This was probably my eighth or ninth HeroesCon and I have got to say I was a bit disappointed. I love this convention and it’s great that it practically happens in my backyard. The talent was top-notch as per usual, but the deals on the floor were flat. I had to forgo the usual lengthy all-weekend trip, but I did get to spend a good chunk of time there on Saturday.

Chalk it up to the bad economy most likely, but there didn’t seem to be any great deals or real “finds” in terms of books. There was a distinct lack in diversity of product. There were plenty of recent Marvel hardcovers and trades. Being primarily a Marvel guy, I didn’t really need any of that. I was primarily on the prowl for DC stuff and it just didn’t seem like there was much to be had. I think this was the first time I traveled to HeroesCon and didn’t spend my allotted fund there. I think I got out with less than $75 worth of swag.

Maybe next year I’ll get to focus more time and attention there, but color me disappointed on the 2011 HeroesCon.

I had a similar weekend as you, Brandon. I had a hard time finding something to buy. It seemed like most of the retailers just brought crap they were trying to get rid of rather than items people actually might want to purchase.

That being said, I still had a good time. It’s always cool to chat with creators in the laid back atmosphere HeroesCon offers.

This was my fourth heroescon and I felt there was a bit less of a buzz as to last year (last year had some very big names), but I thought it was a very good con. The Baltimore ComicCon booth had an assortment of great non-marvel trades for $5 (not sure if they discounted to $3 on sunday like last year, didn’t make it today), and TalesOfWonder had some pretty good deals on non-Marvel books, though they were pretty Marvel-heavy. There was a lot of Image and Marvel trades, but DC stuff tends to be rare at the bargain price range. I find that’s true with DC wherever you shop. I wonder if Marvel simply overprints their trades?

I thought the highlight of this year was all the great stuff the artist’s brought with them to sell @ Artist’s Alley and Indie Island. Tim Townsend had like 10 prints with him, Frank Cho had his great wraparound New Ultimates cover print, and Tony Moore had 30 or so, including the uber-awesome Fear Agent 29. It seemed like the artist’s came stocked with a lot more stuff to sell than usual. I found myself spending 90% of my time and money at the Artist’s tables, whereas I usually spend 3/4 of my money (and most of my time) at the dealer tables.

Next year is the 30th anniversary and it seems like Shelton, the owner, is gonna go all-out.

@ King Chef: There was a ton of crap, but that’s usually to be expected in the dollar bins. However, even some of the “priced as marked” bins were kind of clunky. I did find a couple of vendors selling some items I needed, but well above what I was willing to pay. Uncanny X-Men 211-213 for $25 apiece? No thank you!

@ TooDiesel: I did make it to the Tales Of Wonder booth. In fact, that’s where I made the lion’s share of my purchases. I stocked up on a few Walking Dead trades since they were only $5 each. But again, they had primarily Marvel stuff, which I kind of already have an handle on. Brett’s Comic Pile is usually awesome (I order online from them all the time), but even they were kind of blah this year.

I agree about the decline of interesting product from retailers this year. I normally spend a good chunk of money at Heroes Con, and was prepared to do so again, but I think I only spent about $60. Lots of overlap between vendors in terms of product (primarily Marvel overstock and Walking Dead tpbs), and lots of floor space occupied by T-shirt and toy sellers. Each of the four people in my group had similar experiences, and bought only a fraction of our usual Heroes loot.

I still had fun and the guest list was nice. I noticed very few lines at creators’ tables this year, and only had to wait for two (Ed McGuinness and Tony Moore). That’s unusual for Heroes. Was attendance down, or might there have been enough repetition in guests from prior years to limit demand? Neal Adams had the largest space and a rope line set up, but his line stayed very short–he was charging $10 per signature.

im in the background of the Sean Gordon Murphy picture! I was getting my darkwing duck trade signed.

Great job on the pics! A good time had by all and thanks again to Shelton Drum & crew for another fantastic Heroes Con. I’m happy to see my Rocketeer pen & ink did well at the art auction and look forward to returning next year.

heureusement les dédicaces d’ auteurs de comics sont gratuites en europe !

I was a little depressed by the emphasis on retailing in the above comments, and wrote about it (and other aspects of HeroesCon 2011) here:

http://thepanelists.org/2011/06/heroes-con-2011-not-all-about-longboxes/

Thanks to everyone who has commented (Mike T, glad I got you in a shot ), and special thanks to my pal, Craig Fischer for sharing a link to his perspective.

great post, i’ve left my rundown here