{"id":1083,"date":"2005-07-01T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2005-07-01T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/craigzablo.com\/?p=1083"},"modified":"2021-03-06T15:45:26","modified_gmt":"2021-03-06T19:45:26","slug":"heroes-con-2005-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craigzablo.com\/?p=1083","title":{"rendered":"Heroes Con 2005 Report"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/b><\/div>\n

Mike<\/span><\/b> and I arrive in <\/span>Charlotte <\/b>at a little after <\/span>7PM<\/b> on <\/span>Thursday<\/b>. While checking in to the <\/span>Weston<\/b> we see <\/span>Hal<\/b>, <\/span>Matt <\/b>and <\/span>Kwan<\/b> from the <\/span>Comic Art List<\/a><\/b>. <\/span>Brian Stelfreeze <\/b>and Cully Hamner <\/b>are also in the lobby.<\/p>\n

I call James “The James” Howell<\/b> and he tells me he’ll arrive at the hotel in a few minutes. Mike <\/b>and I put our things in our room. We freshen up a bit and head back down to the lobby. It’s been about 10 minutes<\/b> and still no “The James.”<\/b> Matt, Hal, Mike<\/b> and I head back up to my room to wait for “The James”<\/b> to arrive.<\/p>\n

Matt<\/b> remembered to bring me a Stallone<\/b> piece that Steve McNiven<\/b> did for me at MegaCon<\/b> after I left. Heroes <\/b>hasn’t even started and I already have a new addition to my gallery! ; ) “The James”<\/b> arrives and so we head down to the lobby.<\/p>\n

\n

<\/div>\n

As we’re all getting ready to go out for dinner, “The James”<\/b> says, “Have you all seen Batman Begins<\/b>? Wasn’t it great?” Everyone has seen it and agrees… except for me<\/b>.<\/p>\n

I say that I liked the movie<\/b>, but had a few problems<\/b> with it. “The James”<\/b> gives me a look like I just threw up in his cereal <\/b>[he’s the king of giving people looks<\/b>]. “What problems did you have?” he asks. So I begin to lay out a few of them. With each one “The James”<\/b> looks pained and then gives me a rationalization.<\/p>\n

As we’re walking, Brian Stelfreeze<\/b>, Cully<\/b> and their crew appear. We all say, “Hi” and stop to talk for a minute. Brian<\/b> then says, “Have you all seen Batman Begins<\/b>? Wasn’t it great?” [“The James”<\/b> gives me a smug smile<\/b>.] Everyone nods and says, “yeah”… everyone except for me<\/b>. I say, “I liked it<\/b>, but had some problems<\/b> with it.” Since we’re all going out in different directions, I say that I’ll talk to him about it later.<\/p>\n

We head over to dinner, and all through the course of the meal the discussion is Batman Begins. <\/b>Everyone but “The James”<\/b> agrees that I’ve brought up some valid concerns. “The James”<\/b> just doesn’t see it. He’s like Tom Cruise<\/b> talking about Katie Holmes<\/b> when it comes to Batman Returns<\/b>. We all head back to the hotel and end up talking art, comics, movies<\/b> and playing a movie trivia game<\/b>. “The James”<\/b> is nearly unbeatable.<\/p>\n

The next morning, I’m up early. Mike<\/b> is sleeping in and coming over after the show starts, but since I’ve scored a special guest<\/b> pass via John Higashi<\/b> [who is arriving on Saturday<\/b>], I can get in early. “The James”<\/b> and I meet in the lobby and decide to pass on the $16 breakfast buffet<\/b> and go for the $2.75 bagel<\/b>. We hang out in the lobby and talk to different folks as they pass through. Rico<\/b> comes by looking for some dish soap to wash his baby’s bottle. Casey Jones<\/b> passes through and says that he’s going to have a Stallone<\/b> piece for me by the end of this show! Matt<\/b> and Hal<\/b> come down.<\/p>\n

<\/b><\/p>\n

Brian Stelfreeze<\/b> and Cully<\/b> come through. Someone brings up Batman Begins<\/b> [it wasn’t me, I promise]. I tell Brian<\/b> some of my concerns.\u00a0 He listens and says, “You know, you’re right<\/b>. I hadn’t thought of that!”\u00a0 [I give “The James”<\/b> a smug smile<\/b>.] I say, “Overall I liked it though and expect the sequel to be even better.”<\/p>\n

We all head over to the show. I get in James Jean’s<\/b> line for Paul Singh<\/b> who can’t make the show. Man, it seems that everyone wants something from James Jean<\/b>. I give him Paul<\/b>‘s reference and money for Paul<\/b> and say that John Higashi<\/b> will take the art back with him.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I stop by and say, “Hi” to Adam<\/b> and Alison<\/b>. I get on Rick Leonardi’<\/b>s list. He says he’s going to draw Rambo<\/b>. I look for Nat Jones<\/b> who hasn’t arrived yet. I talk with Mike Ploog<\/b> and lay the groundwork for John Higashi<\/b> to get a take home commission. I get on Cliff Chiang<\/b>‘s list.<\/p>\n

Dinner that night is at Uno’s<\/b>. There are 14<\/b> of us so we get two tables. The place is packed, but we get seated pretty quickly. I’m at the quiet table [yeah, Gary McKee<\/b> is at the other one and no Beatty<\/b> this year].<\/p>\n

After dinner we head up to the <\/span>Tsunami Studios<\/b> room. <\/span>Brian Walker<\/b> gifts me a<\/span> Stallone<\/b> piece that he did!\u00a0 We’re all laughing and talking junk when some of us discover that two of the people sitting at <\/span>Gary’<\/b>s table for dinner, work in the <\/span>porn industry<\/b>! <\/span>Gary<\/b> is also shocked and we’re all laughing because he didn’t know that when he shared his beef tips with the woman. <\/span>Gary<\/b> gets all flustered which makes everyone laugh harder.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The next morning I am awakened at 6AM by a phone call<\/b> from John Higashi<\/b>. He’s driven through the night [on 2 <\/b>hours of sleep after a full day of work] and is ready for some breakfast. I get cleaned up and head down. John<\/b> arrives and we find a Burger King<\/b> for some “nourishment.” As we’re eating John<\/b> maps out his strategy. He’s a day late [but NOT a dollar behind] and he writes down names and locations of artists on his “hit list.”<\/b> Military invasions have been planned with less strategy and I know that Higashi <\/b>is on a mission.<\/p>\n

The show opens and I discover that Higashi<\/b> hit the ground running. Literally. And carrying several bags of art. Higashi<\/b> is already on several artists’ lists<\/b> and he’s also picking up commissions<\/b> and pages<\/b> that he worked deals on before the show even started!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I see Rick Leonardi <\/b>who has completed my Rambo<\/b> piece! Cool! Very cool!<\/p>\n

I meet Howard Chaykin<\/b>. He is one of my comic idols<\/b>. If Howard<\/b> writes or draws it, I’ll buy it. Meeting Chaykin <\/b>is so cool<\/b>. He tells me about a new comic that he has coming out. It’s in the tradition of Peckinpaugh<\/b>. It’s called Generations<\/b> and sounds awesome. Chaykin<\/b> also tells me about a noir comic<\/b> that he’d like to do, but so far he hasn’t found a publisher. It’s a very and dark realistic story. I hope that it finds a home. Chaykin<\/b> says that he’s doing head sketches for ACTOR<\/b>, but we’d be better off with a home commission. I decide to wait and see if I can work out something later. Meeting Howard Chaykin<\/b> has been a highlight of ANY<\/b> convention I’ve ever been to.<\/p>\n

<\/b><\/p>\n

Nat Jones<\/b> arrives! I head over and talk to him. Nat<\/b> says that he usually doesn’t sketch<\/b> at shows, but because he knows I am a fan of his work [and maybe because it’s obvious that the piece won’t end up on ebay<\/b>], and because my theme is different, he agrees to a sketch! Yeah, baby. I pick up the sketch later in the afternoon and love it. Cobra<\/b> by Nat Jones<\/b>.<\/p>\n

I get word that Craig Hamilton<\/b> has arrived. “The James”<\/b> and I head over to his table. Craig<\/b> has a piece that he completed for “The James.” <\/b>It’s Snow and Big Bad Wolf<\/b> and it is sooo sweet. I set up a commission with Craig<\/b>, who decides to do it as a take home piece since he couldn’t get to me last year at Heroes<\/b>. Craig<\/b> promises it will be really nice. How could it not be, since Craig<\/b> is doing it?<\/p>\n


\n<\/b><\/p>\n

Gary McKee<\/b> has been working all day on my Stallone<\/b> watercolor piece. He opted to do Sly as The Punisher<\/b>. It was cool seeing Gary<\/b> work on it from concept sketch<\/b> to finished piece<\/b>. And I agree with Gary<\/b>, Sly<\/b> would have made an excellent Punisher<\/b>.<\/p>\n

I see a lot of friends including Tim Gordon<\/b> [from The Tampa Comic and Toy Convention<\/b>], Robert Jewell<\/b>, and others. Richard “Jaws” Kiel <\/b>is there. I guess it goes without saying, that he’s HUGE<\/b>. As the show winds down for day two<\/b>, we head back to the hotel for the Art Auction<\/b>. The room is packed. Higashi<\/b> bids on a few items and wins one. After the auction, Mike<\/b> and I decide on pizza<\/b> in the room. Normally we’d hang out with the guys again, but tonight we opt to play some poker<\/b> [for fun] and watch “Tombstone.”<\/b> Man, Val Kilmer<\/b> owns that movie. He should have won an Oscar<\/b>!!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The next morning, we check out of the room and head over to the last day of the show. The group immediately gets in Mike Ploog<\/b>‘s line. Mike<\/b>‘s old school. I grew up on his “Werewolf by Night,” “Frankenstein” <\/b>and work for Warren<\/b>. Mr. Ploog <\/b>is [and has been since the con opened] drawing FREE<\/b> headshots for fans. Up to this point, I’ve never asked an artist to draw Stallone<\/b> when they’re sketching for free.<\/b> It’s one thing to whip out Batman <\/b>or Spider-Man<\/b> or a character that they’ve probably drawn dozens of times. It’s a whole different can of worms to ask them to draw a real person. But this is Mike Ploog<\/b>!! I decide to ask him to draw Jack Carter<\/b> and I use Brian Stelfreeze<\/b>‘s piece as reference. When it’s my turn, I hand over my sketchbook<\/b> and reference and Mike<\/b> draws me a nice little Stallone<\/b> headshot! Whoo-hooo! I have Mike Ploog<\/b> in my Stallone Gallery<\/b>!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I check in with Casey Jones<\/b> and he’s done me a great, great piece. It’s Sly<\/b> from Oscar<\/b> and the design<\/b> on the sketch is awesome.\u00a0 Casey<\/b>, you are the MAN<\/b>!!!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Cliff Chiang<\/b> has completed his Stallone<\/b> piece. It’s a really sweet piece of Rocky and Adrian<\/b>. Cliff<\/b> has really captured the essence<\/b> of both of these characters. I absolutely love it!<\/p>\n

Heroes<\/b> has once again been a great show<\/b>. I was able to hang out with my son and friends, meet artists who’ve I’ve admired and even get new artwork for my Stallone Gallery<\/b>. I should have better pictures of the artists and scans of my new pieces posted within the next week.<\/p>\n

I’m already looking forward to next year <\/b>to do it all again!<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mike and I arrive in Charlotte at a little after 7PM on Thursday. While checking in to the Weston we<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":912,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[58,56],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-art","category-comics","comments-off"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/craigzablo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/craigzablo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/craigzablo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craigzablo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/912"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craigzablo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1083"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/craigzablo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1083\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25388,"href":"https:\/\/craigzablo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1083\/revisions\/25388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/craigzablo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craigzablo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craigzablo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

I spend a lot of the day hanging out with the guys from Tsunami Studios<\/a><\/b>: Gary McKee<\/b>, Jason Walker<\/b>, Mike Torrence<\/b> and Brian Walker<\/b>. I set up a watercolor Stallone<\/b> piece from Gary <\/b>and Jason<\/b> and I agree to a future Stallone<\/b> piece. I check back on Nat Jones<\/b> throughout the day, but he looks to be a no show… as does Craig Hamilton<\/b>.<\/p>\n