Posted in: Comics | Tagged: batton lash, Comics, entertainment, image, image expo, jesse james, jonathan ross, wolverine

Conventional Matters: Jonathan Ross, Wolverine, Batton Lash, And Jesse James Does Image Expo

A Convention With Jonathan Ross

Jonathan Ross and Ian Churchill have confirmed they will be guests at the London Super Comic Con in March, there to promote their new Image comic book, Revenge.

So expect an awful lot of UK-based publicity when it comes round. Also, I'm hoping not to be as sick as a dog as I was the last time this show was on., It really is rather good. And Avatar Press, Bleeding Cool's owners are along for the ride…

Also confirmed as attending are Peter David, Ethan Van Sciver, Dave Gibbons, Peter Milligan, Arthur Adams, Frank Cho, Max Brooks, Charlie Adlard, Jacen Burrows, Mark Buckingham, Howard Chaykin, Joyce Chin, Katie Cook, Alan David, Robin Furth, Ian Edginton, Riger Langridge, John Layman, Mike Grell, Gary Frank, Yanicke Paquette, David Lloyd, Billy Tucci, Sean Phillips, Brian Wood, JK Woodward, Mike Collins, Adi Granov and a tonne more…

On The Lash

Batton Lash Celebrates 35 years of Wolff & Byrd, Counselors of the Macabre as a guest of San Diego Comic Con, Awesome Con in Washington, DC on Easter weekend and Comic Fest in San Diego in October, along with a new website and blog.

Flip On eBay – Unless He Cuts You First

This is the Greg Horn cover for Wolverine #1, being given away free to attendees at Wizard World Sacremento in March. Do let me know if anyone spots Josh Hoopes on the prowl, and send Wolverine in his direction…

Be Bleeding Cool

Bleeding Cool is currently recruiting for reporters to attend comic conventions and events through the year. Do let us know if you'd be interested in drinking the Bleeding Cool Aid…

When Image Expo Got Jesse Jamesed

Phoenix retailer Jesse James wrote from the Image Expo for Bleeding Cool,

My Morning started at 8 a.with a simple flight to San Fran to hit the Image Expo 2014 for the 3rd straight year. However, my first plane broke down and another flight got canceled, I was determined to get there, though–I mean, come on, IE is one of the coolest shows of the year. Just the right mix of fans and retailers, hosted by a publisher that can throw a very great intimate event. Then again it was now 3pm and I was still at the airport in Phoenix waiting to get on a plane, any plane. Then luck kicked in and I finally got a flight. The flight felt like it took forever, but I got there.

Then it was very simple; get my car and get to the expo. Wrong, because I was so late my reservation fell off the computer. However, I got that cleared upjust in time for a5pm rush hour thrill rideon the freeway. If you have ever been to San Francisco during rush you know what I mean. Anyhow, I finally got there, parked and ran to the art center just in time for them to lock the door in my face, since the con was now over.

That's okay because the after-party (at the Cartoon Art Museum) was next and all the above-mentioned pain and suffering quickly went away.

I found my self in the foodline with the very vibrant Brian Hibbs in front of me, and that made the wait entertaining. He was having fun and really entertaining the front of the line so the wait went quickly. Once we got inside it was fantastic, the food spread was enormous. Like most after-parties the crowds split into their own little groups and the Creators seemed to draw crowds very quickly as they walked in. You know it's a cool party when there are two kegs set up in the back room.

So, who do I wind up talking to first? Well, the guy in front of me in the food line; Brian Hibbs. We talked about the new store he had just purchased. He was beyond excited about it but also aware of his new responsibilities. What was funny about this conversation was I could see people looking at us like "Oh here we go, a talk about Variants." But, we never got there; since we had never met but both knew each other from afar we spent mostly we caught up. In the end it was very cool to meet him and share some ideas about our cultures and commitment to take care of our customers.

Shawn Kirkham (Skybound/Image) was next on my list. We really got some good face time with him. 2014 is a very strong year for us with Walking Dead so being able to throw some ideas at him to get his reaction, was reassuring thatwe were going in the right direction.

Ken Christensen (Todd the Ugliest Kid on Earth) was a fantastic guy to talk with; a chat that lasted almost 30 minutes, about going to our first conventions and old comic book business war stories. If you haven't meet Ken, he was great to meet. He really knows how important the fans are to the success of his book.

Scott Snyder was the highlight of the night for me. It was just cool to hang out in the corner and talk a little about nothing and everything. It was very relaxing and he is a person that you really want to support. Though the talk was more about retail it was a treat to have that moment alone with him.

Kieron Gillen (Uber) was the DJ, rocking the music for the event all night and really slinging goodies from the 80's on up. He was really happy that his projects were really taking off and getting great traction from a variety of comic collectors from all age groups. Kieron is a man of very little words but when he talks he grabs your attention immediately. The rest of the night was just talking with other retailers and new creators to the seen.

Image Expo isn't a convention about selling product to retailers and the fans. It's more about spending a day with the fans and creators, Its about answering our questions and also informing us on a new projects and events to come. It's a night about giving back to us for a long year of support in 2013. It's about a night we get to spend with Image and its a night to remember.

So, a two-hour flight that took me 10 hours to get to the expo, ended with me sitting on the steps of Yerba Buena Center of the Arts, staring blankly up at a church across the way. I can't wait for all the coolness Image is going to bring for us in 2014–and for Image Expo 2015!

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