The Baltimore Comic-Con returned to the Baltimore Convention Center on September 20-22, 2024. This convention combines the comic book focus of small collector-centric events with the style and flare of larger pop culture/comic events. For their 25th edition of the show, Baltimore kept that momentum going with a huge guest list of creators, loads of comic book vendors, collectibles dealers, and more.

Comic creators who attended the show included Arthur Adams (Longshot), Rodney Barnes (Killadelphia), John Beatty (Marvel Super Heroes: Secret Wars), Russ Braun (The Boys), Brett Breeding (Superman), June Brigman (Power Pack), Jim Calafiore (Aquaman), Richard Case (Doom Patrol), Howard Chaykin (American Flagg!), Frank Cho (Liberty Meadows), Amy Chu (Red Sonja), Amanda Conner (Harley Quinn), Vito Delsante (Stray), Ben Edlund (The Tick), Steve Epting (The Avengers), Trish Forstner (My Little Pony), José Luis García-López (Superman), Michael Golden (Star Wars), Bob Hall (West Coast Avengers), Tony Harris (Starman), Mike Hawthorne (Deadpool), Klaus Janson (Daredevil), Geoff Johns (Geiger), J.G. Jones (Black Widow), Joëlle Jones (Lady Killer), Dan Jurgens (Superman), Emma Kubert (Radiant Pink), Jae Lee (The Inhumans), Jim Lee (Batman: Hush), Shawn Martinbrough (Thief of Thieves), Mark Morales (Thor), Bob McLeod (The New Mutants), Al Milgrom (West Coast Avengers), Fabian Nicieza (Deadpool), Jerry Ordway (Captain Marvel), Jimmy Palmiotti (Harley Quinn), Dan Parent (Archie), Khoi Pham (Teen Titans), Amy Reeder (Amethyst), Alex Saviuk (Web of Spider-Man), Louise Simonson (Power Pack), Walter Simonson (Ragnarok), Joe Staton (Dick Tracy), Brian Stelfreeze (Black Panther), Karl Story (Serenity: Leaves on the Wind), Babs Tarr (Batgirl of Burnside), Martha Thomases (Dakota North), Billy Tucci (Shi), Mark Waid (The Flash), Mark Wheatley (Songs of Giants), Keith Williams (She-Hulk), Stephanie Williams (Nubia and the Amazons), G. Willow Wilson (Ms. Marvel), Kelly Yates (Doctor Who), and Thom Zahler (Love and Capes), plus many others. (Check out interviews with Janson, Jurgens, Morales, and Story elsewhere in Scoop.)

Celebrity guests were Jenette Goldstein, Daniel Kash, and Mark Rolston (Aliens), Sam J. Jones (Flash Gordon), and John Wesley Shipp (The Flash).

The majority of the vendors at Baltimore Comic-Con are comic-focused. The large list of comic vendors included Albert Moy, Anthony’s Comic Book Art, Basement Comics, Cards, Comics & Collectibles, Cryogenic Comics, Gem City Books, Harley Yee Rare Comics, Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find, HighGradeComics.com, Reece’s Rare Comics, Superworld Comics, Third Eye Comics, and Victory Comics. Publishers Bad Idea, Mad Cave Studios, and Zenescope, and third party graders CBCS and CGC were there. Auction houses were represented by Hake’s Auctions, ComicConnect, ComicLink, and Heritage Auctions. The Hero Initiative and MyComicShop were also at the show.

The comic vendors had something for every collector, with Golden to Modern Age books from older favorites to popular new titles. They had boxes upon boxes of $1-10 issues, many keys in most price ranges, and some keys priced in the thousands. Superhero books were joined by science fiction, Western, crime, romance, horror, and family-friendly titles. Outside of the artist alley, Baltimore Comic-Con had a large area dedicated to indie artists, comic writers, and novelists.

Other vendors sold a lot of items outside of comics. They had the latest action figures from DC and Marvel, Funko Pops, t-shirts, art prints, dice and other gaming supplies, prop weapons, stuffed animals, LEGOs, and many other types of collectibles.

Most vendors reported having successful sales throughout the weekend. Several noted that Friday was stronger than in previous years, and conversely, that Saturday morning was slower than usual. By Saturday afternoon sales had picked up and Sunday was on par with most last days of the show. Multiple vendors expressed praise for Baltimore because the show is still focused on comics, drawing collectors who are interested in purchasing higher value books.

Off the main show floor, Baltimore Comic-Con hosted dozens of panels on many different comic-related topics. There were spotlight panels on creators like Ramona Fradon, Ben Edlund, Jack Kirby, Dan Jurgens, Walter Simonson, Howard Chaykin, Jim Lee, and celebrity guests including Sam J. Jones, John Wesley Shipp, and the Aliens cast. They had portfolio reviews, plus tutorials on lettering, writing, worldbuilding, crowdfunding, and other topics. Panels also covered romance comics, Nightwing at 40, noir comics, celebrating women in comics, the Punisher at 50, representation in comics, history and science in comics, and many more.

An area near the con was hit by an emergency situation on Sunday morning. There was a five-alarm fire about two blocks away from the convention center and across the street from one of the hotels where many guests and attendees stayed for the weekend. A restaurant, several connected businesses, and an apartment were all severely damaged by the fire. Over 200 firefighters fought the blaze, containing it to the area. One of the main roads leading to the convention center was closed, causing traffic jams, but otherwise the convention wasn’t affected by the fire. No injuries have been reported.

The gathering of thousands of creators, dealers, and fans for a weekend focused on comics, made this another successful year at Baltimore Comic-Con.

More photos from Baltimore Comic-Con are presented in our In the Limelight section.