The Saint Charles Quad Con Today was a Blast!

I had a blast today at the Saint Charles Quad Con. The Olympia event center in which it was held had a ton of space for the crowd that started out a little quiet at first and really grew once the afternoon hit. Here are some pics before it got a chunk more busy:

I started the show saying hi to some of the big guests of the con. I chatted with the talented Rags Morales, whose artwork on, "Action Comics," during the New 52 relaunch with Grant Morrison really wowed me. I also met Pixel Dan who had some awesome toys and a book about all the classic He-Man toys which was big and beautiful. Here's Dan:

I saw friend of the blog, acclaimed wrestler and actor Bishop Stevens as well. He was his usual friendly and fun self. We talked about how he had been doing since I'd last seen him pre-pandemic:

There were an immense number of vendors and creators too. When I entered the show I ran into my old friend Drew of CoMo comics. I bought a snazzy copy of the first issue of Spawn from his booth:

I chatted with my chum Spike of Lost in Space Toys and Collectibles, then had the chance to sell some things to as well as buy some items from John of Bigfoot Comics and Collectibles:

I met the acquaintance of Matt Cargal whose comic book about a stand-up comedian that gains superpowers, "The Comic," will be running a Kickstarter campaign for its latest issue soon: 

Author Cathy Jackson was the next person I had the pleasure of meeting. She creates what she described as, "Uplifting and encouraging romance." She had a great assortment of books in various sub-genres of romance and shared how it was actually the loss of her mother that inspired her to start writing more as a way to unpack her feelings and process everything. Her husband who helped to design much of her book, Matthew Jackson of Mad Celt Designs was at the show too! They were both great to speak with. Here is Cathy:

Justin Mosley of Wayne Kent Comics was at the show--on his birthday no less--cutting his usual stellar deals. I also so my buddy Bruce Reynolds who was kind enough to pose for a pic:

My friend Jack of Trade Up Comics was selling all kinds of cool books too:

James Doe of Cabal Books had a number of cool books. I bought some from him as you can see with this pic of him and some of his, "Wall books," as they are called:

I met Cosmic Comics for the first time and they were awesome! They let me snap a pic of one of their cool shirts and I have a picture of some of the snazzy books I got from them:

MWS Comics was new to me as well and they chatted with me about how they also clean and press comics:

I saw some really cool comics created by Biff! Bam! Boom! Comics. He was showing off a super-hero book that was a bit like the Justice League, a sci-fi one, and a title geared towards younger readers with a Teen Titans-vibe as he described it. I ran into Christa from Hearts Adorned Designs as well. She is very talented at creating costumes and cosplay with custom clothing alterations being something she specializes in too:

Larry of Bug's Comics and Games was present, and we discussed how I continue to be excited for the grand opening of his new store at the end of October--expect me to be there and report on it! Royalcomic had a bunch of cool comics too and I bought this snazzy, "Marvel Knights Wave 2, "comic with an early appearance of Yelena Belova:

I had a fantastic time at the Saint Charles Quad con today! There were tons of awesome comics for sale (and some I had the pleasure of buying, as I showed), stellar guests, impressive creators, and it was a stupendous day! I can't wait for the next show and will be sure to keep everyone informed of future events!

The Comic Book Presser Continues to Impress!

I previously made a post about how I sent some books to Chris AKA The Comic Book Presser. I wrote about how he made two books I sent him look much better and that I was excited to submit the comics to CGC. In that post I had a unique, "Spider-Man," variant cover as well as issue #196 of, "Avengers," which features the first full appearance of Taskmaster. Since then I also had a copy of, "Thor," #337 pressed--the first appearance of Beta Ray Bill. The Spider-Man variant is for my own personal collection so I didn't have it go through the grading process at CGC with extra speed, but I did the fast-track option for my Avengers and Thor book which are now back and got grades that I'm very pleased with!

I owe Chris a great deal of thanks, especially for the, "Avengers," #196. When I acquired it I thought it maybe was in a 6.0 kind of condition and after Chris' magic I was able to submit the book to CGC and have it garner an 8.0! The, "Thor," #337 was also maybe an 8.5 at best but thanks to Chris it came back to me from CGC as a 9.4, delightfully near-mint. I am overjoyed at how well my books graded thanks to Chris and would encourage anyone ever considering submitting a book for grading (to CGC, CBCS, or even the less-respected PGX) to have it pressed first, and get it pressed by Chris. I know any future books I'm getting graded are going to Chris first!

Also, as a side-note, I want to offer thanks to my friend James Doe of Cabal Books for all of his assistance in figuring-out and navigating the submission-process to CGC which can at times be complicated. As he is a professional in the buying and selling of comics he had all the answers I needed to ensure my books were submitted to CGC correctly.

Make Sure to Attend the Latest STL Comics Micro Con Tomorrow!

Tomorrow, July 29th, from 10AM-4PM there will be the latest Micro Con held by none other than STL Comics! They are always stellar events full of fantastic vendors I enjoy seeing such as Cabal Books, Lost in Space Toys and Collectibles, Trade Up Comics, Wayne Kent Comics, and plenty more! It is only $3 to get in, with free parking, and kids 10 and under are always free. Do note it has a new location, the Manhattan Antique Marketplace located at 10431 Saint Charles Rock Road in Saint Ann, Missouri, 63074. It should be a fun time as Eric Meyer (the head of STL Comics) always puts on a great show!

Tomorrow I'll Be At, "The Oasis: Comic Book Bazaar," and I'm Excited!

A friend of mine who also happens to be named David, David Smith, owns the comic shop Callisto Comics and this Saturday/tomorrow is having a cool event. Near his shop is an outdoor open-space area that can be utilized and his store is having an event for those who want to buy/sell/trade comics! Titled, "The Oasis: Comic Book Bazaar," it is going to run from 9:00 AM through 1:00 PM and will have an assortment of stellar vendors present such as the always-awesome STL Comics and Cabal Books--another fantastic merchant I can't recommend highly enough. I encourage anyone is able to attend the event at 4219 Virginia Street, Saint Louis, MO, 63111. I'll see you there!

Today's Micro Con by STL Comics Was Terrific!

Today I attended the latest Micro Con held by STL Comics (which I got home from a bit ago and wraps-up for the day in a couple hours) and had a stellar time as always. I ran into some of my usual favorite vendors including Spike Forster of Lost in Space Toys and Collectibles, and my chum Drew Stuart of CoMo Comic Books who was kind enough to pose for a picture:

I also had the pleasure of seeing Justin Mosley of Wayne Kent Comics, and my old friend Jack Brown of Trade Up Comics:

I chatted with some guests too, such as the skilled Lorenzo Lizana, my talented friend David Gorden, and saw Kenneth Rocafort, who was kind enough to sign my trade paperback of, "Ultimates: Omniversal," which he was the illustrator for (of the collected issues). Oh, and I ran into the delightfully-wild James Doe of Cabal Books:

I was able to trade-for and purchase an assortment of books, but the most notable ones that got me especially excited would have to be a, "Marvel Spotlight," #29 which I bought from Drew of the aforementioned CoMo Comic Books--it will perfectly compliment the #28 I own (and which means I now have both parts of this two-issue story with Moon Knight). I also was able to acquire an old Spider-Man comic where Moon Knight guest-stars from another kind vendor:

Besides those books I was pleased to be able to trade a chunk of my stuff to get, "Special Marvel Edition," #15 AKA the first-ever appearance of Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung-Fu. The comic is in a lower-grade condition, but just being able to own it is fantastic:

Today at the Micro Con I was able to sell some books, trade a handful of things, and buy some fantastic comics. I just want to thank Eric Meyer of STL Comics for yet again having a stellar show. If any of my readers live near Columbia, Missouri, there will be a Micro Con there April 20th, and you know I'm already excited to see what is in store for the next Saint Louis Micro Con taking place on July 28th. It feels far away now, but I'm sure that date will be in here no time!

Another Great Micro Con is in a Week!

I am a fan of local toy and comic events, and have often discussed my great enjoyment of the Mirco Cons put on by STL Comics. Well, a week from today there will be another Micro Con! That's right, February 24th, 2019, from 10AM-4PM you can see all kinds of great vendors, awesome guests (Kenneth Rocafort will be there along with such stellar guests as Lorenzo Lizana and David Gorden), and otherwise have a ton of fun for just $3 admission (kids 10 and under are free). I always find stellar stuff at the Micro Cons, which feature such fantastic vendors as Trade Up Comics, CoMo Comic Books, Wayne Kent Comics, Cabal Books, and more! I look forward to attending the show next week at the Holiday Inn located at 3400 Rider Trail South, St. Louis, MO, 63045. Should you be a local who reads my blog or just happen to be in the area I'd encourage you to attend--I'll be there buying wares and trading my own stuff!

The STL Comics Geeky Extravaganza Was Great Fun!

Today I went to the Geeky Extravaganza that was held by STL Comics and it was a stellar time. I was able to trade some stuff I brought with me, sell a handful of items, and acquired a lot of great reads as well. I ran into some of my favorite vendors and met some great new folk too. After chatted with the head of STL Comics itself, Eric Meyer, I checked out everything on display...

I enjoyed running into James of Cabal Books who is both a friend of mine and a fantastic vendor.

I got these neat varied comics which caught my eye from Jack Brown of Trade Up Comics.

I met Erica of Straight Outta Comics (the link goes to her snazzy Etsy store) who had all kinds of cool comics for sale as well as some really impressive handmade pop-culture-themed crafts!

David from Callisto Comics was selling some delightful assorted books.

Drew Stuart of CoMO Comic Books sold me some comics featuring Moon Knight I was happy to snatch-up.

Last but not least, I saw Justin from Wayne Kent Comics, who was selling a smorgasbord of books.

I had an immense amount of fun at the first ever STL Comics Geeky Extravaganza where besides the vendors I mentioned there was all kinds of other wares on display from toys, to other crafts, and it was a spectacular time. The location it was held, Manhattan Antique Marketplace, was super-nice as well and I hope to attend any future ones. I'm also excited for the next STL Comics next event on February 24th, the first Mirco Con of 2019! All-in-all, this was a great time for sure and I had a ton of fun today, thanks again to STL Comics for organizing this and all the amazing vendors for being there!

I'm Pumped for the Upcoming Mirco Con on December 1st!

Anytime STL Comics puts on a Micro Con that I'm able to attend I get very excited. For a very reasonable price ($3, kids 10 and under are free, parking has no cost) you can visit with a variety of cool guests, observe the wares of an assortment of vendors, and otherwise have a great comic-con experience in a smaller form--instead of having to dedicate a whole day or two you just need a couple hours to have some fun. With guests including (but not limited to) Kyle Strahm and Lorenzo Lizana as well as vendors I love buying from such as Cabal Books and Wayne Kent Comics, it is sure to be a great show. I'll be there for sure sometime between 10AM-4PM at the Holiday Inn Airport West (located at 3400 Rider Trail S, Earth City, MO 63045). I hope to see anyone else who is able to attend there!