MoCCA wasn’t the only comic-related event going on this past weekend, plus I have a few more San Diego updates to share …

The Kane County Chronicle attended the ChicagolandZ Con, with a great quote from Gene Ha about what Alan Moore sounds like:

While the event two years ago featured actors like Ernie Hudson from “Ghostbusters” and Larry “The Soup Nazi” Thomas, this year’s autograph booths focused on comic book illustrators.

Gene Ha, 37, of Berwyn, has been drawing comic books since the early 1990s. At that time, he was looking to make a career in commercial illustration.

A 1990s comic boom convinced him to try his hand at comics.

“Now we’re just making OK livings again, but at the time, people were getting rich,” Ha said.

Ha rose to prominence teaming with comics legend Alan Moore on the comics “Top 10” and “Top 10: The Forty-Niners.” The movies “V for Vendetta,” “From Hell” and “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” were based on Moore’s works.

“It’s like talking to an incredibly well-read English plumber,” Ha said of the British Moore. “He’s got a very working-class accent.”

Ha was at a booth, signing autographs and working on a drawing of the “Top 10” characters Toybox and Smax.

His next project will be “Justice League No.11”, which he said involves a supermodel and a recovering heroin addict waiting for superheroes to rescue them from a collapsed hotel. The story was written by New York Times best-selling novelist Brad Meltzer.

The Sun Sentinel out of South Florida reports on Supercon 2 in Fort Lauderdale:

John Eberts wore a costume of the iconic superhero.

By day, the 32-year-old works as a project manager for Mayer Electric Supply Co. in Orlando. In his spare time, Eberts attends comic book conferences around the country.

“Why not?” Eberts said. “No one judges you here. Everyone’s just here to wear costumes, walk around, buy stuff, and see things that they watch on TV.”

And, as promised a few San Diego updates:

–To celebrate the fact that they have a table together, Becky Cloonan, Vasilis Lolos, Fabio Moon, Gabriel Ba and Rafael Grampa will offer a new mini-comic called 5. Their table will be in the “Image compound.”
–The line-up for the Comic-Con International Film Festival has been announced.
–Platinum Studios, who have been making headlines lately, have announced the finalists for the 2007 Comic Book Challenge.
–And if you haven’t made your travel arrangements yet, you may want to add an extra day or two to your San Diego experience … American Idol auditions are scheduled to take place in San Diego on July 30, the Monday after the con. How many comic costumes does it take to drive Simon Cowell insane? Maybe we’ll find out.

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