Baltimore Comic-Con rulez!

Annie and I had a blast Saturday at Baltimore Comic-Con, the region's premier comic book convention. The event, held at the Baltimore Convention Center, is a sprawling geek fest that one almost must see to believe.

There are scores of retail tables where stores and individuals sell books both old and new, sometimes absurdly overpriced and other times heavily discounted. There are other spaces where people are hawking popular old Star Wars, Transformers and G.I. Joe toys, and still others that push statues, collectibles or clothing.

But the highlight, for me at least, was the long lineup of artists and writers that were available to meet and greet. I was able to interact with Andy Kubert, who drew the inspired "Marvel 1602," Dick Ayers, an industry veteran who began his professional career more than 40 years ago, and Jim Calafiore, who I best knew from his work on "Exiles." In that book, he helped bring an old favorite character of mine back into the mainstream after a nearly 10 year absence.

I commissioned from him a sketch of that character, the Spider-Man of year 2099, and was blown away by the result. It will be posted tomorrow for all to see and enjoy.

I also bought from Calafiore two pages of his original artwork from the "Exiles" story arc that marked the return of Spidey 2099. Pages 17 and 18 of issue 76 would make little sense if I showed them to you out of context, but suffice to say they mark a critical point in the evolution of the character, are a joy to own, and would make other fans insanely jealous.

Overall, this year's event, which was two-and-a-half times larger than last year's convention, was exhausting but enjoyable. Annie and I had a great time exploring the event with two of our friends, but our eyes are tired and our feet are sore.

Yes, Baltimore Comic-Con was a joy, but it's times like this that I'm glad it only comes once a year.