While the American comics community has the Emerald City ComiCon in Seattle this weekend, Australian fans in Brisbane can meet Spawn creator Todd McFarlane, Heroes star Hayden Panettiere, Johnny the Homicidal Maniac creator Jhonen Vasquez and many more guests at Supanova.

Writing for the Courier Mail, Suzanna Clarke profiles McFarlane, who is making a rare convention appearance:

About 20 years ago, McFarlane became a comic book superstar as a result of his work on Marvel Comics' Spider-Man. So how did he get into the comic biz?

"I was the proverbial best artist in the class," he says, from Berkeley in California, where Image Comics is based. "I spent a lot of time doodling . . . around 16, I started collecting American superhero comic books. It seemed cool."

Taken on at Marvel comics in 1984, he was filled with doubt about his abilities. "Every year there was a new kid coming along. I realised I had to get better and figure out how to draw."

McFarlane said if he had one piece of advice for young people, it is "don't buy into the corporate line that there is only one way to get what you want in life."