HeroesCon 2013 Happened

After playing an hour of Saint's Row 3 on Thursday to kill time before leaving for Charlotte, I decided I'd rather be there now. I got to town at 1:30, and as soon as I turned onto College Street, the sky opened up. I drove straight for the convention center to unload in the handy-dandy loading zone that surrounds the convention. I unloaded the car, set up the table to the minimal degree, and checked into the hotel. I went back to the center to tighten up the table layout and met my tablemate, Pat Loika. He grabbed his booth badge and met with other folks while I zoomed like the Flash for Five Guys Burgers. I went back to the hotel room to make more face cards.

Got to the center around 8:30 Friday morning to tidy up the table before the 11:00 opening. I got my sales pitch down within 20 minutes of meeting the first people who walked by. The first cards I sold were a pair of Cumberbatches.

This gent really wanted a drawing of himself as Nick Fury, but his phone wouldn't email a photo to me for reference. Instead I took his picture and Fury-ed him out as he shopped along the aisle. He really liked it.

Convention requests often involve characters I've never tried before. it's a fantastic drawing exercise, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to improve their artwork. By the end of Sunday, I could draw anything. Like video-game Harley.

Like a Sexy Red Skull.

Or a Sexy Hannibal.

Or Sexy Matt Fraction.

The sexy requests became a running joke with my booth neighbors, and one (The Girl Named Kyle, dressed here as Marceline) drew me a Sexy Sharpie.

I also got to draw in some theme sketchbooks.

Speaking of Captain Marvel, I handed out Captain Marvel prints to to the Carol Corps members during the show.

I sold some customizable Loki prints too.

I didn't see anywhere near the number of costumes I hoped to, but I photographed as many as I could when I wasn't drawing requests.

This was the most fun I've had at a HeroesCon, what with my good booth neighbors (Welcome to Creepyville sat on my right) and my running buddies and meeting the CarolCorps and writer Kelly Sue DeConnick being very nice to me each time we ran into each other.

I intend to have at least one new comic for next year's show (you can see my others at Robot Wonderboy), and I still want to make an art piece that makes the cut for the Saturday night auction.

It's now Monday, one day later. I haven't unpacked the crates or counted the money or eaten a decent meal. But I am giddy and deservedly exhausted and ready to do it again right now.

Weirdest moment during a three-day pop-culture party: Watching Karl Rove argue with another GOP convention attendee about the 2010 election. And then seeing that woman's husband tell him, "You see what I have to live with every day." Way to go, ass. Not everyone cane dethrone Karl Rove as Worse Person In An Elevator.