The 2015 edition of the Baltimore Comic Con hit my dear Charm City this weekend, and with a press pass in hand, I made it to one of the country’s best, pure comics shows going today.

Here are my thoughts from the show floor.

Fridays Are Working

Last year, for the first time in its existence, Baltimore Comic Con officially expanded to a three day format. Typical for anime conventions, but not so typical for comics shows, the decision was met with some skepticism by attendees and vendors alike. The relative slowness of that first ever Friday seemed to point to the skeptics being correct.

At the 2015 edition, however, a tide seemed to turn, as attendance appeared to have grown year over year on Friday (at least from the vendors and staffers I was able to speak to), as did sales, for those who made the effort of being available the extra day. It will be interesting to see if the growth pattern continues in 2016. Saturday will always be the “peak" day for a convention, but I’ve seen some shows have Fridays which eclipse their Sundays, which would be impressive for Baltimore Comic Con.

The Resurgence of Artist’s Alley

One of the parts that didn’t seem to work in the 2014 edition of Baltimore Comic-Con was the Artist’s Alley section, which seemed under-trafficked, confusing in layout, and unsatisfying to its vendors. I’m pleased to say that the 2015 edition appeared to reverse this trend. The foot traffic within Artist’s Alley was frantic, with the isles filled with attendees checking out creative works from artists of all levels. Word from the majority of artists I spoke with was that 2015 was consistent with prior years for sales, if not improved, and hopefully the greater exposure to the attendees will result in a more healthy Artist Alley moving forward. It was really great to see - and props to the particularly ambitious woman who decided to buy an Artist’s Alley booth to serve as her Avon sales booth!

About The Vendors

The comic book vendors have always been the life-blood of comic shows, and Baltimore Comic Con was no different. And based on the majority of foot traffic being centralized to these vendors, clearly, that’s what people are there for. But - I do have my nit to pick.

I cannot keep count of the number of vendors designed the exact same way, with the exact same product, with zero signage or unique layout to differentiate them. You have your wall of “key issues" at premium prices, your long boxes, your wall of Funko POP! Vinyls, your stacks of key trades, and your cheap trades, made up of the titles Diamond Distributors clearanced out that year. And the layout and selection is almost universally the same.

As an attendee, this isn’t entirely awful, as you know that if you are looking for one thing, and someone snaps it up, you can just go to another booth and find it. But on the whole, this leaves the majority of the show floor feeling repetitive and same-y. And given that many of the booths don’t do the best job of pushing their shop’s signage, it becomes hard to recommend a particular vendor.

This isn’t true of all vendors, of course - stores such as Captain Chuck’s Comics and Third Eye Comics did a strong job of making their booths stand out, but they’re just a handful of the whole.

I’m reminded of one of the most effective booths I’ve ever seen. At Awesome Con in Washington, DC, Fantom Comics had a simple, minimalist booth. They had a banner, and they had a smaller selection of trades…but they were books that the staff on hand loved, believed in, could talk up, and immediately sell you on. It was great - as opposed to the hunt and peck process of an average comic booth, I wanted to engage with the staff and learn (and buy) more.

Maybe I’m a unique attendee in that regard, but I feel like a more streamlined and focused experience could result in greater returns for these vendors…and make me more likely to remember them and return to them in future years, as opposed to having them get lost in the hive.

The Most Polite Attendees In The World

Going to a lot of anime conventions with my side-gig at Super Art Fight, you get used to a certain type of convention goer. Anime conventions skew younger, so you get a lot of teenage angst from its attendees. At comic shows, the audience skews a bit older, which actually results in an easier, more accessible experience for attendees. I was particularly surprised to see how self-policing the sections with the comic guests were. Fans got arranged into queues around booths, and if new people joined, they quickly acclimated to the “law of the land". It was refreshing and nice to be a part of.

The Bottom Line: A Great Goddamned Comics Show

While I was the first to admit that the 2014 edition of Baltimore Comic Con needed some work, the 2015 edition showed that the efforts by the convention paid off. The shift to three days was successful, and given the special place in the heart of the industry the convention has (a major retailers event occurs in the days leading up to the show, and Saturday night hosts the Harvey Awards), I think the convention will continue to grow as one of the best “pure" comics shows going today.

While you can probably do the entire show floor and have a good time in one day, it’s a heck of a day for a fan of 4-color adventures, and I give it a strong recommendation. Baltimore Comic Con 2016 is set for September 2—4 of next year.

DISCLOSURE: I was provided a press badge for my coverage of this event.