DRUM-MING UP COMIC FANS AT HEROES CON
posted 06-22-2005 02:29 PM
By Jennifer M. Contino

This weekend one of the south's oldest comic conventions returns, HeroesCon. A Charlotte North Carolina staple since 1982, founder Shelton Drum said one of his key goals for the show every year is "to create an event where parents and kids can have just as much fun as your typical die-hard comics fan."

To achieve that goal each year, Drum tries to find comics brightest stars from all corners of the sequential art world. He said the first year [1982] notables like George Perez, Marv Wolfman, and Romeo Tanghal, from the best-selling New Teen Titans were guests; as well as Mike Zeck, Sam Grainger, Pat Broderick, and Butch Guice, among others.

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DRUM TALKS HEROESCON THIS WEEKEND
posted 06-08-2004 01:28 PM
BY JENNIFER M. CONTINO

This coming weekend, comic book fans can meet and greet in one of the south's oldest conventions, HeroesCon. We caught up with con organizer Shelton Drum to learn more about how the con is organized, how it's changed in recent years, and what to expect this year at the show.

(excerpt)

THE PULSE: How has Heroes Con changed since those early conventions in the '80s?
DRUM: The size is the main thing. Attendance was 400 in '82, 800 in '83 and about 1000 to 1200 in '84 when Stan Lee appeared - pretty remarkable growth from a percentage standpoint. 1994 was a stand-out show from a marketing point of view. Marvel, DC, Image, Valiant, Dark Horse, Wizard, Hero Magazine plus some others were set-up. The guest list that year included: Jim Lee, Jeff Smith, George Perez, Mike Mignola, Mike Allred, Joe Quesada, James O'Barr, Joe Madureira, Ed McGuinness, plus a ton more. It was really incredible. It reflected the industry at the time, and unfortunately 1995 held true and reflected the impending industry implosion. The attendance in '95 was about the same as the year before, around 4000, but the landscape was vastly different. Publishers were disappearing.

xxx

29 October 03
written by Shelton Drum

(excerpt)

But the real reason I've asked you all here is to inform you...that George Perez was a great big smash hit! I mean, George has been a regular at our yearly convention since the very first one, back in 1982--when some of you had not yet been born, and the rest of you were in love with Duran Duran--but with the release of JLA/Avengers, this kid is white-hot!

Even with the light rain that fell most of the day, there was a line at the door as early as an hour before we opened the store. People may have been waiting even earlier, but we showed up at noon. I mean, c'mon: it was Sunday. So by the time George showed up at 1 and we let people in, he was instantly mobbed! Shelton even opened up his famous vaults and pulled out some of his Perez originals from over the last 20 years! All in all, things went great, people were happy, and everyone walked away friends. If you weren't there, well, whose fault was that?

The guest list from our first ever Heroes Convention (1982): Tony Wike (local radio personality, comics fan, and emcee of the convention), Shelton Drum (area fan who would not leave), Sam Grainger (esteemed silver age inker), Butch Guice (then known for his run on Southern Knights), Pat Broderick (penciller on Firestorm), Mike Zeck (famed for his run on Captain America), Romeo Tanghal (inker on New Teen Titans), Marv Wolfman (writer of New Teen Titans), and of course, George Perez (penciller on New Teen Titans). Apparently the photograph was taken sometime in the 1800's.