Baltimore Comic Con: Seen and Heard

me & the crew at Comic Mix!

One thing I heard mentioned at the Baltimore Comic Con was the way it tended to...linger. Not that it was boring, but in comparison to SDCC's never-ending wave of humanity crammed through the aisles, this convention gave you a lot more time to just hang out.

Here are just some of the names and faces I chatted with at the show.

Artist extraordinaire Andrew Pepoy!


me & Ape Entertainment's Brent Erwin

Kyle Baker
I had just read Kyle's daughter Lillian's new comics at the show & had to stop in and tell him what a uncommonly well-developed sense of comic timing she has at the ripe old age of eight. I mean it's really freaky -- she did a comedy riff on people who sue for tripping on the sidewalk. What kid does "lawyer" jokes in the third grade? Unfortunately, Lillian's comics were a "Con exclusive," but perhaps you can visit Kyle's site and inquire about them.

Mike Bair
Mike is really one of the absolute nicest guys you will ever meet in this business. The classic Morales/Bair team have an upcoming "Nightwing" arc written by their old editor Pete Tomasi. Bair reminisced about Tomasi being an editor with a very distinctive "brand" of comic, and how the sunlight streams through the window of his now-empty editorial office. "It's like he's still sort of there."

Charles Brownstein
I ran into Charles outside the convention center & it was great to see him again. He was at the show of course to represent his organization the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

Comic Mix
I'll be doing a big write-up on Comic Mix's "Phase 2" webcomic project later today, but I just wanted to mention some of the fine people who make the site a reality.

It was a real thrill and honor to meet Martha Thomases, former publicity chief for DC and creator of Marvel's Dakota North, as well as legendary DC editor Mike Gold. They, along with Comic Mic VP Glenn Hauman, were very gracious with their time and put on a great presentation on their extensive webcomics venture that will see the return of John Ostrander' & Tim Truman's "GrimJack," and Mike Grell's "Jon Sable," among others.

Steve Conley
I got to check out some pages Steve is drawing for IDW's "Star Trek Year Four!" Steve is also the artist for "Astounding Space Thrills."

Danielle Corsetto
We've corresponded in e-mails for a while now and even did an interview, but this was the first time I got to meet Danielle in person. She was much sought-after for sketches at the show, and had a giant stuffed "Pedro the Cactus" from her webcomic "Girls With Slingshots" sitting in a flower-pot on her table.

Joanna Draper-Carlson

I met Joanna Draper-Carlson of Comics Worth Reading! What more can I say! It was a woman comic-blogger mutual admiration society.

me with Danielle O'Brien, James Hatton,
and the rest of the talented crew at the Webcomics Lounge!

Brent Erwin
You can imagine my surprise when I found out that my old buddy Brent from way back in my Acclaim days was not only Co-Publisher of Ape Entertainment Comics but standing like three feet away from me! Brent's a really super sweet guy and it was just a big hug-fest. He's gotta come to the Acclaim/Valiant reunion over at Big Apple Con this November!

James Hatton & Danielle O'Brien

James, of the hot (literally) online comic "In His Likeness," and Danielle were super-awesome people to hang out with. I bought a suede plush Devil-Dot! Whee!

me & Archaia Studios's Joe Illidge

Joe Illidge
Every time I see Joe it's like "Joeeeeee!!!!!" I'm so thrilled with his work at Archaia Studios Press, so thrilled with the quality of their books like "Mouse Guard" and "Artesia" and their commitment to new talent.

Patty Jeres
It was truly a magical moment to run into Patty outside the convention center. The longtime voice of DC public relations, she is now an advisory board member of PRISM and is working on some writing projects.

me with Paul Storrie & Sean McKeever

Sean McKeever
It was a real treat to get to talk with Sean, who has a whole bunch of cool Teen Titans stuff cooked up! Sean is one of these bigger-name creators who are soooo personable and easy to talk to at conventions.

Andrew Pepoy
I used to hear Andrew's name bandied about the offices while I was at DC but I never got a chance to really review the diverse body of work he has created for comics, such as "The Adventures of Simone and Ajax." He was a really awesome guy and gave me a real steal on one of his original "Annie" comic strips!

me and Jocelyn Gajeway & Drew Rausch of "Sullen Grey"

Drew Rausch & Jocelyn Gajeway
Drew and Jocelyn are the talented team behind the cult indie hit "Sullen Grey," and they were really excited about not only the trade paperback collection of the series coming out in November, but the "Sullen Grey" sequel this Fall.

Paul Storrie
Paul, of "Robyn of Sherwood" and DC's "Gotham Girls," was a fascinating person to talk to, full of deadpan humor and insightful industry commentary. We'll be definitely interviewing him for this blog.

Thom Zahler
Thom was at the convention selling his hit book "Love & Capes," an "Incredibles"-style action-comedy-romance. He's also got the sweet hook-up with Toon Tumblers.

There were so many more people I wanted to talk to at the show but I was just doing so much yakkin' and hanging out and buying old Bronze Age Marvels for a buck that I didn't have the time to get to everyone...but see you next Convention!