Shelton Drum had been running an event called the
Charlotte Mini-Con, a one-day event held at
Eastland Mall (near his comic book store), since 1977, but in 1982 decided to expand the event and rename it the
Heroes Convention. (Drum opened his first retail location in 1980.)
Joe Quesada has appeared at the convention frequently since 1992, first as an artist, then as editor-in-chief of
Marvel Comics.
George Pérez has also been a frequent guest of the show over the years. Since 1995, the convention has taken place at the
Charlotte Convention Center. and featured guest
Todd McFarlane, who signed over 2,000 autographs at the show. The 1998 show was the first stop on the "Trilogy Tour" II, which included
Jeff Smith,
Charles Vess,
Linda Medley,
Mark Crilley,
Jill Thompson, and
Stan Sakai. In 2005, HeroesCon debuted "Indie Island," a section of the convention dedicated to
alternative,
independent, and self-published comics and creator. 2016 saw further increases, with the show topping previous years with around 40,000 attendees. Heroes Convention's 35th anniversary show was held from June 16–18, 2017, included
Eisner Award winners
Alan Davis,
Skottie Young,
Jaime Hernandez,
Gilbert Hernandez and
Jason Aaron as guests. The 2020 and 2021 HeroesCon were cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. Since returning for the "Fantastic 40th Heroes Convention" in 2022, the show has continued to experience growth, with 50,000 persons attending. This caused an outcry among fans, as Atlanta is only a four-hour drive from Charlotte, and several comic book creators, including artist
Cully Hamner and writer
Matt Fraction (himself a former Heroes Aren't Hard To Find employee), As a result of the outcry, many comic book creators, including
Warren Ellis,
Bryan Hitch,
Greg Rucka,
Tony Harris,
Scott Kurtz,
Gaijin Studios and
Art Adams, signed up to appear at HeroesCon 2006. In mid-August 2005, Wizard announced that it would be pushing back their Atlanta convention until 2007. == References ==