Tag: Conventions

In the wake of the Harvey Awards, and a late night for many of the invited guests of the convention, Sunday morning was mellow compared to Saturday’s hustle. Fans still brought the energy onto the floor, many of them taking advantage of what they knew would be a less hectic time frame for ordering commissions. The slower pace prompted more conversation between booths, with plenty of artists hopping between tables when they had a spare moment to reconnect with old friends. Often at larger cons, artist’s alley feels, in its darker moment, like a chain gang where prisoners keep their morale up as best they can through the churning crowds and recognize that they are all in this together. In Baltimore, it was more like the atmosphere on the last day of school, with the barely suppressed sense that the kids are taking over.

Baltimore Comic Con, like Charlotte's Heroes Con, is a creator favorite due to its comics-centric focus, and the Hyatt bar is a traditional gathering spot, so I was looking forward to seeing many familiar faces that were at Charlotte just months ago. However, due to the Yankees-Orioles game the same weekend, some folks I knew had to stay in hotels elsewhere so I wasn't sure who I would find downstairs.

Baltimore Comic Con, like Charlotte's Heroes Con, is a creator favorite due to its comics-centric focus, and the Hyatt bar is a traditional gathering spot, so I was looking forward to seeing many familiar faces that were at Charlotte just months ago. However, due to the Yankees-Orioles game the same weekend, some folks I knew had to stay in hotels elsewhere so I wasn't sure who I would find downstairs.

The lines wound around the block, disappeared and reappeared again against the concrete of the convention center in the steamy, bright weather, but once they started moving it was orderly and brisk. The incoming flood lasted for at least an hour without sign of slowing, but the capacity was generous inside and even a crowded floor was manageable. A newcomer to the Baltimore Con flipping open the guide would immediately notice a unique feature in comparison to the New York Comic Con or Wizard World Philadelphia: artist’s alley occupied at least forty percent of the floor, more if you added in the range of side-tables along the walls also designated for artists. This didn’t mean that the convention was weak on the shopping fare that comics fans demand and expect, or the deals they are looking for on that one book missing from their collection, but it did create an interesting dynamic of two worlds in synergy, each working together for the event.

It was a year for considering what has changed and what has stayed the same in comics at the Harvey Awards. While a new MC, Phil LaMarr, took the stage, many of the nominees for the awards appeared pretty evenly stacked between superhero works from Marvel and DC and indie publishers with a wide variety of material from adult to all-ages content. Another feature of the nominations was the predominance of multiple nods to the same works, leaving a certain amount of anticipation not just about what works and creators would win a Harvey, but even about how many Harveys might one particular nominee might garner.

By Steve Morris The Thought Bubble Convention is considered to be one of the strongest in the UK, emphasising comics ahead of film or television. As a result, creators from all round the World have...

By Steve Morris The Thought Bubble Convention is considered to be one of the strongest in the UK, emphasising comics ahead of film or television. As a result, creators from all round the World have...

It's been a long time since we announced a new show on the Wizard World Tour—but a new con has just been announced for Portand, OR in February 22-24, headlined by actors Norman Reedus, Sean Patrick Flanery, David Della Rocco and artist Greg Horn. The show will be held at the Portland Convention Center.

In light of recent stalkerish stories, two incidents from last weekend's PAX video game show, make for disturbing readings. While it occurred at an event that wasn't officially affiliated with PAX, the incident recalled by female video game blogger Kyle is perhaps given away by her blog post title: Boundaries and The Penis Incident:

Labor Day Weekend is a circled on the calendar of free-spirits of all shapes and species, as WorldCon, Burning Man, Dragon*Con and PAX are all on the schedule -- no matter what you like to dress up as, there's definitely a place to parade around and search for someone else dressed up for the ultimate fantasy.

This answers some questions yet raises more:

The very unlikely news that notorious recluse and legendary artist Steve Ditko would be attending the London Super Con has now been announced to be false: