Comic book convention

The Academy's first order of business was to administer the Alley Awards, which traced their origin to "a letter to Jerry dated October 25, 1961," by fellow enthusiast (and future comics professional) Roy Thomas, in which he suggested to Bails that his fanzine Alter-Ego create its own awards to reward fandom's "favorite comic books in a number of categories" in a manner similar to the Oscars.[12] The first Alley Awards, given for the calendar year 1961, were reported in Alter Ego No. 4 (Oct. 1962).

On March 21–22, 1964, the first annual "Alley Tally" by ACBFC members was organized by Bails at his house in Detroit, with the purpose of counting "the Alley Award ballots for 1963."[12] This became notable in retrospect as the first major gathering of comics fans, predating the earliest comic book conventions, which were held later in the year.[13] Attendees included Ronn Foss, Don Glut, Don and Maggie Thompson, Mike Vosburg, and Grass Green. Comics historian Bill Schelly notes that the Alley Tally and "even larger fan meetings in Chicago . . . helped build momentum" for these earliest conventions.[12] (The Chicago gathering occurred May 9–10, 1964; it featured "several dozen" attendees, a dealer room, and film showings.)[14]

In addition, an unnamed convention held May 24, 1964, in the Hotel Tuller, Detroit, Michigan, was organized by teenagers Robert Brusch and Dave Szurek,[13][15] with assistance from Bails[12] and members of the Michigan Science Fiction Society.[16] This gathering featured about 80 fans of the comic book medium.[17]

The first recorded "official" comic book convention took place in 1964 in New York City. Known as the "New York Comicon",[2][3][18][19] it was held July 24, 1964,[14] at the Workman's Circle Building.[15] A one-day convention organized by 16-year-old Bernie Bubnis[20] and fellow enthusiast Ron Fradkin,[15] official guests of the Tri-State Con included Steve Ditko,[14] Flo Steinberg,[20] and Tom Gill.[15][21] Reports were of over 100 attendees.[21]

Continuing the momentum from the previous year, Bails, Shel Dorf, and the members of the Michigan Science Fiction Society formed the "organizing committee" of the ground-breaking multigenre convention Detroit Triple Fan Fair (DTFF),[22] which was held July 24–25, 1965 at the Embassy Hotel, in Detroit, Michigan.[12]

Meanwhile, in New York City, teacher/comics enthusiast Dave Kaler[23] had taken over as ACBFC Executive Secretary; the organization produced Academy Con I (officially known as "Comi Con: Second Annual Convention of Academy of Comic-Book Fans and Collectors"),[24] held July 31 – August 1, 1965, at the Broadway Central Hotel.[25] Under Kaler's leadership, the Academy produced three successful "Academy Con" shows in New York during the summers of 1965–1967,[20][26][27] attracting industry professionals such as Otto Binder, Bill Finger, Gardner Fox, Mort Weisinger, James Warren, Roy Thomas, Gil Kane,[20] Stan Lee, Bill Everett, Carmine Infantino, and Julius Schwartz.[26] As befitting a convention run by the Academy of Comic-Book Fans and Collectors, the Alley Awards were presented at all three Academy Cons.[28]

1965 also saw the genesis of what became the annual Italian comic book convention Lucca Comics & Games. Rinaldo Traini and Romano Calisi (forming the International Congress of Cartoonists and Animators) held the Salone Internazionale del Comics ("International Congress of Comics") in Bordighera.[29]

In 1966, comic book conventions continued to evolve and expand, The July 23–24 New York Comicon (not to be confused with the later New York Comic Con) was held at the Park Sheraton Hotel, in New York. Produced by John Benson,[26] guests included Jack Kirby, Jim Steranko, Otto Binder, Len Brown, Larry Ivie, Jack Binder, Roy Thomas, Gil Kane, Archie Goodwin, bhob Stewart, Klaus Nordling, Sal Trapani, Rocke Mastroserio, and Ted White. Featured events included a keynote speech by Kirby, a discussion about censorship between Don Thompson and Comics Code Authority acting administrator Leonard Darvin, a panel about the Golden Age of Comics, and one on the "so-called 'Forgotten '50s,' particularly EC Comics. Bhob Stewart, on a panel with Archie Goodwin and Ted White, predicted that there would soon be "underground comics" just as there were already "underground films."[30] Meanwhile, the first Southwesterncon was held in Dallas, Texas. Organized by Larry Herndon, the official guest was Dave Kaler.[31]

In 1968, two important conventions had their start. Taking over for the Academy Con, Brooklyn native and school teacher Phil Seuling hosted the International Convention of Comic Book Art at the Statler Hilton Hotel in New York City on July 4–7. The guests of honor were Stan Lee and Burne Hogarth.[32] This annual convention, which later became known as the Comic Art Convention (CAC), hosted the presentation of the Alley Awards from 1968–1970.[28] CAC ran annually (occasionally in Philadelphia) over Independence Day weekend, until 1983. In England, Phil Clarke produced Comicon '68 (British Comic Art Convention) at the Midland Hotel, Birmingham, from August 30 to September 2, 1968. "Member"-guests include Alan Moore, Paul Neary, Jim Baikie, Steve Moore, and Nick Landau; there were 70 attendees.[13]

Comic book conventions increased dramatically in the 1970s, with many of the largest conventions of the modern era being established during the decade. In the early 1970s, conventions sprang up in almost every major American city (and some minor ones), as well as in London, with Comic Mart, a bimonthly trade show which ran regularly until the mid-1980s. Comic book creators, editors, and publishers began to make it part of their routine to attend conventions as official guests. Major comics-related news events were often broken at annual conventions: examples include the news that Jack Kirby was defecting from Marvel to DC, and DC's announcement that it was reviving Captain Marvel.[33]

On August 1–3, 1970, Shel Dorf produced the Golden State Comic-Con, held at the U.S. Grant Hotel, in San Diego. Official guests were Forrest J. Ackerman, Ray Bradbury, Jack Kirby, Bob Stevens, and A. E. van Vogt, and it drew 300 people.[34] The three-day show evolved into San Diego Comic-Con International, and now attracts 130,000 or more attendees.[35]

The Creation Convention debuted in 1971, organized by 14-year-old Queens schoolboys Adam Malin and Gary Berman,[36] and held over Thanksgiving weekend at the New Yorker Hotel, in New York City.[37][38] The guest of honor was Jim Steranko.[39] From that point until the late 1980s, Creation Entertainment continued producing large annual conventions in New York City, usually taking place over the weekend following Thanksgiving.[40] A popular venue for the Thanksgiving cons was the Statler Hilton Hotel.[41] In the mid-1970s, attendance at the New York Creation conventions averaged around 5,000 fans; the admission was around $5/day.[42]

The 1971 Comic Art Convention (held July 2–4 at the Statler Hilton Hotel, New York City) was notable for being the convention credited by Will Eisner for his return to comics:

I came back into the field because of [convention organizer Phil Seuling]. I remember [him] calling me in New London, [Connecticut], where I was sitting there as chairman of the board of Croft Publishing Co. My secretary said, 'There's a Mr. Seuling on the phone and he's talking about a comics convention. What is that?' ... I came down and was stunned at the existence of the whole world. ... That was a world that I had left, and I found it very exciting, very stimulating.[43] I went down to the convention, which was being held in one of the hotels in New York, and there was a group of guys with long hair and scraggly beards, who had been turning out what spun as literature, really popular 'gutter' literature if you will, but pure literature. And they were taking on illegal [sic] subject matter that no comics had ever dealt with before. ... I came away from that recognizing that a revolution had occurred then, a turning point in the history of this medium.[44]

Nostalgia '72, held July 22–23, 1972, at the Pick-Congress Hotel, was the first Chicago-area comics and collectibles convention.[38] Produced by Nancy Warner, the show had about 2,000 attendees.[45] That show evolved into the Chicago Comicon (now known as Wizard World Chicago), and attracts more than 70,000 attendees annually.[46]

The Angoulême International Comics Festival debuted in Angoulême, France, in January 1974. It hosted 10,000 attendees.[47]

In 1976, there were 20 comic book conventions held throughout the United States; many of them attracted thousands of attendees. Around this time specialized shows began popping up, focusing on such topics as underground comics[13] and EC Comics.[48]

In August 1979, FantaCo Enterprises publisher Thomas Skulan produced FantaCon '80 at The Egg convention center, Empire State Plaza, in Albany, New York. The first annual Albany-area horror and comic book convention,[49]

Beginning around 1980, Creation Entertainment expanded its conventions beyond New York, producing cons in San Francisco[50] and Washington, D.C.[51] By 1983, the company was the leading producer of comic book conventions nationwide.[52] For instance, in 1986, Creation produced large-scale comics conventions in at least six cities, including Philadelphia, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and New Brunswick, New Jersey. (The New York show featured a special tribute to Marvel Comics' 25th anniversary; guests included Stan Lee and Jim Shooter.)[53]

In 1988, in commemoration of Superman's 50th anniversary, the Cleveland Convention Center hosted the International Superman Expo. Held June 16–19, official guests include Curt Swan, Jerry Ordway, George Pérez, Marv Wolfman, and Julius Schwartz.[54][55]

By the end of the 1980s, comic book conventions were evolving into sprawling affairs that promoted films, television shows, celebrity performers, video games, toys, and cosplay as much as (if not more than) comic books. Many historians date this shift to the release of Tim Burton's Batman film in 1989, which sparked the convention circuit's newfound embrace of Hollywood.[4]

Great Eastern also ran shows in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts,[56] Oregon, Minnesota, Texas, and South Florida. Despite their large fan attendance and expansive venues, however, Great Eastern's large shows were criticized by many within the industry for pandering to dealers and spectacle. As frequent participant Evan Dorkin stated, "The New York shows are extremely unfriendly to both creators and fans. . . . There is limited programming, limited professional appearances at these shows."[57]

In March 1996, Great Eastern, at a very late point, cancelled what had been advertised as a larger-than-usual New York show, scheduled to be held at the New York Coliseum on 59th St. & Columbus Circle.[57] As a substitute event, comic book retailer Michael Carbonaro and others on the spur of the moment mounted the first Big Apple Comic Con.[57]

In response to the big conventions' shifting focus away from comic books themselves, a number of small conventions sprang up in the mid-1990s that turned the focus back onto comics, particularly those not published by the big mainstream companies DC Comics and Marvel Comics. Many of these "indy cons" were inspired by Cerebus creator Dave Sim. In 1992, Sim partnered with Great Eastern Conventions in promoting small conventions in over 20 U.S. locations,[58] including Indiana, Oregon, Texas, as well as in South Florida. And in 1995, Sim toured the country in a self-styled nine-stop "Spirits of Independence" tour.[59]

The antecedent to these new "comic festivals" may have been Berkeleycon 73, held April 20–22, 1973, at the Pauley Ballroom, ASUC Building, University of California, Berkeley. Berkeleycon was the first convention devoted to underground comix.[38]

Wizard Entertainment purchased the Chicago Comicon in 1997 to expand from its core publishing business into trade/consumer conventions.[60] In just a few years, the now renamed "Wizard World Chicago" event boasted a weekend attendance of over 58,000 people.[61] Wizard World Chicago was the template for a new kind of convention that shifted its focus from actual comic books to ancillary elements of pop culture fandom: celebrity performers, films, television, video games, and toys — "comic conventions" almost in name only.[4]

In 2002, Wizard produced "Wizard World East" in Philadelphia, a still-ongoing show (now known as "Wizard World Philadelphia").[62] They added ongoing shows in Texas in 2003, and Los Angeles in 2004.[63]

Beginning in 2009, Wizard made a concerted push to dominate the North American convention circuit, as it began acquiring existing conventions and starting new ones in various cities. To begin, Wizard's CEO Gareb Shamus acquired the Paradise Comics Toronto Comicon.[64][65][66] Soon afterward, Shamus acquired the Big Apple Convention, New York City's longest-running multigenre popular culture convention,[67] with the intention of directly competing with the New York Comic Con (produced by ReedPOP beginning in 2006).[68] In fact, Wizard initially scheduled the 2010 Big Apple Comic Con for October 7–10, the exact same dates as the previously scheduled 2010 New York Comic Con.[69][68] Wizard later moved the dates of its 2010 New York convention to October 1–3.[70]

Beginning in 2010, Wizard Entertainment produced a "North American Comic Con" tour. City stops included Toronto, Anaheim,[71] and Philadelphia.[72]

By 2013, Wizard conventions included Portland Comic Con, St. Louis Comic Con, Philadelphia Comic Con, NYC Experience, Chicago Comic Con, Ohio Comic Con, Nashville Comic Con, Austin Comic Con, and New Orleans Comic Con.[73] And in September 2013, Wizard World announced seven new stops for the 2014 tour: Sacramento, Louisville, Minneapolis, Atlanta, San Antonio, Richmond (Virginia), and Tulsa.[74]

This explosion in Wizard-produced conventions brought accusations that the entertainment behemoth was deliberately trying to push its competitors out of business.[75][76] On the other hand, many praised Wizard's professional and standardized approach to producing conventions.[4]

Starting in the mid-2000s, ongoing comic book conventions sprung up in most major U.S. cities, most of which are still ongoing. [See List of comic book conventions] These pop-cultural gatherings attract tens of thousands of fans and generate millions of dollars in revenue every year.[4]

Usually run for profit, commercial events tend to charge for "tickets" or "admission" rather than having "memberships". A primary focus of commercial events is meeting celebrities, such as stars of TV shows and movies, professional wrestlers, glamour models, etc. There are frequently very long lines of people waiting for autographs at commercial events. While famous actors like William Shatner of Star Trek are paid tens of thousands of dollars per convention, minor and obscure bit players pay to set up booths to sell autographs and memorabilia.[77] Commercial events also tend to have less small-scale programming; panels will more often be composed of famous actors, directors, etc. on press junkets, where the panels are held in very large rooms with very high attendance. The largest conventions (in terms of attendance) tend to be commercial ones. Commercial events tend to be more likely to be about popular visual media than volunteer cons, and they also tend to attract the younger generation, but this is not absolute by any means. Some commercial conventions have been known to aggressively go after fan-run conventions via their legal teams.[76]

Volunteer conventions, on the other hand, tend to be smaller in scope and more intimate in character. Although there are frequent autograph sessions, they tend to be less of an attraction for volunteer cons. Admission to volunteer cons is usually called "membership," thus emphasizing that the fans themselves are the ones who make up the con, rather than the staff who run commercial cons. A community of fans who run such conventions has developed, and many of them share their best practices and keep convention-running traditions alive.[33]

Attendees of major conventions receive a bag with the convention program, a lavishly illustrated volume featuring themed artwork, articles submitted by members and the official guests, along with a description of the event's programming, staff, rules, guests, and any charity being supported by the convention.[83][84] Local restaurant information and a combination pocket schedule and map may also be included. Sponsors often receive additional items such as T-shirts, pins, or ribbons, as well as faster registration badge pick-up and on-site meals.[85]

Comic book conventions typically feature official guests or guests of honor. These guests are to some extent the headliners of the convention. A convention may have as many guests of honor as the convention committee wishes. A guest can be an industry figure – some notable and frequently appearing examples of industry guests include Stan Lee, George Pérez, and John Byrne. More and more, guests also can include film and television directors and actors, as more of these cultural products are based on comic books. Examples of this sort of guest, frequently seen on the convention circuit, include William Shatner, Bruce Campbell, and Norman Reedus. Comic conventions represent an opportunity for fans to interact with such individuals that may not be possible outside the event.[4]

At some conventions, attendees carry costume props that appear to be weapons. To forestall concerns about misuse of real weapons at such events, the security team "peace-bonds" anything that might look like a weapon.[86]

• Alley Award – presented at Academy Con (1965–1967)[28] and Comic Art Convention (1968–1970)[28]
• Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards – presented at Chicago Comicon (1983–1996)[87]
• Wizard Fan Awards – presented at Dragon Con (1993), Philadelphia Comic Book Spectacular (1994),[88] and Chicago Comicon (1995–2006)

• Duncan, Randy; and Smith, Matthew J. The Power of Comics: History, Form and Culture (Continuum International Publishing Group, 2009).
• Gabilliet, Jean-Paul (trans. by Bart Beaty and Nick Nguyen). Of Comics and Men: A Cultural History of American Comic Books (University of Mississippi Press, 2010).
• McCarthy, Helen (2006). 500 Manga Heroes & Villains (Chrysalis Book Group). ISBN 978-0-7641-3201-8
• Schelly, Bill. Founders of Comic Fandom: Profiles of 90 Publishers, Dealers, Collectors, Writers, Artists and Other Luminaries of the 1950s and 1960s (McFarland, 2010).