My Baltimore-Comic Con Report!

Jim Cheung art [detail]!

The 2013 Baltimore Comic-Con occupies two conjoined halls in the city's nice convention center, and this year they really packed those rooms to the gills. Sheesh, were there ever a mother's ton of attendees. Now, if only the bulk of them could manage to be a little more courteous to others in their zeal to get around the convention floor. I was repeatedly bodyslammed from one side of the aisle to another throughout both days of the show, a phenomenon that I have unfortunately come to expect from Baltimore over the three years that I have visited that show. It's too bad really, as otherwise this is a really fun convention. That is not a reflection on the organizers or guests, just an unruly upper seaboard level of crassness that offends my Southern sensibilities. Adding insult to injury, I typically stop, cede ground, or try to move out of the way as necessary; and even then sons of bitches still kept plowing into me. By the time that I finally threw in the towel on both days, I admit to having tipped over into being full blown angry at the common herd.

Oh, well! Despite that unfortunate experience, it was extremely gratifying to finally meet Ramona Fradon, Brian Bolland, Don McGregor, Ron Randall, and several other guests who were in attendance; plus seeing many more comics industry favorites all over again is always a plus. I only managed to get about half of the items signed that I took with me, and then opted out of attempting the rest solely to minimize the amount of time spent standing static on the cruel concrete flooring. I picked up a small handful of bronze age books to flesh out my collection, and picked up a few additional items. This year I shelled out the most cash to have Jimmy Cheung illustrate my blank white variant cover of Marvel's Infinity #1. I didn't select a subject, and simply left that up to the artist, and he returned a spectacular Captain America (current costume design), which lived up to my expectations.

This year my brother David, our pal Burt, and I took in a few new Baltimore places and activities that we hadn't previously, and then all too soon had to head back to the Carolina's. I've included a few random photos for your edification. Enjoy!

Mid-afternoon crowd entering on Saturday

The most daring cosplayer in attendance; despite black shoes & socks.

Infinity #1 (art by Jim Cheung).