Billy Tackett's DEAD WHITE & BLUE: Imagicon!

I'm back from Birmingham AL, getting settled in a ready to roll. For me ImagiCon was like a big reunion for a couple of reasons. First of all I am friends with a lot of the department heads . Traveled to other cons, shared hotel rooms, painted on their half naked bodies. So some of these guys are like family. Another reason is that I displayed at another con in Birmingham last year and met what seems like all the other staff then as well as met and became friends with tons of people. So when I was asked to do the art and attend as the artist Guest of Honor there was no way I could possibly turn them down even if I had wanted to. I knew ImagiCon was to be full of very, very familiar and friendly faces and looked forward to seeing them again.
ImagiCon was a first time event and despite some bumps coming out of the gate I felt the con went extremely well. Kelly, the Art Director and old friend, and her minions did a phenomenal job. And the number of fans that stopped by the table was astronomical! The reception I got was warm and very, very fuzzy.

Friday between setting up and talking to fans & friends I did a couple of panels. My co-panelists included fellow Abyss Walker artist James Hill and Neo-Earth creator Bryan King. I hadn't seen either of these guys since my last visit to Birmingham. Other artists that participitated were Nigel Sade and Ash Evans.

After closing down Friday my wife heather and I grabbed a bite to eat and turned in early. Friday was so busy that we were both exhausted and we knew that Saturday, day and night, would be chock full of activities.

Saturday was great also. Very busy but very gratifying. During the afternoon the fire alrm went off and the entire convention was evacuated. As we stood outside with hundreds of people I look in the distance and seesome people looking at me and laughing. This is what they were doing:

Yes, this is how people amuse themselves at my expense

Also while hanging out I see these guys off in the distance and Heather rushes over to drag them back:

Later I had another contestant stop by the booth:

Saturday night we sat down to dinner with some friends, Sean Taylor (Gene Simmnos' Dominatrix), Bobby Nash (Fuzzy Bunnies from Hell) and Patricia Albrecht & Samantha Newark (Jem). Our peaceful dinner was soon disrupted when our tables were descended upon by some other guests of ill repute. Daniel Emery Taylor (Swamp Thing) and his wife Ami, Jim O'Rear (It Came From Trafalgar), John Dugan (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and George Bonilla (ZP International Films) & his wife Tammy. Highlights from the evening are as follows (in no particular order):
1. A suitcase full of hooch
2. An anonymous call to security
3. Beer
4. Interviews with a werewolf named Mittens, a minor demon and a maked man
5. In-depth discussions about Jim's ass
6. Pictures with security
7. Beer
8. Drunken Stormtroopers
9. Beer
10. A drunken, in-depth discussion about Looney Tunes cartoons with John that made way more sense than it should
11. Beer
12. My wife taking part in actions that disrupted interviews with a werewolf named Mittens, a monir demon and a masked man
13. George having his picture taken
(Just to clarify: Patricia and Samantha had too much class to be part of our unruliness and excused themselves early!)

Sunday was a little slower so I had the opportunity to get some photos with some friends.