For my final interview of the convention, I spoke with Jamie Portillo who wrote Hell Paso. He has a passion for history that he’s converted into a series of historical fiction graphic novels. https://youtu.be/pK8Vem9HsEU
Intrigued by Mercy Sparx, I decided to speak with Josh Blylock of Devil’s Due Entertainment. (Which has just merged with 1st Look) The books turned out to be deeper and more exciting than I expected. https://youtu.be/YJzfPES9U0Q
I was told that I had to go talk to the guys at PLB Comics. Turns out they’re a local publisher putting out neat, pulp comics. There’s a lot more to what makes then unique. Check it out: https://youtu.be/0n-i6Mk61Ak
Back in 2012 when I was writing for Player Affinity (now called Entertainment Fuse), I had the opportunity to s peak with Cara Nicole aka Arizona Powergirl. This year she came back to Baltimore, so I took the opportunity to catch up with her. https://youtu.be/uRWSXylkf5o Yes? I'm here. Officer? Powergirl Emma Frost
Really, the only bad thing about this panel was that it could easily be a semester at college. So it felt a bit compressed for a one hour panel. https://youtu.be/FgXn9-Dqo-Y
After the Boom! Studios panel I started thinking again about gender and sexual fluidity in comics. Long-time readers will remember I recently wondered about this in the Sunstone article. As James Tynion IV had spoken about his experiences growing up and being excited just to see acknowledgement of LGBT characters (even if they were being made fun of), I wondered if he’d speak to me about the issue. To my delight, he was available to speak for a few minutes. ...
This year’s show was, like any other, a mixture of the usual characters in their usual costumes, the usual characters in unique permutations, and characters rarely seen at Baltimore Comic-Con. Overall, the level of costume quality continues to increase year-on-year and it’s exciting to see how much love and care goes into many of the costumes. Saturday, the day of the costume contest, remains the best day to see the most elaborate costumes, so if you only buy a day pass and want to look at the great cosplay on hand, that’s the best day. That said, I happened to see great costumes on Friday and Sunday. It’s just that the huge, “I can’t really walk in this” costumes were only there on Saturday. Enjoy the gallery! ...
Sword and Sorcery are back! With Robert Kendzie at the helm, you’re in for a romping good time. As you hear during our interview, he’s got a fun little twist on all the usual adventure tropes. Dire Destiny is a series to watch! https://youtu.be/6pZqV0daUHs
The Boom! Studios panel goes beyond simply discussing the future of Boom! Studios and discusses the present and future of comics. The discussion centers on inclusion of under-represented groups and how non-super hero comics continue to grow in importance. Forgive me for dropping the camera a couple times. https://youtu.be/GTe_ba7xTxs
I’ve come to know Mark Waid more and more as he seems to make it Baltimore Comic-Con every year. So it was a no brainer for me to attend the Guest of Honor panel in which he was featured. The panel turned out to be a combination roast/toast in which one of the participants gave a great speech about Mark. Near the end he tells the story of how a Superman story meant a lot to him growing up. His reaction is a perfect example of how comics can move us just as much as any other creative work. ...