What Was Your First Comic Book Convention? 6 6

[littledoom]

I see a lot of threads about first trips to a comic shop or toy store.. that's all marvelous and sacred but to me comic cons/shows are where it's at.. a monthly congregation of avid fans and dealers trading under one roof.... I honestly can't remember the first one I've been to.. Probably in the mid 2000s. I want to say it was the Los Angeles Comic Book Science Fiction Convention held at the Shrine Auditorium across USC. It was always poorly lit and there were two floors. The top floor was mainly reserved for artists signing or sketching. I met David Finch there in 2005 and he drew separate sketches of Spidey and Cap for me. New Avengers hype was big! I remember I asked a dealer if he had Action Comcis 1 (Lol). Nowadays the number I go to really boils down to 2 or 3 that I frequent yearly. As I'm a quality person not fazed by quantity of gimmicky fodder. All are one day shows. A con was something I went to locally the morning of bin diving for undervalued gems

Edited September 1, 2020 by littledoom

[ADAMANTIUM]

I was minding my own business in fall of 2015.

I heard on the radio that Lucy lawless or xena warrior princess was to appear at something called Dallas Fan Days. What is this? I live in Dallas and never heard of such. At that current moment my brother had told me he had just bought a complete set of xena on dvd.

I call him and say want to meet her in person?

It was literally the next weekend that it was all to go down.

Tickets were still available, the route to drive seemed doable. I look up other guests and  as it was a smaller comic con

I then look at comic guests and Chris Claremont was to appear....

We drive out get the lay of the land, and I stand in line with 10 comics, which is most of my dark Phoenix saga. I get them signed by Claremont and they say it's a $5 witness fee. I say witness for what? Grading they respond. I say by whom? They spit out a 4 letter acronym so I say ok. That was just the witness fee, to have them slabbed would have been like another $400, which I wasnt told before hand and would have been all my dough on the 1st day. So I pass, so somewhere in my boxes is a NM limited series wolvie #1 signed by Claremont from the con, along with #2-4 signed by len wein and those I bought together at the LCS. 

Once I found cgc and learned how witnessing was supposed to go, I sold the raw signed dark Phoenix saga back to the LCS to fund for the next con June of 2016 which was advertised at fandays. The next con was to feature Stan Lee and cgc, so all was going to plan. Then I got my first real con experience as it was the big comic con in June. My "2nd con" but really the 1st bigger con. I go in guns ablazin

Got IH 181 &180 signed by Stan Lee as my 1st graded books, and I didn't find too much to spend at the con so next day I bring Fantastic Four 49 to get signed by Stan Lee and Joe Sinnot and a ASM 129 mark jewelers signed by stan as well.

That 2016 fall I discovered the boards and never looked back 

 

Edited August 31, 2020 by ADAMANTIUM

[THE_BEYONDER]

For some reason I can’t recall anything earlier than a local con in 1993.  And what I remember about it.....

 

Dale Keown was there.  I had him sign a couple Hulk 377s, Pitt 1, Youngblood 4 and Spawn 1(there’s a Pitt pin-up inside).  Still have those books.

 

The other thing that stands out was IF 14.  The first Sabertooth was a big book($100) and being a huge Byrne fan, I remember searching out multiple copies. 
 

Wish I still had those....

[littledoom]

4 minutes ago, ADAMANTIUM said:

I was minding my own business in fall of 2015.

I heard on the radio that Lucy lawless or xena warrior princess was to appear at something called Dallas Fan Days. What is this? I live in Dallas and never heard of such. At that current moment my brother had told me he had just bought a complete set of xena on dvd.

I call him and say want to meet her in person?

It was literally the next weekend that it was all to go down.

Tickets were still available, the route to drive seemed doable. I look up other guests and  as it was a smaller comic con

I then look at comic guests and Chris Claremont was to appear....

We drive out get the lay of the land, and I stand in line with 10 comics, which is most of my dark Phoenix saga. I get them signed by Claremont and they say it's a $5 witness fee. I say witness for what? Grading they respond. I say by whom? They spit out a 4 letter acronym so I say ok. That was just the witness fee, to have them slabbed would have been like another $400, which I wasnt told before hand and would have been all my dough on the 1st day. So I pass, so somewhere in my boxes is a NM limited series wolvie #1 signed by Claremont from the con, along with #2-4 signed by len wein and those I bought together at the LCS. 

Once I found cgc and learned how witnessing was supposed to go, I sold the raw signed dark Phoenix saga back to the LCS to fund for the next con June of 2016 which was advertised at fandays. The next con was to feature Stan Lee and cgc, so all was going to plan. Then I got my first real con experience as it was the big comic con in June. My "2nd com" but really the 1st bigger con. I go in guns ablazin

Got IH 181 &180 signed by Stan Lee as my 1st graded books, and I didn't find too much to spend at the con so next day I bring Fantastic Four 49 signed by Stan Lee and Joe Sinnot and a ASM 129 mark jewelers signed by stan as well.

That 2016 fall I discovered the boardwalk and never looked back 

 

January 2016 was when I got back into comics after cancelling my weekly comic shop subscription in 2012..

[ADAMANTIUM]

1 minute ago, littledoom said:

January 2016 was when I got back into comics after cancelling my weekly comic shop subscription in 2012..

Awesome! I got back in, in 2014, I knew cgc was the way to go but hadn't bought any slabs yet or knew how to send in or etc. I just say them on eBay haha.

At least you weren't gone for long! Oh and I edited my synopsis, as autocorrect got me, but should be more readable now.

I "collected" as a kid but pretty much only got a book every now and then. I knew of 1st and 2nd print, but in 2014 walking in and hearing about silk and seeing different covers of the same issue now known as "variants", well I wasn't sure if that's what I wanted to do is be a collector. Collector to me then meant runs, and I wasn't about to by the same issue three times over

cons changed my perspective and the thrill of it all I guess. I still bought a silk in 2014 what I thought was the coolest. Turned out to be the regular cover

 

[ashsaytr]

with the boy....Dragon Con 2008

[kav]

My first con was a very small one at CSUS sacramento-like 20 people showed up.  Sergio aragones, trina robbins and the GA daredevil artist were there.  Some dude had a table full of OA-starlin, smith, kirby, adams-they were like $20-$30 ea.  no one even glanced at them or asked the GA daredevil artist for a sketch or sig.  I punch myself in the face thinking abt that one.

[143ksk]

First Chicago ComiCon. A million years ago...

[Ken Aldred]

The first comic show I went to was a local comic mart in late 1979, held in a basement in Piccadilly Plaza, Manchester, England,  

I was only 15 at the time, but I recall the organiser being incredibly patronising, talking to me as if I was a decade or so younger.

Looking back, the selection was actually excellent.

I’d missed a couple of X-Men issues, 121 and 122, which hadn’t been distributed here, and I’d gone to pick these up, though pricey.  Then, I blew my small amount of extra cash almost immediately on Conans, 25 to 40, IIRC.
 

 I continued going there regularly until the mid 80s.  
 

Today, I wouldn’t miss the stench of stale cigarette smoke which choked those small rooms back then.
 

[catman76]

A little one at a VFW hall in either 1987 or 88. I wish I could go back there it was heaven, just tables and tables full of old comics and pulps and stuff.  I hardly had any money then so I couldnt buy much. All I remember buying was some 40s Walt Disneys Comics and stories out of 50 cent boxes boxes. I passed up a bunch of Briefer Frankenstien comics that were like a couple bucks. I regretted that as soon as I left the place.

[comicdonna]

NYCC between 2005 to 2007

[anstettoman]

1974 buffalo ny comic con. Phil Sueling show if i remember correctly. Val Mayerick was the guest of honor I think. A seller had 5 AF 15's for sale for 125-$150 each............at 17 years old probably brought $20 me to spend (so $100+ was out of my price range)  I remember a table of creepy magazines medium stack of issue #1, I believe i purchased a MOnster world #1, Mole people #1 and super duck (random issus) at this show.....  still a great time..........ah memories!!!!

[Robot Man]

I go back a little further than you whippersnappers. Probably one of the Women's Club shows in 1969. I was one of those bottom feeders looking in the dollar boxes under the tables. In those days, anything not Superhero, Early newspaper characters, Ducks and EC's were in those boxes.

My first "real" con was the 3rd SDCC at the El Cortez Hotel I think. I still remember the excitement of walking up to the older lady at a card table and handing her a $5. dollar bill for a multi day pass. Slept 8 to a room with some beers we stole from our dads and a bunch of funny cigarettes. Playing poker half the night for comics. Denny's was just across the street for fine dining and cheapest place around to eat. Spent every dollar I brought except for our return trip home gas money.

[Chaz G.]

NYCC 2014. It was the last year you could see 20 feet ahead of you on Thursday. 

Not so much any more. 

But I do miss it . . . 

[TheBook]

My first was the Los Angeles Comic Com back in the mid 80's.

It was at the Ambassador Hotel on Wilshire Blvd on the first Sunday of every month.

My dad would give me 20-40 bucks and drop me off before work around 10am and I would stay until he got off at 5p.

It ended at 4p but I would read all the books I bought until my dad picked me up.

Comics were all .25-.50 each so I bought a ton every month.

I didnt care about condition back then. I only cared about what was gonna happen the next issue.

Best deal I ever got there was FF 45-52 (vg-f) for a buck a piece.

One time I walked in and a guy had a table with stacks of silver age unbagged and unboarded.

People swarmed his table right away and unfortunately that was all I could grab.

My buddy snagged a TTA 27 for a buck and wanted to trade me for the FF45 I was like "No way. 1st Inhumans for 1st Ant Man?!?"

FYI Biggest books during those years was IH181 & ASM129. Some things never change...

Cheers to the good old days.

 

[Jesse-Lee]

I've actually never been to a comic convention - went to some local baseball card shows as a kid. But in college, I worked at the dorms at UW-Milwaukee, and in the summers we'd rent them out like a hotel, and my job was basically that of the GM of the "hotel." This is back when Gen Con, the main Dungeons and Dragons con, used to be held in Milwaukee. Since so many people stayed there, my co-worker and I decided to call and see if Gen Con would give us free day passes to check it out, and they did. It was super interesting - I wish I was really into collecting at the time because I bet there were some cool comics to be had, although the focus was on tabletop gaming. I did get to meet Lou Ferrigno though, so that was pretty neat. I remember him being really nice, although I think we got to meet him for all of about 30 seconds.

[Dave2739]

Shelton Drum, owner of Heroes Aren't Hard to Find in Charlotte, NC used to have "mini-cons" in a room at the old Eastland Mall (long gone). First one my mom took me to was probably in 1980 or '81. I was 7 or 8 years old. Remember seeing "wall" books for the first time there. Since I was a little kid, the room seemed absolutely packed with comics and walls of books seemed to stretch into the atmosphere from my very low to the ground perspective. Wish I could hop in a DeLorean and go back in time to those shows, but with some of my grown-up cash to spend.

Shelton still has the mini-con once a year although in a totally different location. And then he has the big show in June, although that one was cancelled this year for obvious reasons.

[Mercury Man]

Sometime in 1990, a Holiday Inn Conference Room in Hillside, IL.   Maybe 10 long tables of dealers. 

[littledoom]

1 hour ago, TheBook said:

My first was the Los Angeles Comic Com back in the mid 80's.

It was at the Ambassador Hotel on Wilshire Blvd on the first Sunday of every month.

My dad would give me 20-40 bucks and drop me off before work around 10am and I would stay until he got off at 5p.

It ended at 4p but I would read all the books I bought until my dad picked me up.

Comics were all .25-.50 each so I bought a ton every month.

I didnt care about condition back then. I only cared about what was gonna happen the next issue.

Best deal I ever got there was FF 45-52 (vg-f) for a buck a piece.

One time I walked in and a guy had a table with stacks of silver age unbagged and unboarded.

People swarmed his table right away and unfortunately that was all I could grab.

My buddy snagged a TTA 27 for a buck and wanted to trade me for the FF45 I was like "No way. 1st Inhumans for 1st Ant Man?!?"

FYI Biggest books during those years was IH181 & ASM129. Some things never change...

Cheers to the good old days.

 

Reminds me of myself in my early childhood collecting journey. I just cared to have the key issue regardless of condition whether it be vf or vg

[Loug2]

My first "big" con was Wizard World Philadelphia in 2012 with my 2 best friends (who I still go to big cons and comic shops with). I remember contemplating about us finally going to a big con as we had done a bunch of smaller conventions in the previous years. It was a bit of a far drive for us, as I'm in northern NJ, but what sold us was that Stan Lee was going to be there so we bought the STAN LEE VIP experience. Which was an autograph on any item, a picture with him, and a Q&A session. I believe we paid $250 for the package, which was a steal from seeing his later con appearances. But yeah, still have the ticket somewhere around here. Great experience overall. 

Edited September 1, 2020 by Loug2
Found the pass