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by Alexander Añe

I’ve been going to conventions for years, and the only thing that’s been the same is that one person who says, “But you really have to go to Heroes Con.” There’s always someone praising Heroes Con, and now, I am one of them.

Photo taken by Kelly Sue DeConnick

As my plane was landing, I was a bit nervous about Heroes Con. I was worried I wouldn’t know anybody, anywhere, or anything about the con and that would sink my battleship. My mistake was that I’d forgotten the principle reason everyone loves the show: Heroes is the most welcoming, friendly convention on the block and is always ready to meet new people.

Even before the con, with Kelly Sue DeConnick’s walk-along, Heroes was breaking the ice and making me feel at ease. Starting at 8 in the morning, this was a brisk 3-mile walk with Kelly Sue and about a dozen other fans. It was an excellent chance to take in some of Charlotte and get to know the neighborhood and also a classic example of one of HeroesCon’s big selling points, “[mingling] directly with professionals and exhibitors.” From there I started meeting people, getting to know places, and getting into the spirit of the weekend.

Walking into the convention hall Day 1 left me ecstatic in every way I could’ve wanted. The line for getting my pass was a breeze, the line to get into the convention was barely noticeable, and the Starbucks was cheapest I’d seen anywhere. Convention staff even let us in 30 minutes early and the rest fell into place like sheet music.

Photo taken by Alex Añé

Day 1 for me was the making sure I knew where I needed to go throughout the convention; finding artists, restrooms, and nice places to sit. I settled up a few commission lists, greeted a few friendly artists, and then made my way to House De Fraction & Co. to head off the huge lines they’d entertain during the weekend. For any con it’s always wise to take care of the biggest lines first, and it was strange to note that no line seemed, “too big,” or unreasonable. Even later in the day foot traffic in and around the convention seemed very pleasant.

Rolling down the escalator for day 2, I saw a group of Star Wars cosplayers were celebrating the engagement of a Han and Leia from their group. You know it’s not really a con till you see one of these, and it says something about Heroes in that people choose it as the spot to remember for the rest of their lives. For artist Hoyt Silva, Heroes Con is certainly memorable, as it was his first time having a booth there after the success of his first Kickstarter. His art and others made by attending artists sold that evening at the famed Heroes Con Annual Art Auction that Heroes puts toward donations toward charity foundations.

Photo taken by Alex Añé

Day 3 is where the real magic happens. The remaining artists spit out commissions by the droves through some mystic force that publishers can only dream of attaining. Phil Noto was working on his commission list till the last hour of the convention and Laura Martin colored away the last hours for the Heroes Initiative as well as on commission. Artists weren’t the only ones making magic, the Sex Criminals panel featured yet another proposal with the help of Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky. Exhausted and potentially injured from too much fun, I limped away from Heroes Con smiling, looking forward to attending next year. Thank you Heroes Con!