A return to one of my favorite conventions.

Baltimore Comic Con is one of my all-time favorite conventions, so when they announced they were doing an in-person event this year, I had to say yes to exhbiting – and there’s no better place to exhibit at that show than the Kids Love Comics Pavilion! Albert the Alien has always done extremely well in that area, and it was fun and refreshing to see fans who started with that book when we first published it coming up now (and some as adults!) buying the final volume to finish off the series!

This year was the premiere of Albert the Alien volume 4: Space Bullies from Mars at this show, but also a great opportunity to talk about some of my next web-based stories coming out next year: namely, my two Webtoon Originals series, Nexus Point and Re-Possessed. In advance of the show, I reached out to my buddies who have comics on webtoon and asked if they would be interested in doing a MAKING WEBTOON panel with me (since I didn’t have a comic yet, I would mostly be moderating or talking about my early process and asking them for advice).

I invited Thom Zhaler (Love and Capes, Warning Label), Steve Conley (The Middle Age), Dean Haspiel (The Red Hook), and Katie Cook (My Little Pony, Nothing Special). As the show date got closer, however, I learned that Katie had to cancel her appearce for personal reasons, but the convention asked if I would like Leeanne Krecic (Let’s Play) to join. Of course I said, “Heck yes!,” and so they connected us and sure enough she was interested in joining the panel.

Masks and Vaccines Required.

The show did a great job of keeping people at the convention safe by both requiring proof of vaccination (or proof of negative covid test), as well as requiring masks throughout the weekend. The show was also offering vaccines and boosters for attendees and exhibitors, which was fantastic! The line to get into the show was blocks long, showing a lot of interest in attending an in-person event. Comic fans were out in numbers, representing and enjoying this thing we all love! It was a wonderful thing to be a part of, and even back in the Kids Love Comics Pavilion, everyone was in good spirits and enjoyed being around other creators again.

I also got to spend a lot of time this weekend with my good friend Paul Storrie! Paul is a mainstay in the comics industry, and almost always a aguest at this show. He’s such a fun guy, very quick witted and hilarious. Plus, I’d nominate him for “the kindest person in comics” award, and he’d be a strong contender. Paul and I attended the Ringos together, and it was fun to watch everyone give speeches, see the nominees, and cheer on the winners as they took the stage with their awards. It reminded me of when we got nominated for BEST ONLINE COMIC for Albert the Alien back in the day, and feeling that energy in the room was electrifying!

We also got to see my buddy, Gene Ha, win a Humanitarian Award! Much deserved!

It was so nice to talk shop with other creators and meet new friends.

After the Ringos, I went to the after-party and hung out with Leeanne and the Rocketship folks (they specialize in converting webtoon comics into print formats). Tom Akel and the team were so kind and fun to hang out with. I also met the VP of Content for Tapas, Michael, and had a lot of fun hanging out, talking shop, and talking about the future of when digital comics and web-based content is going.

It was nice to return to in-person conventions again, see old friends and meet new ones. Thank you to Baltimore Comic Con for keeping everyone as safe as you can, and also hosting an incredible show once again! I hope to be back again next year!