Baltimore Comic Con Report

Last weekend, Jermaine and I along with our buddies Frank and Adrian headed up to Charm City for Baltimore Comic Con. Our adventures started before we even got there. We stopped into Richmond Comix for a moment before making our way to Stories Comics on Forest Hill Ave. in Richmond.


This place was a gold mine and gets highest regards from all of us! They have a ton of out of print trades and hardcovers for cover price and their back issue pricing policy was that if it didn't't have a sticker it was cover price or if it was less than a dollar cover it was a buck. Even bette, they were have a 25% off EVERYTHING sale all weekend. I personally grabbed the Comicology Kingdom Come Companion, a first printing Wonder Woman Hiketeia hardcover, a first printing Selina's Big Score hardcover, the first three issues of the Titans/Legion of Super Heroes crossover and the last issue that I needed of Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E.

For dinner, Adrian and Frank found a stop from the Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, the Village Cafe on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University. The calzones were awesome! We rolled into Baltimore around 9:00 and bummed around the Inner Harbor before grabbing a late bite at Pratt Street Ale House.


The show floor was too crazy to remember everything. We lunched across the street in the Gallery food court where I had my second Big Mac ever. Dinner was Phillip's Seafood buffet where I gorged on crab legs and Jermaine chugged down a massive margarita. Breakfast Sunday morning was crappy Subway and lunch on our way out of town was Red Hot and Blue, a barbecue joint in Laurel, MD that we had hit up 2 years earlier.

I did pick some stuff up at the show as well. Frank and I were trying to get as many signatures as possible on our Wednesday Comics hardcovers. Even though I'd already gotten Brian Stelfreeze's scratch at HeroesCon, I asked him to do a quick Catwoman retouch and this is what I got:


Late Saturday afternoon I was talking to my old friend Mark Morales and in between defending the Yankees, I picked up this incredible Secret Invasion splash page for an amazing deal:


I asked Mark if he could get Leinil Yu to add Derek Jeter to the whole piece, but it was a no go.

Frank and I waited for about an hour for Paul Pope and he did not disappoint. He found something to talk about with everyone that stepped in front of him and he did this great Adam Strange sketch:


After a brief visit with our pal Smitty (Brian Smith) and the rest of the Stuff of Legend crew, it was time to head home. Now I'm just counting the days till NYCC in October!

Bought/Thought for 8.25.10: Baltimore Comic Con Edition

AVENGERS #4 - anyone that says they don't like John Romita Jr. obviously hasn't seen this page yet:


SECRET WARRIORS #19 - after reading all of those Tales of Suspense stories earlier this summer, it really hit me how terrible what happened to Clay Quartermain and Gabe Jones was. I think there are only supposed to be like 9 more issues of this book. Then we NEED to see an omnibus!

FANTASTIC FOUR #582 - for people that have said that none of these stories are connected, well, Hickman's FF is all about family, the dynamic and what these characters still mean to each other after 40 years of publication and across time and space. That's EXACTLY what you're getting and it is awesome!

WONDER WOMAN #602 - I've heard mixed reviews about the new direction for the title and in Regarding: Comics! #50 over at Acme Comics.com I said that the changes probably wouldn't last for more than a year, but I'm really enjoying it, as much as I have since Heinberg's launch of volume 3.

BLACK WIDOW #5 - couldn't get the passages from the Oral History of the Avengers from Avengers #4 out of my head:

TONY STARK: Natasha. No, that is something that any man in the world gets forgiven for. She's the Black Widow. She was put on this planet to turn men into sniveling piles of goo.

I'm now at a turning point with this series, not sure if I want to see where things go after Acuna and Liu depart, but I'll be around for the HAWKEYE & MOCKINGBIRD crossover, so they've got me for at least a little while longer.

It's an extraordinarily slow day at the office, so I took some time to give thought to a couple of things that I never actually bought.

X-MEN: CURSE OF THE MUTANTS: STORM & GAMBIT #1 - wasn't gonna read it except for the fact that it had Chris Bachalo art. Wouldn't you know it, it ended up having my favorite panel of the week thus far!


X-MEN: CURSE OF THE MUTANTS: BLADE #1 - wasn't excited about this at all because I thought it was gonna be a mini-series and I was cringing at the thought of one more $3.99 mini tying into a story I was already buying. But it turned out to only be a one-shot and it DID have Tim Green art, a guy I first noticed when he did the Agent Brand story in the SECRET INVASION: WHO DO YOU TRUST ONE-SHOT. This didn't end up being too bad a'tall.

NAMOR: THE FIRST MUTANT #1 - gave this a look because it was Ian's pick of the week, so it would definitely come up on the podcast, and for Ariel Olivetti's artwork. The addition of the underwater vampire (new to me) didn't peak my interest, but Olivetti's coloring sure did, in particular on the blood as it mixed with the water. I'll definitely come back for #2.

SUPERMAN/BATMAN #75 - ever wonder what DC is talking about in their editorial column on the last page. Well, 2 weeks ago it was this book, and while the description didn't say anything that made me want to read the main story (no offense to Levitz, Ordway, or the Legion), the roster of folks participating the back-ups was enough to turn my head and make me pick up my first issue since the Sam Loeb tribute in #26. A follow up to IT'S A BIRD by Steven T. Seagle and Teddy Kristiansen. Cosplay fun at Comic Con by Billy Tucci. Supergirl and Batgirl by Adam Hughes. Red Robin and Superboy getting girl advice from Batman and Superman, respectively. A revisiting of the pint-sized hero story from around Superman/Batman #51 drawn by Rafael Albuquerque. A great comparison of Krypto the Super Dog and Ace the Bat Hound by Duncan Rouleau. Maeby wasn't impressed:


A Calvin and Hobbs-style Lex Luthor and Joker story by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo that's unlike anything you've ever seen from them. A future Superman and Batman with Damian and Conner by David Finch (a preview of things to come in BATMAN: DARK KNIGHT perhaps?). A really personally story from Pete Tomasi that was drawn by Gene Ha. Did I just convince myself that this book I didn't even get is my pick of the week?

ULTIMATE MYSTERY #2 - I really enjoy how this is coming together and I think Rafa Sandoval deserves a really huge project next.

HERCULES: PRINCE OF POWER #4 - a great ending and the teenage girl in me is really happy to see Amadeus back with the Gorgon. I'm actually got miss this one next month while we wait on Chaos War to start.

BATMAN #702 - makes me wait go back a re-read FINAL CRISIS or just read Batman RIP for the first time.

SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN #6 - for months, this has been the book that everyone asks if they missed it coming out in the first place/ said they saw it was supposed to be coming out that week according to DC Comics.com despite the fact that we had no evidence to back that up including our invoice/ asked if the trade was coming out soon even though the story hadn't finished yet/ etc. Other noteworthy series of this distinction include CAPTAIN AMERICA: REBORM, FLASH: REBIRTH, FINAL CRISIS, THE TWELVE, and LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN.

CAPTAIN AMERICA #609 - no offense to any of the creators, but I made the point on Wednesday that I think it would be a stronger format for all characters in question if Black Widow's solo series existed only as back-ups in Captain America. It would get a higher readership and the flagship creative team of Majorie Liu and Daniel Acuña would be perceived to stick around longer if their initial 5 issue arc was broken up over 20 or 15 issues of Cap.

THOR #613 - Hela is the new Wrecking Crew/ Absorbing Man of the Marvel Universe, that character that every creator decides is the gold standard for a whoopin' to test a hero's mettle. She was recently all over New Mutants as part of Utopia and again later in Siege, she's in this Thor story, she's working over X-Factor.

X-FACTOR #208 - solid as always.

Location:The Shop

8-Bit Art

Messed around with 8-bit art today:

Imposter's Daughter: A True Memoir

I spent a reclusive Sunday afternoon with the dog and IMPOSTER'S DAUGHTER. I read it on Ian's recommendation (and a certain degree of insistence, as he had me go back into the store after dinner to retrieve the book after I forget it when we closed up). Good call.

I sat down to begin reading last night and got really turned off in the first couple pages. The pictures weren't doing anything to push the story beyond saving the author, Laurie Sandell, the drudgery of writing out descriptions, leaving the captions over almost even panel to do the heavy lifting. I had the same problem with WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE WORLD OF TOMORROW by Brian Feis. From a fanboy perspective, it comes off at first glance like the graphic novel format is a bit of a cheat, not leaning on the strength of the sequential art.

I closed up after about 20 pages then immediately picked up again to see what the "reading guide" in the back had to say. The recommended graphic novel list included BLANKETS by Craig Thompson (one of my favorite books of all time) and MAUS by Art Spiegelman (a book I'd analyzed to no end in my modern American literature class). This suggestion caused me to do a double-take on my opinions and think back on how I would have felt about them or if I would have even finished reading those two books that I really enjoyed had I been as prejudiced from the get-go. So I flipped back to the beginning and forged on.

Glad I did. By the time the book reaches its climax I was completely pulled in. Sandell's art had become incredibly charming (though even this took a step back when I read the acknowledgments only to find that she didn't color it [Paige Pooler did ]).

In thinking about it, Sandell's art and storytelling choices came from a much different place, one of imagination and broadening of boundaries, and the typically love of Kirby and Batman that are so common in the industry.

From checking out her blog afterwords, it looks like she had a real blast at Comic-Con (Imposter's Daughter was nominated for the best reality-based Eisner [I had no idea]) and is really enjoying exploring the rest that the medium has to offer.

Two thumbs up. Go get it in the indie section.

Location:The Cave

Scott Pilgrim Trivia Contest

Running a little contest in conjunction with my usual Acme First Look over at Acme Comics.com using trivia that was originally intended for the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World premiere at the Carousel Luxury Cinemas last night. E-mail me with your answers at stephen@acmecomics.com. The first person to answer everything correctly will get a nice little prize!

1. What brand of bass does Scott Pilgrim play?

2. What famous artist wrote the majority of the original songs for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World?

3. What infamous Toronto club is the scene for one of the fights in Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness?

4. What band helped Sex Bob-mob defeat Todd Ingram in vol. 3?

5. What's the Konami code?

6. Name 3 power-ups you can acquire in Super Mario Bros. 3?

7. Who were the 4 original bosses in Street Fighter II?

8. What food does Scott say he could eat all day, oblivious to the fact that it would make him fat?

9. In Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness, the drummer from the Clash at Demonhead punches Knives so hard that what happens?

10. What's the name of the actress whose visage attacks Scott, Ramona and Wallace in the 2006 Free Scott Pilgrim special and reprinted in the 2008 Scott Pilgrim Color special?

Location:Battleground Ave,Greensboro,United States

Bought/Thought for 8.11.10: Scott Pilgrim Buzz Edition

THOR: THE MIGHTY AVENGER #3 - this is everything that is great about superhero comics. I loved Chris's Ant Man/ Giant Man redesign on the helmet. And it thrills me to see everything that he and Roger Langridge have in store for their own ideal Marvel Universe now that the Oym's have stopped by and Stark has been mentioned.

ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #13 - I mentioned to ajermaine that the cover did nothing for me, but the twist on the classic Spidey villain got me, the death was truly shocking and the last page was inspiring.

ZATANNA #4 - really disappointed that I didn't see Stephane Roux's artwork on this one (and I mean no offense to Chad Harden there). Inconsistency of the main creative team was what drove me away from GOTHAM CITY SIRENS and STREETS OF GOTHAM, so I hate to see those same doubts creeping into my head after just 4 issues on a book with one of my favorite DC characters.

X-MEN #2 - dang, man, do I REALLY like vampires?

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #29 - still not really digging the Hammer side of the story, but the scene where Pepper and Tony literally lit up the room made it all worth while.

DAYTRIPPER #9 - I lost a breath at the end of this issue, holding nothing in as I flipped to the front just to make sure it really wasn't the last issue of the series. There it was: 9 of 10. But that's how tight this thing was. I took the gasp they recommend in the last line and I was too afraid to let it out.

X-FORCE: SEX AND VIOLENCE #2 - lots of fun as a concept, and at the same time it's everyone that's wrong with comics that aren't written to be accessible by people of all ages. I've read a lot of Marvel Max titles that were more tame than this one.

STEVE ROGERS SUPER SOLDIER #2 - Dale Eaglesham is drawing some crazy small hands on Steve Rogers's crazy big arms. I'm still enjoying this one just as much as I am Captain America.

THANOS IMPERATIVE#3 - the content felt very much like the fourth issue of a sixth issue mini, but otherwise it remains a solid book.

BUZZARD #3 - not a bad quick mini, but I don't think I'm gonna follow Billy the Kid into his own book.

BPRD HELL ON EARTH NEW WORLD #1 - is Abe a bigger jerk to his friends than Hellboy ever was? More than any plot points, I was really surprised that they rebooted the ongoing numbering on BPRD that no one paid much attention to anyway.

STRANGE SCIENCE FANTASY #2 - better than #1.

Location:Home

COMIC-CON DAY 2010: Day 2

We wrapped up last night with a delicious dinner at PHIL'S BBQ with Gregg Schigiel, Jacob Chabot and Erik Larsen.

Today we took a lot more pictures with our digital camera and a lot more videos, both of which we can't upload until we get home, so for now our iPhone shots will have to do!

Carly with her giant Doctor Who bag:


A giant Frankenberry figure:


Carly with a giant exo-suit from Avatar:


My mini shepard's pie from FIELDS for lunch:


My Spaceboy sketch by Gabriel Bá:


Time to run back to the show and get some last minute networking in tonight before dinner and the Eisners!!!

Location:Still the Lobby