Fan Expo Dallas Comic-Con Report 2024! .... And Now For Something Completely Different... 3 3

[ADAMANTIUM]

[ADAMANTIUM]

[ADAMANTIUM]

[ADAMANTIUM]

There were several of these around, not sure the differences, and yet is plexiglass art that the artist will sign and you can backdrop a light behind it.

First I remember it, probably been around before. $80 or $70 for one, and 3 for $150 or something, ladies math was odd but no worries 

Edited June 9 by ADAMANTIUM

[piper]

Thanks for sharing!

[BuraddoRun]

OK! I have to say, I REALLY enjoyed this con! I've been to various conventions before, but never the Fan Expo until this one, despite having lived in Dallas for years now. I did very little digging and buying in bins and at standard comic stands, though. I went to some panels/presentations, chatted with creators, and stood in line to meet and get celebrity autographs. @ADAMANTIUM posted pics of most of the stuff going on and the various booths, so I'll just post my haul and share some cool stories along with my feelings. I hope you enjoy! I'll also split my posts. This first one will be general stuff. the next will be comic creators. And finally, the celebrities. I'll list things by number that correspond to the pictures in order. Also, I got a new phone so my pictures will be better than my previous posts'.

1. My back issue bin pickups: just random stuff I like. You can see the prices on them all, except for the Laughs, which were $2 apiece. Oh, and the Usagi Yojimbo seller gave me $5 off the total for those 2 books.

2. Some convention exclusives: Fame mike Tyson VS Jake Paul and Scarlett # 1.

3-5. The exclusive comic book (Detective # 27 reprint) that came with the Ultimate Pass (3-day pass with extra goodies). It was polybagged, and you can see the available comics and ratios. It looks like I either got the regular A or B cover, though I'm not sure which.

 

[BuraddoRun]

I have some creator impressions, fun stories, and even a bit of "insider" news about a couple of creators and upcoming stuff from them to share, so please read on if you're interested!

1-2. These are actually a couple of my friends. Eddie is dressed up as Red Hood, a costume he's been tweaking for a few years now. On the right of him Is David Rodriguez, as John Wick. He had a booth at the con. His website is http://drgorilla.com/ if you want to check out more of his stuff. Pic 2 is a print I picked up from him. It seemed fitting for the occasion.

3. David Nakayama: The X-23 cover is a con exclusive. The X-Men is a foil variant of a different book. I got him to sign just the X-23, because I kind of wanted to keep the cover clean. Unfortunately, he just didn't have time to do a remarque for me, or I would've paid for it. Even so, he was friendly, easy to talk to, and all around just cool. Definitely someone I recommend talking to if you're a fan and get the chance.

4. Jonboy Meyers: These 2 are exclusive con covers. You can see they're both Dallas Expo exclusive variant. I'm pretty sure other cities get the same art, but have their city name printed on the cover. The one on the left came pre-signed, but I met Jonboy at his booth and had him sign the other for me in person. Cool, friendly dude. He even had a little fan that he used to dry his auto quickly. And he was funny when confirming t was dry. Rather than gently touch the edge with his finger or something, he straight up slap palmed the whole thing! Thankfully, it had actually dried!

5. Tom Grummett: This is another con exclusive. I met him at his booth, and he happily signed the book for me. He was very friendly and seemed down to earth. He had long conversations with the fans that engaged him. I didn't really have much to say, but even so, he gave me his full attention during our interaction. He was even thoughtful with the choice of color for his auto,eventually deciding on blue because he felt it would pop nicely.

6. Sabine Rich: I had a funny and cute interaction with her when I got an autograph. Late Friday, when I visited her booth, my friend David (different David than the one in my 1st pic) was with me. He had come as a video game fan to meet a voice actor he's a big fan of. He knows nothing about comics and has never even read one. So while I chatted a little with Sabine, he looked over at a drawing she was working on (pretty sure it was Poison Ivy) and said, "Wow, did you draw that? That's really good!" And that was his real reaction to seeing it. She smiled really big and even blushed just a little, responded that yes, she drew it, and thanked him. I stared at my friend and laughed, reminding him that she was literally at the convention because she's a famous comic artist. Anyway, my friend's cluelessness was hysterical, but the genuine compliment from someone who knew nothing about her and barely saw her art for the first time right there really touched her. Good times. And yeah, the Ivy picture was really beautiful. I'm sure the person who commissioned it loved it.

7. Dan Parent: I've gotten a recent appreciation for Archie books. Dan Parent was just chilling at his booth Sunday, eating a snack, when I came up. He had a couple of books full of original art, and had them all at the same affordable price: $100 apiece. He also had layouts/prelims for $40, I think, and covers at a very economic $250. I definitely would've sprung for a cover, had I not already blown through most of my budget by the time I went to his booth. Even so, I got an nice, inked page with Betty and Veronica, so I'm happy. Dan was cool. I enjoyed meeting him.

8-9. Phillip Kennedy Johnson: Have you ever had a preconceived impression of a creator that gets totally 180'd when you actually meet them? That's what happened with me concerning Phillip. So, I admit, I hadn't Googled him or anything to know what he actually looked like before Sunday, when I met him. He was at a talented booth, next to Lucio Parrillo and Carla Cohen. Though I'm reading his current Hulk series, I hadn't necessarily planned on meeting him. But while I was waiting for Lucio, I felt like I should at least talk to the guy and tell him I'm enjoying Hulk. So I looked at the big, burly guy with a beard sitting in the chair under Phillip's sign and said just that, to which he replied, "I don't write Hulk." I then mentioned another title, which he also denied, and apologized profusely for my apparent misunderstanding. I was confused, and asked what he did then, and he said he's the money-taker and isn't a comic creator at all. So, maybe that guy's appearance and straightforwardness (not rudeness, he was nice) combined with, you know, the dark and intense story being told in Hulk these days kinda formed an image in my head of how Phillip might be. But then, the real Philip stepped out! He immediately asked my name, and after I told him, he introduced himself and shook my hand. The thing is, I hadn't brought anything for him to sign and didn't really plan on buying anything at his booth, so after the introduction, I went back to Lucio. Needless to say, I felt bad about that, and later decided to revisit his booth and maybe pick something up. When I came up, he had forgotten about our brief interaction previously (it had been a few hours). But again, he reintroduced himself, just as naturally as anyone would when you first meet them, and again shook my hand. We talked for a bit, and he really seemed very humble and thankful, which was awesome. I ended up picking up a graphic novel he said he was very proud of. Anyhow, it was another great interaction, for sure.

10. Carla Cohen: I'm familiar with Carla through her covers for Dynamite, specifically Red Sonja. Her art is beautiful. I picked up a sketch book limited to 200 copies. I didn't talk with her long, but everyone at that booth, her included, looked like they were having fun chatting with fans and each other.

11-12. Hiroshi Kanatani: He does a lot of kaiju illustrations for Toho and Tsuburaya, apparently. Unfortunately, by the time i hit his booth, his Godzilla sketchbooks were sold out. So I bought an Ultraman instead, and he sketched one of my favorite Godzilla foes in it for me: Hedorah.

These last 2 I got remarques on, AND I got a sneak peek/news about upcoming work!

13-14. Lucio Parrillo: I love this man's artwork. Another Dynamite cover artist, I had to get a remarque. Again, he's another that was cool with fans. It appears like he and Carla are good friends, as well. I left my comic with him a couple of hours on Sunday, and when I came back, there was another guy there who asked to look through a portfolio Lucio had sitting behind him, behind the counter, not up front for the public like some other stuff he had out. He had some awesome oil painted original covers in that portfolio, let me tell you. But he showed us one he was currently working on, which is a stunning headshot of Storm. He'd completed her face and head, but had not yet added her hair, nor highlights in the background, which he said would be lightning and such. So there you go. it's not much, but an awesome storm cover is coming from Lucio Parrillo. He said it should be complete by July. maybe it'll be a variant (store exclusive?) for an issue of her upcoming series.

15-16. Patrick Horvath: Have you read beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees yet? It won't be for everyone, but it really is a great book, and there's a reason it was a sellout that had multiple printings. I spent a god amount of time talking with Patrick, as did many other fans. He talked about how this comic basically changed his life and career. Prior, he had done film work, working with mostly indie horror films. He also did storyboarding. But, he had some ideas for comic books, something he'd only dabbled in with small indies, and he pitched them. He told me he pitched 4 stories to multiple companies, until IDW picked one up. And that one turned into a major hit. So I asked him, now that 1/4 of his pitches became so successful, what happened with the other pitches? Surely someone would pick those up now. He smiled and replied, "oh yes, some big companies have actually reached out about them." So there you go. We have at least 3 more already-conceived stories to look forward to from Patrick Horvath, and they may not come from IDW. Heck, maybe one or more will be movies, since he's got experience there. Or both! Oh yeah, I took a picture with Patrick, and I look goofy, because I'm not photogenic!

 

 

[BuraddoRun]

And finally, my 3 celebrity interactions. And yes, I got them all to sign comics for me!

1-2. Hayden Panettiere: They tell us to "never meet our heroes," don't they? But that's what I loved Hayden in. Heroes. It was far from a perfect show, but it was one that united people from outside of comic fandom with us comic fans before the MCU dominated theaters. That first season, especially, was something special. I also loved Hayden in Scream and the video game Until Dawn. Anyhow, she was the first celebrity of the con I waited in line to meet. I didn't pay for a photo op, but she did allow for you to take pictures of her while she signed. She wouldn't pose unless you paid for the op, but even so, it was cool to get a pic up close. But her interaction with fans was excellent. She smiled and laughed a lot, and spent time with everyone, making it meaningful for us. And for the people that did get photo ops, there were choices. You could do the whole stand in front of a screen thing for a professional shot at a separate time than the autograph signing, or you could do a selfie with her at the time you got your autograph. But she didn't just sit there behind the table while you leaned back to snap a pic. She stood up and walked around to get right beside you, and she didn't shy away from those that wanted to put their arm around her or whatever. There was even a guy in front of me, very big guy, who had her put her hands around his neck and scowl like she was choking him out. Fun stuff. For me, I really had no idea what to say. I couldn't think of any questions, and figured I'd just say hi and get my auto. But she proactively made conversation. When she took the comic to sign, she said how it was funny that during the filming of that scene, despite it being the big showdown between her character and the villain Sylar, she didn't even film the scene with Zach Quinto. So I appreciated her effort. She wouldn't do quotes, but according to her handler, that was only because she gets meticulous with her writing, and she felt it would delay the line too much. I do think it's cute how her signature is classic movie star-ish. Who still writes XOXO? She does, apparently, and I think it's nice. This was a great meet. Hayden seems very genuine, and she thanked everyone, including myself, for waiting so long for her (it was a long wait). So yeah, I'm definitely glad I met this "Hero."

3. Bonus pic. Check out the dude that was dressed up as Isaac from Heroes. Is that an original Sale painting? Or did someone on the production team make copy paintings of his work to be used as props? Either way, it's cool!

4-6. Marisa Tomei: Man, I've been a fan of Marisa's for years. I'm sure many of us have. But, of course, her foray as Aunt May has brought her into comic fandom. So I had her sign "her" first appearance in Spider-Man comics (at least I think it is). Even if it's not, she's in the book. Anyhow, this interaction was not bad, per se, but it was probably the standard for celebrity interactions. Her line moved very quickly, and she didn't have many, if any, long interactions. Also, she put up a plexiglass window/guard thing in front of her. She would do quotes, but they cost a substantial amount extra. She didn't allow selfies, though she did do the professional photo op with folks. I walked up to her, and she said, "Hi brad, how are you doing?" I replied "well," and asked her how she was, but didn't get a response. You could chalk that up to it kind of being a greeting/rhetorical question, rather than an actual question, I suppose. I wanted to say something to her besides "hi," so I brought up Seinfeld. See, there were 3 other celebrity guests that had been memorable side-characters in Seinfeld: the Soup Nazi, Kramer's lawyer, and Newman. So I told her, "You know, there's a Seinfeld panel scheduled with 3 side Seinfeld actors. You should secretly join the panel and crash it, since you were a side character as well!" It took her a second, but then she laughed. So, it was something, at least. Don't get me wrong. She was very kind. She made it a point to look everyone directly in the eyes when she greeted us, and she smiled. Also, while that plexiglass was a little distracting and impersonal feeling, it was less so than say, the teller at a bank. It was a small barrier, probably more to block potential spittle from excited fans. I mean, one could easily reach around it. It just felt more business-like, is all. Yeah, like a bank with good customer service. LOL. Still, I was happy to meet her, and I don't regret it nor hold any bad feelings. She's a nice woman, and legendary at this point, no? I did get some pics of her at a panel she did the following day. She wore sunglasses at the panel but when signing autographs, she had her eyes out. Yes, they're just as beautiful in person.

7-11. Sofia Boutella: This was, by far, my favorite interaction at the con. I was already a big fan of Sofia's prior, because the woman is freaking talented. She acts, but she also dances, and she does a lot of her own stunts, because she loves it. She also plays a lot of cool characters, even if some of the movies she's been in haven't been a hit with critics (the Mummy, Rebel Moon). I seriously feel she is far underrated as an actress. So, she was the alien Jaylah in Star Trek Beyond. Another cool character. Anyhow, there's a comic series that takes place after the movie: Star Trek: Boldly Go. I tried and tried to find the photo cover for Issue 5. I checked eBay, prominent online retailers, and a number of shops in my area, but had no luck whatsoever. So I settled for the art cover. The issue itself is all about her. While in line, we asked the handler a number of questions. First, her fee for the autograph was one of the lower ones. While many celebrities, including the two I met prior, charged differently for outside items VS photo prints at the table, Sofia had a standard, low price for anything. Whether you wanted a photo print or brought your own item, it was the same low cost. And she did have a photo op, but she also did selfies at the table. Also, she would do quotes, no extra charge. And if you wanted a selfie, you could get a discount for a combo, meaning that if you got an autograph and a selfie, she would lower the price for both. Because it was so cheap (comparatively), even though I hadn't planned on getting any celebrity selfies, I decided I'd get one with her.

But then she walked up, wearing a medical mask. That was initially disappointing, but it's the kind of disappointing you feel bad about. I mean, if she's concerned with germs, can you blame her? But who wants to meet a celebrity and talk to them behind a mask? Would she wear the mask in the photos, too? But those concerns were quickly dispelled, as when fans came up, she immediately lowered her mask. And while she didn't get up to come around the table for selfies like Hayden did, she did allow the fans to go behind the table with her, so that was cool. The line moved swiftly enough, but she didn't rush people. And fans would ask her to write quotes, character names, etc., and she'd do it, no objections. As I got near, i couldn't  think of any quote I wanted. And sadly, unlike with Marisa, I had no idea what I was going to say. So when I walked up to the table, I simply said, "it's very nice to meet you." She exchanged pleasantries, but when I handed her the comic, she expressed she liked the art and started looking through the book. It wasn't a quick glance, either. She turned every page and asked me questions like where I got it and stuff about the book and story. So the interaction lasted a few minutes as we looked through the entire book together. It was nice; a real conversation that felt like something outside of a meet and greet autograph session. Afterward, she said she would have to get a copy for herself.

Then I handed my phone to the crew to take the selfie, and walked around to her. I didn't notice before, because it happened behind the table, but for the photos with fans, she put her hand on our backs. No, it's nothing big, but it's still a nice gesture of actual interaction. Touch, you know? So I put my hand on her back as well and we took the pic. As I said goodbye, I mentioned I like the bruise oh her arm (visible in our pic), because it's proof of the hard work she does on set (her own stunts!). She smiled and replied, "always, always," expressing she's always got work wounds.

The following day, I attended her panel, and sat on the first row with the press (they let me). There were far too few people in attendance, likely because it was billed as a Rebel Moon panel, and there aren't many fans of that. Underrated, I'm telling you. But she talked about all sort of things, and took questions from everyone who had them in the audience. She was also very aware of and attentive to things that probably went largely unnoticed. Like right at the beginning, she drank from the supplied water bottle, and then realized its placement partially blocked some of the audience's view of her face, since she was on an escalated platform. So she moved it at an arm's length so we could all see her and she could see us. Also, the mask? She wore it when walking in the room but lowered it for the duration of the panel. At the end, after everyone asked their questions, she took a group selfie with the entire audience.

Awesome, awesome experience. Oh yeah, regarding the comic, I didn't think of it before, but I came back shortly after I had gotten her autograph and gave the bag and board with the @mycomicshop sticker label on it to a team member to give to her. Sure, it could have just been conversation, but she seemed like she genuinely wanted a copy, and she did ask me where I had gotten it. At the time, I'd simply replied, "online." Will she order a copy for herself? Maybe, maybe not. But be on the lookout Lone Star! There's a chance you may get an order for Star Trek Boldly Go #5A from Sofia Boutella!

[ADAMANTIUM]

@BuraddoRun awesome run down! I had paid for some of the photo ops you mentioned, with Marisa Tomei and Sofia Boutella at least, and while personable, I feel lucky for the interaction as well even if limited. Awesome awesome awesome 💯😎 and I'm glad you had a good time!

[lostboys]

AWESOME pics!

 

Looking at some of the prices though...Jeez...wonder if these guys understand theyre likely to die without ever selling 90% of their inventory.

 

 

[F For Fake]

On 6/10/2024 at 1:04 AM, BuraddoRun said:

7. Dan Parent: I've gotten a recent appreciation for Archie books. Dan Parent was just chilling at his booth Sunday, eating a snack, when I came up. He had a couple of books full of original art, and had them all at the same affordable price: $100 apiece. He also had layouts/prelims for $40, I think, and covers at a very economic $250. I definitely would've sprung for a cover, had I not already blown through most of my budget by the time I went to his booth. Even so, I got an nice, inked page with Betty and Veronica, so I'm happy. Dan was cool. I enjoyed meeting him.

 

 

 

Nice pickup! I got my first ever original art pages from Dan back in 1998 at SDCC. I think they were $20 each, so I loaded up on splashes and half splashes. Wish I still had them. He's a super nice guy.

[F For Fake]

Great thread as always, @ADAMANTIUM! Great wall pics, and always enjoy your stories. Hope things worked out with car, geez what a pain!

[TheCollector2016]

Unexpected win for me was meeting Rogue voice actress Lenore Zann! An exhibitor brought her so she wasn't a part of the official Fan Expo guest lineup and I had no idea she was there. I had to go all the way home to get my X-Men animated series book for her to sign and then come back.

[ADAMANTIUM]

On 6/10/2024 at 10:21 PM, TheCollector2016 said:

Unexpected win for me was meeting Rogue voice actress Lenore Zann! An exhibitor brought her so she wasn't a part of the official Fan Expo guest lineup and I had no idea she was there. I had to go all the way home to get my X-Men animated series book for her to sign and then come back.

[mysterio]

I wasn't able to get out of the booth all weekend, so this is pretty much my only look at the show outside our 200 sq feet. Thanks for putting it together!

Edited June 11 by mysterio
Can't do math

[ADAMANTIUM]

On 6/11/2024 at 11:33 AM, mysterio said:

I wasn't able to get out of the booth all weekend, so this is pretty much my only look at the show outside our 200 sq feet. Thanks for putting it together!

 

On 6/7/2024 at 7:42 PM, ADAMANTIUM said:

Some affordable cool moderns there too, hard to make out as pictured though.

Gold venom LP but for in CGC 9.0

Black venom LP in CGC 8.0 I 🤔 think 

Star wars clone wars #1 Newsstand CGC 3.0 

These were tempting but didn't want to blow the whole $583, odd number but what I had haha. I ended up with five slabs so not too bad. No raws this year, of course my radiator blowing was cause for excitement

 

[ADAMANTIUM]

On 6/10/2024 at 10:21 PM, TheCollector2016 said:

Unexpected win for me was meeting Rogue voice actress Lenore Zann! An exhibitor brought her so she wasn't a part of the official Fan Expo guest lineup and I had no idea she was there. I had to go all the way home to get my X-Men animated series book for her to sign and then come back.

Was it able to be facilitated? Or CGC? That's awesome either way, glad you got to talk to the "sugah!"

[TheCollector2016]

On 6/11/2024 at 11:37 AM, ADAMANTIUM said:

Was it able to be facilitated? Or CGC? That's awesome either way, glad you got to talk to the "sugah!"

So it's actually a hardcover of cast interviews I'm gathering the autos in - Previously on X-Men. Strongly recommend:
https://www.amazon.com/Previously-X-Men-Animated-Eric-Lewald/dp/0998866326

But there would've been no issue getting a comic facilitated or CGC'd if someone wanted that. She was also happy to add quotes and "Sugah" along with her signature.

Tony Daniels, the S5 Gambit VA, was right next to her as well.

[ADAMANTIUM]

On 6/11/2024 at 11:43 AM, TheCollector2016 said:

So it's actually a hardcover of cast interviews I'm gathering the autos in - Previously on X-Men. Strongly recommend:
https://www.amazon.com/Previously-X-Men-Animated-Eric-Lewald/dp/0998866326

But there would've been no issue getting a comic facilitated or CGC'd if someone wanted that. She was also happy to add quotes and "Sugah" along with her signature.

Tony Daniels, the S5 Gambit VA, was right next to her as well.

[Yorick]

On 6/11/2024 at 9:36 AM, ADAMANTIUM said:

 

These were tempting but didn't want to blow the whole $583, odd number but what I had haha. I ended up with five slabs so not too bad. No raws this year, of course my radiator blowing was cause for excitement

 

I had to replace my radiator not too long ago.  $125 (I did the install).  I bought some high-heat epoxy to seal the cracks on the old one which lasted about a year ($15) before it fully broke down.  Sometimes you just gotta pay for that non-comic stuff.