"The MNC: It’s like Raiders of the Lost Ark, only funny."
-Erin DiMattia, HeroesCon attendee and my new favorite fan
Last weekend, the MNC made our way up to the Charlotte Convention Center last weekend to attend HeroesCon in Charlotte, North Carolina. The attending members included myself, Jason Clarke (the Minister of Art and Design), and Daniel Sweeney (the Minister of Code). Although he was unable to attend the show, Rob King (the Minister of Financial Obligations) lent a tremendous hand in paying for all of the expenses and lending us his SUV to transport all of our stuff.
We arrived in town late Thursday night and got everything set up at our booth early Friday morning. Our booth was located in the back of the auditorium in the Indie Island section, though our secluded spot didn’t make too big of a difference because our traffic was very consistent. I probably spoke with a few hundred people over the weekend. Most people seemed to be generally happy with my description of the site, with the optimal word "free" perking their interest greatly. Even though we were surrounded by a bevy of traditional print comic books and comic book artists, I believe that web-based comics have a place in this world and will only acquire a larger fan base as time goes on.
I snapped a few shots of the event for your viewing pleasure:
These are some helpful links to more photos of the MNC at HeroesCon:
- Side view of booth
- Our fabulous banner
- PC monitor and mount
- Some of us in the horrifying flesh
- Artist down!
- Awesome guy (Terry) running the booth next to us
- Dover
Extended periods without internet access seem odd in an age where being constantly connected has become not merely a priviledge, but a right. Oftentime, when I leave my house and city on vacation, or as I did this past weekend, on website business, I gnaw away at the fiber optic tether binding me to the digital world at large. Sure, I don’t want to pay the $9.95 required by the hotel to patch into their magnificent wireless portal to the web, but the desire to break free stems from someplace deeper. The sensation is primal, a want characterized in our modern world by cowboy loner movies. It is distinctly male, though I am certain that women notice it as well, that queer stirring in the belly. Essentially, I am saying that I have been off the internet for three days now - gone fishin’ in a way. The feeling obviously didn’t last, or at least will probably not. I’m still at HeroesCon, and it is still Sunday, but I feel confident that this will be posted. If you are reading it, then consider myself affirmed.
The con went well, or is proceeding well at the moment. We’ve talked with a number of people, some of whom have suffered a great Tetris defeat at my hands. One guy beat me - Kandrix, a sinister creature who must have descended from the Hall of Tetris Grandmasters in order to stomp me five games to one. Humility can be like a ratchet: true, my game is tighter for the beating but I’m still getting screwed.
Although the majority of mundane small talk normally centers around weather and "how we’ve been having it," the weather in Charlotte is great. Understand that I am comparing it to the solitary prison box that is Savannah, GA weather, but I could definitely acclimate myself to 71 degree mornings. Seventy-one? When the planets align and R’lyeh rises out of the ocean on the same day that quintuplets are born to Hutu father and a Tutsi mother, then maybe Savannah will be blessed with tolerable climes approaching seventy-one degrees. Sorry for the exaggeration; this summer’s been hot and "a little delirious" does not begin to cover my brain right now.
- Irving