BARNABAS COLLINS by DAN PARENT

During my recent trip to HereosCon, I picked up a few pieces of original art from some of the event's talented guests. Aside from a few signatures from folks like JIM STERANKO and NEAL ADAMS, I mostly spent the weekend adding "convention sketches" to my collection, including this drawing of BARNABAS COLLINS by DAN PARENT.

Parent is perhaps best known as the artist on various ARCHIE comics, including the landmark KEVIN KELLER series. Curiously, this wasn't Parent's first metaphorical trip to Collinsport ... a year ago a reader shared this little gem with me: A sketch of DENNIS PATRICK as the scoundrel JASON McGUIRE.

Curiously, the ARCHIE/DARK SHADOWS connection doesn't end there. FRANCESCO FRANAVILLA, the cover artist for Dynamite's DARK SHADOWS comic, will be providing covers for the upcoming series AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE. The book will pit the Riverdale gang against a zombie apocalypse. I didn't think I'd live to see the day where ARCHIE was publishing interesting, compelling comicbooks, but there you have it.