Baltimorecon 2006...It's A Wrap!

Me sitting in our booth

I'm back home in the studio already working way, unloaded the jeep and ready to get back to my regular schedule for a few weeks until I do the Pheonix Cactuscon.


Our Host, Marc Nathan!


The man we have to thank for such a good show just like last year's is Marc Nathan who once again hosted a great show, in fact I think I did even better business this year than last. This show is what all shows should strive to be in hospitality and spirit, Heroes Con is the only other show like it. It's a show about comics, celebrating comics, not celebrating everything else media wise...and then comics. The only real hassel is the rooming at the hotels, I wish I could have stayed closer but our room an the Hiton Homewood Suites near the BWI was only 15 minutes by car and was a nice hotel with plenty of room and a comfortable bed.



Baltimore has great eats in the Inner Harbor. Saturday we ate at Edo, the new japanese resturant (Pics soon) on the recommendation of Marc and he was right-it was delicious! We ate like vikings, ordering a dozen smoothies and all kinds of sushi, pot stickers etc. I have learned from eating a lot of japanes food that i have to eat a lot or I am hungry again in a hour or so. Marc is also a good egg for providing not only a free booth but providing a nice lunch everyday. Again this should be normal, not something so out of the ordinary. Wizards shows may be pretty organized, but I tell you, as an artist I feel like I get NO LOVE for mt table costs.

Sunday was a fairly slow day but both Echo and I did several sketches and I think for some making it a really good one-day show, Saturday only could be an option. I did great saturday selling a fair amount of art and Draw! issues.


Echo sketches Katie Gallager


I did a sketch of DOLPHIN



Echo sketching away

There were a lot of artists at this show and everyone seemed happy, laid back and having a good time talking and hanging out. For many it would be the last show till next year.





The HULK!




Matt Wagner looking a lot like Mike Mignola....
It was agood place for me to do business and schmooze with artists to get them to agree to do some articles in Draw!. Right now it looks like Chaykin, Cho, Schultz, Kitson, Powell and Linsner will be coming up in the next year.

Eric Powell

Howard Chaykin

Our booth mate Scott Neely

Carla Speed McNiel

Mike Hawthorne, Ivan Brandon, and Mike Oeming

Matt Haley ond Thom Zalher

Twomorrows new right hand man Chris Irving

George Perez

I didn't see as many costumes this year, only a few Saturday and I was told there were two guys dressed up as Black canary and Wonder Woman...glad I missed that!


There seeme dto be plenty of spin with marvel and DC on their Civil war and 52, I don't get into that stuff at all nor the Harvey Awards which have moved to this show. I did the Harvies a few years back and that was enough, I also disagree with how they allow guys who only ink their own work to be nominated in the Inker catagory. That is just idiotic. Because of that I never vote as a result nor support them in any way.

Ron Wilson a Marvel great from the 70's and 80's!

The Image booth with Larsen and Kurtz

Baltimore is a show for real marvel and DC fans primarily, but I think Top Shelf and As House looked like they had good traffic as well, in fact I think it seemed like everyone did pretty well.

Top Shelf RULEZZZ!

It seems for a second he did indeed consider giving up his life of crime...

Geek Boy Press

Hey, kids love comics!

Gaijin studios

Paul Pope and Heidi MacDonald

This is my favorite show to do, it's easy to get too, the fans and Marc are great and well it's so relaxing and fun to see so many good friends. If I take the barometer of the industry from this show as opposed to a Wizard showa or Sandy Egoes I think the we are doing good as an industry. Not flying too high, but not as low as a few years ago. Not that much of a manga pesence here, but I think that maybe that isn't so bad. If more cons could be like this I think it would go a long way toward regrowing the hobby, especially if comics continue to be so in the public eye. I just hope that newbies to the hobby can find the good shops and fall in love with the hobby like I did 30 years ago.