2013 tricon program - Tri-State Comic-Con

FREE
10 AM - 6 PM
PROGRAM
April 6, 2013
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TRICON 2013
We knew a comic convention in Huntington would go over well, but last year’s
opening year for Tricon saw more support than we ever dreamed possible. From
the fans that helped spread the word with programs, cards and posters, to the local
organizations that put us on the radio and in the newspaper, to the comic shops
that pushed our promotional materials to their customers: At every turn and in
nearly every business, we were met with comic fans looking to help bring a convention to Huntington that they could be proud to call their own.
From the reaction to last year’s show, it seems that we hit our goal. The people who
came to our show were eager to see comics. Not a full string of media guests with
loose ties, but the actual men and women creators who help produce the medium
that we love.
With that in mind, Tricon returns for its sophomore year to the region, and we’ve
brought along double the amount of comic creators that we had last year! We’ve
pulled in a hearty amount of vendors that will offer everything from comics to
toys to art supplies to t-shirts. We’ve also brought on a large list of sponsors for this
year’s show, each of whom have helped provide us the ability to make Tricon the
best event it can be.
Also, while Tricon doesn’t provide a focus on media guests, that doesn’t mean we
have neglected to bring on a few that have a direct hand in a comics adaptation.
This year, we’ve opted to feature two prominent “walkers” from TV series The Walking Dead, so that both can share their experiences working on one of televisions
most high-profile comic-related shows.
However, our prime focus—as it will always be—is with the comics. This year’s
guests include Robert Venditti, Duane Swierczynski and Daryll Banks, as well as
favorites of the con Billy Tucci, Steve Scott and Tommy Patterson. Detailed information on these creators and more can be found in this program.
Obviously, being comic creators ourselves, we also wanted to push a spotlight
on Independent Press. With our background as the heads of Broken Icon Comics, we have an interest in gaining attention for both our independent label and
others in the same field. While the promotion of independent labels will never be
as high-profile as, say, Marvel or DC, independent presses make up a vital role in
the comics industry, and a lot of what Tricon stands for is geared toward helping
the independents stand out and providing an atmosphere where we all can thrive,
so—as we said last year—don’t be shy about treating yourself!
James Maddox & Eric Watkins, Tricon Organizers
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
We couldn’t have pulled Tricon off without the help and generosity
of a number of different contributors.
Mary Maddox - For keeping James from totally losing his mind
and providing the right words when times got tough.
This program was put together inhouse with a team of talented creators and designers.
If you have a special project that
could benefit from print promotion,
feel free to reach out to us!
[email protected]
www.jamesmaddox.net
Amanda Watkins - For putting up with long work nights &
sporadic tickle fights with Eric.
Ryan Zipperian - For hosting panels and being a comic gangster.
Steve Scott - For our badge and cover artwork.
Nick Anderson - For helping get the word out.
KJM - For being KJM.
Any and all who volunteered their time - You have given us the
opportunity to produce something amazing!
JAMES MADDOX
James Maddox is a writer/creator
of unparalleled versatility. After cofounding Broken Icon Comics in
2009, Maddox has involved himself
with producing and promoting comics. After releasing the series Nightmare
Unknown and the one-shot comic The
Horror Show, he has since gone on to
pen upcoming projects with illustrators such as Steve Scott, Jen Hickman,
David Stoll, Todd Beistel, Todd Frazer,
Seth Coleman, and Rob Dumo.
See more at www.jamesmaddox.net.
Eric Watkins is the creator of the titles
Chosen & Forsaken, Mars, and the
Man in the Kitty Coat. He is also coowner of Broken Icon Comics. As the
company’s Director of Operations, he
finds new and interesting talent for
the publisher and keeps the business
producing quality titles each year.
See profile
on page 3.
See profile
on page 4.
Vladimir Popov is an accomplished artist
and digital colorist. His work has been featured with Boom! Studios, Zenescope, and
Broken Icon Comics.
EXHIBITOR SPOTLIGHT
Night of the Living Tricon.
Since his days of drawing ninja turtles in grade
school, Kevin has known
he wanted to be an artist.
A Nossi College graduate,
Kevin had tried his hands
at self-publishing before
jumping on with Broken
Icon. Kevin illustrated
this years exclusive comic,
A Doctor Who fanatic
from Kentucky, Tressina has been making her
rounds to conventions to
show off her artistic ability.
She is extremely versatile
in styles, from cartooning to realistic, she is sure
to make ripples in the art
arena. You can check out
her webcomic, HATEINK, or any of her other pieces at
www.birdieboart.blogspot.com.
Avengers: The Movie sets.
Known for his sketch
cards, Dan’s fantastic
work has been featured
in
Marvel/Upperdeck’s
Thor, Captain America
and Avengers: Kree/Skull
War. He is now in the process of working on Marvel/Upperdeck’s Marvel:
Beginning Series 2 and
REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT
c
Brent lives in a small town
Ohio with his wife and
two kids. He’s worked
with various skateboard
companies, licensed Nintendo products, and
Marvel/Upperdeck. He
is working on an Image
title with Geoff Johns and
worked on “Outlaw Territory” Vol. 3, due to come out from Image early this year,
and is currently working on projects with several companies.
Marc Lewis is a colorist and illustrator from
Milton, WV. Some of his
work includes HACKoween, Unique Tales and
The Legend of Red. Marc
has been coloring and illustrating various pinups,
covers and short stories for
the past seven years. He
is currently developing a yet-to-be-titled self-published
book. You can check his work out at www.colorsbymal.
com.
Ansley is a varied artist who is primarily selftaught. She works in traditional, digital and mixed
mediums in a style mostly
influenced by fantasy and
surrealism, though she occasionally dabbles in realistic subject matter. She’s
been an artist all her life,
but is new to the convention scene. Check out more of her
work at www.artbyanz.com.
Daniel Boyd is an acclaimed filmmaker with
dozens of films, including Chillers, Strangest
Dreams: Invasion of the
Space Preachers, and Paradise Park (aka, Heroes of
the Heart) to his credit. A
media studies professor at
West Virginia State University since 1983, Boyd has also taught around the world
as a three-time Fulbright scholar. To see more visit www.
danielboyd.com.
L. Jason Queen is a graduate of Marshall University
with a MA in painting and
illustration in 2004. For
the past few years he has
created artwork under the
name of RogueWolf.
“Its a fitting name as I
once was a wolf among the
art industry pack but now
I am alone for the most part and exist as a rogue wolf.”
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Robert Venditti is one of
the most underrated writers of the past decade. He
has written three New
York Times best sellers
including The Homeland
Directive, The Surrogates
and and adaptation of
Rick Riordan’s best selling
Percey Jackson and the Olympians.
His first installment of his acclaimed graphic novel, The
Surrogates, was adapted into a feature film starring Bruce
Willis and Ving Rhames in 2009. Robert was recently
slated to write the ongoing series, X-O Manowar for the
resurgent Valiant Entertainment.
Recently, Venditti was just added as the writer for Green
Lantern, starting with issue #21. He takes over for Geoff
Johns and will be working with artist Billy Tan.
Writer/Artist
Mark
Kidwell is the co-creator/
writer of the sold-out,
ongoing Vietnam/zombie
epic “’68” from Image
comics. His newest work
can be seen in the second
story arc, “’68: SCARS”,
available in comics shops
now and the upcoming
“JUNGLE JIM 2” mini-series set in the ’68 universe.
Mark is also the writer/illustrator/creator of the splatterpunk horror mini-series BUMP and provided scripts for
Frazetta Comics’ DARK KINGDOM series as well as the
Frazetta western, FREEDOM. His recent work with Jay
Fotos and Jeff Zornow, TYRANNOSAURUS REX from
IMAGE COMICS, sold out in one day.
Other projects include: Writing/illustrating the Lovecraftian one-shot CREATURE FROM THE DEPTHS,
the story “39 Spikes” for IDW and Gene Simmons’ House
of Horrors and penciling/inking the horror graphic nove,l
JACK THE LANTERN: WAR OF THE SOUL, for Castle rain Entertainment.
He has illustrated gaming manuals for REAPER
GAMES and HACKMASTER and has designed creature
and makeup effects for Robert Kurtzman’s PRECINCT
13 studio on such projects as Dee Snider’s STRANGELAND 2, Jack Ketchum and Lucky McKee’s THE
WOMAN and the upcoming JOHN DIES AT THE
END by Don Coscarelli.
Mark is also the screenwriter for the upcoming film version of BUMP, directed by SFX superstar Robert Kurtzman and author of the newly published BUMP novel.
Kevin Galbraith is just a Psychology student and zombie fan, who happens to be a memorable
part of the The Walking Dead on AMC. This Marietta, GA native who got his foot in the door
doing background and extra work on the AMC’s The Walking Dead before working his way into
stunt performing rolls.
In Season two Kevin took on the roll of the Swamp Walker. He was introduced when Carl
wandered off into the woods and found a zombie stuck in the silt of the creek bed. After throwing
some rocks at the Swamp Walker, who nearly killed Carl, the Swamp Walker got free and made
off with a vengeance. Kevin had the pivotal role of killing Dale towards the end of Season two.
Kevin was retained for Season three and is someone to watch out for. Kevin never set out to be a
performer but right now he finds himself immersed into the popular world of The Walking Dead.
Darryl Banks is from Columbus, Ohio, and a graduate of the Columbus College of Art and
Design with a bachelor’s degree. He began his comics career in 1989, working for various
independent comic companies such as Innovation and Millennium Publishing.
Darryl worked on titles such as Doc Savage: Man of Bronze, The Wild Wild West and
Justice Machine. In 1993 he started working with DC Comics on Legion of Superheroes
and later on Green Lantern. Co-creating the Kyle Rayner Green Lantern, Parallax, and other
characters was a great honor and challenge for Darryl’s costume design skills.
In addition to various other projects for DC, his work also includes Captain America and
X-Men for Marvel, Tomb Raider: Epiphany from Top Cow, GI Joe Reloaded for Devil’s Due
Publishing, Johnnie Zombie for Midgard Comics and covers to Moonstone’s Phantom series. In August 2011, Darryl Banks, Ron Marz and Terry Austin were reunited for the Green
Lantern Retroactive 1990s issue for DC Comics.
Darryl also does concept art and toy design. Clients include Hawthorne Village collectibles, Hasbro, Mattel, Filsinger
Games, and many others.
Duane Swierczynski is the author of several crime thrillers, including the Edgar-nominated and
Anthony Award-winning Expiration Date, as well the Charlie Hardie series (Fun & Games,
Hell & Gone, Point & Shoot), which has been nominated for Anthony, Shamus, Macavity and
Barry awards and optioned for TV.
He currently writes Birds of Prey for DC Comics, Godzilla and the forthcoming Judge Dredd
for IDW Comics, Bloodshot for Valiant Comics, and has written about the Punisher, Cable,
the Immortal Iron Fist, Werewolf By Night, Black Widow and Deadpool for Marvel Comics.
Duane has also collaborated with CSI creator Anthony E. Zuiker on a series of bestselling “digi-novel” thrillers which include Level 26: Dark Origins, Dark Prophecy and Dark Revelations.
In a previous life, he worked as an editor and writer for Details, Men’s Health and Philadelphia
magazines, and was the editor-in-chief of the Philadelphia City Paper.
Rob is a professional comic book artist from the
Buffalo, New York area. At
the age of 17 he became a
caricature artist at a theme
park while dipping into
comics. Rob has illustrated Nightmare Unknown,
Chosen and Forsaken #0
for Broken Icon as well as
Robyn Hood #3 for Zenescope. Rob is the Art Director
for Broken Icon Comics.
Billy Tucci is a veteran soldier
and comic creator extraordinaire, best known for the
creation of Crusade Fine Arts
and Shi.
Billy’s created title Shi took
the comic industry by storm.
Shi #1 stood on top of Wizard Magazine for a record
two years and has been featured on numerous TV shows and in numerous publications.
Billy has also showed his military background and love for his
country in titles like Sgt. Rock: Lost Battalion, Shi: Through
the Ashes, and Star Spangled War Stories, to name a few.
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Steve Scott is a comic artist whose work could fill volumes. From notable illustrations in
nearly every large publishing house, Scott has made his living drawing some of the most
iconic characters in the comic book industry. His ever-growing lists of credits span a range of
different media, from comics to video game art to trading cards. Needless to say, Steve Scott
is a very busy man.
Many of Steve’s successes have come with his work on Batman (DC), Batman Confidential
(DC), The Creeper (DC), Hulk: Broken Worlds (Marvel), She-Hulk (Marvel), JLA (DC)
and Indiana Jones (Dark Horse).
On top of that, Scott has branched out to do concept art for the video game The Bane of
Yoto for Leviathan Games and completed two series of Marvel trading cards for Upperdeck,
Avengers Assemble and The Beginning.
Beyond these accomplishments, Steve was the only artist hired to illustrate works that would appear in a special features
segment of The Dark Knight film. Steve also had his artwork featured on the Justice League Doom DVD, where a digital
copy of JLA #43 was a special feature.
Huntington’s favorite comic son, Beau Smith started his life in comics in the 80’s with Eclipse
Comics.
This Marshall University graduate started his professional writing career in 1985 with a backup
story in the Scout comic. Following that, Beau worked on titles such as The Dogs of Danger and
The Swords of Texas before creating a familiar looking character named Beau LaDuke.
Beau then jumped to DC, starting with Green Lantern Quarterly #8 and following up with
Guy Gardner. Beau’s career continued to grow as he worked on titles such as Spawn, Batman v
Wildcat and Catwoman v Wildcat.
From there Beau released his created title, Wynonna Earp, which was released through IDW.
Beau also writes a regular column for Comics Bulletin called “Busted Knuckles”.
Lora Innes’s romantic, time-travel adventure comic about the Revolutionary War, The Dreamer
(IDW Publishing), has been nominated for three Harvey Awards, a CYBILS Award, and is the
recipient of the S.P.A.C.E. Prize.
The Dreamer Volume 1 is now in its second printing, and Volume 2 was released in November
2011. You can read the comic online at her WEBSITE where it updates weekly.
In addition to The Dreamer, Innes co-hosts the Paper Wings PODCAST, an educational show
for aspiring comic creators.
Currently she is writing and producing three graphic novel tie-ins for the upcoming Civil War
television mini-series, To Appomattox, starring Rob Lowe, Will Patton, William Peterson, and
Richard Dreyfuss. The first of Innes’s books will release in conjunction with the show’s airing July
2013. You can check that out on its WEBSITE.
Chad Lambert is a five-time Howard E. Day Memorial Award finalist and two-time Champion City Award nominee for his work in small press comics, including Possum At Large,
Kill the Revisionist, and Return to Point Pleasant. Ray Bradbury refers to Return to Point
Pleasant as “superb and frightening! Bravo!”
Chad also appeared in the feature-length documentary Eyes of the Mothman, which explores the Appalachian folklore of paranormal activity in West Virginia.
Chad is also one of the writers of the Megamind and Kung Fu Panda comics from Ape
Entertainment and DreamWorks Animation, as well as BloodRayne for Digital Webbing
Press. He also recently completed a comic book biography of Saturday Night Live for Bluewater.
Chad recently was featured in Dark Horse Presents and will be featured in a Discovery Channel program, Monsters of
West Virginia this spring.
Tommy Patterson is a Kentucky native who has used
his amazing skill and details to take the comic industry by storm.
Tommy has worked on
titles such as The Warriors
movie adaptation and Irredeemable. He also had
extremely successful runs
on the comic adaption of pop culture favorite Farscape
and also Zenescope’s Tales from Wonderland. Recently
Tommy has been the driving force behind Dynamite’s
Game of Thrones comic adaptation, based on the George
RR Martin epic series. Tommy also has artwork featured
on numerous titles including Zenescope’s Jungle Book and
Robin Hood.
Tony Isabella was born on
December 22, 1951, which
makes him, among other
things, older than Godzilla. He learned to read from
comics at the age of four
and never stopped reading
them. He went from writing to comic-book letters
pages to writing for comics fanzines and attending
comics conventions.
In the fall of 1972, Isabella movied from Cleveland,
Ohio to New York City to become an editorial assistant at
Marvel Comics. He found himself working with Stan Lee,
Roy Thomas, Sol Brodsky, and many others. At Marvel, he
wrote Ghost Rider, Captain America, Daredevil, and more.
He also edited several comics magazines for the company.
He created Black Lightning at DC Comics, co-created
Tigra for Marvel Comics, developed Jack Kirby’s Satan’s Six
at Topps Comics, and has written for countless other titles
from Amazing Spider-Man to Young Love. He is a columnist and contributing editor to Comics Buyer’s Guide.
He owned and operated a comic-book store for over a
decade in the 1970s and 1980s. Working with Bob Ingersoll, he published two novels: Captain America: Liberty’s
Torch and Star Trek: The Case of the Colonist’s Corpse.
He has assisted Tom Batiuk on the Crankshaft and Funky
Winkerbean comic strips. He also wrote the bestselling
and critically-acclaimed 1000 Comic Books You Must
Read. His most recent comics writing was the Grim Ghost
for Atlas Comics.
Tony Isabella’s Bloggy Thing, his daily column of news,
views, and reviews can be seen at his BLOG.
He lives in Medina, Ohio with his wife Barbara. Their
two children, Eddie and Kelly, are, respectively, a graduate
of and a student at Ohio State University.
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Jeremy Ambler, a West
Virginia native, is a young
actor who has appeared in
a number of feature films
and television shows. He is
best known for his role as
a “Walker” on AMC’s well
known series, The Walking Dead and will also be
appearing in 2012’s Night
Of The Living Dead Re-
make as “The Cowboy.”
Most Recently he landed the Role of George Robinson
in the National Geographic Channel Docu-Drama 2013
Movie Killing Lincoln, based on The Book By Bill O Riley. Jeremy has also appeared in films, such as; The Road,
Child of God, and The Crazies. In addition, he has been
in HBO’s John Adams, The Three Stooges, American Reunion, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay,
The Dukes of Hazzard, and many others.
Robert Tinnell is a writer/
director/producer with experience in a variety of media. Tinnell’s initial claim
to fame was as producer
on the notorious cult classic SURF NAZIS MUST
DIE and as a producer of
music videos, including the
class MTV Award-winner,
STRAIGHT UP by Paula
Abdul. Outside of the film industry, Tinnell is a well-respected graphic novelist, known for such works as THE BLACK
FOREST, THE WICKED WEST, SIGHT UNSEEN,
FLESH AND BLOOD, and the Eisner Award-nominated
FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES. Other upcoming productions include SACRIFICE, THE LIVING AND THE
DEAD, and THE MOTHMAN CHRONICLES.
Panel Host
No stranger to comic books or characters, Ryan “Zip” Zipperian has
approached his career much like a
hero—and sometimes a villain.
Zip was born and raised in Huntington, WV. He currently works for X
106.3, The Tri-State’s Rock Station, as
a digital manager and host of “Loud
N Local”, a one-hour showcase program highlighting rock/metal bands
in the area.
Zip has always loved connecting
with his audience. Known for his
fanboy-like postings and on-air per-
sonna, Zip has become a staple in the
local rock-n-roll community. This is
his 2nd year as official MC.
“Comic books are a vein into which
the imagination flows,” said Zip. “It
doesn’t matter if you’re reading one
of the big boys or a story from the
kid in the dining hall. It’s art, and I’m
so happy that Tricon 2013 is coming
back to showcase the amazing talent
and awesome people right here in the
Huntington area! I’m honored to be
asked to return for some more amazing times!”
James Patrick started his
rise in comics after the
notoriety gained from his
book Death Comes To
Dillinger.
With his independent
book’s popularity, James
has steadily moved up
comic ranks with numerous titles such as Angel,
Star Trek and the Grim Fairy Tales.
The most regarded of James’s work is from his DC titles.
His stories in Harley Quinn, Green Arrow and the acclaimed Batman Confidential #49 have captivated readers.
TRICON AT BIG SANDY SUPERSTORE ARENA
After nearly a ten-year run on Green Lantern,
Geoff Johns recently surprised DC readers
when he announced he would be leaving the
series. Soon after, writer (and Tricon attendee)
Robert Venditti was tapped to take the narrative helm of Green Lantern, so I called him up
to have a brief discussion about his new role on
the series:
James Maddox: I heard that you hadn’t been
a big reader of Green Lantern when DC approached you.
Robert Venditti: That’s right, but that’s not
something that’s unique to Green Lantern. I
didn’t start reading comics until I was 27 years
old. I don’t have a lot of history with any of the
characters. Same with X-O Manowar, or any of
the characters that anyone’s asked me to work
on.
When they asked about green lantern I approached the character from the standpoint of
general pop culture knowledge, but I hadn’t really read through any of the comics. I did go
back and I think by now I’ve read about 200
issues of Green Lantern. I’ve read all of Geoff’s
run, and a lot of others’ as well. I have a current
base for what the character is.
JM: With writing for one of their characters,
did DC give you a lot of restrictions to work
around?
RV: They didn’t give me guidelines as far as
what they wanted my first arc to be.
It was all concepts that I came up with.
In order to get it to mesh well with everything else, I did have to study the mythology
pretty hard. But more importantly, I wanted
to know who the characters were, who the cast
was, and what kind of relationships they had.
I made sure I could maintain the characters
while bringing my own voice to the book, so
that I’m not coming in and making Hal sound
like another character.
JM: How has writing for a pre-existing character lineup differed from writing independent
stories, such as Surrogates?
RV: It’s a different kind of creativity, and that’s
what I like doing about some of these projects
with established characters.
When I’m writing my own stories, there are
no restraints. I can do whatever I want because
they’re characters from the universe I created.
With something like Green Lantern, you’re
constrained by what that particular story is,
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who those characters are, and what has already
been established. That opens up a whole new
area of creativity. That helps, because by giving
a limited number of options, it forces you to be
more creative within that framework.
TRICON TRIVIA
1) Who created the superhero Black Lightning?
2. What Tricon guest writes Judge Dredd?
3. Which Robert Tinnell book was nominated
for an Eisner?
4. Crusade Fine Arts is the brain child of what
Tricon guest?
5. This artist just wrapped up Robyn Hood by
Zenescope?
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SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
MOTHMAN
11:00 AM
Using his fifteen years of research into the Mothman phenomena, Chad Lambert has
written such comic titles as Return to Point Pleasant. Chad has also appeared in the
documentary, Eyes of the Mothman, and will be on the Discovery Channel special, Monsters of West Virginia. Sit in and enjoy his discussion about his graphic novel and all the
research that went into the making of it.
THE ART OF ART
12:15 PM
This group of hand-selected artists give their. Set to be a well-informed art panel. This
is set to be a well-informed art panel, so don’t miss it.
Guests: Kevin Steward, Marc Lewis, L. Jason Queen & Justin Stewart
TALKING WITH A WALKER
1:30 PM
WRITING THE RELAUNCH
2:45 PM
(Warning: Spoiler Alert for The Walking Dead)
Kevin Galbraith had the rare opportunity to be one of the main walkers in season two of
The Walking Dead. Kevin will forever go down in TWD lore as the swamp walker (a.k.a.
Dale Slayer after he killed main character Dale in the second season). This panel gives
you an opportunity at a Q&A about his experience on the set and all the ins-and-outs of
his career and time on TWD.
Robert Venditti started as volunteer in the mail room before his book, The Surrogates,
took and and eventually became a major motion picture starring Bruce Willis. Since then
he has been named to the New York Best Seller List three times. Duane Swierczynski
has wrote a plethora of amazing runs on popular titles including Cable, Immortal Iron
Fist, Birds of Prey, Bloodshot and the recent release of Judge Dredd. Stop in and listen
to the new faces of Valiant as they talk about their careers and the amazing titles that are
re-launching an entire label.
CHARITY AUCTION
just the right printer, and figuring out your
means of distribution and marketing. Then
there’s the adversity of the real world that can
turn making a comic into the most difficult
thing you’ll ever hope to do. But, in the end,
you can’t get started without a finished script.
And it helps if it’s a great script, too. But that’s
never stopped me.
Think of it this way: once you’ve made one,
you’ve officially started your career in comics. When you make another one, you’ve sustained yourself. And when you stop making
them, you’ve retired.
I wish I could be of more help, but I’ve given you all I have. If you still have doubts, let
me leave you with this: the juice is worth the
squeeze. Making your own comic book is the
coolest thing you’ll ever do. Sure, landing a
gig at the Big Two or writing for a high-profile
property is pretty sweet, but nothing beats the
satisfaction (and bragging rights) of doing the
whole damn thing yourself.
So quit reading this stupid article and get
out there and make a comic! Then, maybe next
year, you can set up at Tricon and sell your
book. Now that would be pretty cool, huh?
Yesterday, I inspected the comic book shelf in
my office and looked for a general theme in the
titles. This proves a bit difficult to do when the
spines read Transmetropolitan, Sandman, It’s A
Bird, Watchmen, Fabels, Black Fire, Sgt. Rock,
Heavy Liquid, JTHM, Daytripper, American
Vampire, Rust, Local, Unwritten, Echoes, Mr.
Murder is Dead, The Wicked West, and a two issues of I Love Trouble jutting out from a sparse
collection of new floppies.
Believe me, I’ve seen a large collection of comics. I have friends who have devoted entire attics to comic books and who have a wall of long
boxes stashed away in basements.
Compared to them, my collection is meager.
However, the limited size of my comic shelves
and the sheer diversity in tales that occupy
space there is uplifting.
As tired as the reminiscing has become, it
used to be that comics were seen in terms of
superheroes or horror-themed monstrosities.
Over the top melodrama that could put even
the worst soap opera to shame.
However, with the current popularizing of
comics in the mainstream movie scene, new
insight has shown that comics can tackle any
subject or genre style with a poignancy that rivals any other entertainment medium.
As a writer, I was drawn to the all-inclusive
atmosphere that comics provided to creators.
As writer Katie Cook and illustrator Andy
Price showed with their run on the IDW line
My Little Pony, a comic team can work on just
about any subject, and if it’s done well and has
the right amount of style, heart, pride and effort put into it, readers and publishers will give
it a chance to thrive (Don’t know about you,
but I call 100,000 pre-orders of the first issue
thriving...).
While we have our successes, the comics industry is still on the frayed edge of being considered a sought after form of storytelling to the
general public; but I’m not entirely convinced
that’s not going to be a benefit to the medium.
As the industry continues to make money on
the licensing of iconic products like Batman
and The Avengers, an incubating process is happening within the industry for tales that scale
the gamut of subjects and characters.
Sooner or later, the doors to comics are going
to open. Sure, they’re cracked now, but when
they open wide, the people who see comics as
tights and capes are going to realize that beyond this stereotype, a wide range of high Art
concepts have been continuously printing this
entire time.
4:00 PM
The Charity Auction will take great some of the best selections from the comics industry, our guests and our exhibitors, and will auction them for the Comic Book Legal
Defense Fund. The CBLDF is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the First
Amendment rights of the comics medium.
Their work takes them into courtrooms, classrooms, conventions and libraries all over
the United States where they provide legal aid, education, and advocacy to protect the
First Amendment rights of the readers, creators, retailers, publishers, and librarians of
comics, manga, and graphic novels.
COSTUME CONTEST
At least once a week, I’m asked for advice
about how to break in the comic book business as a writer. And my response is always the
same: let me know if you find out.
Most people think I’m being snarky or dismissive. I mean, how could someone like me,
who has allegedly “made it” as a writer in the
comic book business, not know how to break
in said business?
Because I never did.
Seriously, I don’t know how to break in. Not
a clue. I wouldn’t even know where to begin.
I just started writing comics one day. I never
had lofty aspirations to write for other people.
I just wanted to write for me, because I like
working for me. I’m good people.
I guess my expertise lies more in staying in
than breaking in. That advice is pretty simple:
once you start writing, don’t stop.
You see, all you have to do is make comics.
I “made it” because I made a comic. Then I
made another one. And, before I knew it, I
was making 10th anniversary editions of the
book I made when I started.
Granted, there are several hundred other factors involved, like hiring illustrators, finding
5:00 PM
The costume contest calls all the cosplay geniuses in the area to show their stuff! We are
offering a cash prize of $200 for the first place winner and a prize package donated by our
exhibitors and sponsors to give to the runner up.
9
Special thanks to everyone who sent in photos.
Make sure to send us more for 2013!
WWW.TRISTATECON.NET
SWAMP WALKER
Seriously! Have zombies not outstayed their
welcome?
Think about evertything that has been zombified by our market today. We have exploited
great cartoons, toys and video games with
Zombie mash ups. We have seen the zombie
genre explode on movie and television screens.
You can look no further than Tricon and you’ll
see all the examples that you need to come to
one solid conclusion: Zombies are taking over
the world!
Kevin Galbraith, whose had a featured zombie
role in all three seasons of the hit AMC show
The Walking Dead, will be at Tricon selling autographed items, doing a panel about being a
featured zombie, and is gongto be a guest judge
on the costume contest.
One of the most prolific zombie creators in
the industry right now, Mark Kidwell, will be
at the show with his amazing vietnam zombie
series 68.
Even Broken Icon Comics is getting in the
mix by debuting their collected zombie series,
Chosen & Forsaken, and will also be releasing
an exclusive comic about the zombie apocalypse is taking place during Tricon.
This is overboard, right? Who needs zombies
from The Walking Dead and an exclusive comic about zombies at Tricon and the incredible
creator Mark Kidwell?
Well, wait... I guess we do!
You can never have too many zombies. They
are the most incredible monster, and we thank
George Romero constantly for thinking them
up. They are so diverse and can be used in numerous ways and in numerous kinds of stories.
Fast, slow, big, small, angry, docile—we can go
on and on.
It’s simple, really: Bring on the zombies!
Pile them on, in fact.
We are super excited for the wonderful blend
of zombie flesh-eaters that we’re promoting this
year. We love zombies and are excited to share
that with our attendees.
TRICON AT BIG SANDY SUPERSTORE ARENA
Art by Kevin Steward
Ink by Alfonso Pinedo
Eric and James are no strangers to comic conventions, so when packing up to hit last year’s
convention circuit, they loaded up with comics
provided by Marietta, OH’s Asylum Comics
and made their for autographs.
What they came away with was a stack of
comics signed by the industry’s top creators,
including an original page of art from illustrator Norman Lee, and they’re putting all those
items up for bid at this year’s Tricon Charity
Auction!
While the auction is still going to feature a
number of items from Tricon exhibitors and
guests, we’re spicing things up with this collection of autographed comics, and hope that
the money raised will be used to help this year’s
chosen charity:
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
Written by KJM & Eric Watkins
Visit www.tristatecon.net for a full list of items.
Why not have a little fun?
We ask each other this question every time
we sit down to think up new and innovative
features to contribute to Tricon. Last year, we
pulled in scavenger hunts, newspaper program
releases, drawing tables, etc.
This year, however, we went above and be-
Leading up to Tricon 2013, we approached some of the best and most
enjoyable independent illustrators that were coming to the show, and asked
if they would join us in our love for Doctor Who.
What resulted from this request was a selection of 12 different illustrations from 12 different artists. Each illustration featured a different Doctor
from the Doctor Who series, with a special Doctor made in the form of the
Tricon mascot, Larry. What you see below are some of the illustrations that
will be found on the exclusive VIP print (though the ones on the print will
be in the full colors of Marc Lewis). Stand alone prints will be available at
the tables of each artist who contributed a Doctor.
yond and created a fun short story comic that
features some of Tricon’s most honored guests
fighting against everyone’s favorite foe: Zombies!
Night of the Living Tricon is just one of many
fun additions to the show. Come get your copy
at the Broken Icon Comics table during Tricon!
1 . To d d B e i s t e l
2. Ansley McDaniel
3 . Tr i s t a n K e l l y
4. Rodney Fyke
5 . Tr e s s i n a B o w l i n g
6. Chris McJunkin
7. Dan Gorman
8. Michael Mayne
9. Kevin Steward
10. L. Jason Queen
11. Marc Lewis
12. Rob Dumo.
Colors by Marc Lewis
COMICS
&