This past weekend, I made the four hour trip down to Baltimore for the 25th edition of the Baltimore Comic Con. It was my first time ever visiting Baltimore for their annual convention; I had previously only ever been to the city for AEW’s Full Gear pay-per-view event in 2019. My visits to The Old Line State are typically at the other end of it (Deep Creek is a beautiful little area), and I was excited to take in Baltimore yet again.

The event was held at the Baltimore Convention Center, which has been its home for the past many years (there was a bit of confusion before the show opened between the show founders and the Convention Center rep as to exactly how long the BCC had been hosting the convention). The BCC was a great layout for the show, as even at its busiest on Saturday the 21st, the showroom floor was buzzing, but it was easily able to be navigated. There was not much in the way of lane congestion or pushing. The comic talent was a little spread out, making getting autographs or talking to your comics idols a bit of an exercise, but it also kept any particular area of the floor from getting too crowded.

My agenda for the event was clear to me: try to take in as many panels as I could while also getting a full scope-out of the showroom floor. Over the course of two full days (we were there from 1pm to 7pm on Friday and 10am to 6:30pm Saturday), I was able to attend seven panels between shopping and doing the occasional chatting with both pros and indie creators.

And I was able to get an items I’d been thinking of for a while… an off-brand Lego mini-figure of Jubilee! Huzzah! I actually found a company selling them at six for twenty dollars, so I partnered Jubes up with Fat Buu, Black Cat, Batgirl, Spider-Man 2099, and Jason Voorhees. It’s always good to have friends.

Does this mean I need to start buying Legos so I have somewhere to put these? I feel like that is a hobby I definitely don’t need or have any room for!

But enough about my purchases; let’s get into the panels I attended!

1) Comics Get Cosmic – Blasting Into Adventure

It’s a tale as old as time: Colorful heroes rocket into space to encounter adventure, danger, and intrigue! Join these masters of cosmic comics for a chat about what makes space the place, with Jim Starlin (Dreadstar, Thanos: The Infinity Revelation), Ron Marz(Silver Surfer, Green Lantern), Barry Kitson (Amazing Spider-Man, Empire), Rodney Barnes (Killadelphia, Blacula), Phillip Kennedy Johnson (The Incredible Hulk, Action Comics), and Liam Sharp (Wonder Woman: Rebirth, The Green Lantern). Hosted by Roger Ash.

Starting at 2:00pm on Day One, this was the first panel I attended, and it was great to see friend of the show (and episode 100 guest) Ron Marz again! The panel discussed their passion for stories that take place off-site from Earth. Everybody on the panel was properly reverential of Mr. Starlin, crediting him with their own passion for space-faring stories. He was very appreciative of this, obviously, and respectful of their admiration of him. Starlin and Marz were the most outspoken on the panel, and each had a lot of information to share about their works as creators.

Host Roger Ash allowed for plenty of time for questions from those in attendance. It was ultimately a very interactive panel!

2) Jeph Loeb Spotlight

Award-winning comics writer Jeph Loeb discusses his legendary career with comics series including Batman: Hush, Superman for All Seasons, Spider-Man Blue, Red Hulk, the upcoming Batman: The Long Halloween: The Last Halloween, as well as scripting numerous TV series. Hosted by Roger Ash.

Allowing for a break to go do my first real exploration of the show floor, I made my way back to the third floor of the convention center at 3:00pm for this panel featuring legendary comics writer Jeph Loeb, who my Mac’s autocorrect is bound and determined to change to Jeeps Loeb. A great name, sure, but not factually accurate.

Mr. Loeb was immensely entertaining and funny. I know he has had his controversies, but he’s also written some truly phenomenal comics and had some great runs on long-standing titles. He spent a lot of time talking about his relationship and dynamic with the late Tim Sale, including how they met and how they got along working on so many titles together.

He wrapped up by answering questions from the audience and talking about his upcoming Batman: The Last Halloween story.

3) Dan Jurgens Spotlight

Dan Jurgens, the man who killed Superman, created Booster Gold, and so much more talks about his career as a writer and artist from The Warlord to The Bat-Man: First Knight and beyond! Hosted by Bob Greenberger.

Immediately following Mr. Loeb’s panel was another spotlight on an incredibly talented and influential creator, this time for writer and artist Dan Jurgens. To me, Dan Jurgens is one of the best Superman writers/artists of all time, so I positively needed to check this one out.

Mr. Jurgens covered his career from the start to the present day, and spent a lot of time talking about his most beloved creation, Booster Gold, and how he was able to pitch Booster and get him published.

There was, again, time for questions from those in attendance afterward. I am a big fan of Mr. Jurgens, and I can attest that when he was not at this or any other panel, he had one of the longest lines on the convention floor! So hopefully it was a very successful convention for him.

4) “I Cover The Comics Biz”

Hear from the experts what it’s like to report on the hottest news stories in comics and interact with the biggest names in the field from the experts. Reporters and podcasters Zack Quaintance (Comics Beat), Brad Gullickson (Comic Book Couples Counseling), Brandon Troy (Movers and Shakers), and Mars! That Comic Girl (Casually Comics) join host Bob Harrison (The Pop Culture Squad) for this informative panel.

After spending the first two hours at Day Two on the floor (and buying those aforementioned Lego figurines), I started the second day’s rounds of panels at 1:00pm with this one, where I felt a kinship with those speaking. Whereas I don’t consider myself a journalist or a reporter of any sort, we all have smaller, independent outlets that cover media. So this one was a gimme for me.

There was a lot of camaraderie at this panel, and everyone had a really good rapport with each other. There were interesting questions and answers as to who the toughest and best interviews they have ever had were. You could feel the passion for the comic book industry from these folks!

5) Celebrating Women In Comics

It hasn’t been long since women were few and far between in comics – but that has changed dramatically in recent years, with female comics writers and artists creating moving, memorable, and award-winning works. This panel will dig into the changing – and growing – role of women in comics, with guests Amy Chu (Red Sonja, Borderlands), Louise Simonson (Power Pack, Superman: The Man of Steel), Afua Richardson (Black Panther: World of Wakanda, Attack on Titan), and Sam Maggs (Marvel Action: Captain Marvel, Tell No Tales: Pirates of the Southern Seas), with moderator Martha Thomases(Dakota North, Spy Magazine).

When I initially saw all of the panels listed, I knew this was a must-see, even if it meant I had to miss the “Creating From The Heart” panel (a common theme of this show was having to miss one or two panels I wanted to see to check out one other that slightly beat them out). Louise Simonson being there was reason enough, but I am also very interested in what it is like being a woman in the male-dominated comic field.

This panel did not fail to deliver, as it was informative and very entertaining. The women told stories that were a ton of fun, and the panel ran long just because of how much of a blast it was. Definitely a highlight.

6) Worldbuilding 101

Environment is an important element of storytelling, one that can tell readers a lot about a story – but balancing the details of the world with character and plot can be tricky. Come hear panelists Katie Cook (Nothing Special), Mark Wheatley (Songs of Giants, Doctor Cthulittle), Walter Simonson (Ragnarok, The Mighty Thor), and Tim Probert (Lightfall, Dungeon Academy) talk about how they approach worldbuilding in science fiction, fantasy, or real-life tales. Moderated by Emily S. Whitten (The Underfoot).

Katie Cook was a little late to this panel–no shame there as the panel rooms were two convention levels away from the show floor–so I did not get her in the picture I took for this one. Sorry, Katie! I forgot to take another picture when you arrived!

This took place immediately following the Women In Comics panel, and wannabe writer that I am, I stuck around to hear what these panelists had to say. Snatching living legend Walt Simonson to guest star in this grouping certainly helped things substantially because who WOULDN’T want to know how he shapes his tales?

The quintet discussed their various methods of creating the worlds to their stories–most notably as to whether they use a bible or not–and for any aspiring writer, this was a must-see to help you learn how to craft your own universe.

7) Mutant Mayhem: 60 Years Of The X-Men

It’s not easy being a mutant – but at least the X-Men make it look cool! Celebrate the 60th anniversary of the X-Men in this special panel featuring Tom Brevoort (Executive Editor, X-Men), Louise Simonson (New Mutants, X-Factor), and Ryan Stegman (X-23, Spider-Man). Hosted by John Trumbull.

The last panel I ended up attending at Baltimore Comic Con–I was unable to show up for more than a few minutes on Sunday–was this celebration of the anniversary of the X-Men. Ryan Stegman was unable to show up, but we did still get Tom Brevoort and Louise Simonson, which is good enough!

This was basically a “What’s It Like To Edit The X-Books, Then Vs Now” kind of discussion, with Brevoort talking about his recent taking over of being the X-editor, and Louise reminiscing what it was like back in her day.

Again, there was time for a few questions at the end of the segment, and we learned a lot about how being an editor at Marvel works. It was wild to hear Louise say she still feels responsible for John Byrne leaving Uncanny X-Men because she once sided with Chris Claremont in an argument the two had!

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And that was my experience at Baltimore Comic Con! It was a very pleasant one, with several fantastic panels and a lot of fun down on the showroom floor. If you get a chance to attend in 2025, I strongly suggest you take it!

Until next time… take care!