Last weekend Baltimore hosted the sixth annual Baltimore Comic Convention. Baltimore's is not typically a big convention for news, since it takes place after the much bigger "cons" in San Diego, Chicago and Philadelphia, but Baltimore was what comic conventions are really all about: comic fans meeting with creators and vendors to buy, read and talk about comics. Here were some of the highlights:
Frank Cho, a Maryland native, was at the Image comics booth, signing and talking about his work. He is the writer and creator of "Liberty Meadows," a comic strip about an animal sanctuary and the hi-jinks of its staff and animals. He made the cover artwork for the convention program, a "New Teen Titans" pin-up. Cho is probably best known for the anatomically impossible pin-up style girls he includes in his comics. One of his most recent projects was "Shanna the She-Devil," a re-imagining of the Marvel classic, featuring a scantily clad, anatomically impossible pin-up girl fighting dinosaurs.
Since hurricane Katrina, many members of the comics industry have been auctioning original artwork and other collectibles to raise money for relief efforts. In time for the Baltimore convention, comic artists put together a benefit sketchbook, called "Drawing Strength," offered for sale in an exclusive limited run at the show. All proceeds from the book went to Habitat for Humanity's "Operation Home Delivery," meant to create low-income housing for Katrina's survivors. Baltimore's was the first major convention since the hurricane. Original pieces featured in the sketchbook, as well as other sketches and artwork, were auctioned off on the convention floor.
The comic book convention also had several discussion panels, where creative or company people in the industry got together to talk with fans about new projects. DC Comics dominated the panels this year, with two DC-only panels featuring two huge contributors to the DC Universe - Marv Wolfman & Dennis O'Neal. Wolfman is the co-creator of "New Teen Titans." He was also the writer of "Crisis on Infinite Earths," the seminal "maxi-series" that drastically changed the DC universe.
O'Neal, in addition to creating Batman characters like Ra's Al Ghul and Azrael, is best known as the man that made the Dark Knight grim and gritty, inspiring both Frank Miller and the film "Batman Begins." The other DC panels, featuring editor in chief Dan DiDio, were dominated by news relating to the comic book company's new storyline, "Infinite Crisis."
The convention also featured independent publishers like Ad House and Top Shelf. These two, as well as many other small press and independent/non-superhero comics will be featured tomorrow at this year's Small Press Expo in Bethesda, Md., at the Holiday Inn Select Bethesda. The event lasts two days, finishing up on Saturday. Harvey Pekar, the creator of "American Splendor," is a featured guest. To learn more, visit www.spxpo.com.
