Heroes Con Report: And Next Stop--Wizard World Chicago

Heroes Con has come and gone, and it remains one of my favorite shows of the year. Not only is it close to my home, but it has a spectacular guest list. This year I really wanted to meet and get a sketch from Guy Davis, artist of B.P.R.D. The fact that his sketches ended up being free was icing on the cake.

I was set up with the booth for Ape Entertainment, and I couldn't have had a worse location--I was in the far corner, in a dark recess, with a lower ceiling than the rest of the hall. The place was warm as it was, but the lower ceilings made it that much hotter. Fortunately I was next to the guys from ComicGeekSpeak, which made things more bearable. Sales were good, which helped as well. I got some great sketches, which will be posted at http://www.comicsketchgallery.com/pages/kfreeman.

It's always nice to see old acquaintances and fellow publishers--Danielle Corsetto, Jim Mahfood, Chris Pitzer, Matt Kindt, and others. I'm sure I will cross paths with them at Wizard World Chicago this weekend as well.

The wife and I head out to Chicago on Wednesday. We're catching the Cubs game that night (vs. the Orioles--I hate interleague), then it's to work thereafter. We've got 20 feet of table space, same as last year, so the Ape presence should be sizeable. It's always our best show of the year. And, to make matters even better, Stan and I will be together at the booth, signing books for your pleasure. Drop by and say hello!

On my sketch list for Chicago: Bob Layton, Art Baltazar, Bruce Timm (yeah, right). Wish me luck!

I'm Interviewed on Comicrelated.com!

Chuck Moore, a friend of Ape Entertainment and a follower of my webstrip, took the time to interview me for his podcast, ComicRelated, on Saturday at Heroes Con. You can listen to the podcast in its entirety at

http://www.comicrelated.com/audio/relatedrecap012.html

His talk with me is right at the tail end of the podcast. Chuck is a genuine fellow and has given a lot of Ape books, including mine, a lot of love over the months.

Heroes Con This Weekend!

The summer convention season begins in earnest for me as this weekend is Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC. It's both the closest con to my house (it's about a two hour drive for me) and arguably my favorite con of the year. Why? Lots of reasons. For one thing, it's a very friendly con--Sheldon and his crew take very good care of the guests and exhibitors.

Second, it's an accessible show. That means that it's not overly crowded. Anyone who has been to San Diego knows exactly what I mean--it's so crowded there that you can't move on occasion, much less meet guests, go to panels, or heaven forbid, go through the dollar boxes on the floor. Heroes Con doesn't have that problem. The number of people, and the space available for those people, is just about perfect.

Third, it has the best charity auction in comics. Everyone, from the big names to the small ones, usually do a piece for the auction. Granted, stuff from Adam Hughes and a few others goes for ridiculous money, but many of the pieces are very affordable and very good. You'll even get a chance to see some of the people creating their charity pieces before your very eyes--it's fun to watch.

Fourth and finally, it's a very indie friendly show. Tons of small press people are there, and the crowd is very indie-appreciative. That usually makes for a profitable week for most of them.

If you're at the show, I'll be at table SP-31. Come by, say hello, and buy a few books!