The PopCulteer
April 5, 2013

Tricon Invades Huntington

The Tri-State Comic Con happens Saturday at The Big Sandy Superstore Arena in Huntington, kicking off at 10 AM. This is the second year for this big, regional comic book convention, and since this time the organizers wisely picked a new date (last year’s was on the same weekend as MEGO Meet in Wheeling), the PopCult crew will be going. In fact, the plan is to shoot host segments for RFC 183 at Tricon.

Billy Tucci

This is a true comic book convention, not a gaming con where comics are an afterthought, or a pop-culture melange, where the comics are shunted off to a ghetto. Tricon is bringing in a top-flight line-up of comic book creators, like Billy Tucci (Shi, Sgt. Rock, A Child Is Born), the newly-minted writer of Green Lantern, Robert Venditti, Judge Dredd’s American writer, Duane Swierczynski, Marvel and DC artist Darryl Banks, writer Tony Isabella, plus local legends Beau Smith and Daniel (I used to do movies, now I’m doing Graphic Novels) Boyd. Robert Tinnell will be on hand, as will a couple of the walkers from The Walking Dead, Keven Galbraith and Jeremy Ambler.

Beau Smith

This is going to be a load of fun. I have very fond memories of Huntington comic book conventions. Thirty-two years ago, at Munch-con, I met Richard and Wendy Pini and the painter, Boris, plus I came home with the first issues of Nexus and Love and Rockets.

Danny Boyd

The fun this time will be seeing old friends like Beau Smith, who I think I last saw in 1986, and Danny Boyd, who I last ran into a week or three ago. Danny will be plugging his new release, Volume Two of Chillers (sporting a really cool cover by Bill Richardson). You can also meet Danny and get a signed copy of Chillers next Wednesday at Lost Legion Games and Comics on D Street in South Charleston (the book signing kicks off at 5 PM).

I have not met the organizers of Tricon, but I am very impressed. They’ve assembled a great line-up of creators, they have promotional media partners in Huntington and they’ve printed up a nifty flyer that’s gone out all over the state. I hope to meet them at the con and find out what other projects they’re working on.

Tricon kicks off Saturday morning in Huntington at The Big Sandy Superstore Arena. Admission is a mere seven bucks (free for kids under the age of ten) and it looks to be a full day of fun with exhibitors, a costume contest, artist’s alley, dealers selling tons of comics and toys and panels devoted to the hobby.

Stuff To Do

The show of the weekend is 11 PM Friday at The Empty Glass as In The Company of Wolves, Ghost Fleet, and HARRAH take the stage. This should be a heckuva show and it has the usual Empty Glass cover of $7 (five bucks before 11.)

Free music Friday night sees Sean Richardson and Friends at Bruno’s on Leon Sullivan Way at 9 PM.

“Love, Loss, and What I Wore,” a monologue show presented by Charleston Stage Company, starts at 7:30 PM at the Capitol Center Theater. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students and seniors. This is Friday and Saturday night.

Saturday, Jonathan Edwards, with Sasha Colette, make up this month’s entry in the Woody Hawley Concert Series at the Walker Theater at the Clay Center. Tickets are $18 and the show starts at 7:30 PM. At The Empty Glass Saturday night, with the usual $7/$5 cover charge, it’s The Boatmen, with Matt Woods and Devon Stewart.

That’s it for The PopCulteer this week. Next week, you can expect our regular features, including RFC 183, featuring music from Albert Perrone, Saprogen, and Radio Cult. We held this one back a week so we could shoot host segments Tricon this weekend.