Baltimore Comic-Con Preview: Round Two

One of the best aspects of the Baltimore Comic-Con is the amount of facetime it offers attendees with the various guests. Unlike shows such as San Diego and New York, Baltimore has a more laid back, comics-centric vibe. Creators aren't dropped into a panel then sped away to the next major mutlimedia event faster than you can say BAMF! At Baltimore Comic-Con, the opportunity to engage your favorite creators in meaningful conversation or to get feedback about your portfolio is better than just about any other show in the business. With that in mind, I'm going to run down some of the guests I'm most excited about meeting this year.


Howard Chaykin - A 30+ year veteran of the industry, Chaykin is one of the most respected (and controversial) creators in the business. To this day, his art remains some of the most striking and visually interesting artwork in the industry. Chaykin's name alone is enough to get me to shell out my hard earned coin and his runs on G.I. Joe and his own American Flagg set the industry high watermark for bad ass storytelling.



Mark Chiarello - Painter, illustrator and editor extraordinaire Mark Chiarello has been the brain behind some of the most interesting projects in DC history. He created the incredible Batman: Black & White series, was the editor of the acclaimed series Solo and most recently he was the man behind the excellent Wednesday Comics. I know that writers and editors are, at times, the worst of enemies, but personally, I can't wait to meet Mark Chiarello. The first thing he'd probably say is, "Less commas!"



Amanda Conner - To dismiss Amanda Conner as just, "Jimmy Palmiotti's Wife," would be a serious mistake. Sure, being married to one of the industry's most respected creators doesn't hurt her profile, but Conner's success is all her own. Conner's artwork is some of my favorite in the business. Her style, full of fun, bright renditions of iconic heroes, is immediately resonant with a large audience. Amanda Conner's Power Girl is the kind of comic you could drop into a casual reader's hands if you were trying to get them interested in comics and her Supergirl strip in Wednesday Comics was perhaps the biggest surprise of the entire project. Maybe I'll try and steal an interview (or just geek out and get some books signed).

I'll be back tomorrow with more profiles of creators I'm looking forward to meeting this year. Thanks for reading!