Heroes Convention 2006 Report

[Zonker]

Sorry for the tardy but I've been away on vacation for the last week.

 

Really enjoyed the opportunity to meet up and speak with arexcrooke, Sal, buttock, silverandbronze, finecomics and Kevin Boyd. I also had a chance to meet in passing the_collector, Stronguy and no doubt a few others who I didn't make the connection between screen name and otherwise. Sorry I missed out again on meeting nerfherder-3 and sterlingcomics.

 

I think folks looking for vintage high-grade slabs at a con are destined to be disappointed. Seems to me if the con circuit were a good way to move that type of high-end material, then you wouldn't see Heritage, Pedigree and ComicLink doing the kind of business (I presume) they are. Instead, the Heroes con-- like I suspect a lot of other regional or even national cons-- is the place for the $3-10 books that you would otherwise be killed by shipping fees on eBay, or else the occasional raw diamond in the rough like those that drbanner and buttock picked up. Personally I didn't really attempt to seek out the Golden Age selection, since the kind of reasonably-priced mid-to-low grade GA stuff I buy is best found on eBay or on Metro's web site.

 

One aspect that has been under-reported I think (though buttock certainly mentioned it) was Robert Beerbohm's set-up. Beerbohm got beaten up pretty badly in the Marketplace here last year, and I note he's posted a bit in the grading forum over the last few months. For whatever reason, I thought the books he brought were graded fairly, and with his "70% off" discount, priced reasonably. Nothing super-high-grade in my case, but I upgraded a few non-key Bronze Horrors to VF or better. The prices marked were right at full Guide, so taking 70% off was back down at eBay pricing levels, but with the added value of having the books in hand. I also grabbed a few upgrades for my beater copies of Action Comics in the #450s (early Mike Grell art on Green Arrow). Since these are basically valueless in the Guide, I didn't begrudge them being overpriced prior to the discount. Bottom line-- I still don't think I'll buy again sight-unseen through the mail from the guy, but I'd encourage San Diego con goers to check his stuff out.

 

As has been mentioned in a couple of the Heroes con threads, the forum get-together was an intentionally casual event. A North Carolina con has some challenges in getting attendees together after hours-- instead of 1 or 2 metro areas in the state, you have 4 or 5 within 3 hours of Charlotte, none well-served by mass transit. So there are maybe more day-trippers, and not so many in-towners or overnighters as in Philly, Chicago, Baltimore, San Diego or even Atlanta. Next year those of us with young families perhaps should follow buttock's lead and bring 'em along for a weekend in Charlotte. Maybe the wives can get together and entertain each other, comparing notes and otherwise...

 

Sorry, forget it. Lost my mind for a minute there.