Traverse City may not have known it, but comic book royalty recently spent some time there.
Tony Moore, one of the most popular current comic book artists and co-creator of
The Walking Dead, was the headliner of the
Cherry Capital Convention in late May. C3, as it is called, hosted Moore and other top-notch comic talent, as well as some up-and-coming artists and a slew of vendors, during its third-annual event.
The convention was more than just a bunch of comic book fans gathering to discuss their collections and their views on the Avengers movie, but rather a place where those who appreciate the industry and those who help make it a reality came to celebrate.
"This is great," says Moore, who wasn't able to attend the past two years due to scheduling conflicts. "A convention this size really lets us (comic creators) have meaningful interaction with our fans. We could never do that at a larger convention. There are so many people, so many panels and events that we just can't interact with them like we really want to."
Moore didn't have any problems interacting in Traverse City. Fans--1,400 paid attendees and 1,000 free kids--were able to walk right up to his table, shake his hand and ask for an autograph--stark contrast to the hour-plus wait times that greeted fans at Chicago's C2E2 in April.
"I love this," he says as he works on a commission piece of a man on a bike fighting zombies. "The organizers are great, too. I've never been treated so well at a convention. I'd love to come back if my schedule allows."
The feeling, it just so happens, was mutual.
"Tony and Kara were amazing," notes Michael Akerley, the coordinator and founder of C3 and owner of Traverse City-based
Top Comics."They loved the area and would like to return. They said it felt great to be at a con that felt friendly and laid back. Those are two of our biggest goals for this con."
Moore wasn't the only artist who was happy to be in attendance, either.
Ryan Stegman, who recently finished up his work on Marvel's
Scarlet Spider and moved to the fan-favorite
Fantastic Four series, was also at C3 signing autographs and sketching for fans.
Angel Medina, a long-time artist, was there, too, and was sketching as well--a rare sight of the industry veteran who typically avoids convention commissions.
Not all of the artists in attendance were big time, either--though some were working on getting there.
Ryan Lee, a local artist who designed C3's convention print featuring Venom in a golf cart, was situated near Moore and among many other talented comic book creators in "Artist's Alley."
"To have this convention here in Traverse City is just amazing," says Lee, who has a website that can be viewed
here and just happens to be the artist who designed the labels for
Big Little Wines. "There are so many talented artists here and it's great to be able to share our passion with one another and with so many comic book fans."
There definitely was no shortage of the latter, either. From those who came simply to add a few back issues of comics to their collection or to get signatures to those who dressed up in homemade Iron Man costumes (complete with glowing eyes), there were fans of all shapes, colors, sizes and secret origins.
"This is my second year here," says Grace Holland, who came to the event from Muskegon. "It's really a lot of fun and I hope it keeps growing and keeps coming back to the area. Where else do you get to meet so many people with all the same interests as you?"
C3 didn't show any signs of slowing down this year, despite being held a bit earlier than normal. Fans still packed into the Grand Traverse Resort and a steady stream of convention goers could be seen throughout the three-day event.
"This Con is very dear to a lot of peoples' hearts up here," says Akerley. "It is an extremely difficult show to put on due to the size of our area and how hard it is to get guests up here. Once they are here, they love it. That means a lot to all of us that work tirelessly to make this happen. Also, we couldn't do it without the community getting involved, especially the volunteers. Local sponsorship and the help of Cartman at the local radio station as our media coordinator are a must for this show to be successful."
For those who would like more information on C3, please visit their website or follow them on
Facebook for updates on next year's convention.
Sam Eggleston is the managing editor of Northwest Michigan Second Wave. He has a decent-size comic collection with nearly 30 long boxes stacked in his office. He can be reached via email.
Photos courtesy of Cherry Capital Con.