Denver Comic Con 2016 - Scotty's Art Treasures

If you have ever wanted to find me at Denver Comic Con, I can give you one hint of where I will always be, I am with the artists. I get lost in Artist Valley every year and it never seems to get old, especially since I am able to find so many excellent pieces to add to my collection, along with meeting some freaking awesome people. One of the things that I love about Denver Comic Con is all of the local talent that is joined together at the event. Now don’t get me wrong, I am a sucker for some of the biggest names in the game, but I have met so many talented people that are right here in our own back yard that it's simply mind blowing.

Now this year Artist Valley was massive and a little disorienting at first, but once you got your bearings, it was easy to locate your favorite artists and stop by their booths frequently. I did stick to my check list this year and even though I did not get a chance to stop by the big name tables, especially Stan Lee since his line was always several hundred deep, I did get some great finds this year and I have even added some new favorites to my list to check out next year.

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​One of the people that I said to visit was Serna Illustration, run by Frankie Serna.  I meet Frankie last year at DCC and picked up a great Venom print from him and I wanted to see more, since his style is mind blowing. With his design of the Snape-Ricot logo for this year’s DCC beer, I needed to see what else he had at his booth. I was happy to see a couple Denver Comic Con exclusives, a Deadpool and Harley that I will proudly be putting up on my wall, at least until he can give me something to relocate them. He is such a nice guy and he always has a smile on his face which makes him very easy to talk to, next I will have to ask him for a commission, because I would love to see what he could do with the Joker.

​I also mentioned Robert Elrod, mostly because I can never leave a show without picking up something from his booth to add to my collection.  I picked up his book, Former Dwellings, mostly because it houses so many prints of his great work, but also because he was willing to add a sketch to the front cover. Now, if you know me, I do have a love for gnomes and Robert was able to make my dreams come true with a Gnome killing Zombies!  This has easily become a prized possession for me and I cannot wait to find a way to display it, because I am blown away.  He is always a joy to talk with during the show and a great source of information when I seem to fall short.

Joe Oliver has become a great friend over the years and his work is just phenomenal. One of the things that I like most about Joe, is that we have common interests and that seems to translate into the pieces that I like the most. This year I took a shot and picked up his sketch book that houses many of his great works, a couple of which I already own. Joe Oliver Sketch Creeps, a collection of black and white classic sketches from Joe, is a great collection of Joe’s artwork and a book that I am still in awe of since he has created so many great pieces of art.

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​I have been in the presence of Joe Becker at many cons now, but this time I actually got a chance to talk with him and pick up some art. But this time I did not go for the prints, I saw the premiere issue of Ti**ies and Fangs and had to grab a copy. Being a pin-up book this may not be safe for the kiddies to look at, but the artwork enclosed is phenomenal. With works from so many local artists, it is great to see such a collaboration come to life and leave me thirsting for more.  I cannot wait to see what comes out in Volume Two, as it will blow your mind as it did to me. With so many other great pieces at his table, I cannot wait to make my next purchase from him.

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I always have a good time at Denver Comic Con and one of the major reasons is that I get to see the same people year after year and one of these people is Jay Peteranetz. Doing the badge artwork for DCC last year, Jay was able to secure a booth right where he was sitting last year, so he was very easy to find.  As I mentioned on my artists to visit article, Jay is the artist behind the Magicians Must Die card set and I did end up with my own set this year around. When talking to the salesman, I was sold on Set #3, mainly because it has a flip book addition to it, along with the running comic on the back of the cards. If you have not seen Magicians Must Die yet, you need to check it out, it is a brilliant idea and with Jay doing the artwork, you know you cannot go wrong.

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​Making sure to stop by Lewis Brown’s table to pick up his Joker/Harley print, I was lucky enough to get a glimpse of his new book, The Brown Hornet Omniverse. Just flipping through the pages, it was easy to see how much work went into bringing it to life. Doing every aspect of the book on his own, Lewis has done a great job putting it all together in such a short time. I cannot wait to get my hands on the book when it is officially released, especially since the art on the pages is great and the story has been on his mind for over a year.  

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​I was lucky enough to be invited to sit with a group of artists on Saturday night after Denver Comic Con shut down.  While chatting, I got to see some of the artwork from Patrick Canter who has a style all of his own.  When stopping by his table and seeing more of his prints, I was blown away and had to pick up a couple.  Since I am a huge Joker fan, I found that his print of Villains of Gotham would feed my need for that, but all of the characters look great.  Also finding a cool Boba Fett, I think I made out like a bandit with a great sample of his work.  

I also spoke with Sal Galindo from CCP Comics who has a huge fan base that loves his Stitch characters dressed up as any superhero. But I found that I was more attracted to his Day of the Dead series of princesses as they are something different and I have not seen it before. With two really cool series that are growing, of course I had to pick up a Joker from Sal, since it is my goal to get at least one from every artist that I like. I cannot wait to see what Sal is able to come up with next, since his Day of the Dead series is phenomenal and something that needs to be checked out, even if you are not a fan of princesses.  

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I then got to meet Skylar Patridge, who everyone in the group continuously raves about and after I saw a commission that she was working on of the Rocketeer, I could see why. Skylar is able to bring any piece she does to life with very minimal color, most of her best work is just black and white.  I was blown away when I stopped by her booth and looked through her originals and there is a Daredevil that I might need to invest in sometime in the future. I picked up a Nosferatu print because it seemed to speak to me from the wall and will have a commission coming my way soon, because I wanted to see what she is able to do with a character that is near and dear to my heart…Batman.  

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My last stop of the show was to get a piece of artwork from Jeff Herndon, maybe for me, or maybe for a Father’s Day present, I am still not decided. This Indiana Jones piece had been speaking to me ever since I saw the first picture of it being completed and now a print has made its way into either mine or my father’s collection. I love following Jeff’s art page, especially since he gives progress shots on his works and what you see in the beginning is amazing, but the finished product is beyond mind blowing. It was nice to get a couple of seconds with Jeff this year, especially since his booth seemed to be kicking every time I walked by.

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I also got a great piece from Todd Jones this year. It's been amazing watching Todd's talents grow over the past year ever since he started to do sketches. I love Skeletor and the story that goes along with him from Todd. I am happy to see Todd working on artwork and he said one thing that will stick in my mind for years to come, ‘writers should have to draw’. There is a story for this, but it can wait for another time. I hope to see more of Todd Jones’s artwork in years to come.
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There you have it, here is the artwork that I have picked up this year at Denver Comic Con. I think I made out like a bandit and got to meet and talk with so many great artists while walking up and down the rows.  This has to be one of my favorite recaps to write every year, mostly because I love artwork and will need to buy another house with massive walls to showcase everything that is in my growing collection.  I cannot wait to see what this awesome group will bring to the show next year, as they never stop working and it is great to see how they grow from year to year.  

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