Baltimore Comic Con Approaches
There was a time not long ago when I made an effort to hit every comic book convention within driving distance, but nowadays I really only set out to go to two cons every year. The first one is Heroes Con down in Charlotte. The second is right here in my hometown, Baltimore, and it's going on this weekend.
These two are my favorites for a couple of reasons. They both have phenomenal guest lists for one thing, but they also have a welcoming feel that a lot of the bigger cons have lost. It's hard to explain to someone who's never been to a comic convention (or to someone who has no desire to ever go to one), but most "comic" shows are multimedia affairs now. You're just as likely to run into an aging Playboy model or an actor who was an extra in two episodes of Buffy as you are the guy who writes or draws your favorite comic. Baltimore and Heroes, by comparison, make no bones about being comic shows, and they're proud of that fact. You might occasionally have a non-comic guest, but it's minimal and there's always a good reason for it - for example, the Humane Society has a booth at Baltimore this year in honor of Mike Wieringo, who was an animal lover.
It also helps that, while both shows have grown over the years, neither of them are so big that you have no chance of getting to see the creators you want to meet.
My pals David, Kevin, and Randy drove into town last night. They're at the convention center helping with the con setup today. I might go join them after work, depending on traffic.
(Since they're staying at my house for the weekend, David brought me a sweet-ass Spider-Man vs. the Green Goblin print by John Romita and Alex Ross. It's already signed and personalized by Ross. I'm hoping to get Romita to sign it this weekend.)
I don't have a lot of plans for this show. I'd like to finally get a John Romita Jr. sketch for my collection, even if it's just a headshot. The Hero Initiative is auctioning off the original art from its recently published 3-Minute Sketchbook, and I wouldn't mind getting my hands on one or two of those if bidding doesn't get too crazy. (Here's a link to all the art to be auctioned - my favorite is the Steve Rude Zorro.) I have no other original art aspirations.
Of course, I wouldn't dream of going to a major comic show without my Convention Survival Kit(tm):
messenger bag to carry all my crap in
a snack
digital camera
water bottle (the convention hall has a water fountain for refills)
breath mints or gum
Sharpie
hand sanitizer (because you really don't know where some of these people have been)
Tylenol, just in case
Wishlist (I just know those 5 issues of Major Bummer I'm missing are sitting in a dollar bin somewhere, waiting for me...)