Making Comic Con History
色情视频 invites Comic-Con founders to add to the library's Special Collections.
The shelves of the 色情视频 Library鈥檚 Special Collections contain a cadre of colorful characters: Stinz the centaur; Batman鈥檚 foe Anarky; Bob the Angry Flower; and Atomics team members It Girl, Mr. Gum, The Slug, and Black Crystal, to name only a few.
These characters 鈥� and a host of others in the library鈥檚 comics, zine, graphic novel and science fiction collections 鈥� inhabit 400 linear feet of shelf space in Special Collections, creating an impressive assemblage of alternative media and science fiction.
Soon the comic super heroes will be joined by the real-life heroes whose hard work, enthusiasm, and often their bank accounts created an annual comics gathering that grew into the mega-event now known worldwide as Comic-Con International.
These people won鈥檛 be sitting on a shelf next to Superman. Thanks to a $10,000 grant from the California Council for the Humanities, their digitally recorded oral histories will live in cyberspace as a permanent, interactive online resource located on Special Collections鈥� Web page.
鈥淭he Comic-Con Kids: Finding and Defining Fandom鈥� will explore the emergence of comics, science fiction, and fantasy in the youth counterculture movements of the 1970s, with a primary focus on Comic-Con.
In 1970, five young San Diegans 鈥� ranging in age from 12 to 17 鈥� were central to bringing together participants for the first conventions.
鈥淲e plan to video the oral histories of the surviving co-founders and other early leaders of this event. With this and existing materials from the 色情视频 Library, an online experience will be created for students, scholars, and the general public,鈥� said Lynn Hawkes, special projects and external affairs coordinator.
鈥淭he Website will contain photographs, video/oral history interviews, original documents, and film excerpts. There will also be an interactive component where people can leave comments and share their own stories about Comic-Con.鈥�
Comic Con innovators
Two of those early organizers 鈥� Mike Towry and Jackie Estrada 鈥� were interviewed first when recording began on June 29, 2012. Award-winning science fiction author and 色情视频 alumnus Greg Bear and Barry Alfonso鈥攂oth teen-agers when they joined the inaugural Comic-Con crew鈥攁re also slated for interviews.
Jonathan Valdez, a graduate student in 色情视频鈥檚 liberal arts and sciences program, will conduct the oral history interviews, which also will be video recorded by 色情视频 students. Michael Lapins, the library鈥檚 Media Center supervisor, is coordinating the video production.
鈥淐omic-Con was started by students, so it鈥檚 understandable that they would be interested in having students involved in the project,鈥� Hawkes said. Oral history interviews will continue during the San Diego Comic Fest, which will be held October 19-21, 2012, at the Town and Country Resort and Convention Center.
The library will have a meeting room to conduct interviews and scan photographs and documents attendees bring with them so that this history can be preserved. The oral histories and other materials will be uploaded to Special Collections鈥� Web page after they are edited and completed, with the first couple appearing around the end of summer 2012. Learn more about .
Comic Con oral histories
The oral histories of Comic-Con鈥檚 founders and early leaders fit naturally with Special Collections鈥� alternative media collections, which emphasize drawn books and independent, small press and mini-comics.
The collections also contain materials that document the history of comic book culture and the creative process behind comic book production. With the influence these real-life heroes generated in these subjects, the addition of their histories to the collection will be highly valued.
