What Was Your First Comic Book Convention? 6 6

[Artboy99]

My first convention was in 1980. I was 15 years old and the show was held on the University of Alberta campus. I went with my friend John and we took the transit from the city of St Albert where I lived to the show.

At the show were 2 creators: Steve Leialoha and John Byrne. I had brought a few comics with me hoping to do some trades and I had brought my copy of Howard the Duck #1. After talking to John Byrne my friend said "I think this guy worked on your Howard the Duck". I opened the book and sure enough his name was there and I asked him to sign it.

 

 

[fmaz]

I used to drag my dad to the monthly comic book show at the Ramada Inn in East Hartford CT back in the mid to the late 70’s. I started going when I was about 8 years old and my dad would tell me (when I got older) how much the dealers enjoyed dealing with me as I pointed out spine tics and tried to negotiate better prices on books so I could maximize the $20 budget my dad would give me for each show. 😄

It was just 30-40 tables of dealers, but I loved it and look back at those as some of the great times with my dad.  Especially considering the fact that he had zero interest in comics and was just there for me.

Now $20 was a lot of money back then, and remember I was probably 9-10 years old when this happened... but here’s the most “famous” story from our comic show adventures:

One show I came running up to my dad and said “I need $100!”  He laughed and say he wasn’t giving me $100 for, as he called them “a funny book”.  And that’s the story of WHY I wasn’t able to purchase a decent looking copy of Amazing Spider-Man #1. Ugh. I gave him good natured grief about that for years and years, to the point where I might have gotten more enjoyment from the story than I ever would have from the book. 😁
The other thing I remember from those shows is a few dealers who would always have these big black and white art pages behind their tables. I never really gave them a second glance, because who would want to pay $15-25 for those “original art pages” when you could buy comics. Ugh. That one’s on me.  🙄

Edited November 23, 2020 by fmaz

[Morganmi]

1 hour ago, fmaz said:

The other thing I remember from those shows is a few dealers who would always have these big black and white art pages behind their tables. I never really gave them a second glance, because who would want to pay $15-25 for those “original art pages” when you could buy comics. Ugh. That one’s on me.

I did the same thing. I remember my friend buying a few pages of some early Buscema Conan's for like $20 a piece a me not buying any because I wanted to by more comics.

[wilbil]

2 hours ago, fmaz said:

I used to drag my dad to the monthly comic book show at the Ramada Inn in East Hartford CT back in the mid to the late 70’s. I started going when I was about 8 years old and my dad would tell me (when I got older) how much the dealers enjoyed dealing with me as I pointed out spine tics and tried to negotiate better prices on books so I could maximize the $20 budget my dad would give me for each show. 😄

It was just 30-40 tables of dealers, but I loved it and look back at those as some of the great times with my dad.  Especially considering the fact that he had zero interest in comics and was just there for me.

Now $20 was a lot of money back then, and remember I was probably 9-10 years old when this happened... but here’s the most “famous” story from our comic show adventures:

One show I came running up to my dad and said “I need $100!”  He laughed and say he wasn’t giving me $100 for, as he called them “a funny book”.  And that’s the story of WHY I wasn’t able to purchase a decent looking copy of Amazing Spider-Man #1. Ugh. I gave him good natured grief about that for years and years, to the point where I might have gotten more enjoyment from the story than I ever would have from the book. 😁
The other thing I remember from those shows is a few dealers who would always have these big black and white art pages behind their tables. I never really gave them a second glance, because who would want to pay $15-25 for those “original art pages” when you could buy comics. Ugh. That one’s on me.  🙄

every dad everywhere should read this post. an outstanding example of what it means to be a dad, because you are a dad..

[spracknetch23]

Comicfest '93 Philly was my first "real" con (outside of occasional Holiday Inn shows).  At age 15, a friend and I held garage sales and did odd jobs all summer to save up the money to go for the full weekend (13 hour round trip). We brought duffel bags full of our comics to lug around the con floor for autographs. Met everyone from Todd McFarlane to Mr. T, and attended the first Wizard Fan Awards, where Todd dressed in some...interesting...costumes. Good times.  And...I still have my Jim Shooter-personalized exclusive copy of Defiant: Genesis.  

[fmaz]

2 hours ago, wilbil said:

every dad everywhere should read this post. an outstanding example of what it means to be a dad, because you are a dad..

What’s funny is, fast forward to about 15 years ago.. when our son was 7-8 years old.  He loved superheroes (‘natch) but he LOVED collecting baseball cards.  So there we were, going to monthly baseball card shows, giving him a budget and watching him haggle with dealers over bent corners and high print runs...and having them all tell us how much they love dealing with him.  They’d all get so excited when he walked into the show...   and based on that stories my dad had told me, it must have been what it was like when I was going to those comic shows when I was little. 

Long story short, a few times when he asked us for a bigger hit of cash than usually... we ponied up, just in case.  LOL 

 

[littledoom]

On 8/31/2020 at 3:54 PM, littledoom said:

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

Walked out w free Finch Cap & Spidey sketches... there was a long line which I’m sure would be 4-5 times longer today for free Finch sketches and autos 

[Ride the Tiger]

I think it was around 1988 or maybe 1989. In Westmont Illinois at some banquet hall. I think admission was free and a bunch of my friends had tables there. I got to meet Jill Thompson who I believe was working on Wonder Woman at the time.

[Eclipse]

1986, at the Elks Club in my hometown of Toms River, NJ when i was 10 years old. My dad bought me a copy of Sub-Mariner #15 (1940's) that i still have to this day (slabbed at a 5.5 now).

[littledoom]

bump

[paperheart]

1975 Mighty Marvel Convention

[universal soldier]

My dad was a dentist so growing up all our vacations were centered around dental conventions. New York City around 1977 was my first as both cons were going on the same weekend. Managed to snag a NM- or so copy of ASM #122 for $8. Forever hooked after that.

[Buzzetta]

Oh easy... 

The show at the Days Inn Comic Show in Rockville Centre...  (Gone but never forgotten)

I believe that @shadroch is familiar with it.

I forget, but I honestly don't know if @mrwoogieman remembers or ever went to those... 

 

[shadroch]

It was a Holiday Inn back then.  

[Buzzetta]

On 11/8/2021 at 10:01 PM, shadroch said:

It was a Holiday Inn back then.  

Yes, you are correct.

I remember Vince of Metro, Ritchie Muchin and a few others... I remember sneaking over there by taking the LIRR with a pocket full of cash and coming back home with silver age spider-mans. 

[kav]

On 11/8/2021 at 7:07 PM, Buzzetta said:

Yes, you are correct.

I remember Vince of Metro, Ritchie Muchin and a few others... I remember sneaking over there by taking the LIRR with a pocket full of cash and coming back home with silver age spider-mans. 

my brother bouht avengers #1 for $40 in 1979 at comics and comics.  like a 4.0.

[jsilverjanet]

my first was one of the early Chicago Comic Cons that were still in the hotels not in the convention center. The only thing I remembered was discovering the artwork of Moebius as someone had some prints for sale.

The rest is a blur.

I didn't attend any others till I was older and that was the one when Image had just started and came to Chicago. They were like Rock Stars. 

 

 

[Terry JSA]

Outside of just attending a few local comic shows. My first actual convention was HeroesCon 2019. 

[rexinnih]

Have no recollection of it but stumbled across a name badge from a San Diego Comic Con that was at the El Cortez hotel so maybe 1981 as a very young lad. 

[Dave2739]

On 11/9/2021 at 2:58 PM, Terry JSA said:

Outside of just attending a few local comic shows. My first actual convention was HeroesCon 2019. 

I'm just a few years older than you. My first was one of Shelton's Heroes Mini-Cons at the long-defunct Eastland Mall, circa 1981.