On the Road
"BALTIMORE COMIC CON 2009"
Reviewing The Baltimore Comic Con, Baltimore Convention Center, October 10-11, 2009.
Copyright © 2009, Glenn Walker
SATURDAY
Baltimore
Once press passes for the Baltimore Comic Con were secured, my friend Ray and I, representing Comic Widows, decided we were going to drive down to Baltimore from the wilds of South Jersey. Armed only with a deceptive and vengeful GPS and an equally tricky EZ-Pass we took the trek down 95 listening to Living Colour CDs and playing radio scan tag with what passes for Baltimore radio.
While making Omar and "The Wire" jokes as the evil GPS toured us through some of the more suspect areas of Baltimore we finally found the Convention Center. Much like the first NYCC, this was a huge building, only a fraction of which was actually being used for the con. I did find it disturbing that the rooms, called The Batcave and Avengers mansion in the publicity were not rooms at all but sections of the big room partitioned off.
First things out the gate we ran into several friends - John Donges, a comic-loving friend from the Dumpsta Players; John McLaren, writer of the terrific epilepsy awareness comic ToteMan; and Australian Facebook friend and cool comic chick Kylee Utz. For me, the best part of these cons is seeing and meeting folks I don't usually get to hang with, Baltimore is no different.
Sound and Seventies
Next we peeked in on our first panel, the Spotlight on George Perez. The curse of the partitioned rooms became painfully obvious here. Not only was his mike bad, but it was hard to hear him over the din of the con outside the partition, and no mike was provided for questions from the audience. What I was able to hear was that he wanted to do something like Wednesday Comics and that he was working on a Spirit story.
Also annoying were the constant announcements from the loudspeakers that drowned out all other sound. Baltimore needs to take some tips from NY regarding sound and organization of 'rooms.' But first and foremost, the crappy sound system has to go.
We stayed in the 'room' for the old school panel, um, excuse me, the Comics Rewind The '70s panel, which featured Walt Simonson, Chris Claremont, Berni Wrightson, Len Wein, and my favorite Avengers writer (not to mention Batman, Justice League, Mister Miracle, Captain America and Coyote), Steve Englehart. The panel began with tales of how they broke in. Englehart's involved a murdered stewardess and no one could beat that.
Steve also talked about how comics writing was done back in the seventies. "Here's Captain America. Make it sell and you get to keep it. If it doesn't sell, you're fired. Go." Wow, them's the days. Len Wein commented that today sometimes it takes three years to get a story done, so many folks have to approve it first.
Claremont reminisced about how writing was done back then, with pens and notebooks, typewriters, and that final drafts were really final drafts. No 'delete' key, baby. There was also much talk of the New York comics community of the time, like Facebook, only different, and in person. Almost seems like a fraternity or a secret society the way these guys talked so fondly of it.
When talk turned toward whether they were the last generation to create comics, Walt Simonson suggested that the direct market saved the industry. Apparently, to hear these guys speak, folks thought comics would be over by the time the eighties came along. They thought it was a dying business. With all the current talk of digital, maybe the world has always been coming to an end.
Passion
Back on the con floor I was lured into 701-702, Tomorrow's Treasures. The outside table had piles of un-mylared comics just strewn across it nonchalantly with Golden Agers in mylar on tables within. Crazy titles both inside and outside, crazy good - Blackhawk, U.N.D.E.R.S.E.A. Agent, New Gods, Gabby Hayes and Sensation Comics among them. Some were high-priced and some were just a few bucks, truly a treasure.
The best part of the whole experience was the man in the black suit, and honestly I have no idea if he really even worked there, but he was selling the hell out of those books. Oh, the passion. And he wasn't just shilling like Mike Damone in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, he was selling based on quality, art, passion. As my friend Ray said, "That is the best booth we've ever seen."
Mondo Marvel
The Mondo Marvel panel was in the legendary Room B. Whether Room B is Avengers mansion or The Batcave, I'm not sure, but I do know they had speakers and microphones that worked. Nope, no favoritism here. In attendance were Jeff Parker, Lauren Sankovitch, Matt Fraction, Jason Aaron, Chris Claremont and Brian Michael Bendis. It began with reports on what each was doing.
Claremont started off by saying Wolverine was dead. What, again, but that trick never works. That said, Chris Claremont was the underrated star of this panel. His face while listening to Jason Aaron's plans for Wolverine was priceless. The panel soon turned to a Q and A with a long line forming to ask away. Much too long for me to ask my question of the seemingly bored and frustrated Claremont, "What's it like to sit next to Bendis?"
It seemed painfully obvious that Chris Claremont did not want to be up there. The questions went on and on. Much was made of the next big event "Siege." It promises to not only reunite the Avengers' Big Three but also end "Dark Reign." Well, one can hope anyway.
Miscellany from the panel... It was nice to hear Bendis reference David Mamet. But then again, another of his writing tips seems to be doing it while playing "Call of Duty." Lauren Sankovitch was so peppy and enthusiastic, she was a breath of fresh air that was needed at this panel. And I've also come to the conclusion that no one, not even Len Wein himself, can pronounce Len Wein's last name the same way twice. Flash fact.
On the way out, we stopped by and said hi to some good folks like Neil Vokes, Khoi Pham and Bryan Glass, the latter of whom won the Harvey for best new talent later tonight. All in all it was a great con. Baltimore needs to work on a few problems, like sound, and fries, but it was homey and fun. More tomorrow.