People I Met and Stuff I Got--Saint Louis Mighty Con 2018 in Review

Another Year, Another Great Show

I had a fantastic time at this year's Saint Louis Mighty Con/Comic-Con when I attended on Saturday (I couldn't make it Sunday) and saw a variety of stupendous folk and picked-up some cool things too. I thought I would offer a summary of some of the highlights!

Rad People and Cool Stuff

At the start of the show I had the pleasure of running into Tom Nguyen who I'd previously met before at a show. We chatted about a comic he had illustrated coming out soon titled, "The Switch," and how he had been busy assisting with concepts and design for the upcoming season of, "Big Brother," which premieres this Wednesday! After chatting with Tom I checked-out all the cool stuff being sold by retailers. I saw some cool Marvel Legends figures being sold by Space Monkey Toys, and then chatted with Bill of Ivie League Comics who had a slew of awesome books for sale. I then said hello to one of the big-name creators at the event, Jim Shooter, who had all kinds of cool stories about his years in the comic-book biz.

Next I ran into the always-friendly Bishop Stevens who was on hand to chat with fans of his work from when he was a professional wrestler and now as a an actor. I then spoke with author William Heinzen who told me about his novel, "Warrior of Light," which imagines the kind of world where the great evil of the story won. Following that I ran into Jim MahFood who I've spoke about on the blog before of loving the artwork of. He told me he was hard at work on the latest, "Tank Girl," comics that he was the illustrator for. I also said hello to an artist with an impressive display of works named Ashley Harp who thanked me when I told her how cool her stuff was.

I saw Brian Atkins at the show and picked-up his new comic being published by Devil's Due, "Final Street," which he illustrated with Scott Schmidt as the writer and he told me was inspired by a mixture of martial arts movies, and classic video-games. I picked up a copy and look forward to reading it! I also saw Timothy Bach of Moonrise Comics who created the, "Gargoyle by Moonlight," comic I reviewed a bit ago and is now hard at work on the series, "The Family Graves." Then I stopped by a booth featuring the work of Karen Swartz who had all kinds of delightful illustrations. I also saw another cool creator named Stephanie Gobby whose stuff was extremely impressive as well.

I ate some lunch and then fittingly after eating ran into Chef Ryan Callahan who I had met at a previous con and enjoyed chatting with. He of course is the writer of a combination comic and cookbook that has won a number of awards (with awesome artwork by Katie Hinrichs). I then interacted with USA Today Bestselling author Jay Noel who told me about his really cool assortment of books, including some with a steampunk focus! I also saw stellar illustrator and colorist Jeff Balke who had a bunch of cool stuff for sale.

I bought a comic from the publisher Apogee Comics who had an assortment of exciting titles for sale. Also, as I finished touring about the show I met Jak Lore, an author who had released two urban fantasy books under his Mythic Legends Publishing Inc. brand. I looked around a bit more, picked-up some assorted comics and trades, then left for the day.

Mighty Con Was Mighty Fun

This year's Saint Louis Mighty Con/Comic-Con was yet another fun time. Between plenty of retailers with comics, toys, Funko, and more there was a lot to shop for, and a wonderful number of creators from the famous to the lesser-known were present too. It also is a very reasonably-priced show, costing just $12 each day or $20 for a weekend pass with free parking--in other words, a weekend pass to this show is less than a single day at some other higher-priced cons! I would encourage everyone who couldn't go this year to attend the next show in 2019, and if you were able to come this time, I'll see you next year!

Awesome Cosplay--Saint Louis Mighty Con 2018 in Review

Cosplay = Hooray
I attended the Saint Louis Mighty Con/Comic-Con this year and while there I had a a great time! One thing I love seeing at cons is people engaging in cosplay. This year I saw a number of great getups I thought I would spotlight!

Impressive Outfits

One of the first cosplayers I ran into was this very detailed and impressive version of Beast (of X-Men fame). He actually told me about his Facebook page you can find here.

Speaking of furry fellows (or possibly a gal within the getup), this Ewok was very friendly too and looked like he/she had stepped right out of, "Star Wars!"

I was impressed by the incredible outfits being worn by Ariel ("The Little Mermaid," and Zuko ("Avatar: The Last Airbender")!

This woman had an amazing original outfit she said was inspired by the, "Dungeons and Dragons," character known as, "The Raven Queen." You really had to see her in-person to witness how awesome her cosplay was!

I was overjoyed to run into Chef from, "South Park." It made me smile!

Lastly, this dapper Jango Fett ("Star Wars,") and  Poison Ivy ("DC Comics,") were quite the cool contrast of a couple with his gray and blue versus her green and red!

Another Year of Stellar Cosplay
The cosplay at the show was great and has me already excited to see what folk will be wearing at the next Saint Louis Mighty Con in 2019! I'll have a post up a little later discussing all the people I met and stuff I got too, so stay tuned to the blog!

It's a Great Weekend for Comics!

Comic-Filled Goodness
This weekend there are two big comic-related events in the Saint Louis region for folk to enjoy! I am excited to attend them both and wanted to make readers of the blog aware about these.

Saint Louis Mighty Con

Also known as the Saint Louis Comic-Con, this event runs Saturday from 10AM-7PM as well as Sunday 10AM-5PM at the Saint Charles Convention Center. I have enjoyed going to the con from its first year to this year and am eager to see all the fun stuff in store! Tickets are $12 for a single day and $20 for a weekend pass.

Micro-Con

Run by STL Comics, the latest Micro-Con is Sunday and goes from 11AM-3PM. It is all the fun of a con in a smaller form! There will be lots of sellers and a number of comic-creators as well. It is free to attend as well, which is awesome!

I'm Excited for the STL Comics Winter 1 Day on Sunday!

If you were to walk up to me and ask, "Hey David, what's your favorite comic-con?" I would first say, "Who are you and what are you doing in my driveway?" and then say, "Well, that's a simple question with a complex answer." You see, I love the Toyman show which is a bit more toy-focused and does have comics, but it isn't officially a comic-con per-se however, it is more of a awesome and occasional show, so it can't be included in that question. Also, when it comes to my favorite show that happens once a year I adore the Saint Louis Comic-Con that occurs in June too. My favorite show that happens twice a year and where I actually end up doing the most buying of comics every time however? That is without a doubt both the Winter 1 Day and Summer 1 Day put on by STL Comics.

I think I get the most purchases done at the STL Comics cons because they manage to cram so many vendors of awesome merchandise into their events. STL Comics is a fully comic (and toy)-focused show that is proud of how unlike some cons out there you won't find yourself harassed by people trying to sell you Lasik surgery (I enjoyed Wizard World this year, but those people were pushy). It also is fantastic because the entry fee is an inexpensive 5 dollars (kids 10 and under are free) and parking is free--so you can focus your funds towards all the rad comics and toys!

The Winter 1 Day this year will have such special guests as Joe Staton, Mike DeCarlo and Rick Burchett plus more, and a ton of fantastic comics and toys for sale--seriously, I cannot emphasize enough how much good stuff I always find at the STL Comics shows. It is this upcoming Sunday, March 4th, and goes from 10AM-5PM at the Holiday Inn located at 10709 Watson Road, Saint Louis, MO, 63127. I plan to be there and hope you will be too!

Saint Louis Comic-Con 2017 In Review--Overall Thoughts

I enjoyed this years Saint Louis Comic-Con immensely. I didn't go Sunday as I enjoyed my first Father's Day with a son at home, but I was there extensively Saturday. It was great to come to a comic convention where there is big focus on comics and comic-related merchandise. I am perfectly okay with other interesting vendors at comic-shows, but it is nice when there is more than just a handful of comic-sellers (I even overheard many people stating how they were pleased to see actual comics at a comic-convention). This year's Saint Louis Comic-Con had all kinds of folk selling a variety of cool comics, people with Funkos, minifigure-merchants, folk selling clothing or decorative weaponry, and all other kinds of neat stuff. There were some snazzy guests too such as Chris Claremont who was very nice and gave a great talk Saturday as well.

I viewed some cosplay contests while at the show and they were all fun, but the cutest was by far the children's-cosplay event where little kids walked-up on the stage (or had parents carry them up) and looked adorable. You already know I'm hatching plans for what Clarkson can dress-up as if he comes to a con with me sometime in the future.

The Saint Louis Comic-Con was much larger in terms of floor-space and the expanded event-space was for sure a good thing to have as this show was busy! When the doors first opened in the morning there wasn't too long a line to get in, but when I stepped-out of the main show-floor at 11:30AM to use the restroom the trickle of folk arriving had turned into a metaphorical downpour. The line winded around and everyone was eager to get into the show, with lots of excitement and good spirits being evident among all the attendees. I think a mixture of positive word-of-mouth about last year's show, the fair pricing, and free parking all helped to make this show appealing to the fans!

This year was a great one for Saint Louis Comic-Con. It had a fantastic debut last year and this second show continued the stellar momentum of fun and fans. I want to thank Geek Inc. Comics/Mighty Con for putting on such a great show and remembering that when it comes to comic conventions, people want fair prices and good fun!

Saint-Louis Comic-Con 2017 In Review--Items I Got

Items = Fun!
I met cool people at the show of course, but when we go to comic conventions don't just make precious memories, but it's also fun to get stuff too. With that in mind, I want to present the things I got at this year's Saint Louis Comic-Con!


Stuff I Got (in Alphabetical-ish Order)

Alien VS Predator Playset
I of course love many of the, "Alien," movies and adore a number of the, "Predator," flicks. While I may not be the biggest fan of the movies where characters from the franchises actually met, this playset a vendor had out caught my eye and after I found myself repeatedly walking past it and staring at the darn thing during the show I knew I just needed to buy it.

Avatar Press Trade Paperbacks
I'm a big fan of comics new and old from Avatar Press, so when I saw these two trade paperbacks on sale for just five dollars each I grabbed them. I already have a hardcover copy of, "Black Summer," but don't have it in paperback and this collection of some Alan Moore-works looked fun, so it was a good purchase.

Colored-in Wonder Woman Comic
I previously picked-up this black-and-white variant Wonder Woman comic which I got signed by its writer, Merdith Finch at another comic convention. I wasn't a huge fan of the story-arc this became but love the art by David Finch on the cover. Jeff Balke was kind enough to let me commission him to give it some color and really make it pop! It now looks even better displayed on my bookshelf thanks to the awesome color.

Doc Brown Funko Pop
As my wife and I were married on what is known as, "Back to the Future Day," we enjoy collecting various items related to the series. Therefore, when I was able to grab this Funko Pop of Doc Brown you know I jumped on the opportunity to have it!

Moon Knight Figurines
I got two awesome Moon-Knight minifigures, one in a snazzy case for display and another one by itself for enjoying with my Lego playsets!

Negan Minifigure
My Mother-in-Law is a huge fan of, "The Walking Dead," and her favorite actor by far is Jeffery Dean Morgan. Therefore, when he became Negan for the television show she was basically in heaven. I knew she would appreciate a cute little miniature version of someone who on the show is not at all sweet and adorable.

"Predator 2," Comic--With Dark Horse Trading Cards!
As discussed earlier in this post, I love the Predator movies. There have been a variety of Predator-related comics but this one looked cool as it was the first issue of the official comic-book adaptation of the 2nd movie. Also, the Dark Horse trading cards that were advertised as coming with it still were in the comic, which I took as a sign I ought to snatch it up.

"Tyrants," Comics
I mentioned meeting the guys from Hollow Harbor press in my post earlier today, and this was the comic-series they were at the con promoting. It is about a family dealing with power, magic, and sounded exciting. I look forward to reading and reviewing it!

Hooray for Things!
I tried to be responsible with my budget this year and only get stuff I really wanted--and not buy too many comics as I've been selling many of my books already, after all. I think I did a good job with that goal, as I didn't purchase too much, but what I did buy (or was given for the purposes of review) I am really pleased about.

Saint Louis Comic-Con 2017 In Review--Some Cool People I Met

Chit-and-Chat!

There were a bunch of cool folk I met and talked with at the Saint Louis Comic-Con this year! How about we discuss them in alphabetical-ish order?

The People I Met

Amy Hale
I met author Amy Hale who had a variety of cool books for sale and has an intense thriller titled, "The Things we Cannot See," coming out this Fall which I am for sure interested in as a fan of thriller-stories. I subscribed to her e-mail newsletter so I can be in-the-loop about when its released!

Archon
I chatted with a representative from the Sci-Fi Convention, Archon. Considered by many to be the Midwest's Premier Sci-Fi Con, it sounded like a really cool time and I should for sure try and get to it assuming my schedule cooperates!

Excuse my medicore photo-taking skills

Chris Claremont
The line was usually long to get to meet him, but it was worth the wait as Chris Claremont was very engaging and fun to speak with. Known for a variety of comic-works and arguably the writer who helped take Wolverine from a dull character to a fan-favorite, Mr. Claremont was a delight to see.

DMen Designs
One of the coolest things I saw at the show were tables, end-tables, and other decorations made out of actual comic-book art. It was super-impressive and gorgeous stuff at reasonable prices and I would encourage you to check-out their page.

Hollow Harbor
I chatted with some really cool gentlemen from the publisher Hollow Harbor who have a comic titled, "Tyrants," which I picked-up and look forward to reading and reviewing!

Jane Bush and Arleana Holtzmann
Sharing a booth which showed-off their stellar artwork were Jane Bush and Arleana Holtzmann. Both had some fantastic-looking pieces I encourage you to check out Ms. Bush's work here and Ms. Holtzmann's artwork on her website.

Jeff Balke
Jeff Balke is a fantastic colorist and I always enjoy running into him at various conventions. This time he actually colored something for me which I'll discuss in my post later about the stuff I got at the show.

Meraki House Comics
I made the acquaintance of J.W. Cury who is the CEO and Art Director of Meraki House Comics. He told me they were a local publisher dedicated to helping new creators get their work published. You can find them online here!

STL Brick Fanatics
I purchased some cool minifigures from STL Brick Fanatics. They had an assortment of cool stuff and said they would reach-out to me when they got some Luke Cage figures in stock, as they didn't have any on-hand at the show but wanted to be sure and get one to me when I inquired. That's some great customer service!

Cool People Everywhere!

There were a variety of cool people at the Saint Louis Comic-Con this year, and as usual I'm sure I forget to mention many due to forgetting to grab a business card/being my flighty self.

Saint Louis Comic-Con 2017 Posts Tomorrow!

This Year's Saint Louis Comic-Con has wrapped as of today. I had a fantastic time and will be putting-up some posts tomorrow discussing the people I met, stuff I got, and my overall thoughts on the show. Expect posts as soon as very early in the morning!

Reminder: Saint Louis Comic-Con is Next Week!

I just wanted to remind everyone that the Saint Louis Comic-Con is next week and I am very excited for it. Last year I had a fantastic time and this year looks to be even bigger and packed with more excitement and guests! It is especially cool that Chris Claremont will be there, as much credit is owed to him for his extensive time writing the, "X-Men," and giving us a ton of great stories. Plenty of other awesome guests and vendors will be present as well, parking is free, and tickets are extremely fairly priced. You can purchase tickets here and I look forward to seeing everyone at the show!

A Review and Overview of the Storybook, "Derrick and the Dinosaurs"

I met Dan Killeen at the first-ever Saint Louis Comic-Con a couple months ago and picked-up his storybook, "Derrick and Dinosaurs," because as someone who loves good artwork and dinosaurs it sounded right up my alley. A book geared toward smaller children, there still is plenty of fun jokes and neat references to local Saint Louis landmarks that grown-folk will enjoy the book too--I know I did!

The story centers on a young boy named Derrick who has an obsession with dinosaurs that doesn't just border on unhealthy, it crosses that line and eagerly stomps on it while yelling, "Rawr!" You see, Derrick decorates his room with dinosaurs, only plays with dinosaur toys, exclusively eats cupcakes and drinks root beer (as he heard dinosaurs like those food items), interrupts his classroom with dinosaur-yells, and otherwise behaves in a manner that upsets everyone around him. It all comes to a head when Derrick gets suspended from school for his behavior (on the day of the big field-trip downtown, no less) and is forced to put all his dinosaur-items in the basement until he can learn to behave while the rest of his classmates and sister, Becky, get to have fun on a field trip.

However, a twist of fate occurs in Derrick's favor when the mayor of the city comes on all the channels to announce a local emergency. Apparently ship-loads of dinosaurs are coming down the river from Dinosaur Island with the intent to land upon the shores of downtown. The mayor describes how the populace is utterly helpless against this threat and basically tells everyone to go hide. Putting aside how it is amazing that a mayor so eager to give-up ever got elected, the town clearly faces a major threat from these dinosaurs. Derrick realizes probably only he can save the day and despite his parents warning him it will be dangerous, they give him permission to run downtown in an attempt to corral the attacking-dinos. At this point in the story I decided that Derrick's parents either really believe in their son, or wouldn't mind if Derrick's sister became an only child.

Derrick arrives downtown and upon letting-out the most impressive, "Rawr," the dinosaurs have ever heard, advises them to quit causing trouble at once. The dinosaurs convince Derrick to join  them in causing a little bit of a ruckus however and they go around the city stomping on cars, invading baseball stadiums, chomping on cupcakes, guzzling root beer, and otherwise behaving in the manner you normally expect tourists to act but extra-worse.

Eventually upon being scolded Derrick tricks the dinosaurs into leaving town on their boats and the mayor gives Derrick the key to the city when it is discussed how without Derrick he probably wouldn't have been reelected due to all the destruction--regardless of your party affiliation I think we can all agree this mayor was one ineffectual politician and shouldn't be in power, but so goes politics. Everything ends well with Derrick realizing he's happy as a boy who loves dinosaurs, and that he doesn't actually need to be a dinosaur to find joy. He's allowed to put all his stuff back in his room and the story concludes on that positive note--at least as long as the dinosaurs never return or develop a taste for human flesh.

Kileen's artwork is wonderful, looking unique but at the same time giving off a bit of a vibe of, "Calvin and Hobbes," meets, "Peanuts," via the manner in which the human characters and dinosaurs are drawn. There is a nicely light and fanciful feel to the dinosaurs, with their love of cupcakes and root beer being a fun creative touch. I also like that the book acknowledges how even if Derrick eventually saves the day he isn't perfect--after all, for awhile he excitedly joins the dinosaurs in wreaking mayhem to a delightfully comedic effect.

"Derrick and the Dinosaurs," is a book I greatly enjoyed and imagine any parent would have a great time reading with their child as well. You can learn more about Dan at his website and find the Amazon link for the book here.I look forward to reading other works by Dan Killeen and encourage you to check his stuff out as well!
5 out of 5 stars.

Saint Louis Comic-Con 2016 Thoughts

I attended the first-ever Saint Louis Comic-Con on Saturday but did not make it out there today due to having done so much Saturday I was exhausted this morning. Seriously, I couldn't wake up, eat breakfast, and get dressed till about 2PM. It was great though and one additional fun element of the convention yesterday was I brought my wife's cousin (so my cousin-in-law) named Derick who is heading to college this Fall and had never been to a comic-convention before. I thought getting his thoughts as a first-time con-goer would be exciting as it is always good to get someone's fresh impressions (and I am of course bitter and cynical about the world at only age 28 so youthful energy always helps to melt my cold, cold heart). Here is Derick:

I'll share some of his thoughts in a moment, but first I wanted to break-down the show and how it went for me!

We arrived shortly before the show opened at 10AM and we were able to get on the floor a few minutes before it officially opened. I always like to get some photographs of everything before it gets busy and was pleased I was able to do so as it got pretty busy quite quickly! Here are some of the, "Quiet before the storm," photos:

After 10AM struck on the clock everyone started making their way in to begin interacting with the guests and vendors. One big name there was George Pérez whose table stayed incredibly busy during the day. Other cool guests were Keith Champagne who drew a comic I loved titled, "The Mighty," and Tom Nguyen was there as well! Nguyen has of course done comic art for various publishers and has been a part of the reality T.V. show I often discuss, "Big Brother," helping with set design and artwork that appears on the show. It was really cool to discuss the show with him and I'm even more excited for the soon-to-launch season!

Other creators whose work I was not as familiar with but who had some really cool stuff were there as well--and I picked-up some work that looked really cool by them! A gentleman by the name of Seth Ferranti who has written true-crime books based on his time in prison and who also writes for VICE has crime-comics he had made--one of which had artist Joe Willis who've I chatted with at other comic-conventions. I bought his book, "The Supreme Team," and am eager to read it.

Jon Parish

A writer named Jon Parish was there too promoting his comic, "Secrets and Shadows," as well as a new work, "ClusterF@#K." His enthusiasm for his works got me really interested and I picked up, "Secrets and Shadows," as it sounded quite cool--in a world where super-villains no longer exist one suddenly shows up and starts killing all the heroes till the son of a beloved hero who refused to take up the family business has to get involved--sounded like my kind of book!

Other cool comics I picked-up included the 1st issue of the book, "Rigel Raine," by 3 Moons Studios, which discussed a futuristic world set in space full of violence and mayhem all centered around the titular, character, Rigel Raine. Yet another interesting book at the show was, "Ghost Town," which looked like quite the ominous horror story. Plus, I met a cool artist named, Jesse Kwe, and at another table I made the acquaintance of Justin, "Holmes," Holman, who had really solid work as well.

A fun book by Dan Killeen!

I met Dan Killeen at the convention and he had awesome children's' books set within Saint Louis. As a lover of dinosaurs I picked-up his title that features them, "Derrick and the Dinosaurs," which my cousin-in-law liked thanks to the title character sharing his name (minus an, "R.") We chatted about comics and his art influences and I really enjoyed meeting him. Speaking of cute artwork, a creator by the name of Greg Schmidt was at the show with his, "Schmidt N' Giggle Illustrations," which were charming fun--but also had a nice dark edge. I also ran into Aaron Walther, who I've seen at other shows and he continued to have cool stuff as always.

It wasn't just comic-related artwork at the show however. "Circuits and Sewing Needles," were at the show with some astonishingly intricate and beautifully creepy pieces. "Rabbitts Den," was there too with some absolutely adorable pieces and I was quite taken with the handmade clothing by, "Crawling Chaos," who had delightful pieces for pets and human babies. My favorite design was on some pants that had a bio-hazard symbol. I would be remiss if I didn't mention some folk going by the name, "Thought Bubble," were at the convention with all kinds of helpful comic-storage items from your usual bags and boards to other neat ways to keep your comics safe (as well as comics for sale as well)!

My fellow con-goer, Derick, told me he had a lot of fun. He enjoyed all the cosplay most of all, and he and I had a great time at the fashion shows where everyone showed off their efforts. Derick said the lines for things such as food or to interact with certain guests probably was his least favorite aspect. I asked Derick what he expected from the convention and he told me, "I expected all the cosplay and artists, and the show had that. As it was a smaller show they didn't have as many big DC or Marvel people I thought there might be, but there still was a lot of cool stuff." Derick said it was a good first convention and he looked forward to attending other ones in the future as he now had the con-bug (not a literal illness, just a desire to see more shows)!

As for my overall thoughts, I think this was a stellar first, "Saint Louis Comic-Con." It had a great crowd full of excited people, plenty of vendors with cool stuff I picked-up, awesome creators promoting their wares, and was otherwise great fun! There weren't as many big-name creators as some cons, but the bigger-name creators who were there were great and I imagine as the show grows that will change--plus as I always spend much of my time in, "Artist's Alley," I didn't mind that. This debut, "Saint Louis Comic-Con," was fun and fantastic, it was funtastic! I look forward to what the future holds for, "Saint Louis Comic-Con," and am already pumped for next year! Oh, but before I go I have got to mention my favorite cosplay outfit from the show--Jurassic Princess Leia:

Yes, that is a T-Rex dressed a Princess Leia, and yes, it is incredible.

I'll Be at Saint Louis Comic-Con Tomorrow!

This June 18th and 19th the first-ever, "Saint Louis Comic-Con," will be occurring. Don't let the name confuse you as this of course is not the first comic-convention to happen in Saint Louis. You see, it is the first to occur under that name and via the convention company known as, "MightyCon," who are owned by Geek Inc. Comics. They specialize in putting on conventions in the Midwest (and which I found from internet sleuthing the shows tend to be pretty well-reviewed). I will be attending the convention as press and am excited  to see guests such as George Pérez and check-out my favorite spot at all cons--the artists' alley. I always love discovering unique new stuff at conventions and the floor-plan looks to have some cool things I'm eager to check out.

I may be able to attend both days of the show and I'll be there Saturday for sure. It should be a fun time and I'll of course do my usual write-up/s afterwards about how everything went. See you at the show!