A Pictorial History of Comic-Con
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A PICTORIAL HISTORY OF COMIC-CON THE GOLDEN AGE OF COMIC-CON The 1970s were the formative years of Comic-Con. After finding its home in the El Cortez Hotel in downtown San Diego, the event continued to grow and prosper and build a national following. COMIC-CON 50 www.comic-con.org 1 OPPOSITE PAGE:A flier for the Mini-Con; the program schedule for the event. THIS PAGE: The Program Book featured a pre-printed cover of Balboa Park; photos from the Mini-Con, which were published in the Program Book for the first three-day MINI-CON Comic-Con held in August (clockwise MINI-CON from left): Forry Ackerman speaking; Mike Royer with some of his art; Comic-Con founding committee member Richard Alf NOTABLE MARCH 21, 1970 at his table; Ackerman at a panel discus- sion and with a fan; and Royer sketching GUESTS live on stage. The basement of the U.S. Grant Hotel, Downtown San Diego Attendance: 100+ Officially known as “San Diego’s Golden State Comic-Minicon” (the hyphen in Minicon comes and goes), this one-day event was held in March to raise funds for the big show in August, and FORREST J ACKERMAN was actually the first-ever West Coast comic convention. Most Comic-Con’s first-ever guest was the popular editor of Famous of those on the organizing com- Monsters of Filmland, the favorite mittee were teenagers, with the movie magazine of many of the major exceptions of Shel Dorf (a fans of that era. He paid his own recent transplant from Detroit way and returned to Comic-Con who had organized the Triple numerous times over the years. Fan Fair there) and bookstore owner Ken Krueger. Shel led a comic book fan/collector con- tingency that included Richard Alf (who fronted the funds for the first show), Mike Towry, Bar- ry Alfonso, Bill Lund, and Bob Sourk. Krueger, who had been part of science fiction’s first fan- dom, was mentor to a group of young fans (many from Craw- ford High School in San Diego) that included Greg Bear, Dave Clark, Roger Freedman, John MIKE ROYER Best known as Jack Kirby’s inker Pound, Bill Richardson, and on his Fourth World books for Scott Shaw! (nicknamed “The DC Comics, Mike also worked on Woodchucks” after the group in Tarzan and Star Wars with Russ the Donald Duck comics). Manning. COMIC-CON 50 COMIC-CON 50 2 2019 Souvenir Book www.comic-con.org 3 COMIC-CON 1 COMIC-CON 1 AUGUST 1–3, 1970 NOTABLE GUESTS The basement of RAY BRADBURY the U.S. Grant Hotel, Convinced to waive his usual appear- Downtown San Diego ance fee when told Comic-Con was a nonprofit organization, science fic- tion writer Ray Bradbury became a Attendance: 300 frequent guest at the show for the rest of his life. OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP: Jack Kirby sketches in one of the first “Chalk Called “San Diego’s Golden State Talks” featured at the convention. JACK KIRBY Comic-Con” because organiz- BELOW: A crowd watching one Comic artist supreme Jack “King” ers were afraid people wouldn’t of the programs listed on the Kirby jump-started Comic-Con by know where San Diego was lo- Saturday and Sunday Program allowing Shel Dorf to visit his home cated, this first full-fledged Con schedule. with a group of young comics fans. Kirby, most famous for his work co- contained all the classic Comic- THIS PAGE ABOVE AND BELOW: creating the Marvel Universe, would Con elements: big-name guests Kirby’s cover for the 1970 Souve- attend every Comic-Con (except for from comics and SF/fantasy, nir Book. The digest-sized booklet one) until his death in 1994. programs, an Exhibit Hall (called also featured exclusive art by vari- the “Hucksters Room”) with ous artists, including the Fantastic collectible comics and movie Four by John Romita (below left), Scott Shaw!’s R. Crumb tribute A. E. VAN VOGT memorabilia, an Art Show, a (below middle), and Wee Pals by Alton Elton van Vogt was one of “Chalk Talk” (including Jack Kir- Morrie Turner (below right), the most popular and influential by and editorial cartoonist Bob authors of the Golden Age of sci- RIGHT: Author Ray Bradbury in Stevens), a charity art auction, ence fiction. When he made his ap- movie screenings (including the first of many Comic-Con ap- pearances until his death in 2012. pearance at Comic-Con in 1970, his Flash Gordon serials), and a Sou- books included Slan, Empire of the venir Book, which also featured Atom, the Isher series, and the Null- the event’s program. In other A series. words, it set the mold for just about every other convention to follow. Attendees included such pros as Mark Hanerfeld (from DC Comics), Mark Evanier, and William Stout. The chairman was Ken Krueger, aided and abetted by Richard Alf, “founder and ad- visor” Shel Dorf, John Hull, and Scott Shaw! Tickets cost $3.50 for all three days; hotel rooms cost $12.00 for singles, $15.00 for double occupancy. COMIC-CON 50 Souvenir Book cover art © Jack Kirby Estate • Fantastic Four TM & © 2018 MARVEL COMIC-CON 50 4 2019 Souvenir Book Wee Pals © 2019 Creators Syndicate, Inc. • Autographs art © 2019 Scott Shaw! www.comic-con.org 5 THIS PAGE, TOP: Jack Kirby immortalizes six of Comic-Con’s founding committee members in the pages of Jimmy Olsen, and with this sketch in COMIC-CON 2 the 1972 Souvenir Book: COMIC-CON 2 Bill Lund, Scott Shaw!, Roger Freedman, Mike Towry, John Pound, and AUGUST 6–8, 1971 Barry Alfonso. NOTABLE BELOW, LEFT: A poster GUESTS advertising the 1971 Muir College event. University of California, BELOW RIGHT AND OPPOSITE PAGE San Diego in La Jolla BOTTOM: The first KIRK ALYN two cartoons Sergio The first (and only) actor to por- Aragonés contributed to tray Superman, Clark Kent, and Attendance: Comic-Con publications. Blackhawk in the serials, Alyn was About 800 OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP: at Comic-Con in 1971 to promote Carmine Infantino’s 1971 his memoir, A Job for Superman! He Souvenir Book cover, would return in 1976. featuring DC Comics Still called “San Diego’s Gold- characters. en State Comic-Con, 1971 LEIGH BRACKETT was the only time the event was held on a college cam- Known as the “Queen of Space Op- pus. Out-of-town attendees era,” Brackett was also a screenwrit- slept in dorm rooms at Muir er, with movie credits as diverse as College, UCSD in La Jolla, the 1946 adaptation of Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep, and the at a rate of $3.50 for single first draft of Star Wars: The Empire rooms and $6.00 for doubles. Strikes Back. The convention chair was Richard Alf. The attendee list featured future pros such as Rare photos from the Dealers’ Room, taken by John Clark, Bruce Hamilton, exhibitor Lee Roberts; at left, his 1971 badge. Steve Leialoha, Fred Patten, (Don’t try sneaking in with this badge next year!) and Bill Wray. In addition to the notable first-time guests listed on the next page, Forry Ackerman, Ray Bradbury, and Jack Kirby returned. Milt Gray and Bob Konikow showed Comic-Con co-chairman Ken Krueger (left) two special reels of Warner with special guest Edmond Hamilton. Brothers cartoons, a popu- lar presentation that was re- EDMOND HAMILTON peated in succeeding years The husband of writer Leigh Brack- and which evolved into the ett, Hamilton was one of the great feature film Bugs Bunny, Su- writers of the Golden Age of Sci- perstar. The Con continued to ence Fiction. His books included the add new features: This year it Captain Future, Star Kings, and Star was a juried Art Show, which Wolf series. He also wrote comics continues to this day. and contributed many memorable Superman and Batman stories from the 1940s into the mid-1960s. COMIC-CON 50 Darkseid (opposite page, top) TM & © DC Comics • Characters on 1971 cover (this page, top) and Aragonés cartoon (bottom) TM & © DC Comics COMIC-CON 50 6 2019 Souvenir Book www.comic-con.org 7 LEFT: The 1972 Comic-Con logo; now called “San Diego’s West Coast Comic-Con.” COMIC-CON 3 BELOW LEFT: COMIC-CON 3 A 1970s badge. BELOW RIGHT: Superman sketch by Curt NOTABLE AUGUST 18–20 Swan, the dean of Super- man artists. GUESTS El Cortez Hotel Downtown San Diego BOB CLAMPETT Attendance: Artist/animator, Over 900 Looney Tunes, The Beany and Cecil Show Now called “San Diego’s West Coast Comic-Con,” the show was HARRY HARRISON held for the first time at the El Science fiction author, Cortez Hotel in downtown San Stainless Steel Rat series, Diego, which would become Bill the Galactic Hero one of the most-loved venues for the event in its 50-year history. The room rate was $13 single/$16 double. Convention KATHERINE KURTZ memberships were $2.50/day Fantasy author, and $5.00 for all three days. The the Deryni novels, convention co-chairs were Rich- Legends of Camber of ard Alf and Mike Towry. Anima- Culdi series tor Bob Clampett (Bugs Bunny, The Beany and Cecil Show) came out of retirement to meet fans for the first time, and came MELL LAZARUS back in subsequent years. The Syndicated cartoonist, Souvenir Book was filled with Miss Peach, drawings from such fan favorite Momma artists as Carl Barks, C. C. Beck, Steve Ditko, Will Eisner, Frank Frazetta, Charles Schulz, Curt Swan, and Alex Toth. TOP: Jack Kirby’s cover for the 1972 Souvenir Book showcased his new books for DC Com- ics: Kamandi, The Last Boy on Earth and The Demon.