by ALLISON CASEY
Lifestyles Editor

R. Scott Nicholson, Appalachian State University alumnus, will host the Boone Comicon April 18 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the National Guard Armory in Boone.

Admission is $2 and participants get a free comic with admission.

“I was thinking and Boone hasn’t had a convention in a long time,” he said.

Nicholson will debut his comic book, “Dirt” at the event.

“Dirt” is in the style of Tales From the Crypt and has two or three short illustrated stories per issue.

Though Nicholson grew up on the classic superhero comics, he now prefers darker, more underground and visual comics. 

“It’s about bringing comics out of the slums,” Nicholson said.

He recently picked up a copy of “Fables,” known for its intricate cover art by James Jean, from the library.

“Graphic novels were sort of created as high-brow and to sneer at comic books,” Nicholson said. “I don’t know, I kind of like that comic books are a little trashy.”

The show will feature 10 regional artists, including Evan P. Dahm, senior Spanish major.

Dahm writes the comic “Rice Boy,” which began in April 2006 and finished in May of last year.

The comicon is for both casual and investment collectors, and vendors will have rare books available for purchase.

“Even with the economy, people are still buying rare books and holding on to them as an investment,” Nicholson said.

Nicholson, who has been a novelist for the last ten years, has a book being published in England, which includes original art from his daughter and stepson.

The children were so excited to have art included in the book, he wanted to bring that excitement to others.

As a result, attendees at the show will be able to help create a comic on the spot, one panel at a time.

They can then order the book.

“It’s a big community art experiment,” Nicholson said.

Working with digital outlets allows the comics to be ordered at the same price, regardless of quantity, Nicholson said.

“It might be a spectacular failure, but at least it will be spectacular,” Nicholson said.

Hollywood has latched on to the comic books film partly because of the ease of translating the visual elements to the big screen, Nicholson said.

“It’s easy for someone to sit down and say ‘here’s what it looks like,’” he said. “Comics have always been telling stories.”

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