Baltimore Comic-Con 2011 report

Since it was only my second time attending, Baltimore Comic-Con is still very new and fresh to me. But in the short time I've known her, I've been impressed by every aspect of this convention. It's just a 2 day show that could easily be 3. Saturday especially, the aisles were packed with eager con-goers. I mean seriously packed, San Diego style. The place was hopping. Financially speaking, I had my most successful con in over 6 years of selling my wares on convention floors. And I had a great time. Hanging out with friends at my table, and especially after hours, is time that is always well spent. As with this year's Heroes Con, I roomed with talented friends E C Steiner and Christian Sager. We all sat in Artist Alley next to each other along with our extremely talented friend Robert Wilson IV. I couldn't want for better company. All weekend was filled with lots of great conversation, laughs, and some thrown objects here and there. I travelled to Baltimore from Pittsburgh with the incomparable fellows from Action Lab: Chad Cicconi and Bryan Seaton. I was very excited to hear that they made a significant splash with their work this year. They're really doing it with this Action Lab thing and it's invigorating to watch. This is a show where I get to see lots of familiar faces, and I also got to make some great new friends. If I had all day to write this, I might be able to start listing names, but I don't, so I won't. I hope the friendships made and continued this year continue on for a long time. Awesome folks come to this show. The local crowd is always kind and enthusiastic. The organizers and volunteers really know what they are doing, and they create an outstanding event. The fellow creators and exhibitors who come from far and wide are a spectacularly varied and charming group.

My webcomic The Guns of Shadow Valley had the great honor of being nominated for a Harvey Award this year, and on Saturday night I attended the ceremonies. Sure, we didn't win, but it was a real thrill to be there. And I'm not just saying that, either. I was seated at a table with Bob Shreck and Jim Starlin, I could peer over a couple tables and see Stan Lee sitting there. I mean, c'mon, how amazing is that? It's pretty damned amazing, if you ask me.

There are hundreds of moments for this past weekend that I will carry with me fondly. Will you get to read about them all here? No. They're mine. If you can, get yourself and your friends to a comic convention and make your own moments. If you can get to Baltimore Comic-Con next year, that would be a great place to start. I'll see you there.

Here's pics of sketches from the show. You can see the rest of my photos at my flickr and facebook.