TV News Interview from 1970 about Comic-Con #1

July 11, 2019

It’s hard to believe that San Diego Comic-Con #50 will be starting in less than one week, with Preview Night on Wednesday, July 17, 2019. Back when we started Comic-Con, we had no idea of what a major force in popular culture it would become. This audio-recording of a brief TV interview from before Comic-Con #1 should give you an idea of how modest were our expectations for our first multi-day Comic-Con, which was held August 1-3, 1970 at the US Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego.

Channel 39 Pre-Comic-Con #1 (1970) Interview of Shel Dorf (00:01:52)
by reporter Natalie Best

If you’d like to listen to some of the programs from Comic-Con #1, including talks by Ray Bradbury and Jack Kirby, you can find them at http://www.comicconmemories.com/2010/01/08/recordings-of-the-1970-san-diego-comic-con-1-listen-to-them-here/.

San Diego Comic Fest at Comic-Con 2015!

July 7, 2015

Thanks to the good folks at Comic-Con International, San Diego Comic Fest will again have a fan table at Comic-Con. We will be on the Mezzanine level at space MZ-19. Come on by to see the Fest folks and get a flyer and free button and talk about the Fest. And in the meantime, here is an advance look at the flyer:
San Diego Comic Fest flyer for Comic-Con page 1
San Diego Comic Fest flyer for Comic-Con page 2

San Diego Comic Fest 2014

July 1, 2014

Create some great new comic-convention memories at this year’s San Diego Comic Fest, which will held October 17-19, 2014. To find out more, please visit the Fest web site at www.sdcomicfest.org.

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San Diego Comic Fest 2013

August 6, 2013

The first San Diego Comic Fest was a great success and we plan on making this year’s Fest an even greater experience for all our attendees, professional guests, and dealers. We invite you to come and enjoy the friendly comic book convention with a casual atmosphere and an intimate scale. The emphasis will again be […]

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San Diego Comic Fest 2012

March 16, 2012

This year will see the 40th anniversary of the first San Diego Comic-Con to be hosted at the legendary El Cortez Hotel. That con, which was held August 18-21, 1972, set the pattern for a string of memorable Comic-Cons throughout the rest of the ’70s, all of which, with one exception, were at the El […]

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Scott Shaw! Remembers Richard Alf

January 15, 2012

Richard was an intelligent guy who never seemed to lose his sense of humor. I’ll miss him! Scott Shaw! Scott Shaw! was a member of the Woodchucks, a group of science-fiction and comic enthusiasts from San Diego’s Crawford High School who were mentored by Ken Krueger, a publisher, bookstore owner, and member of science fiction’s […]

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Greg Bear Remembers Richard Alf

January 14, 2012

Richard was so important to our small group of enthusiasts way back then—a young fellow, younger than me, who already had far more sense than me—and a strong business sense as well. I wonder how far we would have gone without his guidance, not to mention his VW? The founders of the San Diego Comic-Con […]

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Barry Alfonso Remembers Richard Alf

January 14, 2012

Richard Alf is a legendary figure in my life. I first met him in the fall of 1969, at the apartment of Shel Dorf’s parents in Clairemont. I was 12 years old. We were getting together for the first time to start a comic book club and make the first steps towards launching the San […]

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Richard Alf
January 26, 1952 – January 4, 2012

January 8, 2012

San Diego Comic-Con co-founder Richard Alf passed away on January 4, 2012. There will be a memorial service for Richard at 3PM on Thursday, January 12 at the following location: Bonham Brothers & Stewart Mortuary and Cremation Service 321 12th St., Ramona, CA 92065 (760) 789-1678 There will also be a viewing on Wednesday, January […]

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A New “Old School” San Diego Comic Con

November 8, 2011

By Mike Towry Next year (2012) will see the 40th anniversary of the first El Cortez Comic-Con, which was held August 18-21, 1972. I was Chairman of the con that year, at the ripe old age of seventeen, and it’s always held a special place in my heart. I’m not alone, however, in looking back […]

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