San Diego’s Comic-Con International

Bill Lund recently sent me a couple of audio recordings of television interviews that were done for the 1974 Comic-Con. The recordings were supplied to him by Jean Graham, who at the time was known as Jeannie Peacock. (Jean was a key person in 1970’s San Diego Star Trek fandom, which contributed a lot of help and enthusiasm to the Comic-Cons of those days.) The 1974 Comic-Con was held July 31 – August 5, 1974.

Comic-Con Founder Shel Dorf and Chairman of Comic-Con #1 Ken Krueger will be honored at Comic-Con this year. Shel and Ken, who were friends and mutual admirers, both passed away in November 2009. They are truly missed and will be long remembered. In tribute to them, Comic-Con will be presenting the following two panels this year:

Here’s the fourth batch of scans from Shel Dorf’s negatives from the 1974 San Diego Comic-Con, which was held at the El Cortez Hotel with Bill Lund as Chairman. Guests, fans, and committee members pictured include Charles Schulz, Ray Bradbury, Dave Stevens, Frank Brunner, Mike Friedrich, Don Glut, Tom Orzechowski, Barry Alfonso, Shel Dorf, Igor Goldkind, John McGeehan, and Bill Schanes.

Comics and collectible dealer Robert Beerbohm (who has been to every San Diego Comic-Con since the first annual event in August 1970) has sent in the following update to his personal history of his life in comics fandom. (The full article may be read here.)

Here’s the third batch of scans from Shel Dorf’s negatives from the 1974 San Diego Comic-Con, which was held at the El Cortez Hotel with Bill Lund as Chairman. (I received the negatives from Shel’s friend and cartooning partner Charlie Roberts. There are over two hundred pictures so I’m going to post them periodically in batches. (You can see the first two batches here and here. Guests, fans, and committee members pictured include Kirk Alyn, Ray Bradbury, Shel Dorf, Ken Krueger, Bjo Trimble, Chairman Bill Lund, Richard Butner, Ed Nizyborski, William Crawford, Bill Schanes, and Eric Hoffman.

Here’s the second batch of scans from Shel Dorf’s negatives from the 1974 San Diego Comic-Con, which was held at the El Cortez Hotel with Bill Lund as Chairman. Guests, fans, and committee members pictured include Forry Ackerman, Kirk Alyn, Frank Capra, Mike Friedrich, Jack Kirby, Russ Manning, Roy Thomas, Danton Burroughs, Camille “Caz” Cazedessus, Barry Alfonso, Igor Goldkind, and Eric Hoffman.

Here’s the first batch of scans from Shel Dorf’s negatives from the 1974 San Diego Comic-Con, which was held at the El Cortez Hotel with Bill Lund as Chairman. (I received the negatives from Shel’s friend and cartooning partner Charlie Roberts. The first two negatives – which are of Shelf Dorf, action hero – were in poor condition but the rest were in good shape.) There are over two hundred pictures so I’m going to post them periodically in batches. Professional guests pictured include Brad Anderson, Russ Manning, and Roy Thomas. Comic-Con committee members pictured include Barry Alfonso, Shel Dorf, and Igor Goldkind.

Alan Scrivener has recently posted online a history of the early days of San Diego Tolkien fandom, particularly the San Diego branch of the Mythopoeic Society known as the Society of the Friends of Hobbits. Alan’s article is titled “Ron Cearns and the Society of Friends of Hobbits (S.O.F.O.H.) OR On the Prehistory of Comic-Con in the Grossmont High School Tolkien Club and Some Other Related Notes.” You can read it at http://www.well.com/user/abs/SOFOH/sofoh.html.

I was nineteen and I had a date with The Devil. His name had been on the evening news throughout the 1960’s. His philosophy fit on a lapel button: “Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out.” He was infamous – he was notorious. He was Dr. Timothy Leary, a former college professor and psychedelic guru speaking at student protests, marching to his unique beat. It was Comic-Con 1976.

In 1969, San Diego comics fan Barry Alfonso and comics dealer Richard Alf placed the ads that led to the creation and early success of Comic-Con.