Sunday, Sunday Sunday!!!
I reconvened with Jon, Rich and Chris, with intentions to go to OHOP, the Original House of Pancakes. But you better get out the door a dang sight earlier than we did if you want to eat there on a Sunday. The Pats (previously mentioned pals, not a bluegrass group) were supposed to meet us there, but the line was unwaitable, so I don't know what became of them. We had a great time at Einstein's Bagels though, I highly recommend the Spinach bagel.

On a Sunday at the Heroes con, it becomes all about the Art Auction. High-rollin' collectors come from several states away to bid on what happens here. Usually proceeds go to a chosen charity, but this year the charity is the show itself and making sure it happens next year. That's worthy enough--it's too important a venue to let vanish. I grab up plates of acrylics and start working on a Catwoman piece for the show. It's hard to become an accomplished painter when you only do it twice a year, both times at art auctions, but for some reason I start slugging through it, shyly turning my canvas away from the building crowd. Major buttkicking is happening on the stage elsewhere. Stelfreeze is doing a Beautiful Killer, while BK creator Phil Noto is doing a Wolverine. Tony Harris is painting a widescreen Starman, and Bill Sienkiewicz has finished a Hulk. Hughes is doing what will be the showstopper, a big ol' Dark Phoenix. Guess he was the right person to ask about the costume. Everybody up there remarks at some point how they feel vulnerable without a History Palette, thanks to our post-Photoshop world.

The Next Item in This Lot

In the past George Perez has often been the auctioneer, but the Gaijin guys do it now, and very well. Stelfreeze has people clawing each other's eyes out just to buy the filler stuff that has to be moved before you get to the big paintings. My piece was still wet so Karl Story wouldn't pick it up, but he made people unseat themselves and go look at it, which worked out-- it went for $350, so I felt my struggle was justified. Then the big boys came up for bids, and that was something to see. An exciting bidding war broke out over Harris' Starman piece. Number one Jack Knight collector Mike Frieheit put up a valiant fight, but eventually was outgunned by someone who dropped around $1600 on it. (CORRECTION!- I guess I was loopy from painting, it seems that Mike DID win the piece, and for $1300. Next time I'll stay awake for these things.)After finishing his, Adam Hughes got up to auction the Noto piece, cutting loose with a lot of good jabs at Phil, who he thought had already headed back to Florida. Nope, Phil was right there on the second row enjoying this Dean Martin roast treatment he was getting, and it was fun seeing Adam's expression when he realized it. That one went for something good, but I can't remember what. The serious, serious money rolled out when Hughes' Phoenix finally went up, and I think the bidding started at a thousand.