True Believers 2016 is nearly here!!!

So, True Believers Comic Festival 2016 will up and running again at the Cheltenham Racecourse in a little over a week and I for one can't wait.

Why can't I wait? Well, it is not because it's the first con of the year, or even because this might be the only one I go to in 2016. No, the reason for my excitement is because, in my opinion, True Believers' first show was the best convention I went to in 2015. I loved is due to the size of it, the amount of space there seemed to and just the number (and quality) of creators, guests and fans the people who were there.

So, Stuart Malrain and his gang have a long way to go to top things this time around. However, based on what I've been reading, along with the list of guests and creators they have in 2016, I'm pretty confident they'll pull it off.

So, yeah I'm excited and I'm also eager for the day to get here as I already have big plans with what I want to do and who I want to see.

Here are my main draws, along with the whys;

Traders
I'm not big in the know when it comes to the traders, I plan to just stop and check them all out if they look interesting and find some of the list of back issues I'm seeking. But one which I will definitely be stopping at is Proud Lion, which is always fun for a catch up as owner Ben used to work at a comic shop in Swindon and I know for a fact he has an extensive comics knowledge.

Exhibitors
The Exhibitors, on the other hand, I know plenty of and about, so will be visiting many of them over my day. Planned stops include;
Sarah Millman - To say hi, hear about Heart of Time's future plans and get her full opinion on Alex + Ada.
Big Punch Studios - To get the lowdown on when Afterlife/7String will reappear, as well as see if Nich Angell does commissions.
Stiffs - To query Joe Glass about what his take on Superman would be.
Midnight Man - To pick up Andy Bloor's Andythology and see what the future of Midnight Man looks like.
Red Mask from Mars - To just pester Vince Hunt mostly, though maybe pick up Red Mask from Mars #2, as well as my Abe Sapian sketch.

Sam Roads - To discuss his comics, Silicon Hearts and Christo (I think it was called).

Sam Webster - Like Vince to just have a catch up and see about the future of Joe Cape
Mike Garley - To pretty much praise him for Kill Screen, while asking about future projects

 

Guests
There are many big guests who I admire and hope I can shake the hand of. But out of all of them, these are the ones I really want to make an effort to see;

Paul Cornell - I'll try and get him to sign my copy of Action Comics 900, while asking about my God Damned band and his series limit of 15 issues.

Rob Williams - While I didn't get on board with Unfollow, I do have a question or two about the first issue.

Rachael Smith - I'll probably pick up one of her books, other praise for House Party and generally ask about her future projects

Emma Vieceli - Praise her for Breaks and ask her to sign my copy of Young Avengers #14.

Panels
I love panels, they are a wealth of information and the lifeblood of any good con. But out of all of them there is only two I really want to attend;

12.15am - Discover something new 2016. For me, the draw is in the title. Discover something new? Yes please. Besides, there is something special in watching the passion and enthusiasm which is released by creators as they sell their books, Stan Lee style, to a group of people.

1.00pm - Comics as Inspiration: Inspiring Creativity. Of late I've been thinking about comics and how we can go about providing them for kids. I have a few in my extended family (and my best friend is a teacher) and so I always ponder how to pass comics on and get them involved. Sadly, I don't think I've seen anything in the current market which is suitable. So with this panel, I'm interested not only in comics inspiring creativity but maybe answering my questions on that subject.

And that's it!!! It's not everything which will be there but it's definitely the guaranteed stops on my journey around the Cheltenham Racecourse.

So, I'm all ready and planned for the upcoming True Believers. I just have to hope the next week goes by quickly.