Baltimore Comic Con 2023: Part IX - Convention Book, And Heroes For Hope

My final post for Baltimore Comic Con is to showcase my convention book. For those of you who recall, this started at Big Lick NOVA 2023, and was intended to become the book I would take with me to get signed not only by the people I got other books signed by, but a catch all for everyone else. There are certainly a lot of people I didn't get a chance to get to in Baltimore, but as compared to the prior show, this book got hammered with autographs. So many that people had to start signing on the back.

Al Milgrom

Alex Saviuk

Bob Hall

Bob McLeod

Bob Wiacek

When I handed this book to Al Milgrom, he said something to the tune of, "Oh, this thing is full. Where should I sign?" To which I said, "Spider-Man's left arm is untouched." He responded with, "That seems kind of disrespectful to Spider-Man to sign there..."

...Apparently Brian Michael Bendis didn't feel that way as he smiled with glee when I suggested that Spider-Man's crotch was still available.

Brian Michael Bendis

Chris Claremont

Howard Chaykin

Howard Mackie

Jae Lee

Jim Starlin

Jon Bogdanove

Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez

Judy Bogdanove

Keith Williams

Klaus Janson

Louise Simonson

Pop Mhan

Terry Kavanagh

Walter Simonson

Click "HERE" to see the signatures from Big Lick NOVA 2023!

In addition to my convention book, I picked up the X-Men Heroes for Hope book, an early Marvel collaborations where all proceeds were donated to Famine relief and recovery in Africa. Think, "We Are The World", but for comics.

This is honestly a book that I bought strictly to get signed, not because of actual interest in the book itself. While I got a lot of signatures, I don't know if I'm going to continue on with it. In conjunction with my convention book, it's just too much. Plus, it kind of serves the same purpose, except being limited to just those who worked on it. Redundant, I suppose, is the word.

Since it's just more of the same signatures as above, I won't zoom in on each one.

Signatures from:
Al Milgrom, Bob McLeod, Chris Claremont,
Howard Chaykin, Jim Starlin, Klaus Janson
Louise Simonson, and Walter Simonson

Jim Starlin asked if he could sign the back, as the back cover was his only contribution to the book. I didn't mind.

And with all of that, my trip to Baltimore Comic Con 2023 is wrapped up.

The lesson learned from this show is that future conventions will be heavily edited in terms of the volume of books I take with me. I'm not going to just take a comic with me because someone will be there who worked on it. Rather, it's going to be very specific storylines, and if it's outside of that realm, then my convention book will suffice. Granted, people are going to have to start signing inside on the pages at some point.

My hope in approaching things this way will be to not only keep prices down, but allow me to actually enjoy the conventions I'm going to. I can say without a doubt that while I got a lot of signatures at the convention, I didn't actually get to enjoy the show.

With that said, I also walked out of the show with a ton of great signed books, and under budget by $430.00. So, I'll still label it a success.

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Baltimore Comic Con 2023: Part VIII - My Buddy, And Driver, Dave Braun

As the date for the convention drew near, I got a call from an old co-worker / buddy of mine, Dave Braun, who asked if I had some time coming up that we could hang out. I suggested to him that my girl was having knee surgery, and would be recovering the weekend of the convention, which we already had tickets for. I told him that if he wanted to volunteer to drive, I would give him the ticket at no charge.

Dave opted to wear a mask. He may
have been the smart one. I'm praying
to, and trusting in Jesus that I don't get
Covid, or any other illnesses for not.

While I ran around in circles from table to table, Dave busied himself actually enjoying the convention. Well, when I didn't have him standing in lines for me. He got some great photos of some cos-players in the process. Granted these few were just the tip of the iceberg.

Being a fan of Grateful Dead, Dave's first stop off was to the table of Chris Miskiewicz, who created a graphic novel called, Grateful Dead Origins: The Graphic Novel. Though he didn't send me a picture, a compilation of Dead music was also pressed on a vinyl as a counterpart when reading the book.

While at Jim Starlin's table, Dave saw a print that he really wanted, so I spotted him the cash to grab it in exchange for a promise that he would buy lunch...which we never got.

As a thanks to Dave for driving, and standing in lines for me, I had Jon Bogdanove write up the blurb on this print, which he and his wife signed.

Dave ended up having to take a break after this, and I was left to my own devices for the next hour or so that I walked around. We left the convention hall around 5:30 PM, walking as quickly as possible on tired and sore feet, which wasn't as fast as when we walked there in the morning, got in the car, and got stuck in that good ol' fashioned DC / Maryland / Virginia traffic, made all the more worse by the rain storm that hit. In hindsight, though I missed out on certain autographs, we got out of there at a good time. Otherwise, it would have taken us two plus hours to get back.

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Baltimore Comic Con 2023: Part VII - Jim Starlin, And Brian Michael Bendis

With exception of my convention book, post coming soon on that, Jim Starlin and Brian Michael Bendis wrapped up my con experience for Baltimore Comic Con.

As I stood in line for Chris Claremont, I actually sent my buddy over to Jim Starlin's table, and asked him to hold a spot for me. I know, that's not technically how it works, but it was a tactic that worked well in a few instances throughout the day.

You may recall from my first post about the convention that Jim Starlin caught me off guard. I had packed books under the guise of his own words that he doesn't, "usually charge for signatures at conventions." Well, not only was he charging, but at $20.00 per signature, he was the most expensive guy I got things signed by.

I initially wanted to get my entire Infinity Saga signed, which consisted of The Thanos Quest, The Infinity Gauntlet, The Infinity War, and The Infinity Crusade, as well as a few Batman and Spider-Man related books. However, when he dropped the price point on me, I immediately cut that well in half, if not more. I'm not going to begrudge the man for charging. It's his time, and his prerogative. At the end of the day, it's my choice if I'm going to pay it or not. I mean, at least it wasn't John Romita Jr. prices, and unlike Renee Witterstaetter, is actually someone most people talking about comics will know the name of.

Also signed by Renee Witterstaetter
at Big Lick NOVA 2023

Also signed by Renee Witterstaetter
at Big Lick NOVA 2023

It was easy to whittle down the selection of books for Mr. Starlin. The latter two Infinity series were an afterthought to begin with, and would have just resulted in me spending more money at Al Milgrom's table having him sign those. The Spider-Man books were also not necessarily all that important to me.

What were important were the below Batman books, the majority of which are the four part Death in the Family story arc.

Todd McFarlane's iconic Batman cover
A book I will probably never get the chance
to have him sign

Another line I had my buddy stand in was that of Brian Michael Bendis. This also leads me to my one and only purchase at the convention.

Prior to taking his place in line, I gave my friend an assignment. Walk the floor, and find me a vendor who has a copy of Ultimate Fallout 4, first printing, the first appearance of Miles Morales. He found one relatively quickly, and while the price was...expected...it certainly ate into my available funds. Bendis's line was equally long, if not longer, than Chris Claremont's, but he moved quick, setting up three people at a time at his table, and signing fast.

I think what led the charge of me finally taking the plunge on a book I had been wishy washy over for years was that Bendis was at the convention, and signing for free. What better way to buy the book than to immediately turn around and get it signed by the character's creator? Now I just need to track down Mark Bagley again to sign it...among other things.

Though there were still about five or six people I wanted to meet and get autographs from, sadly, and as I've said before, hunger, dehydration, frustration, exhaustion, and sore feet led me to calling it a day with an hour and a half left in the con. Sure, I could have probably gotten several more signatures in that time span, but I was at the point where the luster of being there, and the thought of continuing to spend money had run their courses. I was simply ready to leave. 

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