Baltimore Comic-Con stays true to its roots

Fresh off an Emmy Award win, comics artist Dean Haspiel isn't one to hold Hollywood at arm's length. He has, however, given San Diego Comic-Con, and all its studio-entertainment hoopla, the cold shoulder. Haspiel, it seems, is more charmed by Baltimore.

"Baltimore Comic-Con is one of the last big shows that still celebrates comic books and its creators," says Haspiel, who won an Emmy for HBO's "Bored to Death." "I stopped going to San Diego Comic-Con when it became too difficult to navigate . . . and the majority of the show became less about comic books and more about big entertainment."

Among comics professionals, Haspiel has plenty of company. The 11th annual Baltimore Comic-Con, which fills the Baltimore Convention Center this weekend, draws cartoonists and exhibitors and fans who still care primarily about comic book publishing.

"Baltimore is still first and foremost a comic-book event," says Tom Brevoort, executive editor at Marvel Comics. San Diego is "not really a comic-book-focused event. . . . But Baltimore [is about] comics: the books, the art form, the people who make them."

While San Diego's 41-year-old convention suffers from a certain middle-age sprawl -- drawing 125,000-plus people over four days -- Baltimore is a lean tween of an event, drawing some 15,000 fans. Marc Nathan, Baltimore Comic-Con's organizer, says maintaining his event's narrower focus hasn't been difficult: "We just tell folks that are not all about comics and art that this is not the convention for them."

Comics legend/historian Jerry Robinson supports that sentiment: "Baltimore is refreshing because it does focus on artists and creators and the genre." " And "PvP" creator Scott Kurtz, who emcees the event's Harvey Awards, acknowledges the convention's necessary growth, but says: "The staff still knows and cares for all their guests. "

Cartoonist Frank Cho, who's attended every Baltimore 'Con, appreciates that intimacy, saying that it's "just the right size, with the right amount of people who still get a kick out of comics. It's still a very personal show."

Baltimore Comic-Con

Baltimore Convention Center, 1 W. Pratt St. $18 Saturday, $15 Sunday, $28 two-day pass; kids free. Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Visit http://comiccon.com/baltimore.