Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, eric powell, goon, hellboy, joe hill, mike mignola, ryan king, scott snyder, stephen king, steve niles

Top Ten Horrific Reasons To Love WonderCon

Ryan King visited WonderCon last weekend for Bleeding Cool. He does like things to get a little gorey. And he i giving Bleeding Cool it's very first Top Ten list. We'll have turned into Newsarama before you know it…

In no particular order, here are the top ten reasons horror comic fans should have attended this past weekend's WonderCon in Anaheim:

1. Eric Powell– Just last year a friend of mine introduced me to Powell's cult favorite The Goon and my life has forever since changed. As soon as I saw Powell's name added to the special guest list, I knew immediately, despite the seven hour car ride it would take, I would make the trip south from Northern California and attend this year's WonderCon. After meeting Powell, I was extremely surprised that his larger than life comic characters did not match his humble and kind persona. Each compliment offered to him was taken with sincerity and heart. Something I wish all artist/writers would share at conventions. Powell also teased that in the up-and-coming months there will be a ground shaking announcement involving The Goon comic series. He joked all the national news networks will want to cover this and maybe (but highly unlikely) Clint Eastwood will be involved. You can read more on Powell in an interview I conducted this weekend previously posted on Bleeding Cool.

2. Mike Mignola– Do I really need to introduce Mignola? Chances are if you're reading this article the answer is no. But I won't test ignorance levels today (I'm in too much of a good mood-just look at the rest of this list!). Creator of Hellboy, B.P.R.D., Baltimore, and so many other titles, Mignola is a modern legend and meeting with him is like standing in front of a bald, spectacled giant in the horror comic industry. I had the lovely pleasure of interviewing Mike for Bleeding Cool and spoke with him about his future releases: Hellboy: The Midnight Circus, Joe Golem and the Drowning City, and Hellboy in Hell. The real moment that I remember Mike shining was while talking to him about monsters and Richard Corben. Immediately I could see the passion for horror comics light up in his eyes as he got animated and discussed past projects. I purchased a limited edition print of the second issue of Hellboy: The Sleeping and the Dead and went away a happy fan.

3. Joe Hill– As Hill often likes to joke, his dad is a writer and you might have heard of him. Horror fans by the world around obviously know the works of Stephen King, but Hill doesn't stand in his father's shadow. Just ask the tremendously long line of people waiting to pile inside the room to hear him discuss their favorite comics Locke and Key and The Cape. Not to mention the newest announcement made my IDW Friday of a prequel of The Cape called The Cape: 1969. Hill managed to make his way down the line of fans waiting to get inside the panel, shaking hands and joking about his skills on the new Locke and Key card game. After the unnecessarily long "Marvel Television" panel ended, fans were treated to Hill's intriguing tales of writing comics and hilarious impressions of Warren Ellis. Fans of Hill's books will be happy to know his latest Nos4a2 will come out within a year and a second book will follow called The Fire Man, about an optimistic account in a post-apocalyptic world.

4. Scott Snyder– DC's lead comic writer Scott Snyder (Swamp Thing, American Vampire, Batman, Severed) frequented the panels at WonderCon. I ran into him (mentioned previously in "After Hours at the Hilton WonderCon") and complimented him on his horror-themed "Camp Crystal Lake" shirt. Snyder is a down to earth bloke and when speaking with fans was extremely humble with their enthusiasm for his writings. The only problem was, so many people wanted to speak with him and get his signature, the best chance of conversing with Snyder was by asking a question at one of his panels before a large audience. Oh, and did you read Ray Brown's piece earlier on Bleeding Cool? The one about how Snyder formerly worked for Disney World and dressed as Buzz Lightyear. Now that's funnier than someone stepping in dog poop.

5. Steve Niles– After Niles immediate success with 30 Days of Night and his constant work in the horror genre, he surely marked a claim in the horror comics genre with multiple horror titles. Niles frequented the convention floor smiling cheerfully and shaking hands with fans and fellow comic creators. In his featured "Spotlight" panel he spoke of new ongoing projects like Crime and Terror, his return to music with fiancé Monica Richards (did you know Niles was in the punk bands Gray Matter and Three?), as well as his recently announced partnership to work for Black Mask Studios and new comic book distributor Epitaph Records. I survived a journalist's worst nightmare of an interview with Niles after the panel: multiple interruptions by people recognizing Niles, a child falling, a progression of noisy busses, and Steve with a bout of hiccups. Niles was all around a great man to talk to and get to know. His bubbly yet realist personality was extremely refreshing and his passion for comics and this industry runs farther than I ever knew. Please read the interview to find out more.

6. Avatar Press– One of the lead publishers of mature horror comic titles set up shop directly near the front of the WonderCon entrance. As a huge fan of Garth Ennis' Crossed and the recent Stitched, and Moore's Neonomicon I just had to gander at the impressive titles set on display by Keith Davidsen. Horror fans were also lucky to catch New York Times best seller author Max Brooks at the table to sign a copy of The Zombie Survival Guide. Avatar made me happy by giving me a free crossed mask in honor of the recent bi-weekly series Crossed: Badlands.

7. "Horror in Comics" Panel– I would have to slit my throat if I missed this WonderCon panel. As a matter of fact, I skipped out on the chance to see Emma Stone because of this one. Lined up at the table were Scott Snyder, Eric Powell, Joe Hill, Rebekah Isaacs, and Mike Mignola with the not so scary Mark Waid moderating. Topics ranged from favorite horror movies (Snyder-Night of the Living Dead, Powell and Hill-The Exorcist, Isaacs-The Mist, Mignola-), not to mention agreements between panelists about scary images going back to beloved movies, like Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru's burned bodies in Star Wars. And for a panel with some of the scariest creators in the business, almost everyone in the audience was laughing at the ongoing banter between panelists. Especially with a running joke after Isaacs said, "If you make a monster look like a penis, I don't know. Automatically it's way scarier."

8. "Vertigo: New Blood" Panel– For fans of DC's Veritgo line, senior-editor Will Dennis discussed this years new Vertigo titles, like Saucer County, Fairest, Dominique Laveau, The New Deadwardians, Voodoo Child, and Get Jiro! Writer Scott Snyder was in attendance discussing future issues of American Vampire, like the recently announced American Vampire: Lord of Nightmares and The Blacklist. Snyder also discussed how Stephen King came aboard and wrote half of the first story arc. He explained that King expressed interest after first reading a draft in hope that Vertigo could acquire a book quote. More to their luck (and interests) King offered to write far more than one sentence.

9. Ridley Scott Appearance and Prometheus Trailer Viewing– Although most people are looking forward to Sir Ridley Scott's latest science-fiction blockbuster Prometheus, I'm looking forward to seeing his latest horror blockbuster Prometheus. Am I the only one that remembers Alien was not only a science-fiction film and a horror film? And certainly judging by the tone of the new trailer, elements of horror will abound. Ridley Scott was joined on stage by film actors Charlize Theron and Michael Fassbender to discuss their work on the film. A fan asked Scott if it was difficult returning to a genre he hadn't worked with since the early eighties. To which Scott replied no, he was happier of the fact he could return and make more movies.

10. Autographs, Autographs, Autographs– Finally, who could forget to mention acquiring autographs by all the aforementioned horror comic/artists? On my long trip to southern California, I made sure to make it worthwhile and bring a huge batch of comics to get signed. I have to give a huge thanks to Eric Powell who signed and sketched on a number of my comics. Something I was extremely impressed with, given the line forming behind me. He truly made me a fan for life by given me just that little something extra. Thanks Eric!

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