Baltimore Comic Con October 17th - 19th 2025

 Another Con has come and gone with a lot of fun memories – seeing old friends, making new ones, seeing great cosplays, discovering great comics, and debuting a new one of my own! 

That would be FRANKENSTEIN’S BLOOD! A tale about what happened to the Bride of Frankenstein after she was created. It’s the story of her quest throughout the centuries to discover the process that gave her life so she can recreate it to make others like herself. It's a six issue series with art by the amazing Antonio Brandao. Available in print from me (maxmeanie@gmail) or digitally here (BUY DIGITALLY!).


 The weekend started on a bad note at the La Quinta Hotel. I always try to find a better spot to stay at from the previous year but not this time! The room was tiny, a bit stinky, & no working TV but that saved us. You can complain about size or smell. It won’t get you anywhere. But no TV? That gets you bumped up at the La Quinta to a bigger & better room. So tourist tip – sabotage your TV for a room upgrade!

Speaking of last year, a favorite spot of mine when visting Baltimore was the Thai restaurant THAI ELEPHANT WOK. Last time I was there Disney duck artist extraordinaire Don Rosa was sitting at the next table and we had a nice chat about how we both loved the place. Unfortunately the very next day, the building next door caught fire and spread to the restaurant closing it down. I had hoped they would’ve rebuilt but as of now they haven’t. We did find another great Thai place (Be More Thai) which was delicious. 

But the Con itself was a sea of positivity starting with a visit from artist Shawn Martinbrough who stopped by for a chat where we caught up and talked comics. One of the nicest guys in comics!

 The cosplayers were in peak form. If I had to state the most popular characters, again they were Luffy from One Piece and Raven from Teen Titans. One Luffy went beyond & did full chest & eye scars. But I was surprised no one did Gladys the Witch from the movie WEAPONS….or if there was I didn’t see it.

 

So there was a bit of drama (& hilarity) at the Ringo Awards. I mentioned this story on social media. I always head over to the hotel bar where the Awards are held to hang & drink with friends but this evening it seemed they were letting anyone inside the gala event. So my buddy Kevin & I sat down at one the tables. We were served salads & drinks and chatted with the others seated with us. And then a guy approached and asked if we had tickets or were nominees.

ME: “Uh….yeah.”
GUY: “Well, your badges don’t have official stamps on them. Do you know Dave who runs the show?”
ME: “Of course! We go way back.”
GUY: “Come with me. (a short walk) This is Dave.”
DAVE: “I don’t know you.”
ME: “Well, I’ve taken this as far as I could go!” (laughter!)
So we left The Ringo Awards. But congrats to my friend Sean Von Gorman for winning Best New Series with The Pedestrian!

 As far as my stuff goes, FRANKENSTEIN’S BLOOD was well received & sold a bunch of copies AND is available digitally at Global Comix (BUY DIGITALLY!)! As per usual, my WW2 book THE MOSES MILITA did well also and I have good…no, GREAT news for MOSES MILITIA fans! The pencil art for issue #6 is now done and currently getting inked. The book features the conclusion to the Skull Island Adventure and should be available this winter.

I did make a few purchases – a LEGO Godzilla & Galactus which are adorable. But also a piece of early original art from the great Marshall Rogers (RIP) from 1974 depicting Daredevil and Black Widow. I need to scan this, get it inked, & colored and then framing it for my wall. 

So another great convention! Looking forward to more great books  (& more great Thai food!) next year!

 

-JB 10/26/25

 

Baltimore Comic Con Sept 8th – 10th 2023

Baltimore Comic Con is one of my favorite conventions. It’s purely comics (or at least 95%) and filled with professionals I’ve followed since childhood. And it’s incredibly humbling still that after the many years I’ve done this con to shake the hands of people like Jose Luis Garcia Lopez and Steve Rude and they know who you are. Also making new friends like Scott Snyder and Bob Hall is what makes this crazy industry worthwhile. 

And speaking of Bob Hall (West Coast Avengers, Shadowman, etc), he was staying at the same hotel as me. Each morning at the complimentary breakfast, we kept running into each other & would chat. Unfortunately he had some bad luck on Friday evening by getting locked out of his room due to the faulty lock mechanism of his door. Since the Hulk wasn’t available to knock his door down (LOL!), the hotel had to move him to a new room. I really hope they refunded his entire stay. Avoid the Sleep Inn on Fallsway St, people!

My new books THE BABY WHO FELL FROM SPACE and GOLDENGIRL AND THE PARTY #2 debuted at the con to rave reviews from pros & attendees. Both with art by Antonio Brandao and colors from me, the first is a kid friendly tale about a baby alien dropped off on a planet for day care but forced to deal with giant Cthuloid monsters! The second is my tribute to the late hip-hop artist MF Doom. Aliens are trying to abduct rapper Kaiju Boy and only GoldenGirl can find out why and protect him. 

I tried to avoid a spending spree this weekend but I had to pick up this BCC exclusive pint glass – AMERICAN FLAGG! In the 80s, indie publishers dragged me back into collecting comics. My holy trinity back then were Matt Wagner’s MAGE, Baron & Rude’s NEXUS, and Howard Chaykin’s FLAGG. Now if you gazed at my living room, you’d see my collection of superhero & Godzilla pint glasses mounted onto shelves around my place. FLAGG is going front and center!

 Of course, the cosplayers were out in force. My fav had to be Warlord, Mike Grell’s creation for DC. An odd observation that while the film BARBIE is wildly popular & generated a billion dollars at the box office, I had only seen one woman cosplay Barbie but there were multiple men wearing KENOUGH t-shirts which was a term used in the film. Weird! Make whatever psychological judgement you want.  A complete gallery is on my Facebook page - /jamesbabbo/

 

Saturday night was for partying as well as the Ringo awards. Congrats to Matt Miner who won for the anthology YOUNG MEN IN LOVE. Izzy Laureno, host of the IzzyVerse web channel, was holding court in the lounge. Later in the evening we ran into Bob Ingersoll whose column about legal issues in story plots ran in Comics Buyers Guide, a publication I had followed for years. We had a fun laugh discussing Daredevil’s legal woes amongst other silliness.

 Lastly I had the strangest commission on Sunday. A new friend, Billy Gee, has an unique collection – a portfolio of trading cards made up of creator self-portraits. And for some reason he asked me to make one! This is going up as my profile pic in social media. 

-jb 9/13/23

Open in app or online Is THE MENU (2022) really just THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1932)?

THE MENU (2022) is a psychodrama/dark comedy centered around a meal served at the most exclusive restaurant in the world called Hawthorne. The venue is situated on an isolated island where the food is locally sourced and only the privileged are invited to experience it.

As a film itself I enjoyed it but most of the shocks would’ve been more effective if experienced live in the theater as an one act play. But after it finished, I couldn’t help a nagging feeling that it reminded me of an older movie. Then it hit me – several of the themes are present in the classic film THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1932). Directed by James Whale, HOUSE shares many of the same artisans that made the early FRANKENSTEIN movies including the director. cinematographer, and many of the actors (Boris Karloff, Ernest Thesiger).

HOUSE starts with a massive storm that forces travelers to take shelter inside an old decaying mansion in the middle of nowhere. There they meet the Femm family who are eccentric, unbalanced misanthropes – some crazier than others.

Ernest Thesiger

They reluctantly allow the passersby to stay but with warnings that they may be in danger from their brutish servant, Morgan, played by Karloff.

Boris Karloff

Both films share quite a bit in common: isolated settings, a meal, and end (SPOILER ALERT) with fires. All the while commenting on class structures – Ralph Fiennes’ Chef Slowik (MENU) making snide remarks about the various guests, their elite status, and how service workers are treated by them. In HOUSE, Charles Laughton’s Sir William Porterhouse brings up money as a defining force that builds up lives and ruins them by obsession.

Ralph Fiennes, Charles Laughton

Laughton’s character as well as Tyler, played by Nicholas Hoult in MENU, hire women as company – Lillian Bond and Ana Taylor-Joy respectively. Both women are rebellious and defend themselves against their adversaries the brutish Morgan (Karloff) and the sadistic Slowik (Fiennes).

Lillian Bond, Ana Taylor-Joy

Now I’m not implying that the producers of THE MENU were influenced by THE OLD DARK HOUSE but anyone that enjoyed the 2022 film would no doubt be entertained by the 1932 film. At a brief 71 minutes, the Universal classic is funny, creepy, and became the inspiration for a slew of haunted house films to follow creating a well-known genre of cinema. Seek it out!

BALTIMORE COMIC CON - Oct 28th - 30th 2022

 What a joy to be back among my people! A nasty pandemic can’t quell the joy among the faces of the vendors, cosplayers, & general fans. But most of all it cannot diminish the creative spirit of the artists & writers that make the funny books we love.

Yours truly had a new comic – GOLDENGIRL & THE PARTY, written by me with stunning art by Antonio Brandao and a killer cover by Jamal Igle. I call it “the #MeToo comic for the superhero community and The Boys if they were The Girls! And next year I’ll have issues #2 & #3 in print and in digital as well.

On the table as well was THE PUNCH LINER #1! My homage to the 1970s TV Show THE NIGHT STALKER. The elevator pitch is “What if Kolchak were a stand-up comedian?” And next year (hopefully) I’ll also have issues #2-5! All with covers by Russ Braun & interior art by Luca Cicchitti & Antonio Brandao.

Conventions can be quite exhausting so I invested in some equipment to haul my goodies around. Behold the wonder that is the Cart by Vevor! My girlfriend is tired of the praise I’ve been heaping on this wagon but on the plus side she didn’t have to carry a thing. It held everything – my comics, prints, postcards, banner, etc. Even a holder for our elitist lattes!

Cosplayers were amazing as usual but I must say I think for once the fellas outshone the gals this year. From Macho Man Randy Savage to the numerous Fat Thors, the guys excelled. Although the ladies did bring it as well.

It was great seeing creators like the legendary Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Russ Braun, Walt Simonson. Indie creators like Timothy Fling, Sean Von Gorman, Amy Chu, Daniel Kalban. And of course, Izzy Laureno host of the IzzyVerse Web Channel who we hung out with at the Ringo Awards. I was able to pick up a complimentary copy of the award winning “Something is Killing The Children.”

Last I have to mention finally picked up a piece of original art by the also legendary Ramona Fradon, who I had met previously. This year due to her advanced age she could not attend but friends were selling her work. I went past the Batman & Superman stuff to pick up this beautiful Metamorpho portrait. Love that character!

So the sun set again on another great convention! I look forward to next year.

 

-jb 11/16/22

 

Baltimore & NY Comic Con 2018

This blog post is brought to you by eleven cups of diner coffee. I counted.

Baltimore Comic Con usually wipes me out but with New York following only a few days later I was hit with a double whammy of exhaustion. And it doesn’t help to skip meals, my fellow creators. One evening I realized that after mingling with other comics fans, I only had scotch for diner. At 2am I tried to remedy that fact but options are limited in Baltimore. 7-11 fried chicken ain’t bad in the middle of the night. During daylight hours…I can’t say.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

This is the eighth year I’ve attended Baltimore Comic Con – seventh vending. It’s my favorite convention because of its emphasis on comic books. Not pop culture celebs or wrestlers but the printed book. It’s the fans themselves that are the highlight for me. Lots of smiles and enthusiasm abound in the halls. If you ever need a pick-me-up of positive vibes, BCC is the place for you.

This year I had all four issues of my World War 2 book THE MOSES MILITIA available. Was hoping to have issue five ready but time was against us. Producing comics is a long process of writing, drawing, coloring, and lettering amidst constant editing to maintain a level of quality from issue to issue. The results are always there in artist Bill Wylie’s pages and number five is already shaping up to be the best issue yet.

In the meantime, my new series THE PUNCH LINER made its debut at the con. The book is an homage to the 1970s TV series Kolchak The Night Stalker. It features stand-up comedian Stan Douglas who has strange encounters in his travels on the road yet he can’t explain why. I gave numerous copies to publishers at the con, all of whom remarked on the quality of the book. Artist Luca Cicchitti has a definite feel for this mix of horror and comedy and rocked the pages! Not just the characters but in maintaining an air of creepiness in his backgrounds. Looking forward to issue two.

The cover by Russ Braun (The Boys, Jimmy’s Bastards) captured the exact feel I wanted  for the book. When I wrote the script I always had Russ in mind for the cover knowing that he was a huge Kolchak and monster fan. At New York I presented him with a printed copy and we all chatted about how much we loved the TV show.

Felix Serrano provided amazing colors for the cover and it’s a joy discovering it was the first time he worked on Russ’ art. Matter of fact they had met for the first time at the New York Con. Hopefully we can do it all again!

Back to Baltimore. The books sold quite well as people came over to pick up the latest issue of Moses Militia and scoop up The Punch Liner. In addition to the fans, it was a delight to run into other creators and reacquaint relationships - Justin Jordan, Amy Chu,

Sean Von Gorman, Gannon Beck, Daniel Kalban, etc. Unfortunately since I didn’t have any side help to run the table it was difficult to saunter around the con and chat. Hopefully next year I’ll have some help, either human or robotic. Doesn’t matter.

A pure joy is also meeting professionals whose work you’ve enjoying for years. Tony Isabella (creator of Black Lightning) was as nice as he comes across on social media which is how he knew me. Mind blown! I hope he continues to attend conventions in the future.

The same goes for legend Howard Chaykin (American Flagg, Cody Starbuck, etc). We had a wonderful conversation about Robert Crumb, mutual friends in common, and writing but don’t bring up Harlan Ellison to him! I learned that. To put it mildly, Howard’s not a fan. I changed that subject quickly by offering him issues one and four of The Moses Militia. He liked the concept and gladly took the books as did Tony Isabella earlier.

  

Some quick observations – cosplayers are always a bubbling fountain of joy. I took about 340 pictures of different characters and while for women Harley Quinn still reigns supreme as the most common costume, for males it’s pretty clear that Negan from The Walking Dead has toppled Deadpool for sheer numbers. And why not? All you need is a black jacket, a whiffle ball bat (not even with barbed wire), and a sharpie to draw in a porn mustache. I saw it there.

Cosplay pics here:

https://www.facebook.com/jamesbabbo/media_set?set=a.10156026034523095&type=3

My hotel room was again quite affordable (meaning cheap) but I could’ve done without the blood stains on the light switch. I didn’t check that box on Expedia.

Saturday night is typically when creators hit the bar at the Hyatt Regency to let their hair down. This year though I didn’t run into many people that I knew so I intended to make it an early night. To pass the time, I started drawing superhero stick figures on post-it notes while drinking. Before I realized it, I had the table covered. That drew a few women over who asked to have them (not bragging – that’s what happened, readers!). That turned into hours of discussing comics, movies, and scotch. Before I knew it, 2am creeped up and I had to leave for convenience store fried chicken and sleep.

 

That next week I attended New York Comic Con (tables are too expensive). The day started with racking up some karma points. A waitress at a local NYC café couldn’t raise the metal gates of the shop – the heavy chain was pretty rusted. I assisted by putting all my weight on it as I pulled. Took a few minutes but the gates went up. She was so thankful that she offered me lunch. I just asked to wash the rust off my palms. When I came out of the rest room, she insisted that I have coffee and cake. A yummy way to start the life-draining exercise of NYCC!

As mentioned above, it was fun to see Russ Braun and Felix Serrano (who produced the cover to THE PUNCH LINER) as well as Chris Sotomayor, Brian Smith, Ed McGuinness, Shawn Martinborough  and others. But I have to single out writer Dirk Manning (Tales of Mr Rhee) who posted a video eulogy praising Harlan Ellison after he passed. It was because of that, I had purchased a collection of Ellison’s short stories having only read his comics’ and TV work. I’m really enjoying the book (but again, don’t mention it to Howard Chaykin).

Lastly, I have to mention running into an amazing cosplayer of Ultraman. The suit looked exactly like the TV superhero – rubber with various light-up FX. When I showed him a photo of a Gamera costume I built back in 1996, he whispered in my ear, “I want to fight you.” LOL!

I could go on (the new Dr Who debut, my quest for the Super Powers Mister Miracle, Garth Ennis passing me while I read a Chinese menu in Baltimore) but I need to color pages for The Moses Militia. See you in the comics shop!

-jb 10/8/18

Eternal Con 6/16 – 6/17, 2018

This past weekend I’ve vended at Eternal Con which was held at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island, NY. Usually I’ve tabled at out-of-state conventions so it was a relief to only have a twenty minute drive without tolls or multiple gas tank refills to sell my funny books! And believe it or not, one of the best things about this show were the well-cushioned chairs that were provided to us. A welcome change from the hard plastic torture devices you usually get. My buttocks were happy!

My table setup is pretty simple – comic books, prints, and shot glasses for sale. No lofty shelf systems to obscure my neighbors’ tables (there’s really should be a height limit on those) or boxes to step around to get at the good stuff. Just easy access to comic books with simple descriptions on post-it notes on the covers to explain what the book is and why you’ll love it! 

And usually that’s all you need to make a sale. Sometimes a quick answer or two to prod the customer along the way (“Who’s this guy? What does she do? What’s his name? What kind of monster is that?!) which I am always happy to provide!

Sales went well at this show. Customers bought complete sets of THE MOSES MILITIA, my World War 2 series, as well as GOLDENGIRL #1. A few prints sold and to my surprise, one guy bought four Moses Militia shot glasses. I guess he has some serious drinkin’ to do!

If I had one complaint is was the lack of coffee at the show. No one had any but people kept walking by drinking out of copper mugs, taunting me mercilessly (in my mind anyway)! A vendor was selling these metal mugs with an added gimmick – free soda fill ups all weekend). That’s nice and all but I need coffee to fuel me.

To my shock, beer was readily available. I saw guys walking around with open cans (really awful beer for my tastes) which I was surprised to see at a family event. But no coffee?!! Ugh!

One of the fun parts of a con is just merely discussing comics with people. Had enjoyable chats about the Thunder Agents (not realizing until I got that it was Wally Wood’s birthday!), Tomb of Dracula, Wonder Woman, & other books.

Another major bit of enjoyable for me is talking with professionals in the field. My main incentive for vending at cons is to network with publishers, editors, and experienced writers and artists – for critiques of my work or to find freelancers to potentially work with in the future on my projects (within my painfully small budgets, of course).

Lo and behold, I was pleasantly surprised to find Jim Shooter (writer/editor previously at DC, Marvel, Valiant, etc) sitting right behind me. We chatted about his Avengers run - specifically his two part Molecule Man story which I loved. During the course of our chat he asked about my stuff of which I was happy to give him a copy of the latest issue of The Moses Militia. 

On Sundays, typically I like to bring in Dunkin Donuts munchkins to give out to my fellow vendors. People are usually tired and grumpy but you’d be surprised how far a tiny little pastry will brighten someone’s day. As an added bonus, people will remember that small gesture. Pro artists were coming over to my table to thank me, look over my books, & provide advice.

Having an established professional tell you that you’re doing quality work is a great feeling. Maybe you’re not ready for the pros yet but you’re on the right track. It keeps me going forward.   

There were a lot of cool cosplayers in attendance notably a great looking Dr Doom.

You can find the pics I took on my facebook page here:

http://tinyurl.com/yclmwz55

Of course, I need to mention the main guest at the convention – William Shatner. As a friend pointed out, he looks like a cuddly teddy bear, round with curly hair but as another person described, “A teddy bear that doesn’t want to be touched.” And I don’t blame him. The guy is 87 years old. Leave him be. And one point, he walked right past my table (fast enough that I wasn’t able to get my camera out in time). To me, it’s such a reality bender to see such an iconic figure in real life. Was so happy to see him in person within arms’ length. 

So a very enjoyable experience. I would do this convention again but now I’m in preparation for Baltimore in September. Back to work on the next issue of MM!

-jb 6/18/18

Baltimore Comic Con 9/22/17 - 9/24/17

My living room is littered with boxes of comics, prints strewn on the floor, spilled postcards, and bags of candy. Another Baltimore Comic Con has come and gone!

This past summer has been a constant battle to defeat a nightmare of a deadline - finishing production of MOSES MILITIA #4, my World War 2 comic book series about a team of Jewish soldiers battling Nazi paranormal schemes. Each time artist Bill Wylie has turned in pages, I've been astonished at seeing the script springing to life...and then I'd look at the calendar and freak out.

For those unfamiliar with how the donuts get made, this is the comic book process - the writer writes the script, the artist turns it into art (pencils & inks), the colorist does his thing, ditto the letterer, and then the finished book (including ads & a back cover) goes to the printer who needs a week minimum (my guy anyway) to bring you a finished stapled book. While all this is going on, you need to be aware of your deadline. For me it was September 20th - the day before I was driving down to Baltimore for Comic Con.

In my attempt to learn as much of the production as I could, it was my intention to color and letter the entire book but as my deadline crept up it was obvious that I needed help. Luckily I was able to get the amazing Dave Sharpe to letter the book while getting a last minute hand from the incredible Chris Sotomayor to color the last two pages of MM4. Both of them teach their respective fields online through Comics Experience (which I recommend highly - http://www.comicsexperience.com).

So the donuts got made & I couldn't be happier. MOSES MILITIA #4 looks fantastic and could sit side by side with any book on LCS shelves. It kicks off the new story arc where the team has to deal with Nazis discovering Skull Island - yes, that one where giant apes come from. Bear in mind I wrote this in 2010. No plagiarism here, kids!

In Baltimore I started off with a surprise in my hotel dresser - a full, one piece pants suit. Somebody had a party. Then it was off to get some local fried chicken & fries right next door to a local sex shop advertising "We have Fleshlights!" Chicken is good enough for me, thank you.

The first day of the Con started great. I have a corner table close to the entrance of Artist Alley & a nice neighbor (Visionary Comics). It can be a nightmare if the table next to you is....less than friendly but Mike & his family were a delight. We covered each other's tables for breaks & they ran coffee runs! Woo-hoo!

 

Ran into Mike from Vampire Robots (http://www.thevampirerobots.com/) and placed an order for Godzilla stuff because I can never have enough!!

The cosplayers this year were amazing! This year the clear choice of players was RICK & MORTY...or more specfically Rick. Not too many Mortys around.
Here is where the pics are - https://www.facebook.com/jamesbabbo/media_set?set=a.10155145257643095.1073741872.711483094&type=3&uploaded=193

The second day was packed. Lots of people but not too many sales. That was the general consensus of the vendors I spoke to. The reasons were speculative but one could be that the loss of the Harvey Awards caused a drop in professionals attending the Con. Who knows?

Unfortunately I was unable to go to any of the panels this year because I didn't have a helper to cover the table. That was a big snag but I was able to realize a personal dream. TOMB OF DRACULA #52 was the first Marvel comic I bought back in 1977. I still have that book which Gene Colan (the penciller) had signed when I first met him in 1991. Now I have signatures from Tom Palmer (the inker) and Marv Wolfman (the writer). Both of them were moved by my enjoyment of their work & explaining how that issue made me seek out the entire run. TOMB is still my all time favorite comic series.

 

Marv also said that he recognized me though he didn't know from  where. Besides Facebook (we're friends) I couldn't say but he did ask about my book and said, "Any book against the Nazi horde sounds good to me!" And now he has a copy of MOSES MILITIA #4 as a gift!

That evening everyone gathered at the Hyatt Regency (site of the new RINGO Awards) for drinks. It was nice to run into Tom Palmer once again, Sean Van Gorman (artist/writer), and Amy Chu (writer). I also ran into fellow indie comics creators that I had met from last year and we had a nice discussion about comics and comedians over many a round! Everybody loves Kyle Kinane!

The third day started off with an annoying false fire alarm that kept everyone outside for half an hour in the blazing sun. Ugh! But once the fire department gave the OK we were back in business.

The day ended with a very pleasant chat with colorist pro Laura Martin who had given me some great advice at last year's con. As she looked through the pages of MOSES MILITIA #4 she was pleased that I took that advice to heart and gave me some very nice compliments on my work. I think I floated back to my table. Thanks Laura!

So in summery, I'm very pleased with the comments from fans, buyers, and professionals on MOSES MILITIA. Sales may have been down but Baltimore Comic Con is always a pleasant experience and I will vend there again. Hopefully with the next issues of MM in hand.

-JB 9/27/17