Hi-Ex 2009 Report
Getting to the event proved to be a bit of a nightmare. I don't drive and the even started at 11. Earliest I could get to the event venue - Eden Court in Inverness - was 12:30. Got in, paid and made my way to the largest cinema to hear the second half of the 12-1 panel on Watchmen. A really great and funny panel discussed all aspects of Watchmen from Alan Moore, the graphic novel, the movie and even the inevitable deluge of merchandise. Some great questions came from the floor and I was left with the feeling that I should have been there from the start.
Lunch was 1-2 so I grabbed the opportunity to grab a bite to eat and have a wee look around the merch stalls. Blown away by the some of the amazingly detailed models which were on display as you can see from the pictures in the gallery. A separate room in the Court had been set aside for sketches and I grabbed the opportunity to join the queue for a Gary Erskine sketch. Gary is probably most famous for his work on the likes of Batman. After waiting an age I got to have a wee chat with the great man and asked and received an awesome sketch of Dan Dare - a comic he has just finished working on with Garth Ennis. Gary was a true gent and properly funny and open to having a good wee chat. Cards were exchanged along with the promise of a sonicsring interview in a couple of weeks.
Moving down the line, there were three artists doing manga sketches of people at the convo. I couldn't resist and Inko drew me up looking beautiful and hard as nails in a mecha outfit. She did an amazing job. I also managed to grab some time with DC Comic artist Leigh Gallagher who was funny and charming. At this point I came across the ginger haired Ross who I more frequently know as Chooban from the Consolevania forums. He was top lad and great company (although very ginger as you can see from the pics). We're meeting up with some of the other CV lads (including Iain) this weekend in Glasgow for a few beers. Very excited about that. It was Ross who pointed out to me that all three of the people I had wanted to catch today - Leah Moore, Alan Grant and Frank Quitely - had all already left. Gutted. Next was a trip to see the Stormtroopers who were hanging around outside...
Sonicsring: Hi Richmond. Welcome to sonicsring.com. Thank you for joining us.
Richmond: Hello. Thank you for having me.
Richmond: The weather stopped quite a lot of people last year. Sonicsring: What was your motivation for starting Hi-Ex and why Inverness?
Richmond: Well my partner Vicky and I were comic fans and we were talking to one of the people at Eden Court who we know through the art workshops Vicky runs here. We mentioned the fact that we were comic fans and know a few people in the industry and we could maybe get them up for a workshop or two – guys from FutureQuake, 2000AD and the like. We emailed a few guys and everybody we emailed was really enthusiastic about coming up and it spiralled and became a convention with three or four months to organise everything. Sonicsring: It’s so good to see something like this in Inverness.
Richmond: Inverness was obvious because we live near here and Eden Court is a superb venue. Sonicsring: What were the major obstacles to getting Hi-Ex up and running? I’m looking at things like the locale, funding and weather.
Richmond: The weather is a problem but not something you can do anything about. The biggest problem is the A9 road from Perth to Inverness. Everything has to come up a really long hill. It’s terrible. Everyone has to come a long distance. But with daily flights from places like Bristol and London or Belfast or wherever, you have a lot of guys who can come from that way, so that helps. Sonicsring: How has turnout been? Are you pleased with it?
Richmond: Yeah. I haven’t seen the figures but talking to the traders and stuff, they have the impression that there have been more people through so fingers crossed.
Sonicsring: Which of your guests are you most proud to have?
Richmond: Frank Quitely, without a shadow of a doubt.
Richmond: I could not believe when he… When I emailed him last year because we mail absolutely everyone and he didn’t answer the email. This year we emailed him again - we thought we may as well. Almost immediately apologising for not replying last year as he was so busy he couldn’t even reply to the email. He told us he wished to come this year and I couldn’t believe it.
Sonicsring: I interviewed Ben Templesmith a couple of weeks back and mentioned Hi-Ex to him. He said he would love to come as long as we paid his flights!Richmond: That is our problem. The issue is we don’t get any funding for this or any public money so this is all out of our own pocket. Sonicsring: Did you apply for funding?
Richmond: We applied for funding from everybody and it’s a horrible, horrible process. They aren’t interested in giving money to something like this. We are bringing this to Inverness and no one is interested. Even to the extent where we are trying to get money for a children’s art workshop and we couldn’t get £50 for an hour-long workshop because it was on a weekend. This is the level we are trying to work with. Sonicring: Surely a weekend is the best time for that sort of thing when kids are involved?
Richmond: You’d think. But no, we can’t get any public funding at all. Sonicsring: That is horrible to hear. How has the FutureQuake side of things been going?
Richmond: Yeah it’s fine. We’ve got two new issues – a new issue of FutureQuake and a new issue of our manga comic which is cleverly titled MangaQuake this weekend. They have been selling ok. Sonicsring: Slightly out of leftfield – which comics should I be reading just now that I’m not?
Richmond: What comics should I be reading! I don’t get to read to many comics. The last great thing I read was All Star Superman probably. It’s a love letter to superhero comics and it’s what superhero comics should be – it’s just fun. Sonicsring: If you had to put me on the spot, I would have to say Fables.
Richmond: The trouble is, I don’t have time to read comics. This year I managed to sit down in bed at night and read the whole of Fifty Two. That’s how far behind I am! Sonicsring: I keep meaning to read that myself.
Richmond: Fifty Two was good and the build up was great but the end was ‘is that all?’. The ending was really disappointing to me. Sonicsring: I go to a lot of music festivals and a lot aren’t happening this year. Do you think the economy could effect the hosting of a Hi-Ex 2010 event?
Richmond: I would love to see Hi-Ex here next year. We’re 99.999% that we are going to another event next year. It all depends on money at the end of the day because it all comes out of our pockets. If we get funding, yeah, we’ll have one. And even if we don’t, we might anyway because we have already got, apart from the guests who are here this year who have said they are going to come back, we’ve already got another dozen guests who have said they will come – some of who are so major, we didn’t ask this year as we never thought they would come. One in particular said, he wished he had contacted earlier and he would have been there this year. Sonicsring: I hope we see a 2010 event, I really do. Is there anything else I should be asking you?
Richmond: Ha! I don’t think so no! Sonicsring: I just want to thank you not only for having this interview with me but for organising such an amazing event.
Richmond: Well thank you. Thank you for coming. I’m just so glad that everyone comes and I’m glad people come and enjoy it because there is nothing like this up here at all – there’s nothing like this north of Leeds. It’s atrocious. I couldn’t believe it. It was odd last year too – people genuinely didn’t know what this was about. They were coming along just to see what it was about. It’s a completely new concept up here, something like this. It’s fantastic that the same people are coming along this year and getting sketches and stuff. It’s cool Sonicsring: Yeah, I’ve been grabbing sketches myself.
Richmond: I haven’t managed to get one and I invited these people! I didn’t manage to get any sketches, I didn’t manage to get Frank to sign my copies of his books, nothing. My All Star Superman, Sandman… All my books sitting in a stack back there and not one of them signed. Sonicsring: With great power comes great responsibility! Richmond, thank you you very much for taking the time to talk to me today.
Richmond: Thanks very much.
Richmond was an absolute star and I really appreciate that he took the time out of what must have been a stupidly busy day for him to talk to me. You can see Hi-Ex is a massive endeavor along with his partner Vicky. They really do deserve all the thanks and praise they get. I feel terrible thinking of all the work and preparation that goes into organising the event and yet I don't think they would have it any other way. You could already see the plans formulating behind Richmond's eyes for 2010.
From there we went to the prize draw for the awesome raffle they had organised and finished with a lovely closing ceremony and the promise from Vicky that we would see an event next year. Hi-Ex is just a beautiful pure event evidently ran by people who care deeply for the medium. And that is reflected by all the attendees who seemed genuinely delighted to be attending a a comic expo in Inverness. All the guests were open to conversation and interaction and there was just this overall feeling of appreciation, enjoyment and enthusiasm. I can't urge you enough to attend the event next year if you can at all make it. I will be first in the queue for the full weekend in 2010.
