Charm City Charms Comic Conventioneers

By: Arnold T. Blumberg
Date: Wednesday, October 30, 2002

I just can't believe it took so long, but at last Baltimore has its very own comic book convention...and it looks like it's here to stay. Organized by Marc Nathan, owner of a local comic book shop in Reisterstown (that won't mean anything to those of you who aren't from Baltimore, I know), the third annual Baltimore Comic-Con moved for the first time into the city's premiere showplace - the Baltimore Convention Center. For the first two years, the show had been quartered in a Towson area hotel (yeah, I know, another meaningless locale - just stay with me), but now it's hit the big time, and the crowd was there to celebrate in style.

It may have seemed like a natural to hold a comic book convention in Charm City - after all, the world's largest distributor of comics and comic-related merchandise, Diamond Comic Distributors, is also based here. But it wasn't until three years ago that the Baltimore Comic-Con finally debuted, and this marks its first year as a full-fledged convention with a larger venue and a slate of guests such as comic book legends Martin Nodell (creator of the Green Lantern), Julius Schwartz, George Tuska, Chris Claremont, Walter Simonson, and many more.

As if those heavyweights weren't enough, the con also hosted writer Mark Waid, GREEN ARROW scripter and novelist Brad Meltzer, artist John K. Snyder III, illustrator Adam Hughes, and current fan fave Judd Winick of GREEN LANTERN and BARRY WEEN fame. Several publishers and small-press creators, from the indies like AMELIA RULES and TIMESPELL to Vampirella's Harris Comics, also set up at the show. There might even have been a stall for Gemstone Publishing, where a certain convention reviewer doubles as the Editor of THE OFFICIAL OVERSTREET COMIC BOOK PRICE GUIDE! Shh...

For a fledgling show, the convention was a success by any standards. Traffic was solid and consistent on Saturday - always the biggest day of any weekend show - and even on Sunday, when attendance was hit by the simultaneous scheduling of a football game just a few blocks away, there were few complaints from dealers about a fall-off in convention-goers. Everyone seemed to be pleased with the over all turnout.

In fact, thanks to the convention's close proximity to Halloween, many fans - who scarcely need that spooky holiday to inspire them anyway - took to the dealers' hall in full regalia. As the pictures will attest, many conventioneers did comics proud by suiting up as their favorite heroes. Trick or treat indeed.

Ah yes, about those aforementioned dealers. As opposed to other mega-cons that have long since shifted their focus from comics to toys, this show was definitely all about comics, and the other half of the hall not occupied by publishers and creators was filled with comic book dealers who reported good sales throughout the course of the two-day event. From CGC "slabbed" books to "raw" back issues, fans had their pick of the best from the Golden Age to the modern era. True, this would not be a weekend of major sales or record-shattering payoffs, but there also wasn't any audible griping. If there was any disappointment at all on either side of the table, it was tempered by the knowledge that this was a convention in its youngest form; fans and dealers alike were there to lend their support in the hope that the show would grow into something bigger and better before too long.

If attendees ever tired of wandering the expansive aisles of the main dealers' room, they could segue to one of several panels, including some film showings hosted by the likes of SHI creator Billy Tucci and TIMESPELL's own Rich Henn. Again, for a relatively new show with little history, the third annual Baltimore Comic-Con managed to mimic the appearance and attitude of a longer-lived convention with relative ease. Even the convention staff, often composed of surly types who don't reflect the spirit of the event, were enthusiastic and helpful here; maybe it's that trademark "Charm" of which Baltimore often boasts.

Perhaps I'm biased since it's such a joy to have a comic convention setting up shop in my own hometown, but it was without a doubt a good time for all this pre-Halloween weekend at the Baltimore Comic-Con. As much for the excitement of what it offered now as for the promise of even greater things to come, I and countless other comic book fans found something to love about this newcomer to the comic book convention calendar. With luck, the Baltimore Comic-Con will have many more years to build on the success of this year's event and establish itself as an integral part of any comic fan's annual schedule.