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Thank you to our
generous sponsors
of Comic-Con 2009
Important Information Regarding Programs and Autographs at Comic-Con
All event and program rooms have limited capacity as set by the Fire Marshal. Even though your badge
is needed to get into all events, it does not guarantee you access to any event if it has reached its
capacity. We do not clear rooms between events. Most autograph signings are of a limited nature.
Your badge does not guarantee autographs at any event.
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A LOOK BACK AT COMIC-CON 2009
40th ANNIVERSARY GUESTS
Throughout the history of Comic-Con, many people have been
involved with the convention and have contributed to the show's success.
For the 40th Comic-Con, we've invited back some of these people to help us celebrate
this momentous anniversary.
Richard Alf helped finance the first Comic-Con
and was the first treasurer. He served as co-chair with Bill Lund in 1971 and
as co-chair with Mike Towry in 1972. His store, Comic Kingdom on University
Avenue in Hillcrest, was a mecca for comics fans, and he was a major presence
in the dealers' room in the 1970s.
Barry Alfonso was in the original group of fans
who started Comic-Con. He served as secretary in 1970 and as publicity director
from 1971 through 1975. Jack Kirby immortalized Barry as "Witchboy" in DC's
The Demon and as "Barri-Boy" in the "San
Diego Five-String Mob" in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen.
Maeheah Alzmann served on the Comic-Con committee
as the banquet/meal functions coordinator from 1976 to 1983 and again in 1986.
She was also secretary/treasurer in 1983 and treasurer in 1984.
Greg Bear was in the original group of fans
who organized the first San Diego Golden State Comic-Con in 1970 and worked
on the convention staff for the first few years, serving as "sci-fi coordinator."
He has gone on to be a bestselling science fiction author (Blood Music, Darwin's Radio).
Richard Butner was Comic-Con's chairman in 1975,
then became the first executive vice president of the incorporated nonprofit
organization in 1976; he held that position until 1982.
Dave Clark belonged to a group of horror film
fans who helped start Comic-Con in 1970 and worked on the original committee.
Other members of that group included Greg Bear, Roger Freedman, John Pound,
Bill Richardson, and Scott Shaw!
Roger Freedman was a member of the first Comic-Con
committee in 1970 and one of the "San Diego Five-String Mob." Roger served as
auctioneer for fund-raising events at the show, but he is best remembered as
"Dr. Raoul Duke," leader of the All Human Orchestra, which performed parody
songs at the Masquerade each year.
Mike Friedrich was one of the handful of professionals
(at the time a writer for DC) who appeared at the first San Diego Comic-Con
in 1970. The founder of Star*Reach publications and a co-founder of WonderCon,
Mike has attended nearly every Comic-Con since then.
Rick Geary has been contributing art to Comic-Con's
publications since the 1970s. He designed the popular toucan logo in the early
1980s. The award-winning cartoonist produced other graphics for Comic-Con and
Comic Book Expo and in 2008 redesigned Comic-Con's Inkpot Award.
Lance (aka Larry) Geeck served as executive vice-president
of Comic-Con in 1983 and 1984 and took over as president (from Shel Dorf) in
1985.
Beth Holley:
In 1988 a local comic book dealer gave Beth a pass to the San Diego Comic-Con.
She found herself surrounded by comic books of every genre, people in costumes,
and others with the same interests she had. "How can I be a part of this?" she
thought. Inquiries led to the monthly committee meetings held by the organizers.
She volunteered, first as the Information Department Coordinator. A couple of
years later she was elected Vice President of Exhibits, a position she held for
fourteen years. A move to the Pacific Northwest in 2008 precluded an easy
commute for attending regular monthly meetings thereby causing her to step away
from an activity she held dear for many years.
George Clayton Johnson wrote a number of the classic Twilight Zone episodes,
co-authored the novels Ocean's 11 and Logan's Run, and wrote the premiere episode of
Star Trek. George and his wife Lola were fixtures at Comic-Con in the 1970s and 1980s.
Jack Katz is the highly regarded writer/artist
of the epic series The First Kingdom. A regular guest at Comic-Con in the 1970s and 1980s, Jack came up with the
idea of doing a fund-raising art auction in 1976, a Comic-Con tradition that
continued through the years.
Vicky Kelso-Goulart was the "face" of Comic-Con when she served as registrar
from 1974 to 1983. In addition to being secretary of the board of directors from
1975 to 1980, she was also well known to guests in her role as hotel liaison
from 1983 to 1987.
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Ken Krueger was the first chair of Comic-Con.
As owner of a bookstore and part of science fiction's "first fandom," he was
the elder statesman of the group of fans who started the show. He also published
underground comix featuring work by committee members Scott Shaw!, John Pound,
and Dave Stevens.
William R. Lund was on the first Comic-Con committee
and served as co-chair in 1971, 1972, and 1973 then was sole chair in 1974.
Bill was immortalized by Jack Kirby as part of the "San Diego Five-String Mob"
in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen.
Lee Marrs (writer/artist of Pudge, Girl Blimp) was part of the underground comix
contingent that became a mainstay of Comic-Con in the 1970s and into the 1980s.
She has been to nearly every Comic-Con and has served as an Eisner Awards judge.
Mike Pasqua was programming co-coordinator from 1980 to 1985 and served as vice
president for programming on the Board of Directors from 1985 to 1987.
David Scroggy was programming coordinator for
Comic-Con in 1977 and 1979 and was the first coordinator for the Robert A. Heinlein
Blood Drive in 1977. He was director of Comic Book Expo (Comic-Con's trade show)
from 1986 to 1993. He is now vice president for product development at Dark
Horse.
Scott Shaw! was in the small group of fans who
started Comic-Con in 1970, and he provided cartoons and art for flyers, badges,
and publications. Jack Kirby included him as part of "San Diego's Five-String
Mob." Shaw! performed with the All-Human Orchestra, was the MC of the Inkpot
Awards for several years, and has been presenting his fan-favorite "Oddball
Comics" slide show for decades.
Mark Stadler handled publicity for Comic-Con
in 1980, 1981, and 1988; was co-films coordinator in 1982–1984 and 1986; and
was information coordinator in 1986 and 1987. He served on the board of directors
as vice president for publications/marketing in 1988 and secretary from 1990
to 1993.
Brinke Stevens (aka Charlene Brinkman) wowed audiences
at the Masquerade in the 1970s with her choreographed dances. She served as
Masquerade coordinator in 1976–1978. She is best known as a scream queen and
has appeared in more than 100 films.
William Stout is one of those rare pros who has
been to every single Comic-Con. The award-winning painter and film designer
has produced dozens of pieces for the Souvenir Book, along with the 1991 cover.
His murals of prehistoric life are on view at the San Diego Natural History
Museum.
Janet Tait held numerous positions on the
Comic-Con committee and board of directors in the 1980s and 1990s, including
films coordinator (1984, 1985, 1992), programming coordinator (1986–1988), vice
president of programming (1988–1990), publicity coordinator (1989, 1990), and
publications co-coordinator (1994–1999). She also chaired ConFusion, a one-time
event held in 1991, and started the Comic-Con website in the mid-1990s.
Mike Towry was in a small group of San Diego comics fans who met regularly in
the late 1960s to talk about their hobby. Along with Bill Lund, Barry Alfonso,
Richard Alf, and others, they met Detroit-transplant Shel Dorf in 1969. That
group was instrumental in getting Comic-Con off the ground, and Towry served as
co-chair in 1972. He was also one of Jack Kirby's "San Diego Five-String Mob."
Jim Valentino was a member of the Comic-Con committee
in the late 1970s and contributed cartoons and drawings for flyers and progress
reports. In 1979 he was co-editor (with George Olshevsky) of the only tabloid-newspaper-format
Souvenir Book. He went on to become one of the founding five of Image Comics
and is currently head of Shadowline Studios.
Phil Yeh attended the first Comic-Con in 1970 as a teenager. The experience inspired
him to start his own publishing company. In 1977 he wrote, illustrated, and published one of the
first modern American graphic novels, Even Cazco Gets the Blues. He started Cartoonists
Across America & the World in 1985 to promote literacy, the arts, and creativity using humor and comics.
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In 1987, a private party was held to celebrate Jack Kirby's
70th birthday. At that party, the idea began for a band of comics pros and celebrities
who would write and perform at the next year's Comic-Con. Sure enough, 1988
saw the debut of Seduction of the Innocent, a band that played after the Inkpot
Awards banquet that year. The group made repeat appearances over the years at
Comic-Con and at WonderCon.
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John "Chris" Christensen is a musician, composer, and recording artist whose
credits go back to the 1960s. In addition to being a member of Seduction of the Innocent,
Chris composed and produced a CD with artist Mark Schultz, Songs from the Xenozoic Age,
and also produced Will Eisner's The Spirit Picture Disk.
Max Allan Collins is a bestselling author (Nate Heller series, Quarry series)
and comic book writer (Ms. Tree, Batman,
Road to Perdition) who also scripted
the Dick Tracy newspaper strip from 1977 to 1993. A jack of all trades,
he's also a filmmaker and has fronted rock bands.
Miguel Ferrer, the drummer in Seduction, is the well-known film and TV
actor. His credits include Robocop, Traffic,
The Stand, The Night Flier, Twin Peaks, and the role
of Dr. Garret Macy on Crossing Jordan. He comes by his musical talent from
mom Rosemary Clooney and his acting talent from dad José Ferrer.
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Steve Leialoha, Seduction's bassist, is a longtime comic book inker who
has been to every San Diego Comic-Con. He's been the regular inker on Vertigo/DC's
Fables since its inception
and has received numerous Eisner Awards for his work on that title.
Bill Mumy is often remembered as "Will Robinson" on Lost in Space.
Mumy has appeared in dozens of films
and on hundreds of TV shows and he is a prolific voice actor. As a musician
he was half of the novelty-recording duo Barnes & Barnes, and recorded solo
and with his band, The Jenerators. He's also scripted numerous comic books.
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