If you've been paying attention, then you know I was in Charlotte, NC for Heroes Con this past weekend. Time for the recap!
I arrived (after 3 hours of sleep) in Charlotte around 10am on Friday. The con starts at 11, so figured we'd have plenty of time. As last year, Doug picked us up in the shuttle. However, we had to wait for a few other folks to pick up so we didn't get checked into the hotel until after 11 which didn't get me to the con until right before 12. Curse you Ivan Brandon and David Mack! Actually, Ivan and I had a great convo about Viking, his new book, and the decision to make it the size it was and why they wanted to cost it at such a low price. Mack, of course, was just lots of fun and really funny.
After changing and checking into the Westin, Day 1 of Heroes Con was in full effect. I bounced over and got right to our Comic News Insider table. This year, Dustin Harbin (show organizer), put the podcasters (Comic Geek Speak, Comic Related, The Golden Age of Comic Podcasts and Indie Spinner Rack) in Indie Island. Of course, co-host Joe Gonzalez was already set up along with everyone else. It was in a new hall and everything looked glorious! Being in Indie Island, the 4 podcasters were set up in a row. ISR was behind us since they're sooooooooooooooo indie. Nah, Phil had some books to sell of the Awesome Anthology 2 and they are indeed awesome. However, to the right of us was some random webcomic dude. Did something called Cow and Buffalo. Never heard of it. Man, I hope it doesn't suck. And I hope he's not annoying. Well, let me tell you...
Mike Maihack is one of the nicest dudes around. He is the creator/cartoonist of the aforementioned webcomic. We got to chatting and really seemed to get along. I purchased the books and laughed out loud reading them. A bit later, his wife Jen, came by. Sure, she purty, and super sweet as well. I can't get over how awesome they were to hang with the whole weekend. It could have gone horribly wrong. I could have been boothed next to some really awkward and annoying folks. We got really lucky having the Maihack's as neighbors. I feel as if I've made some new lifelong friends. Good folks all around and both really talented. Besides Mike's awesome cartooning, Jen is a professional photographer with her own business. She graciously took pics for us all weekend just out of the kindness of her heart. Check out their respective sites!
Soon, I ran around to say hi to friends and creators including Daniel Corsetto, Francesco Francavilla, Jonathan Hickman, Ryan Bodenheim, Matt Fraction, Fred Chao, Chris Pitzer, Liz Baillie, Alec Longstreth, Ken Marcus, Adam Withers, Comfort Love, Leeanne Hannah, Scott Weinstein, Cliff Chiang, and many others. Ran into CNI listeners and fellow forum folks like Ryan, Keith, Dave, Chad, Mongoose, etc. I know I left a ton of folks out. Sorry! I'm on a deadline here, kids!
We spent most of the day running around setting up interviews for the whole weekend and hanging at the table. Due to my lack of sleep, I had to bounce out around 5:30 to go disco nap for the night's festivities. Boy did that help. I wake around 7 and head down to have dinner at the hotel restaurant. Phil joins me soon after. Good food and wine in us, we head over to the bar for drinking. The Westin bar is THE spot to hang. Everyone is there. We were all bouncing around just hanging with everyone. LOTS of drinks were had. Good convos.
Somehow, around 2am, someone had the bright idea to hit the local gentleman's club down the road for an annual trip. Okay, that someone might have been me. I convince Danielle, Mongoose, and a few others to join us. As soon as we enter the club, I immediately run into Mina. The same girl from the previous 2 years. She says, "Hey! You cut your hair!" Yep, she remembered me. We ended up chatting for awhile and catching up. And yes, a few dances were had. Hey, it's a strip club. Suck it.
After shutting the place down, we walked back to the hotel for more drinking. There were still a few folks lingering around the bar. Mongoose suggests getting his homemade moonshine out of his room. Since I was the only guy rich enough to have his own room, naturally we went back there to drink. About 5 or 6 of us sat and drank and chatted. I ordered some room service. Danielle was intrigued by the shrimp curry choice. It looked good so I ordered 2! It arrives and....FOUL!!! It came in the form of a pizza! D is gluten free so she couldn't have any. Meanwhile, the rest of us really enjoyed it. Sorry, D! Finally, around 5am, I kick them out. Time for slumber.
Day 2. I roll in around 11am. About 4-5 hours of sleep. Cappuccino in hand, sunglasses on, I slowly stroll in. Neighbor Jen says, "Rough night?" I nod and grunt. Finally, after a few minutes I start to wake up. I gotta get my game face on since the podcast panel is at 12pm.
I run over to Hickman to give him the heads up about the panel. He's a big star so I didn't want him to forget about us little people. Nah, he was all prepped and ready for us.
Finally, a few minutes before 12, we head over to the room for the panel. Hope it's a good crowd!
Dustin put us in a bigger room this year, but we still had a good turnout of around 50 people. On the panel was myself, Bryan Deemer (CGS), Chuck Moore (CR), Bill Jourdain (GA), Phil Jackson (ISR) and Jonathan Hickman as moderator. The panels are always great and informative. Yes, we actually really do like each other and support one another. Hickman had some great questions and so did the audience. I kept the name dropping to a minimum though. At one point, I caught Deemer making motions with his hand that I was talking too much. That punk talked more than I did! All love kids. All love. Thanks to Chuck of Comic Related for recording. You can hear the panel here.
Post panel, it was a bit weird when Derek Coward of the Comic Book Noise family of podcasts, proceeds to tell me I was the worst guest on Geek Brunch. Over 1 1/2 years ago. Good forum buddy Heath invited me on the show as he hosts it with Mike Myers. It was my birthday that day and I didn't stay on the whole show. I even took 2 calls from my moms and sister during the recording. I had forewarned Heath that it would happen and we both agreed that it would be funny to keep the calls in. Apparently, some of the listeners felt it was a slight to the hosts and I "didn't want to be on the show". Heath and Mike didn't feel that way. Anyway, just felt it weird that Derek felt the need to bring down my high after the panel for something that happened 1 1/2 years ago. Derek is a great guy and has some awesome podcasts but it just sort threw me off for a hot minute. I'm over it now though. Kind of. Mwhahaha. (Note tongue planted firmly in cheek!)
Can't hold me down though, so I ran back down to the floor. More running around and chatting with folks. More sitting at the table. We busted out a couple of interviews as well. Again, I had to bounce out early to disco nap for the night's activities ahead.
Oh, forgot to mention. The Dub Show was back! That's the hip hop car show happening on Saturday in the next room of the convention center. During the panel, we kept hearing bass (and feeling it) vibrating through the walls. Great mix of nerds and hip hoppers. I named the mix The Fast and the Furious: Gotham Drift.
After that hour nap, I grab Ryan Bodenheim and go and meet Joe and a crew of folks at the Mexican joint across from the convention. Adam and Comfort were there. Mike and Jen. Joe's sister Amy whom I hadn't seen in awhile. Scott Weinstein. And many others. Poor waitress. Must have been her first night because she literally said, "Oh God. 2 more people", when Ryan and I sat down. After dinner, Ryan and I head over to the Westin for the annual art auction to benefit Heroes Con. Always a fun event! We sort of walked in and out of it as the room was hot and it was way to rich for my blood. Hung out with Francesco and his wife, Hickman, Buzz and some others. Lots of drinks were had for sure.
Meanwhile, back at the Westin bar...
I head over to hang with Joe and Amy and everyone else. Amy hands me this card that someone from The Dub show had given her. Yes, it was real! And yes, that's it in the picture over there. Hilarious! "You need 'em, we lease 'em!"
More drinking and drinking. Sense a theme here? Got to chat with Fraction and finally officially met his lovely and talented wife Kelly Sue. Fraction and I joked about how I look different every time we meet up. First, the eye patch a few years back. Then not one. Then the shorter hair. All good.There was one strange moment when Dustin introduced me to a girl who seemed to know who I was. Be it a listener or what not. We were all pretty drunk but apparently I joked about something and she heard me wrong or something. She said something like, "I'm about to smack you." I quickly diverted as I had no idea why she said that or what I said that she could have misinterpreted. So, I ran around a bit more.
Ended up hanging with Danielle, Mike, Jen and crew til the wee hours. Around 2am. A rather large guy involved in the Dub show approached us. He was noticeably drunk. We weren't sure if he was going to throw up on us or fall on us. He shouts at us. "HEY!" We stop. And he busts out singing, "Fly me to the moon cuz I am so drunk right now." He was not only hilarious but he could actually sing! And when he finished, he just bounced. Great exit!
Bed time around 4am.
Day 3. I arrive around 12pm. Hey, I was up late! I could feel my voice getting a little froggy from the lack of sleep. I should really take that into account as I'm a podcaster. As a former singer, you'd think I'd remember how to take care of my voice. Alas, no.
Sunday was spent gathering up a few more folks for interviews. I can't remember whom we had on Saturday and whom we had on Sunday. But a list of the ones we got is as follows: Leeanne Hannah, Ken Marcus, Adam Withers/Comfort Love, Brian Pulido, and Mike Maihack.
Pulido was an interesting guy. I had followed his comics career from Evil Ernie to Lady Death to my favorite, Chastity. I think those universes started quite good and were very dark. Not something you saw back then. Where the protagonist was...well...kinda evil. Sure, a lot of the comics turned into just big boobs and blood, but the start of them were very entertaining. We discussed a bit of the comics and then got into his filmmaking. I'm really interested in seeing his film, The Graves. He says it's out in January, so I look forward to that. If it's anything like his initial comics with Chaos Comics, then it should rock!
A lot of folks pulled out early on Sunday. I'm sort of torn on this one. I understand if people have a long way to go when they leave. But, some fans showed up just for Sunday. Don't they deserve the same show? And what if you were that one person they came to see and you bounced? Not a huge deal. Just saying.
6pm rolls around and it's time to call it quits. We pack up and head out. Joe's sister, Amy, drops me off at the Heroes store for the Dead Dog after party. Free pizza, beer and soda. Woo hoo! I was one of the first there, so I meandered around the store and purchased quite a few comics. Soon, a crowd showed and I was hanging with Liz Baillie, Alec Longstreth and company. Adam and Comfort showed up. Hickman, Fraction, Brubaker and crew. Mike and Jen. And more. Alas, I couldn't hang too late as my flight was at 10pm. So, it was off to the airport at 8:30 and back to NYC.
Much thanks to Dustin Harbin and Shelton Drum for everything. They treat us podcasters well and we always have a blast. It's becoming one of my favorite shows. If you've never been, do yourself a favor and go next year! It's one of the best run cons in the country, dare I say...IN THE WORLD!! Go check out their website for more details on the store and the convention. Heck, sign up for the newsletter while you're at it. Tell 'em Jimmy sent you. It wont get you anything. But, it just feels good to say.
More pictures on my Flickr and Facebook. See you next year, Heroes Con! And Mina? I'd like my pants back.
