Heroes Convention

Last updated
Heroes Convention
HeroesCon Banner.jpg
Banner of a fiery woman from the Heroes Convention with a date of 1983
StatusActive
Genre comic book
Venue Charlotte Convention Center (1995–present)
Location(s) Charlotte, North Carolina
CountryUSA
Inaugurated1982
Attendance50,000 (2022) [1]
Organized byShelton Drum/Heroes Aren't Hard To Find
Filing statusfor profit
Website Official website

Heroes Convention, or HeroesCon, is a comic book convention that takes place in June (often over Father's Day weekend) [2] in Charlotte, North Carolina. The convention has been held since 1982 and is one of the oldest and "the largest independently owned comic book convention in the U.S." [3] . The convention has a history of charitable work, donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and the Charlotte Firefighters Burned Children's Fund. [4] HeroesCon is organized by Shelton Drum, owner of Heroes Aren't Hard To Find, a comic book retailer just southeast of downtown Charlotte.

Contents

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. [5] [6] Along with panels, seminars, and workshops with comic book professionals, [7] HeroesCon features hours of other programming on all aspects of comic books and pop culture. [8] HeroesCon features a large floorspace for exhibitors including comic-book dealers and collectibles 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. [2]

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, [9] but in 1982 decided to expand the event and rename it the Heroes Convention. [10] (Drum opened his first retail location in 1980.) [11] The show grew from being a very small trade-show environment (held in a Holiday Inn ballroom) [11] to being a true convention, with special guests at the 1982 show including Mike Zeck, Butch Guice, and New Teen Titans creators George Pérez, Marv Wolfman, and Romeo Tanghal.

The 1984 convention featured Stan Lee as its guest of honor, [9] 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. [4] Joe Quesada has appeared at the convention frequently since 1992, first as an artist, then as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. George Pérez has also been a frequent guest of the show over the years.

Since 1995, the convention has taken place at the Charlotte Convention Center. [9] The 1995 edition attracted 9,000 attendees, [11] and featured guest Todd McFarlane, 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, Linda Medley, Mark Crilley, Jill Thompson, and Stan Sakai.

In 2005, HeroesCon debuted "Indie Island," a section of the convention dedicated to alternative, independent, and self-published comics and creator. [2]

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. [7]

The 2012 Heroes Convention — the 30th anniversary show — was held June 22–24 and featured special guest Stan Lee. [10]

Heroes Convention has experienced tremendous growth, as attendance has increased to around 35,000 by 2015. [12] 2016 saw further increases, with the show topping previous years with around 40,000 attendees [13] . Heroes Convention's 35th anniversary show was held from June 16-18, 2017, included Eisner Award winners Alan Davis, Skottie Young, Jaime Hernandez, Gilbert Hernandez and Jason Aaron as guests. [14]

The 2020 and 2021 HeroesCon were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [15] Since returning for the "Fantastic 40th Heroes Convention" in 2022, the show has continued to experience growth, with 50,000 persons attending [16] [3] .

Controversy: Wizard World Atlanta

In 2005, Wizard Entertainment announced that it would be holding a comic book convention in Atlanta from June 30–July 2, 2006, the same dates on which HeroesCon was scheduled to take place. [17] 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 and writer Matt Fraction (himself a former Heroes Aren't Hard To Find employee), [9] voiced concerns about an attempt by a large, corporate event to force out an independent comic book convention. [11] [18] As a result of the outcry, many comic book creators, including Warren Ellis, Bryan Hitch, Greg Rucka, Tony Harris, Scott Kurtz, Gaijin Studios and Art Adams, signed up to appear at HeroesCon 2006. In mid-August 2005, Wizard announced that it would be pushing back their Atlanta convention until 2007. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wizard Entertainment</span> Producer of multi-genre fan conventions

Wizard Entertainment Inc., formerly known as GoEnergy and Wizard World, was 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.

Notable events of 2004 in comics.

The Bristol International Comic & Small Press Expo, commonly known as Comic Expo or BCE, was an annual comic book convention held in the United Kingdom from 2004 to 2013. The show was held once a year in Bristol in the spring. The organiser was Mike Allwood, formerly of Area 51, a comic shop based in Bristol.

The Toronto Comic Con was an annual comic book convention held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It started in 2003 and was sold in 2009 to Wizard Entertainment owner Gareb Shamus. It was subsequently relaunched as a Wizard event in 2010. The event has been on hiatus since spring 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Apple Comic Con</span> New York City comics & pop culture convention

The Big Apple Comic Con is a New York City comic book convention, the longest-running comic book/speculative fiction/pop culture convention in New York City. It was started by retailer Michael "Mike Carbo" Carbonaro in March 1996 in the basement of the St. Paul the Apostle Church. During its heyday from 2001 to 2008, the Big Apple Comic Con often featured multiple shows per year, with a large three-day "national" convention held in November, usually held at the Penn Plaza Pavilion. The show was owned by Wizard Entertainment from 2009 to 2013, but was reacquired by Carbonaro in 2014.

Notable events of 2002 in comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Film and Comic Con</span> Movie and comic convention held in London

London Film and Comic Con is a fan convention held annually in London that focuses on films, cult television, gaming, anime, cosplay and comics. It is organised by Showmasters Ltd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inkwell Awards</span> Trophy given in the field of inking in American comic books

The Inkwell Award, sometimes shortened to the Inkwells, is a trophy given in the field of inking in American comic books. Its mission statement is "To promote and educate about the craft of comic book inking and to show recognition for ink artists."

Notable events of 2010 in comics. It includes any relevant comics-related events, deaths of notable comics-related people, conventions and first issues by title.

Notable events of 2011 in comics. It includes any relevant comics-related events, deaths of notable comics-related people, conventions and first issues by title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fan Expo Chicago</span>

Fan Expo Chicago, is a comic book convention held during the summer in Rosemont, Illinois, United States, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. It was traditionally a three-day event, but in 2006, it expanded to four days. It was founded in 1972 as Nostalgia '72, Chicago Comic Con and later as the Chicago Comic and Nostalgia Convention by a local dealer named Nancy Warner.

The East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention (ECBACC) is the Philadelphia region's first black comic book convention, bringing together hundreds of comic book, science fiction, and fantasy creators, their colleagues, and their fans. The ECBACC is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit community-based organization focused on education, literacy and the arts. ECBACC, Inc. was founded in 2002 by Yumy Odom, a multidisciplinary educator, scientist and researcher affiliated with Temple University, and Maurice Waters.

Notable events of 2012 in comics. It includes any relevant comics-related events, deaths of notable comics-related people, conventions and first issues by title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ohio Comic Con</span>

The Wizard World Columbus Comic Con, formerly known as Mid-Ohio Con and then the Wizard World Ohio Comic Con, was a comic book convention held during the fall in Columbus, Ohio, United States, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Initially held in early November, from 1994–2007 the Mid-Ohio Con took place on the first weekend after Thanksgiving. Normally a two-day event, in 2012 it expanded to three days.

Notable events of 2013 in comics. It includes any relevant comics-related events, deaths of notable comics-related people, conventions and first issues by title. For an overview of the year in Japanese comics, see 2013 in manga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pittsburgh Comicon</span>

The Pittsburgh Comicon, later known as Wizard World Comic Con Pittsburgh and since succeeded by Steel-City Con, was a comic book convention held in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1994 by Michael and Renee George. It was traditionally a three-day event and featured a fan-friendly experience that allowed the fans to interact with comic professionals at all levels.

Great Eastern Conventions, Inc. was an entertainment company that produced comic book conventions, most actively during the years 1987-1996. In New York City, the Great Eastern shows filled the gap between the mid-1980s demise of the annual Comic Art Convention and Creation Conventions, and the establishment of promoter Michael Carbonaro's annual Big Apple Comic Con in 1996. From 1993 to 1995, Great Eastern hosted two New York City shows annually at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. In addition to running shows in the Northeastern United States, Great Eastern also ran shows in Georgia, Florida, California, Oregon, Minnesota, and Texas.

The Atlanta Fantasy Fair (AFF) was a multigenre convention which took place once each summer in Atlanta, Georgia from 1975 to 1995. Organized by A.C.F.F., Ltd., the convention was a nonprofit entity designed to promote the fantasy genre in the American Southeast. Over its two-decade run, the AFF featured hundreds of guests, encompassed hotels in downtown Atlanta and ran thousands of hours of programming for fans of science fiction, fantasy, comic books, and other elements of fandom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magnum Opus Con</span> Annual science fiction convention in U.S.

Magnum Opus Con (MOC) was an annual multigenre convention which generally took place each spring in various cities in the U.S. states of Georgia and South Carolina from 1986 to 2001. Organized by comics retailer Roland Castle, the convention was designed to attract science fiction fans of all stripes. Over its 16-year run, MOC featured hundreds of celebrity guests and ran hundreds of hours of programming for fans of science fiction, fantasy, comic books, gaming, and other elements of fandom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comic book convention</span> Event with a primary focus on comic books

A comic book convention or comic con is a fan convention 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 convention centers, hotels, or college campuses. They feature a wide variety of activities and panels, with a larger number of attendees participating in cosplay than most other types of fan conventions. Comic book conventions are also used as a vehicle for industry, in which publishers, distributors, and retailers represent their comic-related releases. Comic book conventions may be considered derivatives of science-fiction conventions, which began in the late 1930s.

References

  1. ↑ https://www.charlotteobserver.com/entertainment/arts-culture/article261735187.html.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. 1 2 3 Hargro, Carlton. "Best. Convention. Ever," Creative Loafing (June 17, 2009), p. 25.
  3. 1 2 Marusak, Joe (June 14, 2022). "HeroesCon at 40: NC comic book convention soars back for a big anniversary show". The Charlotte Observer . Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  4. 1 2 Heroes Convention Charlotte - HeroesCon: History, Retrieved Feb. 7, 2017.
  5. ↑ Brown, Hillary. "My Weekend at HeroesCon or, Why I Missed AthFest for a Comic Book Convention," Flagpole vol. 22, #26 (July 2, 2008), p. 9.
  6. ↑ Spencer, Jason. "Festival grows with comics Heroes, villains: This convention's for you," Spartanburg Herald-Journal (June 3, 2010).
  7. 1 2 Hargro, Carlton. "Revenge of HeroesCon". Creative Loafing (June 2, 2010), p. 23.
  8. ↑ Hargro, Carlton. "Home is for Heroes," Creative Loafing (June 18, 2008), p. 39.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Howard, Natalie. "Our Hero," Creative Loafing (May 2, 2007), pp. 24-26.
  10. 1 2 Bishop, Bart. "Heroes Comic Con celebrates 30th anniversary," Spartanburg Herald-Journal (June 21, 2012).
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Fernandez, Don. "Comic book hero: Little guy slays threat from weighty Wizard," Atlanta Journal-Constitution (August 13, 2005), p. A.1.
  12. ↑ "Fans marvel at comic book icon Stan Lee".
  13. ↑ "Heroes Convention (June 2016)". 14 August 2015.
  14. ↑ "HEROESONLINE :: HeroesCon 2017 :: Complete Guest List". www.heroesonline.com.
  15. ↑ Souther, Karla. "HEROES CONVENTION UPDATE 4/24/2020 :: LOOKING FORWARD TO 2021," Heroes Aren't Hard to Find website (April 24, 2020).
  16. ↑ Comic Culture at HeroesCon 2015 . Retrieved 2024-04-23– via www.youtube.com.
  17. ↑ "Heroes Con & Wiz Atlanta, Drum's Not Changing Dates" Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine . Comic-Con.com. July 22, 2005.
  18. ↑ Fraction, Matt (July 22, 2005). "EDITORIAL: Matt Fraction on HeroesCon/Wizard World Competing Conventions". Comic Book Resources.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.