Redartz: Greetings and salutations to all! The other day I was researching topics for a post, and happened to discover a reference I missed. Awhile back (actually, over a year ago) we had a post discussing our first visit to a comic book shop. In that post I mentioned my first comic convention, and added that it would be the subject of some future post. Lo and behold, that later post never occurred. That is, until today. You now will be regaled with the story of my first comic con (and as your reward for sticking with me this long, you get to follow up with your experiences). And now, to the story...
It was about six months after I first started collecting (and obsessing over) comics. It was 8th. Grade; it was my best comics friend and me, it was a big weekend. And the big weekend actually started on Friday night- our school had scheduled a sock hop; and it was my first dance as well (a whole weekend of firsts). And at that dance, I actually danced with a girl for the first time (to "Express", by B. T. Express, in case you were wondering). Although my dancing left much to be desired, I was having fun. And the fun continued after the dance, when I went over to my pal's house for the night to prepare for the next day's event (his Mom was kind enough to drive us). That evening was filled with enthusiastic talk about comics, girls, school, dancing, girls, comics, and girls.
Come Saturday morning, it was off to the comic convention. It was the first ever for our modest sized town, and was sponsored by our local comic book shop. When I walked into that convention room, it was like the experience upon first encountering a comic shop: I was dumbstruck. Dozens of dealers, displaying literally thousands of comics of all types and eras. And the prices! It must have been the effect of competition among the dealers, but the books were priced lower than I'd expected.
There were actual Golden Age comics, Superman from the 1940's! There were EC comics, Western comics, early Marvels from before the 'Marvel age' even began. There were even some examples of original art- I was amazed to look upon the actual drawn page from which a comic was reproduced. There were toys and comic-oriented memorabilia. Who would have thought so much cool stuff could be derived from the pages of four color newsprint?
It took a great deal of self-control not to simply run to the first table and start grabbing books. I forced myself to look the whole place over, and select some tables to revisit. I noted several books I wanted, and methodically went back and picked most of them up. The biggest treasure I bought that day was Amazing Spider-Man 19; the first Ditko issue I'd purchased to that time. And it was acquired for the total of 5 dollars; a great deal in my eyes- and it was in such beautiful condition. Like new...
After several hours of looking, buying, admiring and gawking, we went home with stacks of books and hours of reading to look forward to. In fact, most of the next day was spent doing just that. Looking back now, I realize it was a pretty humble show; a couple dozen dealers and no pro guests. It was only later, at a bigger convention in the sprawling city of Indianapolis, that I first got to meet some of the artists and writers responsible for all those great comics. And a few years after that, the mammoth Chicago Comic Con raised the stakes even higher. Nevertheless, that first small town convention will always remain a treasured First, safely bagged and boarded in my memory.
Okay, as you've been kind enough to sit patiently while I reminisced, I'll give you the same courtesy. Tell us the stories of your first Con; and if you've never been to one, describe what you'd like to see and do at one...
16 comments:
I went to my first NY Comic Convention (now ComiCon) in 1978 at the Hotel Pennsylvania across from Penn Station. It was mostly just rows and rows of boxes on tables. I did get some nice older books but other than a panel or two it was a mostly boring affair. Didn't go again as a kid.
My buddy asked me to go to ComiCon last year. Why not, I thought, its been 40 years since my last one. Comics have very little to do with it anymore. Huge amount of Cosplaying, toys (kinda embarrassing actually), movie tie-ins, collectibles and very few comics for sale. It was a trip, but entirely too many weirdos.
Yoyo
It was the summer of '77. My Dad took me and my neighbor, and fellow comic collector friend, about 25 miles out to a convention at a mall.
Like Redartz, I was awe struck. Never seen so many comics in one place (no comic stores were around me at that time).
I remember getting back issues that I missed from a year or two earlier. Or issues that came out just before I started collecting. There was one and only one comic I remember in particular, Daredevil #6. I had always wanted a comic of him in his red and yellow outfit and this was the last issue with it. I spent $7 on that mag and believe me that was a LOT of money for me. It was in near mint condition and I treasured it for as long as I had it.
I haven't been to a con since, partly for some of the things Yoyo pointed out.
I've never been to a ComicCon (though I did go to a few D&D conventions back in the 80s); I'm not too comfortable in crowds, so if I ever get around to checking out a Con, it'll probably be one of the smaller ones ... I think San Diego would put me right over the edge!
First con was in Chicago at Pick Congress hotel around 17 years old in 1978.
Drove there, parked on the street, Sunday morning, drizzly as I recall.
Two floors of comic boxes. Not sure if any guests were there. Absolutely loved it since this was pre-internet and had NO idea what the covers to anything looked like that I had not seen on a spinner.
Bought Golden Age Plastic Man and Human Torch and Blackhawk. I got scr*wed on the Blackhawk since panel was cut out. That's how I learned to OPEN THE BAG! The comics were around $10 each so it was a princely sum to this kid.
Also bought B&W stills which I had never seen before like from Casablanca, Hard Day's Night for like $1 each. Those are NOT for sale anymore from what I can tell probably they are copyright violations.
I really wanted to see comics and I saw them! I didn't care a nit about "guests."
I would concur with YoYo and others that, as we moved into the 1990s and 2000s there were a lot of attendees who appeared that they would have trouble fitting into the general population, lol.
Just went to CHicago Wizard Con two weeks ago. Rather a drab affair. Shan't go anymore. Truth is that with the internet the books don't leave me awestruck anymore, even that $850,000 issue of something or another on sale didn't light me up.
Nice question Red!
As an aside, the Pick Congress Hotel is where the beastly "Devil in the White City" trolled for his young female victims during the Columbian Exposition 120 years ago.
Queen Elizabeth also stayed there and they used a helicopter to lift her pre-fabricated suite onto the rooftop around 60 years ago.
How is that for triva?
That and $.10 will get you a cup of coffee, aye?
Yoyo and Killraven- yes, it seems many (especially larger) cons these days are more 'Pop culture conventions' than comic conventions. Some of the smaller, local shows are still pretty good opportunities for comic fans. I try to hit a con each year, some of the better ones I've attended were Motor City in Detroit, Gem City in Dayton, OH and the Cincinnati Comic Expo. All had numerous pro guests from the Bronze age, and it is a blessing to be able to meet them, and thank them for their works...
Mike W- I agree, San Diego would be waaaay too much for this humble soul. I think you might enjoy one of those smaller shows, though. Let me know if you ever make it down to the Ohio valley; I'll try to find you a good one...
Charlie- The Chicago Comic Con was great! I was there in 79, 80 and 81. Some of the best items in my former collection originated there. I still have one page of original art purchased at the 80 show. And the Pick Congress was cool, especially to a couple college students running wild at a con. Oh, and that bites about your Blackhawk book. That's a lesson I learned the hard way, too.
My first convention was summer 1980, at a hotel in Richmond, VA that's no longer standing:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/edge_and_corner_wear/15761232425
No guests, just comics, and like others said, it was exciting to look up and see lots of famous Golden and Silver Age issues in person, felt like going to a museum.
I attended a couple Wizard World conventions (or "cons," as the kids call them). Very different and much, much MUCH bigger than I expected. It was fun though, we got to see a joint appearance by Dave Batista and Michael Rooker of 'Guardians' fame, they were funny. And I got to meet Marv Wolfman, Michael Golden and Danny Fingeroth, who were all friendly.
It was a good time, but after a few hours it got to be exhausting. Just too damn crowded and lots of guests that had nothing to do with comics or comic book movies for that matter.
If I was going to a con, I'd go to the Baltimore Comic Con, because they make a point of focusing on comics and comic creators instead of movies and TV. This guest list includes a few Bronze Age creators:
http://baltimorecomiccon.com/guests/
Now I'll have to google "sock hop" :)
My first conventions were the Houston Con in the summers of 1981-1983. I was interning with the Texas Department of Transportation, down from Missouri as a civil engineering student. Since I read the Comics Buyers Guide every week, I noticed that the Con would be a little over an hour's drive away, so decided to splurge for a weekend admission.
The crowds were a nice size, but didn't seem overwhelming to me. The comics and original art were great to peruse, but it was the guests that amazed me! While flipping through some comics boxes, I noticed that the 'fan' next to me was Star Trek's Walter Koenig, just pouring through the boxes to fill in his own collection gaps. We had a nice conversation without anyone interrupting.
This was also the year of the release of Ray Harryhausen's Clash of the Titans, so I was amazed to find him at a booth in the corner with very few fans around, so I got to visit with this special effects genius for at least a half hour. Fascinating man who was so nice to speak with.
I also got to meet Jack Kirby, who was also very nice to this young fan of the Fantastic Four, even though he spoke bitterly about Marvel, as this was during the time after leaving Marvel again and doing Captain Victory and the Galactic Rangers for Pacific Comics. He still very graciously did a quick sketch in my program of my favorite character, The Thing.
As a 20 year old, I nervously met Caroline Munro, who enchanted in 1973's Golden Voyage of Sinbad and as a Bond Girl in 1977's The Spy Who Loved Me. I probably was barely able to stammer out a 'thanks for all your movies' as she signed a photo for me!
I'm sure there were many other comics and entertainment celebrities - Tom Batiuk of Funky Winkerbean and some more Star Trek stars - but the ones I've mentioned were the highlights of my first Con.
I was pretty used to getting good comics deals in local comics shops and through CBG, so I don't know that I bought too many issues. I did buy a piece of John Buscema original artwork from Savage Sword of Conan for $20, which I still own.
I know I spent a lot of time in the Q&A sessions and in the viewing rooms seeing hard-to-find (pre-VHS days for me) movie and TV shows into the wee hours.
All-in-all, it was a terrific experience.
As for Wizard Cons of today, I quit paying to attend these and started volunteering, both in Chicago and in St. Louis. For 4 hours a day for at least 2 days, I get to help the celebrities and not pay or stand in line. I've had a blast doing this for about 5 years now.
Radartz - Wait… let me get this straight… you were a comic book nerd AND you got to touch a girl in eighth grade?? Wow! I thought guys like you were only a myth. ;-)
But onto my first convention story. I didn't attend my first comic convention until I was 19 (or maybe 20). It was at a hotel in Fort Lauderdale in 1985. I too was overwhelmed by all of the amazing delights there were to see all around me.
It was actually a pretty decent sized con. There were even rooms for presentations and such. I sat in on one talk about drawing and cartooning by one of the artists who drew Richie Rich at the time (can't recall his name). But it was extremely interesting and informative.
During that time I was in the middle of trying to amass a complete collection of Amazing Spider-Man, and I found a really nice copy of ASM #10 at one of the dealer tables, and I got it for $8.00. (Ahh, those were the days).
There were also several high-profile comic creators there as well. One that I spoke to was artist Bob McLeod, and one of the pieces he had with him was the original inked splash page from Amazing Spider-Man #367 "The Commuter Cometh!". The page features Spidey in his black costume clinging/squatting on the side of a building with the Human Torch flying around in the background. My mind was totally blown by that page of art. Before then, I never realized how incredibly clean and detailed comic art was in it's original, unprinted form. That page really left a lasting impression on me.
Sitting next to McLeod was Marty Nodel (the creator of the Green Lantern) - and his wife. I saw the stuff he had on the table around him (1940's GL art) and I saw that he was an older gentlemen and I said "Oh wow, are you the one who invented the Green Lantern?" and he said "Yes, but we don't call it 'invented', we say 'created' or 'originated'." Now, that doesn't sound too bad, but he said it in a way that was more than just a little bit condescending. At least that is how I saw it at the time.
On a side note: Several years later (around 1998) Marty Nodel (and his wife) came into a print-shop I was working at in West Palm Beach. They were on their way up to Mega-Con in Orlando, and needed some color copies of some artwork for Marty so sign and sell. I told them how I had met them once before, and we had a good laugh about it. They turned out to be very nice people, and they gave me a signed copy of one of the Golden Age GL pieces (which I still have). I saw them both again a couple of years later when I attended my first Mega-Con, and we had another nice conversation.
Colin J- perhaps I can save you a search. Sock hops are school dances, held in the gymnasium. You have to take your shoes off so the gym floor isn't damaged by "street shoes". So you end up dancing in your socks, hence the name!
William: Cool ... I always loved the "Commuter" story; I think that was one of my first glimpses at Peter David's writing (and his wacky sense of humour) and I've been a fan ever since.
Hmm, late to this party.
I've never been to an actual con in the US. One of my big regrets now is that when I lived in the SF Bay area in California in the late '80s and very early '90s, I never went to any of the comics or Star Trek conventions that must have been held there occasionally. I think that would have been the best time: I would have been old enough to appreciate them and at that time cons weren't the big, crowded mass media events they are today.
As it is, the only comics convention I've been to is Zagreb's annual comics show - it's actually now being called the Zagreb Comicon, but it's still a pretty small affair, which is nice. I did a write-up about it for the Atomic Junk Shop a few months ago. I've been going to that every year since 2010 (when Howard Chaykin was one of the guests).
Disneymarvel- that Houston Con sounds incredible. The opportunity to meet Kirby alone would make it an unforgettable experience. And speaking of experiences, I'd bet you have some interesting tales from your time volunteering at cons...
William- great stories! Those meetings with the Pro's make excellent memories,and excellent stories.
My first comics-related cons were both last year.
In January 2017 I went to the Black Comic Books Festival at the Schoemburg Center in Harlem. It is a small space and thus was deathly crowded. I didn't buy much, some prints and a t-shirt, but got to hear folks like Trevor Von Eeden and Daryl "DMC" McDaniels talk. I also got to talk to one of my current favorite comics writers and thinkers, Ron Wimberly, who did Prince of Cats and the very much talked about "Lighten Up" about his experiences at Marvel. I also talked with Keith Knight of The K Chronicles - who I had met and got to hear speak before.
In October of 2017 I went to NYCC for the first time. It was the first day so not as crowded as it would get, but still beyond the degree of crowded that matches my comfort. I only went because I wanted to see one of my favorite podcasts - Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men - record a live episode that included special guests Chris Claremont and Louise Simonson! It was great. The added bonus was getting to spend the afternoon before the event trolling long boxes. I know people complain that there aren't many back issue vendors anymore, but there were plenty enough for me - esp. since I am not looking for expensive books, but spent my time with one and two dollar boxes and at most paid five bucks for a single issue. Normally, I would factor in the price of the one-day ticket in getting back issues ($45!) but since I was willing to pay that to see Jay & Miles regardless of the opportunity to buy comics I didn't. I think all told I spent about 80 bucks on comics.
I doubt I will ever go to NYCC again, but I am considering going to Steel City Comic Con in the next year or so. I spend a lot of time in Pittsburgh and a three-day pass there is about the same price as a one day pass at NYCC - making the cheap back issues worth it.
As for all the other stuff going on, I have no interest in the video game stuff or the movie/tv previews or panels with current creators. I am not even interested in getting stuff signed or getting pix with celebrities. I do admire the cosplay, though I would never do it myself. It takes deep engagement with the characters and a lot of creativity and work to make those costumes and I can't help but be in awe of it.
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