I haven’t gotten to attend this one myself yet, but luckily Guest Geek reporter Al Butler spent the day at Heroes Con 2023 in Charlotte, NC and wrote all about his experience to share with the Geek Mamas blog.

Heroes Con 2023: Celebrating Pop Culture and Creativity

Heroes Con 2023 has come and gone. The convention, set in Charlotte NC, was the brainchild of Shelton Drum, the owner of the Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find comic shop in Charlotte, and based around comic book professionals, not media celebrities. Starting in 1982, the show has grown massively and now takes up a large chunk of the Charlotte Convention Center during the 3-day event.

I first went in 1999 when a vendor asked me to help work his booth for the weekend. Since then, I have returned several times as a visitor just walking around and meeting many people, getting comics signed, buying art, and taking many photographs.

I returned to this year’s event after an almost 10-year absence (things happen). It is bigger, so much bigger than I remember and there were a lot of people in attendance. The amazing thing is it did not feel crowded. There was enough space to walk around and not keep bumping into people the entire time (which is a big plus for me). Even on Saturday, which is always the biggest day of a con), I did not feel crowded. That indicates really good planning on the show creators.

Walking in, I knew some of the people (artists and vendors) that were going to be there so, of course, I went to see them. This also allows me to walk around and meet all kinds of new people, whether they be artists or cosplayers.

*Photography tip: If you are going around and taking photos at a convention, bring business cards to hand out to the cosplayers. This not only increases people’s awareness of you, but it also gives these people an opportunity to find and see their photos.

While I went primarily to take photos, I also went to get some comics signed and buy some artwork. First, let me discuss photography. Friday, I did not see much cosplay. There were some in cosplay but the number of people cosplaying seemed low, as it did Saturday. Don’t get me wrong—there were people in cosplay and quite good ones but not as many as I remember in previous years. I still have many photos to work through and post. Sunday was another day where the number of people (in my opinion) was low. The cosplays over the weekend were good but I expected to see more.

I suppose other conventions, like Dragon Con, are ones to go to for cosplay. The downside to this is I had one photoshoot scheduled but they cancelled ahead of time, which is always a risk but that happens. So instead, I just spent the con walking around and taking random photographs. The good side is only one person I asked said no.

Editor’s Note: It’s always polite to ask first before taking photos and cosplayers appreciate that.

Artist Alley, as always, had a number of talented people showing off their wares. I did purchase several pieces (I spent more than I should have but the work was so good) and walked the aisles many, many times during the show. If you do go, be prepared to walk and walk a lot. It is a large convention room and if you are trying to get some exercise, this is the way.

Many current and former comic professionals were in attendance, so I dug through the remaining comics I have and pulled some out (based on the guest list). It was easy to get most signed (Skottie Young, Alan Davis, and Adrianna Melo) but the longest wait was with Roy Thomas. In my opinion, the time spent waiting was longer than it should have been. But it was done.

One of the most amazing things for me was to see the aerialists there. A local group in Charlotte set up a frame in one corner of the convention hall and different members performed various routines in cosplay. I saw performances done as Harley Quinn, Starfire, Joker, etc. This was something completely new to me (at a convention).

Meeting people- If you can go the entire con and not meet people and engage in conversations, I am shocked. While I am not the most social person, I still met a lot of people and had conversations. This is a comic convention so, most likely, a lot of these people have things in common with you (love of comics).

I am glad I returned. It was a positive experience. Sure, there are things that could be improved on but that is true no matter where you go. I was able to finish finding the comics I need of an old run. I enjoyed meeting and connecting with new people and seeing others I have known for some time. I have new Instagram followers, new art, signed comics, and many photos.

If you’d like to see Al’s photography work, check out his Instagram: The One True Al

And find out more about the convention on their website: Heroes Convention