Hi Ex. Obviously.
Who in their right mind wouldn't?
The third Hi-Ex (Highland Expo) took place in Inverness on the 27th and 28th of March, making it the least freezing, or to put it more accurately, warmest Hi-Ex so far.
Once again Vicky and Rich put on a fantastic party, creating an entirely level playing field for fans, aspiring and professional writers and artists, small press and national publishers to get to know each other. Having sixty plus of the above crammed into a Chinese buffet and subsequently outnumbering a 'comics curious' hen party in the hotel bar was excellent. The resulting jam comics were predictably filthy in tone, and Al Ewing and Oscillating Brow never fail to crack me up.
Hi-Ex is very much a celebration of British and European comics for all ages - a lot of focus on The Beano and 2000AD, past and present was very welcome and has persuaded me that I should start buying it again. Dredd, Zombo and Damnation Station are currently excellent. Speaking of Mr Ewing, I wrote a bit about the Horror Panel separately.
Here's Charlie Adlard and Al Ewing in the hotel bar sporting Ben Clark Spine Chillers masks:
I won. Specifically, I won the Star Wars page from Dark Empire by Cam Kennedy in the Charity Auction. You are right to be jealous my friends. It's lovely. It tells a story on its own without the dialogue, and it's currently in the process of being framed.
Cam Kennedy is a fine chap, and everyone enjoyed his interview by Colin MacNeil, who had apparently had no sleep whatsoever, but held it all together admirably.
Anyway, this was my first Hi-Ex in an exhibitor capacity, representing the Paper Jam Comics Collective and OmniVistaScope with Oscillating Brow. Our table sold a few comics, and I think the tactic of taking a smaller selection of comics paid off as it made it easier to talk about them to folks.
Anyway, Hi-Ex continues to make this comics malarky seem like a worthwhile endeavour and introduce me to excellent people. Everyone is lovely. I'll be there at the next one, and you should too.
Stacey Whittle, Lynsey Hutchinson, Me
I envy your Cam Kennedy page (I have that Star Wars mini series somewhere), well done. Were it a Cam Kennedy Rogue Trooper page, I would murder you for it (not really, well, maybe slightly).
ReplyDeleteI love Dark Empire. Dark Empire II has great art but a silly story. Empire's End is pretty poor. I do believe it is Kennedy-less. I want that art. I'm coming to steal it off you!
ReplyDeleteUnderstandable chaps. I wouldn't hold any attempts against you to be honest.
ReplyDeleteI've not read Dark Empire II, but really enjoyed the first one. Though it captured the spirit of the first three films better than anything I've seen before or since.