Comic book characters invade Baltimore during convention

By Natalie Bland
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer

Punk Taco may not be as well-known as Spiderman, Wonder Woman or the Flash, but that isn’t stopping the super hero from saving the world from destruction.

The brainchild of Adam Wallenta and his 7-year-old son Makana, Punk Taco is a comic book character who travels the universe fighting against intolerance, bullies, tyrants and injustice wherever it can be found.

“It’s been really special for me … being able to work with my son and work on a project that we enjoy together,” said Adam Wallenta, a Connecticut resident and freelance artist who was one of an estimated 500 vendors, illustrators, writers and comic book enthusiasts attending the Baltimore Comic Con this weekend.

The father-son team came up with the idea for Punk Taco about two years ago over a conversation about Legos. It developed into a graphic novel that was funded through a Kickstarter campaign. A second volume is scheduled to come out next year.

During the comic book convention on Sunday, the Wallenta’s had the novel, pins and stickers on hand for anyone who wanted to get in on the action.

This is the 19^th year for the Baltmore Comic Con, which ran from Friday to Sunday at the Baltimore Convention Center. Participants could compete in the best-costume contest, attend sessions with comic book creators, or walk through the exhibit hall that featured comic books, artists, retailors and other guests.

The showroom had tables decked out with artwork, books, posters, and T-shirts. Enthusiastic fans were dressed head-to-toe in their favorite characters.

“We’re a family friendly destination,” said Brad Tree, the director of operations for Baltimore Comic Con, which is put on in conjunction with Cards, Comics, and Collections, a local comic book store in Reisterstown that has a selection of comics dating back to the 1940’s along with other collectibles.

Tree said the convention was expected to bring 40,000 people to Baltimore over the weekend.

Alex Jefferies and his 2-year-old daughter were part of the crowd, showing off their love of Star Wars.

“We’re dressed up as Star Wars because that’s always been a family tradition for us,” said Jefferies, who is from Virginia. the family was wearing matching Jedi costumes until his daughter later changed into an Ewok costume.

The costumes were also in high demand and a definite center of attention.

“For me, when we dress up, I like to interact with the kids and get their reactions and get their hugs and kisses,” said Geninne John-Crosland, who along with her husband Harry were dressed up in Black Panther costumes.

Baltimore resident Sarah Coser was dressed up as a warrior from Black Panther while her 12-year-old son Wyatt depicted Ant Man – a costume he created himself from cardboard and duct tape.

“We both like the costuming,” Coser said.

For those who don’t dress up, there was plenty of admiration for the cosplay all around them.

“I really like the creativity that people put into their costumes, I think it’s amazing,” said S. Usher Evans, an author who came up from Florida to be a vendor at the convention. She had a variety of books, including Double Life, The Island, Resurgence, and Spells and Sorcery, her female take on Harry Potter.

“I make handmade plushies and a little bit of digital art and we recently got into 3-D printing, so it’s very exciting,” said Baltimore artist Diana Abrahams. Her art included plush dogs, owls, and narwhals and she’s started to 3-D print animal figures. She also had buttons and prints to choose from.

“It’s local, the people are super friendly, it’s run by really awesome, really nice people and it attracts a wide variety of really nice guests and vendors,” Abrahams said.

According to vendors and fans, Baltimore Comic Con provides a community for fellow nerds.

“I love seeing all the costumes and stuff and being able to talk to fellow nerdy people—it’s awesome,” Penpen said.

“Seeing how together everyone is—it’s this really neat little niche of people where you’re not really judged,” said Carrie Browne, a vendor selling handmade jewelry. “We’re all nerds and it’s like one big family, it’s just great.”

The showroom encompassed hundreds of booths and fans at once. Among the masses, fans can still pick out what they enjoy most.

“My favorite part is seeing other people’s passion and I love meeting the illustrators and also the authors,” Sarah Coser said.

“I hope it keeps getting bigger and bigger. It’s a really awesome event and I love it,” Perpen added.