About Us

Welcome to The Comic-Con Kids: Finding and Defining Fandom website!

In 1970, five young San Diegans, who ranged in age from 12-17 years, were central to bringing together participants for the first San Diego Comic-Con. Guided by an aspiring graphic artist (the late Sheldon Dorf), they formed alliances with various youthful communities that shared a common interest in comics, science fiction, and film.

Since 2011, San Diego State University Library has been collecting personal histories through a series of interviews with individuals involved in San Diego’s early Comic-Cons. These stories help weave together the cultural history of San Diego and Comic-Con. We hope you enjoy them!

This project was made possible with support from Cal Humanities, an independent non-profit state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information, visit calhum.org.

1972 comic con committee — 1972 Comic-Con Committee. Photo courtesy of Mike Towry.

MADE POSSIBLE BY

This project was made possible with support from Cal Humanities, an independent non-profit state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information, visit calhum.org.

Interviews

Richard Alf Barry Alfonso Wendy All Greg Bear Jackie Estrada Mark Evanier Roger Freedman Igor Goldkind Jeanne & Chuck Graham Peter Jones Gary Pagel Scott Shaw! Mike Towry Jim Valentino Philip Yeh

Interview Info

Unless otherwise stated, the interviews shared on this site were conducted by representatives of San Diego State University Library. The interviews are uncut. The views expressed are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of San Diego State University or its members, sponsors or partners.

Our videos are available in full HD quality on YouTube. By default, YouTube will use the highest quality based on your video player size. To manually change video quality, click the gear icon in the bottom right side of the video player, and select your preferred quality.