Status Active Location(s) Baltimore, Maryland | Genre Comic Country United States | |
Venue Baltimore Convention Center Inaugurated 2000; 17 years ago (2000) | ||
The Baltimore Comic-Con (comic convention) is a comic book-oriented fan convention held in the fall of every year since its inception in 2000. Founded by Marc Nathan, owner of Cards, Comics, and Collectibles of Reistertown, MD, the show was originally a one-day show held at the Sheraton Hotel in the Baltimore suburb of Towson. In 2002, after outgrowing its previous venue, the show moved to the Baltimore Convention Center in downtown Baltimore, across from Camden Yards and down the street from Geppi's Entertainment Museum, and was extended to a two-day show. In 2014, responding to demand from attendees and exhibitors, the show moved to a 3-day event, starting on Friday, September 5 and lasting through Sunday, September 7.
Each year, the show features marquee-name comic book creators past and present, publishers, charitable organizations, and vendor booths offering genre-related items, including comic book back-issues, limited edition collectible items such as Toon Tumblers and clothing, videos/DVDs, etc. Panel discussions throughout the day feature industry names presenting information on current and upcoming industry events, past hallmarks in comic book history, and information on the industry and how to be a part of it. An annual Yearbook, featuring renderings by attending artists, became a part of the show in 2012, featuring Frank Cho's Liberty Meadows characters, followed by Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo in 2013 and Matt Wagner's Grendel in 2014. A scavenger hunt is also associated with the Yearbook, where attendees who get a pre-defined number of contributor autographs receive prints that were not part of the book, featuring characters from that year's theme by other attending artists.
In 2006, the 19th Annual Harvey Awards, named for the late comics genius Harvey Kurtzman and developed to honor comic book industry professionals and companies singled out by their peers, moved from the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) in New York City to the Baltimore Comic-Con, with Kyle Baker as Master of Ceremonies.