Heroes Convention, or HeroesCon, is a
comic book convention
A comic book convention or comic-con is an event with a primary focus on comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events hosted at con ...
that takes place in June (often over
Father's Day
Father's Day is a holiday of honoring fatherhood and paternal bonds, as well as the influence of fathers in society. In Catholic countries of Europe, it has been celebrated on 19 March as Saint Joseph's Day since the Middle Ages. In the United ...
weekend)
[Hargro, Carlton. "Best. Convention. Ever," ''Creative Loafing'' (June 17, 2009), p. 25.] in
Charlotte
Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...
,
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
. The convention has been held since
1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
and is one of the oldest and largest independent comic book conventions in the United States. The convention has a history of charitable work, donating to the
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) is an American non-profit organization formed in 1986 to protect the First Amendment rights of comics creators, publishers, and retailers covering legal expenses. Charles Brownstein served as the organiza ...
and the Charlotte Firefighters Burned Children's Fund.
HeroesCon is organized by Shelton Drum, owner of Heroes Aren't Hard To Find, a comic book retailer just southeast of downtown Charlotte.
HeroesCon focuses primarily on comic books, almost to the exclusion of TV, movies, and video games seen at most other major so-called comic book conventions.
[Spencer, Jason. "Festival grows with comics Heroes, villains: This convention's for you," ''Spartanburg Herald-Journal'' (June 3, 2010).] Along with panels, seminars, and workshops with comic book professionals,
[Hargro, Carlton]
"Revenge of HeroesCon"
''Creative Loafing'' (June 2, 2010), p. 23. HeroesCon features hours of other programming on all aspects of comic books and pop culture. HeroesCon features a large floorspace for exhibitors including comic-book dealers and
collectibles
A collectable (collectible or collector's item) is any object regarded as being of value or interest to a collector. Collectable items are not necessarily monetarily valuable or uncommon. There are numerous types of collectables and terms t ...
merchants. Like most comics conventions, the show includes an autograph area, as well as areas where comics artists sign autographs and sell or do free sketches.
Annual events include the "Quickdraw Contest," in which artists create drawings on the spot for prizes; and an art auction.
History
Shelton Drum had been running an event called the Charlotte Mini-Con, a one-day event held at
Eastland Mall (near his comic book store), since 1977,
[Howard, Natalie]
"Our Hero,"
''Creative Loafing
Creative Loafing is an Atlanta-based publisher of a monthly arts and culture newspaper/magazine. The company publishes a 60,000 circulation monthly publication which is distributed to in-town locations and neighborhoods on the first Thursday of ...
'' (May 2, 2007), pp. 24-26. but in 1982 decided to expand the event and rename it the Heroes Convention.
[Bishop, Bart. "Heroes Comic Con celebrates 30th anniversary," ''Spartanburg Herald-Journal'' (June 21, 2012).] (Drum opened his first retail location in 1980.)
The show grew from being a very small trade-show environment (held in a
Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn is an American chain of hotels based in Atlanta, Georgia. and a brand of IHG Hotels & Resorts. The chain was founded in 1952 by Kemmons Wilson, who opened the first location in Memphis, Tennessee that year. The chain was a division ...
ballroom)
to being a true convention, with special guests at the 1982 show including
Mike Zeck
Michael J. Zeck (born September 6, 1949), is an American comics artist. He is best known for his work for Marvel Comics on such series as ''Captain America'', ''Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars'', '' Master of Kung-Fu'', and ''The Punisher'' as wel ...
,
Butch Guice
Jackson "Butch" Guice (born June 27, 1961) is an American comics artist who has worked in the comics industry since the 1980s.
Biography
Guice was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee.. Retrieved March 21, 2008. Growing up in the 1960s, Guice was fond o ...
, and ''
New Teen Titans
The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...
'' creators
George Pérez
George Pérez (; June 9, 1954 – May 6, 2022) was an American comic book artist and writer, who worked primarily as a penciller. He came to prominence in the 1970s penciling ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four'' and ''The Avengers (co ...
,
Marv Wolfman
Marvin Arthur Wolfman (born May 13, 1946) is an American comic book and novelization writer. He worked on Marvel Comics's ''The Tomb of Dracula'', for which he and artist Gene Colan created the vampire-slayer Blade, and DC Comics's '' The New Te ...
, and
Romeo Tanghal
Romeo Tanghal (born July 24, 1947) is a Filipino comics artist who has worked primarily as an inker. He became well known in the industry in the 1980s for his work on DC Comics' '' The New Teen Titans''.
Career
Romeo Tanghal was born and raised ...
.
The 1984 convention featured
Stan Lee
Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...
as its guest of honor,
and since then each year of the convention has had an array of famous guests. Due to a death in Drum's family, the event was not held in 1986.
[Heroes Convention Charlotte - HeroesCon: History](_blank)
Retrieved Feb. 7, 2017. Joe Quesada
Joseph Quesada (; born January 12, 1962'' Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1650; February 2009; page 107) is an American comic book artist, writer, editor, and television producer. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books ...
has appeared at the convention frequently since 1992, first as an artist, then as editor-in-chief of
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
.
George Pérez
George Pérez (; June 9, 1954 – May 6, 2022) was an American comic book artist and writer, who worked primarily as a penciller. He came to prominence in the 1970s penciling ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four'' and ''The Avengers (co ...
has also been a frequent guest of the show over the years.
Since 1995, the convention has taken place at the
Charlotte Convention Center
The Charlotte Convention Center is a convention center located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It opened in 1995 and attracts more than half a million visitors each year. It was designed by Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates (TVS).
It h ...
.
The 1995 edition attracted 9,000 attendees,
[Fernandez, Don. "Comic book hero: Little guy slays threat from weighty Wizard," ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (August 13, 2005), p. A.1.] and featured guest
Todd McFarlane
Todd McFarlane (; born March 16, 1961) is a Canadian comic book creator, artist, writer, filmmaker and entrepreneur, best known for his work as the artist on ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' and as the creator, writer, and artist on the superhero horro ...
, who signed over 2,000 autographs at the show.
The 1998 show was the first stop on the "Trilogy Tour" II, which included
Jeff Smith,
Charles Vess
Charles Vess (born June 10, 1951) is an American fantasy artist and comics artist who has specialized in the illustration of myths and fairy tales. His influences include British "Golden Age" book illustrator Arthur Rackham, Czech Art Nouveau pain ...
,
Linda Medley
Linda Medley (born May 17, 1964 in Stockton, California) is an American comic book author and illustrator, known for her '' Castle Waiting'' series of comic books and graphic novels.
Biography and early career
Born in Stockton, California, Medley ...
,
Mark Crilley
Mark Crilley (born May 21, 1966) is an American comic creator, artist and children's book author and illustrator. He is the creator of '' Miki Falls'' and '' Brody's Ghost''. He produces instructional videos on drawing on YouTube in various s ...
,
Jill Thompson
Jill Thompson (born November 20, 1966) is an American illustrator and writer who has worked for stage, film, and television. Well known for her work on Neil Gaiman's '' The Sandman'' characters and her own '' Scary Godmother'' series, she has wor ...
, and
Stan Sakai
is a Japanese-born American cartoonist and comic book creator. He is best known as the creator of the comic series ''Usagi Yojimbo''.
Career
He began his career by lettering comic books (notably ''Groo the Wanderer'' by Sergio Aragonés and Mar ...
.
In 2005, HeroesCon debuted "Indie Island," a section of the convention dedicated to
alternative
Alternative or alternate may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki''
* ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film
* ''The Alternative ...
,
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
, and self-published comics and creator.
[
The 2010 show hosted the closing ceremonies of the comic-themed art show ''Super! The Fine Art of Comics'' (curated by Shelton Drum), on display at the Charlotte gallery Twenty-Two.]
The 2012 Heroes Convention — the 30th anniversary show — was held June 22–24 and featured special guest Stan Lee
Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...
.[
Heroes Convention has experienced tremendous growth, as attendance has increased to around 35,000 by 2015. 2016 saw further increases, with the show topping previous years with around 40,000 attendees. ] Heroes Convention's 35th anniversary show was held from June 16-18, 2017, included Eisner Award
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...
winners Alan Davis
Alan Davis (born 18 June 1956) is an English artist and writer of comic books, known for his work on titles such as ''Captain Britain'', ''The Uncanny X-Men'', ''ClanDestine'', ''Detective Comics'', ''Excalibur'', '' JLA: The Nail'' and '' JLA: ...
, Skottie Young
Skottie Young (born March 3, 1978) is an American comic book artist, children's book illustrator and writer. He is best known for his work with various Marvel Comics characters, his comic book adaptations of L. Frank Baum's Oz books with Eric Sha ...
, Jaime Hernandez
Jaime (sometimes spelled Xaime) Hernandez (born 1959) is the co-creator of the alternative comic book '' Love and Rockets'' with his brothers Gilbert and Mario.
Early life
Jaime Hernandez grew up in Oxnard, California.Aldama, p. 119. He is the y ...
, Gilbert Hernandez
Gilberto Hernández (born February 1, 1957), usually credited as Gilbert Hernandez and also by the nickname Beto (), is an American cartoonist. He is best known for his ''Palomar''/''Heartbreak Soup'' stories in '' Love and Rockets'', an alterna ...
and Jason Aaron
Jason Aaron (born January 28, 1973) is an American comic book writer, known for his creator-owned series '' Scalped'' and '' Southern Bastards'', as well as his work on Marvel series ''Ghost Rider'', ''Wolverine'', ''PunisherMAX'', ''Thor'', and ' ...
as guests.
The 2020 and 2021 HeroesCon were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
Controversy: Wizard World Atlanta
In 2005, Wizard Entertainment
Wizard Entertainment Inc., formerly known as GoEnergy and Wizard World, is a producer of multi-genre fan conventions across North America. The company started as the holding company for Strato Malmas' interests in the energy business.
Gareb Shamu ...
announced that it would be holding a comic book convention in Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
from June 30–July 2, 2006, the same dates on which HeroesCon was scheduled to take place. This caused an outcry among fans, as Atlanta is only a four-hour drive from Charlotte, and several comic book creators, including artist Cully Hamner
Cully Hamner (born 1969) is an American comic book artist, known for his work on such books as '' Green Lantern: Mosaic'', ''Blue Beetle'', ''Black Lightning: Year One'', and ''Detective Comics''. He is also the co-creator and illustrator of the ...
and writer Matt Fraction
Matt Fritchman (born December 1, 1975), better known by the pen name Matt Fraction, is an Eisner Award-winning American comic book writer, known for his work as the writer of '' The Invincible Iron Man'', '' The Immortal Iron Fist'', ''Uncanny ...
(himself a former Heroes Aren't Hard To Find employee),[ voiced concerns about an attempt by a large, corporate event to force out an independent comic book convention.]Fraction, Matt
Matt Fritchman (born December 1, 1975), better known by the pen name Matt Fraction, is an Eisner Award-winning American comic book writer, known for his work as the writer of '' The Invincible Iron Man'', ''The Immortal Iron Fist'', ''Uncanny X ...
(July 22, 2005)
"EDITORIAL: Matt Fraction on HeroesCon/Wizard World Competing Conventions"
Comic Book Resources
''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion.
History
Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...
. As a result of the outcry, many comic book creators, including Warren Ellis
Warren Girard Ellis (born 16 February 1968) is a British comic book writer, novelist, and screenwriter. He is best known as the co-creator of several original comics series, including ''Transmetropolitan'' (1997–2002), ''Global Frequency'' ( ...
, Bryan Hitch
Bryan Hitch (born 22 April 1970) is a British comics artist and writer. Hitch began his career in the United Kingdom for Marvel UK, working on titles such as ''Action Force'' and ''Death's Head'', before gaining prominence on American titles ...
, Greg Rucka
Gregory Rucka (born November 29, 1969) is an American writer known for the series of novels starring his character Atticus Kodiak, the creator-owned comic book series '' Whiteout'', ''Queen & Country'', '' Stumptown'' and '' Lazarus'', as well a ...
, Tony Harris, Scott Kurtz
Scott R. Kurtz (born March 15, 1971) is an American webcomic artist. Known for creating the daily online comic-strip '' PvP'', Kurtz is among the first professional webcomic creators.
Career
Kurtz was born to a Catholic household in Watsonville ...
, Gaijin Studios
Gaijin Studios was a group of American comic book artists formed in Atlanta, Georgia. It was one of the longest-running collectives of freelance comic book artists in the United States, in continuous operation for nineteen years, from 1991 to 2010 ...
and Art Adams
Arthur Adams (born April 5, 1963) is an American comics artist, comic book artist and writer. He first broke into the American comic book industry with the 1985 Marvel Comics miniseries ''Longshot (Marvel Comics), Longshot''. His subsequent inte ...
, signed up to appear at HeroesCon 2006. In mid-August 2005, Wizard announced that it would be pushing back their Atlanta convention until 2007.[
]
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heroes Convention
Comics conventions in the United States
Culture of Charlotte, North Carolina
Recurring events established in 1982
Conventions in North Carolina