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This weekend is the Baltimore Comic Con and I am really excited since it has been two years since I been to a con.

I am bringing my daughters to the con as well. This would be their first con ever.

This will be my third year going. Can't wait.

We had a great time at the con. I am so glad I bought my daughters as they had a great time. Of course, their favorite part of the con was the DC Booth (or as my oldest daughter kept saying "the DC Line"). They loved getting black lantern rings, pins, tattoos, and posters. My youngest wore her black lantern ring the whole weekend.

My wife took the girls to the kids panel on Saturday, where creators discuss with the kids how to draw comics. Since my youngest draws all the time, she loved the panel.

I met some creators and got them to sign a few hardcovers, like Bendis, Oeming, Cliff Change, and JG Jones. Cliff Chang drew a great head sketch in my Doctor 13 trade.

I got a couple of great Alex Ross prints; one of the JLA and one of the classic Legion. I also got a cool Whilce Portacio Superman/ Batman print.

I did some cheap back issue diving as well. I got all the Battle of the Cowl specials that I didn't purchase originally, as well as, George Perez's run on Inhumans and the first 20 or so issues of Dan Jurgen's run on Thor. All for maximum price of $1 each.

Speaking of dealers, there was one dealer that was selling new comics 2 bucks over the regular price. I saw the issue of Amazing Spider-man with the Black Cat selling for 5 bucks!!! I wish I could remember the name of this dealer, but I would say that their booth was not crowded at all.

My girls found some cheap toys and so they got a Batman and Robin action figure. Yes, they wanted the toys on their own

My wife also came along. This was her first and probably last con. She came just in case the girls got bored. Since the girls had a great time, I will making the trip again next year with just my girls. Maybe next year, we could do both days!!

Sounds like great fun!!! I remember bringing my kids to SDCC when they were young!

HassanT wrote:We had a great time at the con. I am so glad I bought my daughters as they had a great time. Of course, their favorite part of the con was the DC Booth (or as my oldest daughter kept saying "the DC Line"). They loved getting black lantern rings, pins, tattoos, and posters. My youngest wore her black lantern ring the whole weekend.

My wife took the girls to the kids panel on Saturday, where creators discuss with the kids how to draw comics. Since my youngest draws all the time, she loved the panel.

I met some creators and got them to sign a few hardcovers, like Bendis, Oeming, Cliff Change, and JG Jones. Cliff Chang drew a great head sketch in my Doctor 13 trade.

I got a couple of great Alex Ross prints; one of the JLA and one of the classic Legion. I also got a cool Whilce Portacio Superman/ Batman print.

I did some cheap back issue diving as well. I got all the Battle of the Cowl specials that I didn't purchase originally, as well as, George Perez's run on Inhumans and the first 20 or so issues of Dan Jurgen's run on Thor. All for maximum price of $1 each.

Speaking of dealers, there was one dealer that was selling new comics 2 bucks over the regular price. I saw the issue of Amazing Spider-man with the Black Cat selling for 5 bucks!!! I wish I could remember the name of this dealer, but I would say that their booth was not crowded at all.

My girls found some cheap toys and so they got a Batman and Robin action figure. Yes, they wanted the toys on their own

My wife also came along. This was her first and probably last con. She came just in case the girls got bored. Since the girls had a great time, I will making the trip again next year with just my girls. Maybe next year, we could do both days!!

If you saw a 6'5 Sith ...that was me...

Another year, another Baltimore Comic-Con. This was my third year going and the best time I've had yet. The convention was held in the area of the center where it was held the first time I went. It was a bit congested where it was held last year, but this year, there was plenty of space. I went both days and each one was a mix of comic buying, creator meeting, and panel attending.

I went to the convention looking to fill some holes in my Grant Morrison collection and I made out quite well on that front. I picked up a bunch of single issues I needed, a few of which were $2, but most were .50 or $1. Also picked up a bunch of half off trades, including one that was part of a buy one, get one free deal. There were a ton of great 50% off trades for sale, but alas, I only had so much budgeted for the con. I'm thinking of "waiting for the convention" from now on. Here's a list of all the books I picked up:

Animal Man #5-7, 15, 19, 21, 25-26
Larry Marder's Beanworld Holiday Special
DC 100 Page Super Spectacular Replica Edition
DC Comics Presents: Mystery In Space
DC One Million #1-3
Fist of Justice #3
Hellblazer #1 Millennium Edition
The Invisibles Vol. 1 #1
JLA #1,000,000
Secret Origins #46
Spawn #16-18
Swamp Thing #140-143
Larry Marder's Beanworld Vol. 2: A Gift Comes HC
Bullet Points TPB ($5)
Captain America: War and Remembrance TPB ($5)
Death Comes To Dillinger TPB (.50)
The Invisibles Vol. 7: The Invisible Kingdom TPB (50% off)
JLA Presents Aztek: The Ultimate Man TPB (Free with TMNT Collected Book Vol. 1 TPB)
Kid Eternity TPB (50% off)
Secret Six: Unhinged TPB (50% off)
Skrull Kill Krew TPB ($4)
TMNT Collected Book Vol. 1 TPB

Sense of Wonder: A Life In Comic Fandom PB ($4)

I met three creators this time around, two of them on Saturday. The first was Jeff Parker who, if you don't already know, writes the best book Marvel's publishing these days, Agents of Atlas. We talked about the book's future and there's a lot coming up before the new ongoing, including a three issue mini-series about Marvel Boy's past. I gave him my hardcover of the first mini-series to get signed, and not only did he sign it, but he did a quick sketch of M-11 on the inside cover as well. Next I went over to J.G. Jones' table and told him he draws a mean Darkseid. He signed my Final Crisis HC with, "Yes, I killed Batman -- and I'd do it again!" Awesome. On Sunday, I met Larry Marder, the creator of Beanworld. Beanworld is probably one of the most unique and original comics I've read. It's not a comic that can really be explained, it's something you've got to experience for yourself. I bought his last copies of the second Beanworld hardcover and the holiday special, which you can see here. I forgot my camera again, so this is the only picture of me from the con. All of them were very approachable and really nice guys to talk to.

I went to three panels this time around. The first was moderated by Mark Waid and was about comic books in the 70s. The panel of guests was fantastic: Walter Simonson, Len Wein, Bernie Wrightson, Chris Claremont, and Steve Englehart. It began with going down the panel and having everyone talk about how they got into comics and then went into discussion about the industry during that time. As a history nerd, it was fascinating to hear how they worked and what they thought of the industry in the 70s. I also went to a panel spotlighting Stan Sakai, creator of Usagi Yojimbo. I've never read Usagi, but I've heard a lot about it and went to this panel hoping to learn a little more. The panel was perfect for that, as Sakai talked about the origins of Usagi Yojimbo and his creative process. He also shared several hilarious anecdotes about Stan Lee and Serio Aragones. After that panel, I went to the Chris Claremont panel, which was very laid back and informal. I got to ask Chris if he ever thought about returning to Excalibur and he said that if X-Men Forever and the upcoming Forever mini-series that begins with "New" are successful, who knows what might happen. Seriously, how awesome would a five issue Claremont/Davis Excalibur mini be? The panels were great, but unfortunately, the rooms that the panels are usually held in were being used and they had to be held in the convention hall. Things were a bit noisy at times, but besides that issue, great panels.

Baltimore's a great show and I can't recommend it enough if you're in the area. I'd say I'm really looking forward to next year, but there's a good chance I'll be at Fan Expo Canada the same weekend as Baltimore.

afroloq wrote:

HassanT wrote:We had a great time at the con. I am so glad I bought my daughters as they had a great time. Of course, their favorite part of the con was the DC Booth (or as my oldest daughter kept saying "the DC Line"). They loved getting black lantern rings, pins, tattoos, and posters. My youngest wore her black lantern ring the whole weekend.

My wife took the girls to the kids panel on Saturday, where creators discuss with the kids how to draw comics. Since my youngest draws all the time, she loved the panel.

I met some creators and got them to sign a few hardcovers, like Bendis, Oeming, Cliff Change, and JG Jones. Cliff Chang drew a great head sketch in my Doctor 13 trade.

I got a couple of great Alex Ross prints; one of the JLA and one of the classic Legion. I also got a cool Whilce Portacio Superman/ Batman print.

I did some cheap back issue diving as well. I got all the Battle of the Cowl specials that I didn't purchase originally, as well as, George Perez's run on Inhumans and the first 20 or so issues of Dan Jurgen's run on Thor. All for maximum price of $1 each.

Speaking of dealers, there was one dealer that was selling new comics 2 bucks over the regular price. I saw the issue of Amazing Spider-man with the Black Cat selling for 5 bucks!!! I wish I could remember the name of this dealer, but I would say that their booth was not crowded at all.

My girls found some cheap toys and so they got a Batman and Robin action figure. Yes, they wanted the toys on their own

My wife also came along. This was her first and probably last con. She came just in case the girls got bored. Since the girls had a great time, I will making the trip again next year with just my girls. Maybe next year, we could do both days!!

If you saw a 6'5 Sith ...that was me...

If you were in the line for Bendis, I did see you