I had a blast at the Baltimore Comic Con. It was awesome getting a chance to attend a con that wasn’t completely claustrophobic. It was also really cool seeing how much the con has grown. It was a really great weekend.
Last week I detailed my plans for BCC 2015, but the reality of life caused those plans to become derailed. I’d originally planned on hitting the con on Friday and getting at least one panel in. Unfortunately, I got out of work later than I anticipated and while I was able to make it there on Friday I wasn’t able to attend the panel I was aiming for. And I was really looking forward to the IDW panel.
On the plus side I did manage to get some reconnaissance in for the con. The cool thing about the first day of any con is getting the lay of the land. Finding out where Artist Alley is, figuring out which booths you’re going to be doing your digging in and which booths have the best deals. Finding out where the conference rooms are and where the restrooms are.
Since I hadn’t been to the Baltimore Comic Con in a few years it took me a minute to get my bearings, primarily because it was now being held in a different part of the Baltimore Convention Center. I really had to search to find my way into the actual hall.
So Friday I scoped things out. I found a booth that 100 Bullets deluxe volumes for half off. Unfortunately I didn’t remember which one I was missing, so I was reluctant to hand over my money. I also managed to snatch up my last Preacher volume and make some additional headway in my Lucifer trade collection. And I managed to snag a copy of Justine Jones’ Tales from the Haunted Forest, which was an awesome find.
On Saturday I got up bright and early and headed back down to the Con rested enough to put in a long day of collecting in. I genuinely had a productive day. I attended three panels, two that I wrote up and one that was really informative. And then my best friend came down to the Con and I got to spend some quality time with him and his kids.
Seeing the Baltimore Comic Con through a kid’s eyes is truly something else. I’ve pointed out before how uncongested the Baltimore Comic Con is compared to NYCC or even Special Edition NYC. But one of the added benefits of that lack of congestion is getting to actually talk to creators. At bigger cons, you’re herded like cattle and are lucky to get a minute with a creator.
But the Baltimore Comic Con is special in that regard. You can have conversations with creators. And while it’s cool for me to have a conversation with a creator I admire, it’s something totally different for a kid for talk to a creator whose work they really enjoy. The look of joy is immeasurable.
Sunday I hit up a couple more panels and then tried to land some last minute deals from vendors who weren’t interested in taking stock back with them. And I did manage to score some decent deals. I picked up six trades for $10. I made some serious headway into my collecting Catwoman project. I also snatched up the majority of Grant Morrison’s Animal Man run in single issues.
I never did pull the trigger on the 100 Bullets volume that I was missing, mainly because I could never figure out which was the one I needed. I also made no progress in my quest to collect Harley Quinn’s first series.
I really did enjoy the Baltimore Comic Con. My only complaint would be the lack of presence by the Big Two. Given DC’s retreat from the East Coast, I wasn’t expecting a lot, but still found their paltry contribution to be underwhelming. Marvel’s presence was equally underwhelming, with The Marvel Panel basically being the Greg Pak, Charles Soule and Frank Tieri panel.
But that’s a pretty minor complaint. All in all, it was a stellar weekend and one that I won’t forget anytime soon.
Well, it’s Wednesday, which means fresh new comics from your local comic shop. Grab them while they’re hot!
