Contributed by collector and Overstreet Advisor Art Cloos
Photographs by Alice Cloos

The latest Comic Art Con was held Saturday, April 8, 2017, at the Holiday Inn in Hasbrouck Heights. This is a new home for the show, after eight years in Secaucus. This edition of the show was spread across two rooms, the main dealer room and a smaller one, with a total of 49 tables that were packed with original comic book art. When first entering the show, it is somewhat overwhelming to see the amount of rare and beautiful items for sale there. You have to take your time to absorb it all.

Most of the biggest dealers in the hobby come from across the United Sates to do this show. They included Anthony Snyder, Bechara Maalouf, Will Gabri-EL, Frank Giella, Hans Kosenkranius, Jim Warden, Rich Donnelly, Albert Moy, Brad the Savage, Scott Eder, Mike Burkey, Dan Jerome, Zaddick Longenbach, Gene Park, Robert Dennis, Rich Cirillo, Scott Dunbier, Robert Berkheimer, and Derek Woywood.

Auction houses Hake’s Americana & Collectibles, ComicLink, and ComicConnect were in attendance. ComicConnect brought a preview of its upcoming auction of the Jon Berk Collection with Stephen Fishler and Rob Reynolds on hand to answer questions.

Once again Robert Wayne Dennis of Comic Art Restoration Services was set up at Comic Art Con. Dennis is an expert in the area of comic art restoration, as well as text and logo stat reproduction with years of experience in stat reproduction, cleaning, tape removal, tear seals, glue residue removal, and image reconstruction. He accepted restoration assignments at the show. If you have any art you might need restored, you can contact him at either (903) 513-1326 or through his email at agraphicstateofmind@gmail.com.

The aptly named Comic Art Con is strictly art – with no comic books. Talking about art and the artists that create it and showing off what you have is as important to the people who come to it as selling the art is, although of course lots of sales and trades are made there. Buyers come from as far away as Europe to attend this show.

Dan Gallo and Joe Veteri, both of whom created and run the show, are planning some changes for the next convention. They have announced that while there will be no changes to the larger room, there were issues that needed to be addressed concerning the short comings of the smaller room. At the show Gallo told me, “We secured a space for the second room in the hotel that is double the size for the next show and that space will be even larger if needed. This will address the issues we had this time around. Both of the rooms are separated so they are geographically apart and will still remain so going forward. However, having a room at least double the size of the smaller one we had this time will give everyone elbow room. The vendors were too cramped and there wasn’t much room for attendees to mull around. It will enhance the experience for all involved.”

The hotel is only a short bus or train ride into Manhattan and with very reasonable rates, the hotel is a good base of operations to explore New York City. For people attending the show the prospect of turning their trip into a mini vacation is certainly something to consider.

Admission was only $10 and children under 12 got in for free. The show hours ran from 10 AM to 4 PM. Parking was free and ample.

After being recently renovated, the Holiday Inn has a restaurant called Gabriel’s which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food is excellent and so are the friendly waiters who work there. For reservations, you can call the hotel at (201) 288-9600 and ask to speak to the restaurant manager. For lighter dinning the hotel is next door to a McDonald’s and a Dunkin’ Donuts. There is an excellent bar which opens at 11 AM with friendly bartenders and there are multiple TV screens that keep one updated on the latest news or sports.

The next edition of the Comic Art Con will be held on Saturday, September 9, 2017. For more show information, you can find them on Facebook, www.ComicArtShowcase.com, or www.VeteriProductions.com. You can also call Dan Gallo at (954) 547-9063 or Joe Veteri at (973) 768-6649.