21 Days

With just three weeks to go before HeroesCon 2009, here's a breakdown of some of the guests who'll be at this year's convention:

• Mark Bagley
• Brian Michael Bendis
• Ed Brubaker
• Cliff Chiang
• Frank Cho
• Tommy Lee Edwards
• Matt Fraction
• Cully Hamner
• Adam Hughes
• Jamal Igle
• Steve Niles
• George Pérez
• Karl Story
• Ethan Van Sciver
• Dexter Vines
• Mark Waid

You can check out some of what Steve Niles and Ethan Van Sciver were kind enough to do at last year's HeroesCon.

Both of the Big Two publishers will have a presence there, and hopefully lots of information and goodies for everyone.

• DC Comics
• Marvel Comics

And for G.I. JOE fans, this year's convention is going to be fully stocked with talent who've contributed to the property over the years:

• Robert Atkins - Artist on IDW's 2009 G.I. JOE reboot.
• Jeremy Dale - Artist on several of the comics released in 25th Anniversary two-packs.
• Marc Deering
• Tom Feister - Cover artist on IDW's G.I. JOE Origins.
• S.L. Gallant - Artist on IDW's G.I. JOE and the movie prequel books.
• Michael Golden - Artist behind the incredible cover of G.I. JOE Yearbook #2 (which I can't wait to get signed).
• Rick Ketcham - Inker on IDW's G.I. JOE.
• Eric Layton - Inker in DDP run.
• Pat Quinn - Artist on G.I. JOE Declassified.
• Rod Whigham - Artist on about two dozen issues of Marvel's G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero.
• John 'Waki' Wycough - Inker on IDW's G.I. JOE.

And that's just a sample of who will be there. See the complete guest list for yourself, and start making plans to attend.

Sign Here, Please: Ethan Van Sciver

Next on my Superman/Batman list is Ethan Van Sciver, the man behind all the fantastic Green Lantern art of the last four years. After seeing what he did with Hal Jordan, my curiosity was obviously piqued when he was announced for a brief run on Superman/Batman. His work on the first three issues of the "Enemies Among Us" story is simply astounding. Not that Matthew Clark's pages in the second half the story were subpar, or anything, but Van Sciver's drawings just jump right off the page at you. He's definitely among my top ten favorites in the industry today, so I was happy for the chance to have him sign my "Enemies Among Us" hardcover at HeroesCon 2008. What really got me, though, was how he autographed the book:



What I found so impressive was how quickly and casually he sketched the Dark Knight. I realize it's something he does just about every day, but for someone without a shred of artistic ability like me, it's really fun to watch. Seriously, I can't even draw a stick figure. I also bought a wicked Black Lightning print from Mr. Van Sciver, but the guys who sell the top-loading print holders had sold out of the size it requires, so I have it put away for safe keeping until this year's con. Anyway, there's more to come from last year's HeroesCon, including another incredible sketch-o-graph.

Sign Here, Please: Ethan Van Sciver