The Baltimore Comic Con

I went to visit some old friends yesterday at the Baltimore, Maryland Comic Book Convention (not sure if that's the real name, but it is what it is), had a great time, was mystified and came home.

Now, I'm not a convention kind of guy by any means. Big things overwhelm me and I don't like to get lost in crowds. But, I'll be 59 next month- 9/11- so I figure, get over it.

And I did want to see my friends Walt and Louise Simonson and Howard Chaykin.  Comic book legends as they jokingly call themselves. Comic book legends as their fans at the Convention reverentially called them.

Of course, the strangest aspect of these conventions is the complete willingness of adult  fans to dress in the costumes of their favorite super heroes/ heroines/ movie characters/ monsters. In the context of the convention it almost seems normal, after a while, if you don't think about it much.

In the context of real life it's arresting, and indicative of the times, I guess, where no one really wants to be who they actually are, at least not all the time. Who can blame them?

Armed with my trusty Lumix Panasonic (with its Leitz optics) I took a few snaps.