A PICTORIAL HISTORY OF COMIC-CON The THE NEW AGE OF COMIC-CON Comic-Con1990s moved into the brand-new San Diego Convention Center in 1991, beginning a three- decade period of growth in its new home. Everything old—including nostalgia— seemed new again. COMIC-CON 50 www.comic-con.org 1 OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP: One last look at the Comic-Con Exhibit Hall at CPAC. BOTTOM LEFT: 1990 George Pérez’s 1990 COMIC-CON 21 Souvenir Book con- COMIC-CON 21 tribution salutes the 50th anniversary of Captain America. NOTABLE AUGUST 2–5 BOTTOM RIGHT: Stan Lee seems GUESTS shocked at the Convention and appearance of Performing Arts Spider-Man. Spider- Man is always at Center, Downtown Comic-Con! THIS PAGE, TOP: Attendance: Bill Morrison’s PETER DAVID 13,000 amazing Souvenir Comic book, fiction writer, Book cover evokes Incredible Hulk, Supergirl the “big letter” greetings from Star Trek novels This was Comic-Con’s last year postcards of yore, this time filled with at CPAC, with a new home at a plethora of com- the just-built San Diego Con- ics and animation CARL MACEK ventiion Center on the horizon. characters. To make room for a growing Screenwriter, producer, BOTTOM RIGHT: convention, a food services and Robotech The official Comic- lounge area was set up on the Con T-shirt featured plaza area outside the CPAC Captain America’s buildings. The blood drive 50th anniversary GRANT MORRISON expanded to two days with art by Kevin (Thursday and Friday), with Maguire and Terry Comic book writer, the BloodMobile parked Austin. Doom Patrol, Arkham Asylum outside the center’s lobby BELOW: Hopey by on First Avenue. A welcom- Jaime Hernadez. ing night party was held at the Kingston Hotel (now the JOHN ROMITA JR. Bristol), saluting the 50th an- Comic book artist, niversary of Will Eisner’s The Amazing Spider-Man, X-Men Spirit. The after-banquet par- ty featuring Seduction of the Innocent was prematurely shortened because of noise MARK SCHULTZ complaints from the hotel. In programming, fans got Comic book writer-artist, to hear all about a new TV Xenozoic Tales show, The Simpsons, created by long-time Comic-Con at- tendee and exhibitor Matt Groening. VAN WILLIAMS Actor, The Green Hornet TV series COMIC-CON 50 Captain America TM & © 2019 MARVEL Souvenir Book cover art © 2019 Bill Morrison; characters © respective copyright holders • Captain America TM & © 2019 MARVEL • Love and Rockets art © 2019 Jaime Hernadez COMIC-CON 50 2 2019 Souvenir Book www.comic-con.org 3 OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP: The Archie gang visited Comic-Con for the second time (they also appeared in COMIC-CON1991 22 1989 and would COMIC-CON1991 22 appear again in 2003), and Ve- ronica tells it like it JULY 4–7 is, Archie. NOTABLE MIDDLE: A Mt. GUESTS Rushmore of great San Diego comic creators, Convention circa 1991: (left to right) CLIVE BARKER Center Frank Miller, Neil Gaiman, Bill Sien- Author, movie director, kiewicz, Bernie Books of Blood, Hellraiser Attendance: Wrightson, and 15,000+ Dave Gibbons. BOTTOM LEFT: A DAN DeCARLO beautiful Souvenir Book submission Comic book artist, In February 1991 the Con commit- from Barb Rausch, Archie Comics tee experimented with putting saluting the 50th on a smaller winter comics and SF anniversary of convention, Con/Fusion, with spe- Wonder Woman. cial guests artist Steve Rude (Nex- BOTTOM RIGHT: NEIL GAIMAN us) and SF author Tim Powers. That A different kind of Comic book writer, author, turned out to be the last Comic- “swimsuit edition” THIS PAGE, ABOVE: Artist Bill Stout’s dystopian Souvenir Book cover, patterned Con event held at CPAC. The big as these Marvel after classic ACE science fiction paperbacks (note the logo in the upper left Sandman, American Gods news was Comic-Con’s move to (male) characters corner). the San Diego Convention Cen- welcome attend- ter, using Halls A and B and some ees to the 1991 BELOW: TWO official T-shirts for 1991! Dave Stevens’ The Rocketeer tied into KEITH GIFFEN programming space upstairs. The event. the Disney movie, and Jim Lee’s X-Men was hot, Hot, HOT for Marvel. July 4 weekend made the move Comic book writer-artist, even more special: An Indepen- Legion of Super-Heroes dence Day party was held on the back patio, with a great view of local fireworks. Fans also got to LYNN JOHNSTON see an advance screening of Dave Stevens’ The Rocketeer movie, a Syndicated cartoonist, performance of the play American For Better or For Worse Splendor (based on Harvey Pekar’s comic and starring The Simpsons’ Dan Castellaneta as Pekar), and JIM LEE the first Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards presentation under the Comic book artist, auspices of Comic-Con, with Jack- Marvel Comics, ie Estrada as the awards adminis- X-Men trator, a role she continues in to this day. And Martin Jaquish took over as the Masquerade Coordina- DON MAITZ tor, starting a continuing run in Science fiction & fantasy that position for 28 years. Illustrator COMIC-CON 50 Archie TM & © 2019 Archie Publications, Inc. •Wonder Woman TM & © DC Comics Souvenir Book cover art © 2019 William Stout • Rocketeer TM & © Dave Stevens Estate • X-Men TM & © 2019 MARVEL COMIC-CON 50 4 2019 Souvenir Book Marvel characters TM & © 2019 MARVEL www.comic-con.org 5 OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP LEFT: Jack Kirby’s next-to-last appearance at Comic-Con was marked by the COMIC-CON1992 23 happy occasion of COMIC-CON1992 23 his 75th birthday and tons of special tributes to The King AUGUST 13–16 in the Souvenir NOTABLE Book. GUESTS TOP RIGHT: Dark San Diego Horse Comics and Convention Comic-Con teamed up for this first of FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA Center four issues of San Diego Comic-Con Film writer, director, Comics, given free The Godfather, Dracula Attendance: to attendees. The 22,000 second issue in1993 showcased the first CREIG FLESSEL appearance of Mike Mignola’s Hellboy. Comic book artist, This was the year that standing All-Star Comics, Superboy in line hit full force. Both Image MIDDLE: Kirby and Valiant had burst onto the tributes by (left to right) Bill Stout, scene, and fans waited patient- John Buscema, and BILL GRIFFITH ly for hours to get autographs Will Eisner. from Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane, Underground comix Rob Liefeld et al. Fantagraph- BOTTOM: William writer-artist, Zippy ics threw a party for the 10th Shatner and direc- anniversary of the Hernandez tor Francis Ford Brothers’ Love and Rockets. Dark Coppola made Horse published its first issue Comic-Con appear- TODD McFARLANE ances. of San Diego Comic-Con Comics, Comic book writer-artist, which would be published an- THIS PAGE, TOP: Spawn, Amazing Spider-Man nually through 1995. A highlight Ken Steacy’s cover for many was the 75th birthday featured a kid and party for Jack Kirby, with a rous- his dogs, both in ing speech by Frank Miller. Ban- capes, and the ROWENA ners graced Harbor Drive for magic of make-be- Fantasy book cover the first time, and everyone in lieve combined with the fun of comics. artist-illustrator San Diego saw Comic-Con bus ads. The Comics Art Conference BOTTOM: Lobo was debuted and presented an aca- big in 1992, and he demic look at the medium; it’s proved it with this WILLIAM SHATNER still going strong today at both official Comic-Con Actor, author, Comic-Con and WonderCon, T-shirt! Star Trek: The Original Series and has programs every day of each convention. Phil Foglio began his long run as MC of the Masquerade, which was held at GILBERT SHELTON Symphony Hall. Underground comix writer-artist, Freak Bros. COMIC-CON 50 Kirby tribute art © respective artists • Characters TM & © 2019 MARVEL • SDCC Comics characters © 2019 respective copyright holders Souvenir Book cover art © 2019 Ken Steacy • Lobo TM & © DC Comics COMIC-CON 50 6 2019 Souvenir Book www.comic-con.org 7 OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: John Byrne made an appearance at the Dark Horse COMIC-CON1993 24 Comics booth COMIC-CON1993 24 to promote their new comics line, Legend. NOTABLE AUGUST 19–22 Grrr . Stan Sakai’s Franken- GUESTS Usagi GOOD. San Diego Convention One of Marvel and DC’s greatest MURPHY ANDERSON Center artists, Gene Comic book artist, Colan. Hawkman, The Spectre Attendance: Betty rocks out at 28,000 the Archie Com- ics booth. JIM APARO An official Comic- Comic book artist, Batman, Comic-Con expanded its Exhibit Con membership The Brave and the Bold Hall to fill out the entire ground card. Don’t leave floor of the San Diego Conven- home without it. tion Center (Halls A through C), The main instituting an autograph sign- DANIEL CLOWES entrance to the ing area and plenty of room for Exhibit Hall. Comic book writer-artist, portfolio reviews. DC wowed Eightball, Ghost World everyone with its megabooth DC Comics’ Lobo (dubbed “Wayne’s World” af- invaded Comic- ter DC’s director of sales Bob Con in the one- Wayne). Independent publish- shot Lobo Con- DON MARTIN vention Special by ing was the new thing, with Cartoonist, creator Dave Sim (Cerebus) on Keith Giffen, Alan Grant, and Kevin hand, along with Scott McCloud MAD magazine O’Neill (it didn’t (Zot!), Larry Marder (Tales of end well). the Beanworld), and Jeff Smith (Bone). The Eisner Awards were THIS PAGE TOP: held on Thursday evening, draw- Frank Miller and OLIVIA ing a large crowd that saw Frank Lynn Varley’s Fantasy illustrator Miller and Neil Gaiman garner Souvenir Book the lion’s share of the plaques. cover. The Will Eisner Spirit of Com- BOTTOM: We ics Retailer Award was added doubled down VINCENT SULLIVAN at the urging of Eisner himself, with Miller and Comic book editor, saluting the best comic shops his new creation, in the world and their connec- Sin City, for the of- Action Comics tion between creators, publish- ficial Comic-Con ers and readers.