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If there was a list of all the places you would expect to find a comic convention there is a huge safe bet that Inverness would not be on it.  But for the last few years Hi-Ex has been kicking up a comic book storm.  It has been a fun place to be, those attending have been hardcore fans willing to make the trek north in all kinds of weather to be rewarded with a wonderful sense of intimacy that you don’t usually get at conventions in the major cities.

When I arrived the weather was not looking promising and the chances were that it was going to snow, in the past that has meant that people attending ran the risk of either giving up or risk being snowed in.  In fact the drive up took me through bands of snow and I saw just about every kind of weather system you can imagine.

The Eden Court venue was simply stunning, well lit, comfortable and with ample room.  There was a great mixture of children and adults, the comic creators were relaxed and chatted happily with fans.  The panels were held in rooms small enough to get a cosy feel and yet large enough to get everyone in.  I attended the panel centred on horror comics and felt like I was sitting in the front room of somebody’s house as Jasper Bark, Al Ewing, Terry Martin, Charlie Adlard and John Higgins discussed what horror in comics meant to them.  It had a warm feel to it that is sometimes lost if you have 150people crammed into a small room hanging onto every word the panellist’s have to say.

The dealer’s room was just the right size to fit indie publishers and a few dealers inside, there was plenty of air and lots to see and do.  Murky Depths dominated the room with their impressive range of horror anthologies whilst Com.X were proving why they are back in a big way with Andi Ewington’s ‘45’ taking pride of place on their tables alongside ‘Razorjack’ and ‘Class War’.  For younger fans there were comics, face painting, workshops and lots to see or do.  Along one wall veteran artists like Cam Kennedy and Charlie Adlard rubbed shoulders with newcomers like Alex Moore (if you want a tip watch Moore’s career progress because checking out her work she is definitely an artist to keep an eye on.)

One of the highlights of the weekend had to be the Cam Kennedy interview.  Colin MacNeil sat down with the veteran artist to discuss the great man’s life for an hour.  It was fascinating to hear how Kennedy got started, quite surprising that he didn’t set out to be a comic book artist but fell into it.  Along the way there was advice and anecdotes, he touched upon his Star Wars work and his relationship with Alan Grant and John Wagner.  The time literally flew by and the interview finished with a brief Q&A session, most people seemed to come away with a feeling they had been part of something special.
I can honestly say that out of all my years attending conventions, the Horror Panel was one of the best I have ever seen and the Cam Kennedy Interview was one of my favourites, right up with the Howard Chaykin talking about his life and career to Paul H. Birch at the BICS in 2009.

Some of the guests should surely get an award for the long journeys they endured to get to Inverness, but a medal of honour must go the Hell-Trekkers.  This band of merry 2000AD fans started out in the south of England and made their way up the country picking up fellow attendees in their ‘Hell-Trekker’ mini-bus. They had banners and t-shirts (some also had mammoth hangovers Saturday morning but they were allowed that.).  They brought a very light-hearted atmosphere with them and you have to admire their sheer determination to make sure they arrived in one piece.

If you are a creator, dealer or a fan you should strongly consider Inverness in future, go for the weekend and you won’t regret it.  The show is professionally put together and is a labour of love for Richmond Clements and Vicky Stonebridge, their enthusiasm and hard work is very catching and Hi-Ex has to be one of the best conventions in the world.

One word of advice is don’t stay at a hotel in the centre of town if you have a young family or want to sleep at night, the party atmosphere tends to go on until the wee small hours of the morning and the main street seemed to be full of howler monkeys until 4am.