Baltimore Comic Con, the con that keeps the comics in “”comic con” starts today and runs through Sunday.
I will be wandering the aisles, chatting folks up and maybe sniffing out a crab cake or two. If you see me stop and say hi.
There will be many more folks to say hi to: BCC has one of the best comics guests lists of any con. This year’s edition is headlined by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee, (and a few selebs including Katee Sackhoff, Rebecca Romijn, and The Amazing Digital Circus). But the comics guest list is spectacular, with everyone from Jason Aaron to Chip Zdarsky, with stops for Carla Speed McNeil (GET HER NEW BOOK!), Amanda Conner, Rodney Barnes, David Dastmalchian, Derf, Arthur Adams, David Gerrold, Garth Ennis, Colleen Doran...and a ton more.
Tom King, Joe Staton and Kevin Maguire will all be there and I will have a very important matter to discuss with them.
The panel line-up is also a banger this year. A few highlights:
Absolute DC: Batman, Superman, and Beyond
Friday September 25, 2026 starting 2:00 pm to 2:45 pm | Room: 339–342
DC’s line of Absolute comics has blown up since it began in 2024 – and we’ve assembled some of the line’s biggest talents to talk about these amazing comics! Don’t miss Jason Aaron (Absolute Superman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Che Grayson (Absolute Catwoman, Exquisite Corpses), Pornsak Pichetshote (Absolute Green Arrow, The Good Asian), and Scott Snyder (Absolute Batman, Wytches) as they talk about some of the hottest comics out there with moderator Marie Javins, DC VP / Editor in Chief.
What’s So Funny About Comics?
Friday September 25, 2026 starting 4:00 pm to 4:45 pm | Room: 337
Humor has always been part of comics storytelling – but the ways in which it is used can surprise readers. Find out how three top creators use humor in storytelling in this panel featuring Amanda Conner (Harley Quinn, The Pro), Dean Haspiel (Chest Face, Billy Dogma), and Bill Morrison (The Simpsons, Roswell, The Little Green Man), with moderator Brad Gullickson.
Advent Comics: Building Bridges – Creating A Pathway in Comics
Saturday September 26, 2026 starting 12:00 pm to 12:45 pm | Room: 343-344
Celebrate Advent Comics’ 17th anniversary and hear about the history-making Epiphany Engine original graphic novel, featuring a single story told by nearly 50 all-star creators! Panelists will talk about their careers in comics and what’s coming up from Advent, with Jiba Molei Anderson (The Horsemen, 4 Pages 16 Bars: A Visual Mixtape), Rodney Barnes (Killadelphia, Army of Darkness), Greg Burnham (DC’s Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun, Tuskegee Heirs), Joseph P. Illidge (The Shadow Cabinet, Spawn: Bloodletter), Advent Comics Editor-in-Chief Tony Kittrell, Alitha E. Martinez (Nubia: Queen of the Amazons, Black Panther: World of Wakanda), Brandon Thomas (Legend Has It, Black Lightning), Marcus H. Roberts (SHOOK! A Black Horror Anthology, Zombie Heist), and Anthony Fowler Jr. (Batman Vs. Bigby: A Wolf in Gotham)! Moderated by Troy Jeffrey-Allen.
Comics, Design, and the Art of Dissent: Derf Backderf and Chip Kidd in Conversation
Saturday September 26, 2026 starting 1:00 pm to 1:45 pm | Room: 338
Join Derf Backderf (My Friend Dahmer, Trashed, Kent State) and writer/designer Chip Kidd (Only What’s Necessary, The Essential Peanuts) for a spirited conversation about their newest graphic novels, The Dissidents and The Avengers in the Veracity Trap!, as well as the collaborations they have worked on together over the past two decades. Moderated by Charles Kochman, Editor-in-Chief of Abrams ComicArts.
And spotlights on Garth Ennis, Scott Snyder, Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner, and many many more. And of course, The Ringo Awards on Saturday night.
Because I track the environs of my favorite cons closely, I will note that that the Sheraton Inner Harbor has shut down. This was the “HQ hotel” of the con on and off over the years, and frequently smelled like seawater in the lobby. It was also the site of a lively BarCon that was held in what looked like a high school cafeteria – but it was still one of the best BarCons on the circuit. Comics folk don’t need fancy lighting to enjoy themselves, they just need a place to hang out with their friends. Baltimore Comic Con is definitely that place.
I will be there soon.