his art in Wolverine, Black Panther, or in Red Mass For Mars, written by fellow guest Jonathan Hickman.

Hey, what about TOM FEISTER? Another old buddy of ours, these days Tom is a cover artist for GI Joe Origins, as well as having worked on Warriors: Jailbreak and the bajillion-award-winning Ex Machina.

Okay! Still more news to come before the weekend. See you after I grab a quick sandwich and splash water in my face!

HEROESCON :: Marvel Comics, Talent Scouts, Strip Cartoonists!

WHOA check out that big bright logo! Hot on the heels of last week's announcement of DC Comics return to HeroesCon, today we added Marvel Comics to the list as well. Oh yes that's right! They'll be bringing editors, doing portfolio reviews, and be set up in force at this year's HeroesCon 09! And coming with them is the first name on the list of guests we added today--check it out:

C.B. CEBULSKI is pretty much Marvel's top talent-scout and occasionally an editor, AND he's a writer on books like X-Men Fairy Tales, War of Kings: Darkhawk, and his own Wonderlost. Eat that, Renaissance Men!

SEAN FORD is an alumnus of the esteemed Center for Cartoon Studies, the creator of Only Skin, and one of the editors of the Sundays Anthology.

SANFORD GREENE is one of our good buddies, and a sweet dude. On top of that, he's pencilled books including Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man, Marvel Adventures: Superheroes, Wonder Girl, Legion of Super Heroes, and last year's Methodman graphic novel.

STEVE SAFFEL is not just a friend of ours, but we work him to death every year helping out as well. It's not like he hasn't got enough to do--Steve was the editor of last year's Spider-Man: The Icon book, and the brand new Best of Simon & Kirby volume, both from Titan Books!

RICHARD THOMPSON is the creator of the incredibly acclaimed Cul de Sac, which just failed to win this year's Reuben Award from the National Cartoonists Society. Oops! Richard is also the proprietor of Richard's Poor Almanack, which runs in the Washington Post on Sundays!

CHRISSIE ZULLO is a Charlotte resident AND the cover artist on a forthcoming super-secret Fables limited series. If you want to know more you're gonna have to show up at the convention and ask her yourself--she won't even tell US!

Whew! Okay, all those announcements that I referred to last week are pretty much happening today and tomorrow, so buckle up everybody! Tomorrow there's a HUGE guest who hasn't been to HeroesCon in a bajillion years, plus more super-studs.. phew! I'm running out of exclamation points. Oh wait--and are you wondering about the HeroesCon host hotel rate? Tomorrow! I PROMISE!

HEROESCON :: DC Comics, Ethan Van Sciver Return To HeroesCon!

Whoa Nellie! Did you see that headline? DC Comics is returning this summer to HeroesCon! For the first time in some years, DC will be setting up in force at HeroesCon, with editors, panels, and probably lots of swag and glimpses at the upcoming shape of the DC Universe! We're super-DUPER excited about this, and have been trying to make it happen for awhile now--the stars have aligned! Be sure you let DC know that you want them to stay at HeroesCon in coming years!

And on the DC tip, fan-favorite artist Ethan Van Sciver will be appearing at HeroesCon as well this summer--Ethan has become a popular guest at the show over the last few years, and will know doubt have long lines once more this year with his work on Flash Rebirth and the big DC event, Blackest Night!

Oh, and there's still another big publisher announcement to make, but I think I'll save that one for next week when I have a few more details locked down. Let's just say that it's going to be a banner year this year!

HEROESCON :: Cullen Bunn, Dark One, More Join Guest List!

New to the HeroesCon 09 Guest List today are six more awesome names--as we move into the last month before the show, the announcements are going to turn from new guests to new pieces of schedule, hotel announcements, and more, so keep your digital eyeballs glued to this site and the Heroes Hotline for all the updates.

But for now, check out these sweet peeps:

CULLEN BUNN returns to HeroesCon this year along with fellow guest Brian Hurtt. The two have collaborated on two The Damned series so far, with a third "Daughter's Danse" on the way. Look for Cullen in Immortal Weapons, coming up from Marvel!

MICHAEL KRONENBERG is a writer and designer who has written for a ton of books including The Batcave Companion, Spies, Vixens, and Masters of Kung Fu, and designed books like the recent EC Archives and more. He's a regular contributor to TwoMorrows magazines including Rough Stuff and Back Issue.

BRIAN REBER is a colorist who's worked for most of the big companies, most regularly for Marvel and DC on books like Captain Britain and MI-13, X-Men Legacy, Outsiders, and Runaways.

DURWIN TALON is an artist, editor, and professor. His comics work includes Beautiful Scars and Bonds, and he also edited the excellent Panel Discussion book focusing on a number of iconic comics creators and their approaches to their art.

GREG "DARK ONE" WILLIAMS is best known for his creation Animal Mystic. These days he's behind Paleo Pirate, published by the new company Void Comics.

MATTHEW WILSON's color work has appeared in The End League, Gigantic, and Phonogram. Please help us welcome him to his very first HeroesCon!

Okay, more on the way! Stay tuned!

HEROESCON :: Jonathan Hickman, John Workman, More!

Huzzah, huzzah! A new addition to the HeroesCon 09 Guest List to celebrate the week's end--we're what? about 5 weeks away now, so things are starting to get crazy around here. But we think we've got something extra special cooked up for you... in the meantime, feast your Internet eyes on these new guests:

PAUL AZACETA has had art in a bajillion different things lately, including BPRD 1946, Foolkiller, Potter's Field, and Daredevil. This will be his very first appearance at HeroesCon!

JONATHAN HICKMAN returns to HeroesCon this year, having added a number of Marvel titles (Secret Warriors, Dark Reign: Fantastic Four) to his already fan-favorite list of credits (Pax Romana, Nightly News).

JAMES "DOODLE" LYLE is an old buddy of ours, and no stranger to HeroesCon. His donations to the annual Art Auction are often among the top bids of the night! Doodle has had work in Negative Burn, Doorman, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, and many more.

Another chum is smilin' RICO RENZI, one half of the Kickstand Kids (along with fellow guest Chris Brunner), and a totally studly color artist. You've almost certainly seen Rico on Perhapanauts or Killing Girl, and you should certainly check him out in the upcoming Loose Ends and Talisman.

ROBBI RODRIGUEZ also returns this summer. His sweet brush stylings are all over Stephen Colbert's Tek Jansen, Maintenance, Hazed, and less recently on Hero Camp from Image.

And bringing up the alphabetical rear this week is legendary letterer JOHN WORKMAN, whose career in comics goes back over 40 years, and whose credits include Wolverine, Howling Commandoes, Heavy Liquid, Thor--pretty much everything. He's often associated with his buddies in the Boulevard Studio. Welcome back!

Okay, more to come early next week, and soon we'll be seeing the schedule come into focus! Have a great weekend!

HEROESCON :: Comic Book Tattoo Designers, Andy Kuhn, Langridge Art

Oh yes! New to the HeroesCon 09 Guest List today are Rantz Hoseley, the editor of the recent hit Comic Book Tattoo book from Image, AND Jason Levesque, the cover artist! While I believe Jason was at the show last year (although in stealth mode due to a last-minute appearance), this is he and Rantz's FIRST "official" appearance at HeroesCon, and I hope you'll welcome them with all the pomp and foofah that HeroesCon is known for.

Also new today is our man Andy Kuhn, who has worked all over the place during his career, most recently on the hit book Firebreather. He's also been penciller on Marvel Team-Up and IDW's The Easy Way. Welcome back, Andy!

Oh, and last thing--check out the image Roger Langridge did for our Art Auction! Fans of Doctor Who and The Muppets will go into paroxysms when they see this badboy--I've already had one request from a fan in the U.K. to be able to lodge a proxy bid at the auction!

HEROESCON :: Jason Lutes, Scott Wegener, SCAD Young Bucks

Yes! We've been trying for years to get him, and at long last we can announce that JASON LUTES will be attending his first HeroesCon this summer! I sound pretty excited, huh? If you don't already know, Jason Lutes is the critically acclaimed graphic novels Berlin and Jar of Fools, and a professor at Vermont's Center For Cartoon Studies. He'll be appearing with CCS alums Joe Lambert and Chuck McBuck in Indie Island, so be sure and welcome him!

Speaking of cartoon colleges, today we're also adding a coterie of students from Georgia's Savannah College of Art and Design, who are appearing together as "The Temple of Cartoon Mojo." Their name, not mine, I promise. I KID, I KID!

And, while I haven't quite decided whether he would fit best in Indie Island or with the superhero guys, today we also added first-time guest SCOTT WEGENER, artist of Atomic Robo! I have a feeling Scott is going to get mobbed by original art collectors for sketches, so if I were you I would race to his table Adam-Hughes-style first thing that morning!

Okay! More to come--don't forget that Free Comic Book Day is going on ALL DAY tomorrow, with our 13 magical guests signing and sketching from 1-5! More info right here, yo!

HEROESCON :: Steve Epting, Scott Hampton, Andrew Robinson And More Join Guest List!

With Free Comic Book Day just three days away, we continue our steady march towards HeroesCon 2009 today with another update to our Guest List!

Joining the list first of all today is STEVE EPTING, the incredibly popular artist behind books like Captain America, Avengers, El Cazador, and scores more--not to mention a prolific illustrator and digital painter. Steve is also a regular collaborator with fellow-guest Ed Brubaker--look for their upcoming series The Marvels Project this summer, redefining the early years of the House of Ideas!

Also new today is our old buddy SCOTT HAMPTON, who is as comfortable working in ink (Simon Dark, Batman: Gotham County Line) as he is in paint (The Life Eaters, Spookhouse). Scott's an old buddy of ours and a great guy, so it's always fun to have him back.

ALSO fun to have back this year will be ANDREW ROBINSON, the muscley writer-artist behind Dusty Star. Andrew's also worked on Gen 13 and recently done a ton of high-profile covers for DC, including their "Faces of Evil" event, Superman, and Detective Comics!

Attending his very first HeroesCon this year is writer KEITH R.A. DECANDIDO, who's currently writing Farscape for BOOM! Studios, as well as recent Star Trek: Alien Spotlight, and tons of novels set in the worlds of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural, and more.

And returning this year from NC-based Tsunami Studios are GARRY MCKEE and JASON WALKER. Both have worked on numerous RPG and CCG games, including Warhammer 40K CCG and Legend of the Five Rings (Garry) and City State of the Invincible Overlord and Scarred Lands (Walker).

Okay, more to come--and don't forget Free Comic Book Day on Saturday!

HEROESCON :: Silver & Bronze Age Greats Join Guest List!

We're starting off the week with a bang--just added to our HeroesCon 09 Guest List is an impressive group of creators from the Silver through the Bronze Ages... and of course they're all still working today! Check it:

NICK CARDY is our best buddy; kind of like the "favorite uncle" of HeroesCon. He's as popular with fellow guests as he is with his many fans, and why not? Nick's career goes all the way back to the beginning of the Silver Age itself, with work on DC titles including Aquaman, Bat Lash, and Fight Comics--and most notably on Teen Titans. Nick's covers and interiors have influenced entire generations of cartoonists, and he's as sweet as pumpkin pie in person!

GARY FRIEDRICH, the creator of Ghost Rider, returns to HeroesCon this year. Besides his work on Ghost Rider, Gary was a Marvel bullpen writer and editor from the mid-60's through 1978, and worked on pretty much everything, including X-Men, Iron Man, Captain America, and Sgt Fury and Nick Fury: Agent of Shield!

Another popular guest at HeroesCon for years and years now is another notable formal Marvel bullpenner--ROY THOMAS was Marvel's first Editor-In-Chief after Smilin' Stan, and had popular runs as writer on books like Avengers and Conan the Barbarian. And besides his Marvel work, he also worked on DC books including All-Star Squadron. These days Roy is writing most of the Marvel Illustrated series of books, as well as editing Alter Ego at TwoMorrows! Note that Roy is only able to attend the convention on Saturday, June 20.

WAYNE VANSANT is probably best known for his work on The Nam, one of the most offbeat and well-loved books of its time. He's also contributed to Dark Horse's Two Fisted Tales and Medal of Honor, as well as Semper Fi.

Last this week is ROD WHIGHAM, whose career began in the 80's on GI Joe. He's also worked on Justice League, Doc Savage, The Shadow, The Punisher, and dozens more!

Okay--more updates on the way. Welcome to the working week!

HEROESCON :: Begin Your Weekend With These Fresh Flavors!

Well heckfire--after last week's hurly-burly update-per-day pace, it seems downright sedentary to only make two updates to the HeroesCon 09 Guest List this week. On the other hand, between the two of them, they total 18 people! I'm going to make this quick, as I still have to get the Heroes Hotline sent AND print up a bunch of Free Comic Book Day flyers to take around town over the weekend. It IS, after all, a week from tomorrow!

But for now, CHECK OUT these SWEET PEEPS:

ERIC CANETE is the artist behind books like the hit End League, Iron Man: Enter the Mandarin, and a ton of others, including design and storyboard work on the Ben 10 Cartoon Network show. Be sure and welcome Eric to his first HeroesCon!

OTIS FRAMPTON is the creator of the Oddly Normal series of graphic novels, as well as the non-Marc-Deering half of a podcasting team!

CHRIS GIARRUSSO is no stranger to HeroesCon attendees, attending I think his 3rd or 4th this year. You probably know Chris from his several Mini Marvels books for Marvel Comics, as well as his own G-Man!

JASON LATOUR lives in our very neighborhood--when you're not catching him browsing the rack on Wednesday afternoons, you can catch him as the artist on The Expatriate, as well as the writer of the upcoming Loose Ends!

BUDD ROOT is practically in our neighborhood, and another frequent Wednesday visitor to the shop. He's also the creator of the cult-favorite Cavewoman series!

GREGG SCHIGIEL is also returning to HeroesCon this year. Besides working on What If? and Disney Adventures Magazine, Gregg is also the writer and artist of the Spongebob Squarepants comic in Nickelodeon Magazine!

Also joining the list today are our buddies in Tsunami Studios--there are a few more Tsunami-ers still to confirm, but I thought I'd point out these guys. And they're located right here in good ole North Carolina to boot! Ah, my home state... Oh! Anyway:

STEVE BIRD has worked on a ton of books, including Robin, Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul, Blue Beetle, and Hard Time.

RICK KETCHAM is a name synonymous with quality, inking all over the place for all the major publishers. Recent work includes Runaways, GI Joe, Robin, and The Dresden Files!

ERIC LAYTON, a force to be reckoned with, has worked on Hexen Hammers, GI Joe, Kyle XY, Ex Machina, and more!

Last but not least, JOHN "WAKI" WYCOUGH is known for his work on GI Joe, Transformers, Dr Who, and a ton of others. Be sure and welcome Tsunami back to HeroesCon!

And have a great weekend!

HEROESCON :: Mark Texeira, Brian Pulido, And More Join Guest List!

Today is Friday, and marks the fifth consecutive day this week that we've posted a GIANT addition to our HeroesCon 09 Guest List--and we're going out with a bang this week, with EIGHT new names!

MARK TEXEIRA is no stranger to HeroesCon, and one of our most popular guests. Heck, half the time when we can't find staff members, they're in the office listening to "Tex" tell stories while he works on someone's drawing! And his entrances to our Annual Art Auction, usually with the paint still drying on a piece he'd just finished onstage, are always dramatic! If you've never met Tex before, you've probably read some of his comics, including Ghost Rider, Moon Knight, Black Panther, and many more.

Also new to the list today is returning guest BRIAN PULIDO, the co-creator of Lady Death and founder of Chaos! Comics. Brian has recently been working in movies, having just written and directed The Graves. He'll be premiering an exclusive Lady Death HeroesCon variant for you collectors!

And that's just the start of this addition! G.W. FISHER returns to HeroesCon this year, with recent work on Shadowhawk and Intimidators!

TOM FLEMING is a prolific painter and regular guest of ours, with work in magazines like Heavy Metal and Vampirella Quarterly, and illustrations for World of Warcraft and numberous card sets!

LEO LEIBELMAN is attending his first HeroesCon this year. He's worked in illustration and art for years, with work in Heavy Metal, Savage Sword of Conan, Turok, and more!

STUART SAYGER is the creator of the Shiver In The Dark graphic novel, as well as a ton of Vs Card System cards, and Lego Bionicle production art!

STEVE SCOTT is attending his second HeroesCon this year--his recent work includes X-Men Forever and She-Hulk, as well as Marvel Adventures Hulk and Marvel Adventures Avengers!

LOUIS SMALL JR is another fixture at HeroesCon. You can catch him in the pages of Vampirella/Lady Death, Sirens of the Cinema, and multiple Marvel and DC trading cards!

Big week next week, as we continue to flesh out our massive list--over 70 new names since April 1st!--and get ready for Free Comic Book Day on May 2nd!

HEROESCON :: Mark Waid, Roger Langridge, Dustin Nguyen, Oh My!

Rolling right along! Just added to the HeroesCon 2009 Guest List is up-and-coming publisher BOOM! Studios, along with three of their biggest creators: Mark Waid (Irredeemable), Roger Langridge (Muppets), and Michael Alan Nelson (28 Days Later). And, since three names just isn't enough these days, we're throwing in a couple of first-timers, Detective Comics' Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridolfs!

MARK WAID is an incredibly popular and prolific writer (like I have to tell you), with past work including Kingdom Come, breakout runs on Flash and Fantastic Four, and recent work on Amazing Spider-Man and Supergirl. His new BOOM! title Irredeemable was an instant sell-out, with a second print already on the way.

ROGER LANGRIDGE is not only the creator of the Eisner and Harvey nominated Fred the Clown, but he also is behind the new Muppet Show comic that sold out in about 30 seconds. AND BOOM! is doing a Muppet Show HeroesCon exclusive, with a new cover by Langridge just for us! Did you hear that, Rusty?

MICHAEL ALAN NELSON is the writer of numerous books for BOOM!, including Hexed, Fall of Cthulhu, and 28 Days Later. He's making his very first trip to HeroesCon, so we hope you'll be extra sweet to him!

ALSO making his first trip is Detective Comics penciller DUSTIN NGUYEN! I love this guy's art almost as much as his first name--check out the cover to the upcoming Batman: Streets of Gotham at left... sweet! Besides that and his current gig on Detective Comics, Dustin's also worked on Wildcats 3.0, Authority, and more.

He's joined by his occasional collaborator and inker, DEREK FRIDOLFS, who is inking Detective and Streets of Gotham, and in the past has worked on Green Lantern Corps, JLA, Immortal Iron Fist, and a ton of other!