Baltmore Comic Con 2024 Part 8: Convention Book

Baltimore Comic Con 2024 wrapped up like all those before it, with the convention book. Though it continues to grow in signatures, space has clearly become an issue. Many of the artists I present it to have an aversion to signing the back of the book, and instead opt to squeeze in where ever they can find the minimalist of space. It may honestly be time to retire this one.

People squeezed in where they could, while others relented, and signed the back. For those who were adamant to be on the front, we have:

Brett Breeding

Scott Hanna

Mr. Hanna actually didn't charge me to sign my convention book, which was really cool of him., especially since he charges $20.00 for his autograph.

As for the back, I added two more signatures to it as well.

Dan Jurgens

Tom Brevoort

There were other folks on my list to get autographs from. However, by the time I wrapped up at the Simonson's table, I just simply didn't want to go on the hunt for anything further. Like I said before, prices were up, and people who were once donation based were suddenly charging. While I still had cash, in my mind, I was over the budget I intended to be, and simply opted to call it a day. With space growing limited anyway, this didn't seem like such a big loss.

Last up, I'll share the official convention book, which was free to all attendees to take. I grab these at all the shows, and pack them away in my comic box as a, "Yeah, I was there," proof of purchase. However, I honestly never read them.

As the sun set on Baltimore, we saw a very ugly prostitute standing on a corner, and made our way down the road. Welcome to Maryland.

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Baltmore Comic Con 2024 Part 7: Walt Simonson, Louise Simonson, Art Adams, and Again, Al Milgrom

Well, here we are folks. The story of the show where things quickly got disappointing, and events trickled from bad to worse.

When I first got through the showroom doors of the convention, I made it a point to go vendor hopping. There were four issues I was after, and I knew they would be a high priority for others as well.

Walt Simonson took over writing and art duties of The Mighty Thor with issue 337. Though he would work on the book for four years, after two, he would turn over penciling duties to Sal Buscema. Walt would only occasionally penciling himself from that point on for the remainder of his run through issue 382.

Walt drawing a Thor picture for a fan who
waited in line hours for him

It was Walt's work which would shake up the character, flesh out background characters, villains, and ultimately shape The Mighty Thor into the iteration known today, and reflected in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Tucked in this run, there was a very unique storyline across issues 363 through 366, one which I have recommended to other comic readers many times, but personally never owned. It wasn't from lack of trying. Rather, it's so popular that people tend to flock to it.

In fact, there was a moment in line for the convention where my buddy, Dave Braun, got into a conversation with someone about what they were after at the show. Dave in turn said to me, "Is there anything you're looking for today?" To which I just said, "I am." With all eyes at this point of the nearby folks he was talking to on me, he asked, "What?" To which I got a bit snarky. I said, "Is this your first day at a convention? If I say it out loud, I suddenly have ten people saying that's a great book, and now I'm fighting people to find it." It was a jerk response, but true nonetheless. You just don't sabotage your own efforts in scenarios like this.

As I walked the floor from vendor to vendor, I was only able to find two of the four books. It was disappointing, but I resolved to take what I could get. I made my way to Walt and Louise Simonson's table, mind you, only fifteen minutes into the show, only to be told by the staff there, "The line is capped."

"Capped," I said with a clear annoyance in my tone. "This place just opened!" I asked, "When will the line re-open?" To which I was told, "I don't know. It may not for the day."

I was livid, but I wasn't going to let this tarnish my day. I thought to myself, I don't have any symbiote books with me, this isn't as bad as it seems. Off I went to get other signatures.

After my buddy was done with his line duties at Jim Starlin's table, I told him, "Your next mission is the Simonson's table." Off he went as I finished up with Mr. Starlin, only to call me shortly thereafter.

"The line is capped," he said. "They have a panel at 1:00 PM, and they're not taking any more people until 4:00 PM. I sighed and said, "Well, I didn't want to do that, but I guess we're stuck here until 4." He then abruptly cut me off and said, "Wait, I'm in line."

I raced across the convention hall to find out what was going on, and when I arrived, got the full rundown. But first, a little bit on Dave Braun.

Dave Braun is the guy everyone wants to be friends with. He's outgoing. Finds no fault in anyone, and can basically talk to strangers on the street like he's known then for years. Everyone should have a wingman like Dave.

As Dave stood there talking to the line police, AKA, convention staff, receiving the bad news, he got friendly like with the guy. It was at this point that two people apparently annoyed with the long wait, and announcement that Walt and Louise would be leaving at 1:00 for a panel, not returning until later, that they picked up their stuff and left. When Dave saw this, he said to the staff member, "Those two people just left. Can I get in line?" To which he was told, "Sure."

Dave Braun with Louise Simonson

With a place in line secured, I went off to grab a few more signatures, returning periodically to check progress. Around 12:30 PM, Walt stood up, and walked down the line, addressing everyone as he went. "I need to eat something, and then I have a panel, but I will be back around 2:00 PM," he said. If you will please be patient, I will ensure everyone here gets what they came for, and will stay until 7:00 PM if I need to.

After confirming we could all stay in line, Walt left, as did many people. Moving up a bit closer, I once again left Dave to his duties while I finished up with everyone else I intended on conducting business with, who I've posted about already. I also managed to track down the other two Thor books, completing the four issue story arc.

Walt returned around 2:30 PM, and signing commenced. It was at this point that I learned more bad news. In the past, the Simonson's were keen on their policy of only accepting donations for the Hero Initiative. However, when they were at Big Lick NOVA 2024, they, specifically Walt, started charging for drawings. This time around, they both also implemented a fee for signatures. The first signature was free, all others were $10.00 each. I guess they got a taste of the cash, and were hooked.

Look, I get it, free autographs are rare, and a great opportunity for fans. I don't behoove the Simonson's for charging. However, as I've said before, without this information in advance, people can't plan accordingly. Frankly, it's a trickle down effect for me. I didn't necessarily "need" the books I got signed to be autographed, and I probably wouldn't have made it such a high priority to buy the Thor books I was after had I known they were charging. I certainly wouldn't have spent the time either directly or indirectly waiting in line for them.

To bring all of this to a conclusion, obviously I did get book signed by Walt, and here are they are. For those of you who don't know much about the man, he's keen on drawing dinosaurs, and loves everything about them. If you look closely at his signature, it's designed to look like a brontosaurus. Neat!

I also got both Walt and Louise to sign Marvel Age 68. I guess we'll call this one my "one free" from them, as I really had no intensions of bringing this with me, other than the historic fact that they had been free (with donations). But, I suppose, maybe that made me part of the problem of why they started charging. Signatures for the sake of signatures and not out of genuine want.

To wrap up things with the Simonson's, specifically Walt, I had to loop back in Al Milgrom, and also stop at the table of Art Adams. I wanted to get the three issue story arc of Fantastic Four 347 - 349 signed. This was where the New Fantastic Four, featuring Spider-Man, Wolverine, (grey) Hulk, and Ghost Rider were formed.

I had a gold reprint of 348 with me which I got signed by Art Adams, and would have gotten signed by Al Milgrom and Walt Simonson. However, there was a little kid behind me in line at Mr. Adam's table with his own 348 who kept looking at the variant. After Art signed it, I tossed it at him and said, "Here, kid. Have a gold variant."

For those following or looking for pricing information, Art Adams remained consistent from the last time I saw him at $15.00 per autograph.

At the end of the day, the buddy system with Dave ended up working out, solidifying my ability to get everything signed that I was after. The above noted derailing, and series of events which could have made the show a disaster, if I let them, all seemed to finally fit into place. It turned out to be a great day through and through. Despite hiccups, I left with everything signed I came with. We'll call Baltimore Comic Con 2024 a great success.

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Baltmore Comic Con 2024 Part 6: Jim Starlin, and More Al Milgrom

 

When I last met Jim Starlin, Baltimore Comic Con 2023, I was a bit taken aback by his $20.00 price tag per book. Mainly, this was because it put me in a predicament I hate to be in where I have to pick and choose. If you recall, in yesterday's post, and a hundred times before that, I stated how convenient it would be if artists posted their rates on the convention's website. This would allow people to better plan, and come prepared.

Knowing what I paid last time, I repacked all the books (and more) that I skipped in 2023, and came prepared with the cash to pay Mr. Starlin's (high) fee. Fortunately, but still unfortunately, he was still charging this same rate.

Jim Starlin holding up a hardbound book Dave Braun
wanted from his table, which I picked up for him and
had autographed - Gotta treat your line hold right!

I started things off with the highly underrated Marvel Age. This "comic" was the original fanzine, and one of the few sources for upcoming Marvel news before issues hit stands. It featured articles about the impact of the events, characters, or the creative teams behind them, while also providing a schedule of upcoming books.

I focused on issue 13, which featured some form of information about the current era of symbiote suit Spider-Man, as well as those which were focused around the Infinity Sage, AKA The Infinity Gauntlet, The Infinity War, and The Infinity Crusade. I mad no mention about The Thanos Quest in that statement, as I checked off those two books, and related Marvel Age issue last year with Jim. However, chronologically, that title would fall before all the others noted below, which are also listed in event order.

Also signed by Jim Shooter at
Big Lick NOVA 2023, as well as
Jim Salicrup at Awesome Con 2024

Also signed by Renee Witterstatter
at Big Lick NOVA 2023

Next batch up was my full run of The Infinity War.

This was, of course, followed by the final installment, The Infinity Crusade. For this, I also got Al Milgrom to sign, who served as inker on the entire run.

It was great to finally cross this off my list, especially since I had to pass on them all last time. However, the wait did give me an opportunity to also get the related Marvel Age issues signed, so that turned out to be beneficial.

This was the line I sent my buddy, Dave Braun, to wait in upon entering the convention. He must have been standing there for a good hour before Mr. Starlin showed up. Once I took his place, he was off to his next mission, which set the stage for what could have been the biggest disappointment of the day. I'll tell that story, which links back to my comments from the very first part of this series, next time.

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Baltmore Comic Con 2024 Part 5: Al Milgrom

It kind of sucks when you focus on bringing a bunch of books with you to get signed by someone, and yet when you do, you miss the most important one. That's exactly what happened to me when I stepped up to Al Milgrom's table.

I completely lunched on the fact that he worked on Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual 4, a symbiote story arc book. I didn't have it with me, didn't check the list, and completely missed out as a result. Dang it, oops, and oh well. Maybe there will be a future opportunity, maybe not. Don't know, can't dwell on it at this point.

Rather, the series of books I did get signed by him were ones which I had initially brought with me to Baltimore Comic Con 2023, but gave up on when the day dragged on, lines got tiring, and in general, I was exhausted, hungry, and dehydrated. Admittedly, I would have traded all of the signatures I got to have it on the one book I actually really wanted. Okay, so I guess I am going to dwell on it.

Okay, rant time.

I try to stay positive at conventions, and be happy for the people in front of me who are taking the time to meet their "icons", ask questions, and have a conversation. For them, it's not a transaction, it's an experience. I also realize everything is on a first come, first serve basis.

However, I wanted to grab this woman by the head in front of me, and toss her across the room. She was not there to get books signed. She was not there to meet the artists. She was there to drum up business for an upcoming show, and get people to attend. She talked, and talked, and talked, and talked to Mr. Milgrom, and in turn this caused him to turn to Mr. Saviak next to him, and start hammering out details. All of this while the line grew with actual fans and customers. People had places to go. Other people to see, and this clown, the woman, was wasting those people's time. Those conversations should be had before or after shows, when attendees have had as much opportunity as possible to get face time. This woman seriously ticked me off, and I honestly almost protested by walking away.

Rant over.

When Chatty Kathy finally f*%ed off, and the now massive line which had been created as a result were able to get back down to brass tax, the signing commenced. This whole event did, however, necessitate that I move as quickly as possible, resulting in me forgetting to grab a photo of Mr. Milgrom in the process.

Short of tracking Mr. Milgrom down in the future to get the above noted missed book signed, I think I'm done with him. Not because of the incident with the woman. That happened, it can't be undone.

Rather, I'm done because I am quite literally grasping at straws for things to get him to sign. These books weren't important enough the last time I saw him to get autographed: they frankly weren't that important this time.

To compound this, Mr. Milgrom's price also increased from $10.00 per signature to $15.00. I really wish these artists would post their fee on the convention websites so that people could plan accordingly. This type of transparency would allow people to make informed decisions, cut fat, and honestly, skip a lot of people when factoring the true amount into their budget. It would also help people not have to lug things with them that they ultimately pass on as a result.

While you may think the overall tone of this post meant at this point I was having a bad time, this actually wasn't the case. Frankly, things were about to get worse too.

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Baltmore Comic Con 2024 Part 4: Klaus Janson

A trend I found myself in during Baltimore Comic Con 2024 was bouncing from one side of the show to the other repeatedly. This was a result of long lines, and trying to maximize every minute at the show. With my buddy, Dave Braun, standing in one line or another, this gave me the ability to do just that.

Getting things signed by Klaus Janson, or rather, more things signed by him, as I have done so many times now, weren't a high priority. My main focus from him was symbiote story arc stuff, which I covered in full between Baltimore Comic Con 2023, and Awesome Con 2024. But twist my arm, and I can come up with something, and do so, I did.

Klaus Janson after signing my issue of Daredevil 184

Of all the Bloggers I know, Big Tone of 2 Minute Toy Break (shout out) would probably appreciate this first batch more than anyone.

Though published way before that, this batch of Daredevil books hit my radar back when I was in high school. It was actually my Junior or Senior year English teacher who sold the first two to me. Issues 181 - 184 feature the death of Elektra, which at the time was a big deal in comics. Of course, she would later be ressurrected, and the prices on these books would tank as a result. Still, these are still classic stories from Frank Miller, inked by Janson.

Also signed by Jim Shooter at
Big Lick NOVA 2023

Also signed by Jim Shooter at
Big Lick NOVA 2023

Also signed by Jim Shooter at
Big Lick NOVA 2023

Also signed by Jim Shooter at
Big Lick NOVA 2023

Next up is more Miller / Janson goodness with the classic mini-series, The Dark Knight Returns. Truthfully, I don't like this story as much as the rest of the comic community appears to. I just don't find it to be that deep or interesting. Of course, I'm also not a Batman fan. My knowledge of the character is limited to the iconic legend regurgitated ad nausea, as well as the 90's animated series. To me, this is just another story, and the impact of the drastic shift in history for the Dark Knight is lost on me as a result.

This last issue was an after though. I mean, again, the whole lot of these books were brought on by an "if I have to" attitude. I didn't necessarily "need" any of these signed.

Also signed by Jim Shooter at
Big Lick NOVA 2023

Don't get me wrong. I'm happy to have these books signed. I hope one day I run into Frank Miller at a convention to also sign the majority of these. However, in general, I have this OCD tendency to say, "I have to get something signed if the person is there." This in turn is really inflating my budget, which in truth could have been a very small fraction of what I ended up spending throughout the day. My primary focus is on the symbiote story arc of Spider-Man, and far too often I branch off of this, spending money I frankly don't need to spend. I'm not saying I'm sorry I did it. I just also realize I could have a lot more money than I do if I wasn't so impulsive.

Mr. Janson's price has remained consistent at $10.00 per signature these last few shows I've seen him at.

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