retro-the-best....: [New post] What IS a Comic Con?

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

[New post] What IS a Comic Con?

What IS a Comic Con?

dailypop | July 20, 2011 at 3:41 pm | Tags: san diego comic convention, sdcc | Categories: comic books | URL: http://wp.me/p4kUt-2R9

The San Diego International Comic Con has begun with a parade of Stormtroopers, superheroes, pirates and vampires announcing its arrival. The SDCC has become a venue for video game developers, TV channels and feature film premiers. It has been argued that the comics have become a forgotten part of the event, but wasn't that the intention all along?

In 1974, 'It's a Wonderful Life' director Frank Capra chaired the San Diego Comic-Con that hosted such luminaries as cult icon Forry Ackerman, animator Bob Clampett, and cartoonist Charles Schulz. Founded by Shel Dorf, the Comic Con was a celebration of various media, not just comic books.

Shel joined Brosch and Jerry Bails and Ed Aprill and a few others, mostly students like Carl Lundgren who was co-chair, to start arranging for what Shel christened the "Detroit Triple Fan Fair" -- for fantasy literature, films, and comic art -- which was held July 24–25, 1965, at the Embassy Hotel on Cadillac Square downtown in Detroit. In the program booklet, Shel appears as "chairman," saying, in a Statement of Principles, that "by establishing this convention, we hope to bring together people" with an interest in preserving rare material and to foster "the appreciation of Comic Strips, Films, and Fantasy Literature as genuine Art Forms." Furthermore, "we hope to draw a close bond between the creative artist and his audience."
(More about Shel Dorf here)

(lots of amazing vintage photos here)

Of course today, the comic con is the subject of media attention as studios vie for exposure for their multi-million dollar projects. I'd prefer a hotel full of panels and actual long boxes of comics over the conference halls devoted to screenings and massive displays of the latest video games, but maybe I'm just old fashioned. It's a different creature than the humble beginnings back in the day, but it's actually not that far from the She Dorf's vision.

"Captain America" will play in San Diego for a full day before its nationwide opening Friday, and star Chris Evans is set to introduce the earliest screening. "Cowboys & Aliens" will hold its world premiere at Comic-Con on Saturday — a festival first. Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson are coming to the convention to talk about "The Adventures of Tin-Tin"; Sony is offering a peek at "The Amazing Spider-Man"; and the "Twilight" trio — Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson — will again greet their fans at the Con.

TV-wise, "True Blood," ''Game of Thrones" and "The Walking Dead" are big draws, while new shows such as "Person of Interest," ''Grimm" and "Terra Nova" will present preview footage and introduce their casts in an aim to attract viewers before their fall premieres.

New video games are also expected to score big at Comic-Con, where players can get an early look at sci-fi shooters "Halo" and "Gears of War 3" and the latest "Batman" and "Spider-Man" games.
Via Yahoo! News

Back in the day, it was an entirely different affair that allowed fans of the comic book medium face time with their favorite creators. The video below details the memorabilia from the 1975 Marvel Comic Con, set to the roaring Marvel Comics theme.

The Mighty Marvel Comic Con of 1975
watch?v=rcIvTPDOV88

Please keep this blog bookmarked for SDCC updates as they come.

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