Baltimore Comic Con 2017 promises to be as good as ever, and this year’s convention is jam packed with celebrity guests and speakers. Grab your best cosplay or nerdy shirt and get to the convention center on September 22-24!
Soon, the Baltimore Comic Con will take over the Baltimore Convention Center as comic lovers and cosplayers come from far and wide to gather together in one arena, while others will be coming to bargain hunt the countless vendors’ comic book collections. This year’s convention will feature over 100 special guests which includes Lynda Carter, the actress who played Wonder Woman and her alter ego Diana Prince on the 1970’s hit T.V. series. Lynda Carter will not be appearing as Wonder Woman, however. Instead, she will be bringing her show The Other Side of Trouble to the Con. Carter is best known as an actress, but not many know that she also is a singer. The Other Side of Trouble will be a 90-minute concert certain to make the Con a little more interesting and entertaining. Carter has been singing since she was 14, but her singing career took the backseat after she won the 1972 Miss World-USA pageant title and began her role as Wonder Woman. [gallery columns="2" size="large" ids="3073,3076"] Starring in two other television series and countless films, Carter has stayed busy and even has a role on the show Supergirl. Carter will also appear in the soon-to-be-released Super Troopers 2 movie. Never straying too far from the comic and sci-fi geek culture, she has had voice over appearances on hit video games, while five of her original songs were used in Fallout 4 video game. Event organizers are expecting her performance to sell out, so interested patrons should purchase tickets early.
Also scheduled to make an appearance is Maryland native Frank Miller, the comic book writer who authored several popular graphic novels and comic book stories such as Ronin, Daredevil: Born Again, Sin City and The Dark Night Returns. Other notable featured guests include DC Comics’ comic book artist and Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame inductee Neal Adams and his son Joel Adams, who did all the character design for The Hulk: Animated Series and design for Mike Judge’s King of the Hill, the FOX cartoon series.
The remainder of the 100-plus featured guests are mostly comic book artists, writers and authors who have helped to create some of the most well-known and beloved comics, comic art, and characters since the 1950’s.
One name some might be surprised to see in the weekend lineup is that of Darryl “DMC” McDaniels -- best known as a founding member of the 1980’s rap group Run-DMC. McDaniels is a comic lover and has his own independent publishing house “Darryl Makes Comics.” DMC has been in the comic business since putting out his first graphic novel in 2014. He has put out two graphic novel-comic books entitled “DMC”, and the third issue is expected to be released later this year.
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DMC[/caption]
Attendees of this year’s Baltimore Comic Con will have the chance to meet and greet the rap star as he brings his comic brand to the convention audiences. While detailed programming information has not yet been finalized, as is the norm of Baltimore Comic Con and other Cons, featured guests generally will hold panels in which their work is highlighted and discussed, and is typically followed by an audience question-and-answer session.
In addition to the fabulous celebrity guests on hand, Baltimore Comic Con will hold a costume contest in which cosplayers will strut their stuff. During last year's convention, the creativity displayed by contestants was incredible. Cosplayers and cosplay curious attendees will want to pay close attention to the programming schedule. Last year, several panels and workshops discussed the magic behind cosplay and costume-making, and how the average-Joe can create an awesome costume from household items.
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While you're walking around the convention, check out the vendors. They will be selling any and every type of comic one could want. More than a few of the vendors at last year's convention were local and regional underground comic book artists whose work was nothing short of extraordinary. These "underground" comic book artists often give out free comic books as a way of introducing comic lovers to their work while also selling their newest publications. Many of the vendors sell gadgets, toys, dolls, costume gear, t-shirts, collectibles, rare and vintage comic books as well as classics at very low prices.
Con-goers also can expect to see a free video game room, decked out cosplayers around every corner, sponsored photo ops, freebies, new companies introducing new products and services as well as other extras and surprises.
Baltimore Comic Con is held yearly at the Inner Harbor Convention Center. For more info, directions and tickets visit the Con’s website.
