Marc Nathan
The Baltimore Comic-Con is one of the more popular Comic-Con events of the year and a fan favorite in the comic book community. There are a plethora of A-list guests, retailers, and exhibitors for any type of collector as well as multitudes of activities for all ages to enjoy. It is amazing to hear that the Baltimore Comic-Con once started as a ballroom show and has grown into a three-day mega event housed in four halls of the Baltimore Convention Center. Wow! I am fortunate to know Marc, who also owns a comic book shop, and was happy to catch up. Here is my conversation with Marc Nathan conversation on the status of the Baltimore Comic-Con, his comic book shop, and which Publisher is hot right now. Please enjoy:
Baltimore Comic-Con
Q: I understand last year you celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Baltimore Comic-Con. Congratulations! For those of us who have not been there, tell us a little bit more about the Baltimore Comic-Con and how it was created?
The Baltimore Comic-Con started out as a 1-day show held at the Sheraton Hotel in Towson, MD back in 2000. There was a room full of dealers, a handful of great comic book guests, including Murphy Anderson, Frank Cho, George Perez (who did the program cover), Walter Simonson, Roy Thomas, and Mark Waid, and a few panels throughout the day. The second-year was bigger. The same general format, and then we moved to the Baltimore Convention Center in our 3rd year. It's grown since then to encompass both more space (physically) and time (now running Friday through Sunday). But putting aside the glitz and glamour that comes with the show now, if you look hard, you'll see we're still staging the original show, just on a massively larger scale!
Cards, Comics, and Collectibles
Q: I would be remiss to not bring up and talk about Cards, Comics, and Collectibles comic book store which you also own and operate along with the Con. 2019 marked the 35th anniversary of your comic shop which opened its doors in 1984. Tell us a little bit about the store and how have you endured through the mandatory business closures that local and state governments have implemented?
Day drinking, mostly! Reopening made us stop that and we weren’t happy. But sometimes, we still do it. Actually, we shifted to selling online, we provided curbside service as much as we reasonably could to those customers willing to come out, we mailed products to our customers, we cleaned up the store and took the opportunity to get a little more organized too.
Collectors top Picks
Q: With so much experience in the hobby, give us collectors a temperature check of the current status of the comic book market. What are you seeing collectors looking for? Are you seeing a lot of fire sales by collectors during these dire times? Or are you seeing more buying by collectors?
We haven't seen any fire sales. We thought we would, but we haven’t seen it. Collectors missed getting new comics and really wanted that form of entertainment. And they were anxious to get it again. People really missed Marvel. Right now, we're trying to promote and grow publishers like BOOM Studios, AfterShock Comics, and Image who are all telling good stories that customers can read right out of the blue without needing to understand 25 years of backstory. And it's working. Everything "BOOM!" is hot right now too.
Status of Comic-Cons
Q: I think what is on a lot of people’s minds is the status of the 2020 Baltimore Comic-Con. As you know this is a fan favorite for both comic book collectors and family members from all over the world. Is there anything you can share with us on the status of the Con which is still scheduled for October 23-25, 2020?
As of right now, we have not announced any changes, but the Baltimore Convention Center is currently a COVID testing center, and they are storing hospital beds as well from when they were a COVID hospital center. As of right now, we know that lasts through the end of September. While we are awaiting further guidance from them, government, and healthcare officials, it seems unlikely at this point.
Marc Nathan Contact
Q: Last thing, how can people get a hold of you and/or get more information about the Baltimore Comic-Con? Are you active on social media?
For the Baltimore Comic-Con, you can find more information or contact us through our website (baltimorecomiccon.com), and our social media includes Facebook (fb.com/baltimorecomics), Instagram (@baltimorecomiccon), Twitter (@baltimorecomics), Snapchat (baltcomiccon), and our new YouTube channel (youtube.com/baltimorecomics).
Cards Comics & Collectibles has a website (cardscomicscollectibles.com), and we're on Facebook (fb.com/cccreisterstown/), Instagram (@cards_comics_and_collectibles), and Twitter (@comics_cards)
Thank You!
Thank you, Marc Nathan, for your time and candor in doing this interview. It was great to catch up and hear from you on the history and current status of the Baltimore Comic-Con. It was also fun to see from your eyes on which comic book publishers are hot right now and what you are doing to satisfy comic book collectors in your shop. Thank you for sharing and I (we) look forward to hopefully seeing you in the Comic-Con scene sometime soon! A special thank you to Randy Tischler, who is a member of Baltimore Comic-Con's executive staff, appreciate your help.
Well there you have it ladies and gentlemen. A little bit of a an "unofficial" update for a Con that many of us are thinking about. Especially after the recent news of the New York Comic Con cancelling, we can probably expect other big name cons to follow suit to close out the year and just plan for 2021. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but time will tell.
Please share your thoughts and any comments you have about Baltimore Comic-Con? Do you attend multiple Comic Cons throughout the year? Which ones are your favorite? Which ones do you look forward to attending each year? Do you have any comics from Boom Studios? Please share what is your favorite part about the Baltimore Comic Cons and why do you attend? I would love to hear from you. Until next time comic book junkies.
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