Battle at the Comic Expo

by Richard Andreoli, Frank Svengsouk (Illustrator), Michele Svengsouk (Cover Design)

An obsessed fan is out for blood, and she's got Ron Lionel -- the most arrogant man working in comics today -- in her sights. She'll do anything to get her revenge, including destroying him and the largest comic book convention in the United States. Only one brave hero stands in her The head of comic-con security. Who will survive the Battle at the Comic Expo? Find out, in the greatest action/adventure to ever cross through the multiverse and land in our world. THE STORY Ron Lionel is the hottest creator working in comic books today. His comic series, The Enduring , sells out every month and is set to become a major motion picture. Ron has no problem using his status to get what he wants, whether that be special treatment from his publisher or seducing fangirls into bed. Joe Cotter, on the other hand, gave up his dreams of being a writer years ago, and now lives for a steady paycheck. Joe has a sense of right and wrong that was born from years of reading comics, and has long dreamed of living a more adventurous life. As the security chief for America's Finest Comic Book Expo in San Diego, he's as strong-willed as any hero with a power ring. But something in his life is his purpose. Enter Velma, an obsessed fan with some disturbing questions about The Enduring. When her righteous plan to gather answers backfires, she becomes obsessed with getting revenge against Ron Lionel. Velma sweeps the two men into a dangerous world where heroes and villains don't come from spider bites, or alien planets, or have simple backstories -- and none of them may survive the final fight. Can the man with the mightiest ego work with the world's most immovable force to save each other and stop Velma's demented vision? Or will they end up being the catalyst that helps destroy the largest comics event in the United States? Find out, true believer, in the epic action/adventure Battle at the Comic Expo .

244 pages, Hardcover

Published May 15, 2018

Reviews

[Joy Treganowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so much fun to read. Funny, sad, and “enduring,” I highly recommend it. If you love conventions you will have a blast. If you don’t, read it anyway and get caught up in these fantastically written characters.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Battle at the Comic Expo's audience is difficult to easily peg: take dark satirical humor, blend in action/thriller sci-fi elements, and add the specter of a comic convention threatened by forces of evil that move from comic pages into reality and from a zany romp into a world replete with dangerously obsessed fangirls and explosive, emotionally complex relationships. But somehow author Richard Andreoli makes all of this work in his fascinating, dramatic and chaotic novel.

In the story, Ron Lionel has created a blockbuster comic series - The Enduring - that is a monster hit. He is hugely popular (and arrogant) but far less successful is his approach to life, which involves manipulating others to get what he wants. Nonetheless, Ron is realizing his dreams. Joe, in contrast, has long ago given up on his artistic ambitions and just lives to get by. His role as Security Chief at the comic book expo gets him close enough to his goal of supporting justice and fighting for the right side.

When these worlds collide, they do so with a bang that's heralded by an obsessed fan searching for answers Ron can't quite provide.

Readers familiar with comic convention culture and proceedings will quickly recognize all the trappings of a real convention in Andreoli's dark, satirical production. He is clearly familiar with this realm and its quirky, passionate participants (he worked as a marketing writer at Comic-Con for years), and this knowledge imbibes Battle at the Comic Expo's events with a real-world grittiness and humor.

References to this world (Dark Horse Comics, new ventures and industry partnerships) juxtapose with the passions of notoriously believable quirky fans to make for a vivid read that will be especially spot-on to anyone who has attended one of these conventions.

Another notable feature of Battle at the Comic Expo lies in its ability to take this bizarre-but-predictable setting and turn it on edge with larger-than-life events that are both mind-blowing and satisfying in their details. A fan's warped vision of what should be in the comics world may be the very force that destroys it, with only an egotist and a stalwart security guard standing between devastation and despair and the ultimate survival of the largest comic expo in America.

Can fangirl Velma discern between right and wrong? Can Joe prevent murder? And can he and Ron tap into Velma's obsession with Ron's fantasy world to draw her into different choices than the disaster she is careening towards.

Ron and Joe aren't friends; but they're about to share some of the same interests in a conjoined quest for survival not only of themselves, but the comic world that supports them both.

Take a highly successful egotist's irresistible fantasy creation, add a justice-believing outsider's quest to prevent disaster on his watch, and mix in underlying questions about good and evil, reality and fantasy, and good intentions gone awry for a powerful, multifaceted story that toes the line between fantasy, detective piece and comic world exposé.

Replete with tension, action, and anxiety, Battle at the Comic Expo's injection of dark humor permeates a gripping story that excels in the unexpected while remaining firmly based in comic culture. Readers will relish its ability to teleport at warp speed between various genres while retaining a sense of originality and drama that makes the story vivid, unpredictable, and nearly impossible to put down.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

With San Diego Comic Con 2022 fast approaching, I thought it would be a great time to sit down and read this book set at a very similar comic convention. While not SDCC, the story is set in San Diego at the San Diego Convention Center and the surrounding locales in the middle of summer when SDCC takes place. That made the book even better as I could easily picture where events were taking place as I know the convention center and the nearby hotels and locations well since I've been attending SDCC since 2014.

This was a fun read. The author introduced the reader to many different characters including those working behind the scenes to the talent who attend the event to the fans both casual and intense. It's the intense fan that really gets this book going. If you may have noticed, I'm being somewhat vague about the details as I want the events of the story to be a surprise to any new reader. Just know it starts off a little slow, but then the story builds as the events start unfolding and then it gets exciting with the final 1/3 of the book.

I really appreciated that every chapter is labeled as Issue #1 or #2 and so on. We also get little snippets of information from the comic convention's information guide. That was a lot of fun because it's something one would see in the guides handed out at SDCC.

This book was the best way to kick off San Diego Comic Con 2022!

[adam · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book was just bad! the writing style varied weirdly between too-formal and too-casual, none of the characters were interesting or particularly deep, and the plot was extremely messy but also boring. and it read like it was written by a wannabe-joss whedon (not a good thing) man who’s never met a real human woman before and clearly doesn’t know how to write about women (the misogyny jumped out). honestly, the only reason i read until the end was out of spite. i got this book as a gift, but i won’t be keeping it—save yourself some time/money/aggravation and read something else!

[John Gastil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy books that blend fandom with a fantastic tale. This one's a mix of genres, from satire (Bimbos of the Death Sun) to Stephen King (think of Misery) to contemporary literature. I got tossed to-and-fro by the plot, but I read to the end and still recall the characters. That says something, even if there wasn't a character in the book I found myself rooting for.

[Desiree · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. As someone who has worked behind the scenes at San Diego Comic Con, I felt sad that pandemic had shut its doors for two years. But this book captured the crazy that is Con, and made me feel like I was there.
Thanks, Richard Andreoli.

[Luigi Diaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this book takes me back to the time when I was involved with a similar Fan Run Convention back from the mid 80's to the late 00's. When I read this book, it made me feel like I was actually there dealing with almost the same types of problems Mr. Andreoli had wrote about. The setting, the people, the fans, It felt wonderful to go back in time to relive it all.

While it was a short read, it was well worth the time as I loved every minute of it. I just hope the author will continue with his passion in follow up stories as I wait with eager anticipation.